Gayhurst Community School Nursery Review

Mud play, stories and weekly Forest School give Gayhurst’s nursery a practical, exploratory character. This is the school’s own provision for three-year-olds on Gayhurst Road in Hackney, with a fenced nursery playground within the school grounds. Outdoor learning has a regular place in children’s experience.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 28 February and 1 March 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play is the starting point. Children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), combining activities they choose with experiences led by adults. Its seven learning areas bring together language, relationships, physical development, literacy, maths, creativity and understanding the world. Practical experiences take place indoors and outside, while staff observations help shape learning around children’s interests and needs.

Early reading begins with listening. Nursery children explore environmental sounds, copy them and talk about them through music, conversation and books. Songs, rhymes and stories also featured in the February and March 2023 early years findings. Handwriting preparation starts with movement, pencil grip and posture; Letter-join provides a sequence for practising the strokes that precede letter formation.

Maths is similarly hands-on. Numicon and unifix cubes help children connect counting with actual objects, while dice and domino patterns introduce recognising small quantities quickly. Mastering Number adds practice with small number facts. These are tangible ways to explore number before relying on written symbols.

Weekly Forest School brings another kind of learning. The nursery programme includes bark rubbings, weaving natural materials and building dens, alongside making bug hotels and tending a vegetable patch. Children can explore changes in seasons and materials through activities rather than simply hearing about them. Open-fire cooking uses an adult-to-child ratio of one to one or one to two, and activities involving risk are introduced according to children’s readiness.

Family involvement starts with a conversation about the child’s needs after a place is offered. In February and March 2023, early years children developed confidence, staff recognised additional support needs promptly, and parents responded positively to the welcome their children received. These findings matter for families whose child needs help making the first adjustment to school.

A shared class Floorbook brings together photographs, observations and children’s work. Revisiting it gives children something concrete to talk about, while Insights tracks individual development. Nursery progress is assessed against Development Matters Goals.

The school inclusion team coordinates extra help with teachers and can involve speech and language therapists or educational psychologists. Families with concerns can begin with their child’s class teacher.

School lunches are prepared in the on-site kitchen. It is nut-free, caters for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets, and serves halal meat. Bread or focaccia, seasonal fruit and salads are among the foods prepared. Dietary provision is a useful part of the conversation about a child’s needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Hackney Education, following the normal admissions process and deadline. Nursery applications go directly to Gayhurst; the later school application is a separate decision, so families should plan for both stages.

All three-year-olds qualify for a free part-time place from the term following their third birthday. Working families can apply for 30 hours of funded childcare for children aged three to four, subject to eligibility. Paid nursery places are also offered; contact the school for current charges.

Uniform is optional in Nursery. For Forest School, children need clothing suitable for staying dry and warm, including waterproofs and appropriate footwear. This is practical provision for messy outdoor activity.

Nursery visits can be requested by emailing admin@gayhurst.hackney.sch.uk. Travel. Parking is restricted around the school, which has no car park. A secure cycle shelter is available within the grounds, making cycling an option for a visit.