Deansfield Primary School Nursery Review

Storytelling gives Deansfield’s nursery a concrete point of character: children have retold The enormous turnip, bringing a shared story into their own language. This is the nursery class within Deansfield Primary School on Dairsie Road in Eltham. Entry begins in the term following a child’s third birthday, with 52 places for mornings and another 52 for afternoons.

At the inspection on 3, 4 and 9 June 2025, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

The Compass Curriculum incorporates the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the nursery’s framework for early learning and development. The enormous turnip retelling provides a nursery-specific example of literacy in action: children practise putting a familiar narrative into words, rather than simply hearing it read.

Across early years, learning includes number sense alongside phonics and handwriting. These foundations connect early learning with the skills children will build later. In June 2025, children in early years developed learning habits quickly and established secure foundations across the learning areas.

Cooperation matters alongside those skills. From early years onwards, children pay attention to adults and practise sharing, waiting for turns and working together. These are useful foundations for taking part in a group as well as learning independently.

Support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle. Teachers discuss emerging needs with parents and the special educational needs coordinator, so decisions about additional help involve the family. Support is revisited against the child’s progress rather than treated as a fixed arrangement.

The school’s inclusion team includes specialist teaching assistants and learning mentors. Possible adjustments include visual cues, individual timetables and specialist equipment; some children may need a personalised curriculum or care guided by medical advice. The practical value is flexibility around the individual child’s needs.

MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) gives parents a browser-based channel for communicating with the school. For concerns about a child’s learning or development, the class teacher is the first contact and can involve further support.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee admission to Deansfield’s Reception class. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Applications for a September school start are made online through Royal Borough of Greenwich Admissions. Treat choosing the nursery and securing a Reception place as separate decisions.

Transition support is a different matter. The school arranges classroom visits when needed, and extra help may include photographs, social stories or transition packs. These measures help children prepare for a change of classroom or teacher; they do not secure an admission place.

Morning and afternoon nursery places are offered, with a Nursery Application Form as the application route. Nursery enquiries go to the school office at deansfield@compassps.uk or 020 8850 1218.

Alpha Childcare provides wraparound care for nursery children. On school days, breakfast club operates from 7.30 to 9.00 and after-school club from 3.30 to 6.30. Both use the Foundation Hall, with a school playground available for outdoor activities. This gives families care options around the nursery session, with an indoor base and outdoor space for the additional hours.