Parkwood Primary School Nursery Review

Spanish songs and Forest School near the West Reservoir give Parkwood’s nursery its own character. Children encounter another language through familiar ideas such as numbers and shapes, while outdoor sessions take learning beyond the classroom.

The provision includes places for two-year-olds and for children aged three and four, within Parkwood Primary School on Queen’s Drive. A nursery teacher and teaching assistants form part of the staffing structure, including an assistant assigned to the two-year-old nursery class. This is an early-years start within a primary school, with play and growing independence central to the approach.

Choice shapes the learning. Through continuous provision, children can return to resources, decide what to explore and begin their own play; adults observe what they do to understand their development. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together communication, physical skills and emotional development with early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and learning about the world. For parents, that means play has a learning purpose.

Nursery themes include Exploring Water, Me & My World and Food From Plants. Families receive half-termly knowledge organisers describing learning and vocabulary, giving them something concrete to discuss at home. Spanish introduces basic words through singing and naming numbers and shapes. Daily phonics uses Read Write Inc to introduce and revisit sounds, and books go home each week for shared reading.

Forest School sessions take place at a dedicated site near the West Reservoir. The approach gives children choices within a planned session, with possible activities including plant identification, shelter construction and art using natural materials. Outdoor exploration sits alongside classroom play rather than being an occasional extra.

Ofsted’s inspection on 2 and 3 July 2024 found purposeful planning in early years and specialist Spanish teaching beginning in Nursery. At that point, changes to early reading teaching were still being established, and their full effect remained to be checked. That is a useful qualification to the phonics offer.

Settling starts before the first session. Where possible, someone from the Early Years team visits the family at home, then arranges a nursery visit and a gradual introduction. Children can become familiar with the setting in stages.

Parents contribute information when their child starts, and can both read and add to the individual learning journey used for observations and assessments. Practitioners also encourage children to manage dressing and feeding for themselves. Everyday care becomes practice in independence.

For children with SEND, the early-years approach includes adjusting resources and the timetable to individual needs. The school’s SEND arrangements include parental involvement in support plans, with targets usually reviewed three times annually or more often if necessary. An outside ramp serves all school buildings, and classrooms use visual timetables.

SEND adaptations. The July 2024 inspection identified a school-wide concern: some learning activities needed better adjustment for pupils with SEND, alongside further staff training. Families should weigh that finding alongside the support arrangements described above.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process, managed by Hackney Education, and meet the applicable deadline. The school does not decide these admissions directly.

Preparation and admission are separate matters. Dressing and feeding independently are already part of nursery learning. For children with SEND changing classes within school, transition arrangements include sharing support documents and, except in exceptional circumstances, a planning meeting with the next teacher. Parents can participate, helping useful strategies carry forward.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions are offered, with preferences dependent on space. Children usually join in September, January or April following their second or third birthday. Completing the nursery application does not secure a place; the office contacts families when one becomes available.

The nursery offers the standard funded 15-hour places for three- and four-year-olds through morning or afternoon sessions. Eligible families can access 30-hour funded places, while paid extensions up to 30 hours are also offered. Two-year-old places include children eligible for 15 funded hours, with paid extensions and paid part-time or full-time attendance also described. Contact the office for current charges.

Applications can be made online or through the office, with forms returned there or emailed to admin@parkwood.hackney.sch.uk. School tours are bookable. There is no uniform, leaving families free to choose their child’s clothes.