Grazebrook Primary School Nursery Review

Picture books and curious questions shape the learning at Grazebrook’s nursery. Themes give children a starting point for exploring ideas, while play and adult teaching share the day. This is the school’s nursery provision in Stoke Newington, with applications accepted for children aged three.

The provision uses a Nursery building. Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 1 and 2 November 2023; that judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

A picture book anchors each curriculum theme. Staff identify the vocabulary, knowledge and skills children will explore, then organise learning around a curious question each week. That gives conversation and play a shared focus, with new language connected to the ideas children are investigating.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum combines activities children choose with tasks led by adults. Purposeful play sits beside direct teaching, and learning takes place outdoors as well as indoors. Children therefore have opportunities both to pursue their interests and to work on something an adult has deliberately planned.

Development Matters (2021) and Birth to 5 Matters inform the school’s own curriculum. In everyday practice, books and conversations provide language experiences, while staff help children handle feelings and relationships. Learning is adapted around individual interests and needs. In November 2023, early years curriculum planning supported successful learning, with ideas sequenced so that children could build on earlier understanding.

Qualified staff teach the early years classes. For families concerned about development, the class teacher is the first point of contact, with the SENCo involved in deciding additional support. The school’s SEND process brings parents into those decisions rather than leaving them to receive a finished plan.

The 2025/26 SEND Information Report asks families in early years to discuss their child’s two-year-old check when raising developmental concerns. Support can include My Educational Targets (METs), agreed with parents and reviewed termly. Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists are among the specialists the school can involve. These are routes for support according to need, rather than services automatically assigned to every nursery child.

Food is prepared on the school site, and vegetarian choices are available. Families can also provide a healthy packed lunch, subject to the school’s restriction on sesame and nut products. Allergen information accompanies the weekly menus, giving parents a practical way to check ingredients.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Hackney Education. For the September 2026 intake, the deadline was 15 January 2026, including for children already attending nursery.

For children with SEND, the school’s transition arrangements include social stories, handover meetings and visual countdowns. These help explain a change of class and share information with adults. They support preparation; they do not secure admission.

Part-time and full-time places are offered, with immediate starts conditional on space. Wraparound provision for early years runs from 8am to 6pm, allowing care to extend beyond the core nursery session.

From age three, the nursery admissions page describes a 15-hour funded entitlement. Eligible working families can claim 30 hours, and paid top-ups and wraparound care are offered. Contact the school for current charges.

Tours can be arranged through the office for Wednesdays at 9:15am. Enquiries go to 020 8802 4051 or gboffice@newwavefederation.co.uk. Grayling Road has School Street driving restrictions from 8:30am to 9:30am and 3pm to 4pm, so families travelling by car need to account for those windows.