St John and St James CofE Primary School Nursery

Songs, seeds and story worlds give this nursery its character. Children join aged three at St John and St James CofE Primary School on Isabella Road in Hackney, with a choice of part-time sessions or a full-time place. It is nursery provision within a Church of England primary school.

Early years provision was graded Outstanding at the Ofsted inspection on 8 and 9 May 2024. The nursery-specific findings give that judgement substance: children learnt how to care for seeds, while songs and rhymes introduced early reading. These are concrete beginnings in understanding the world and enjoying language.

Stories connect several parts of the day. Talk for Writing uses a class book over a three-week cycle, with books also placed throughout the classroom. Listening games help children distinguish and remember sounds, preparing them to put spoken sounds together and take words apart. Nursery storybooks go home on Tuesdays and Fridays, giving families a regular way to share the reading experience.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) includes communication and language. Here, that means practising conversation: taking turns, listening to another speaker and contributing to discussions. One nursery camping activity used bears and individual tents to explore position. Children moved their bears around and practised concepts including beside, above and between, linking their play with The Everywhere Bear. Abstract language became something they could act out.

Art brings stories into children's hands. They build miniature story settings with blocks and small-world resources, explore playdough, mix colours and practise using scissors and glue. Guided drawing takes place weekly alongside opportunities to make marks independently. Adult-led art activities connect with each literacy unit, so children encounter both demonstrations and chances to try ideas themselves.

Across early years, computing includes outdoor play and role-play as well as devices. Children explore photography with iPads and early programming with beebots. Smartie the Penguin introduces conversations about staying safe online.

The nursery team includes an EYFS leader and a nursery nurse. For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the school's arrangements include individually adjusted provision and additional interventions. The SEND leader works with families and other agencies, giving parents a route into coordinated support.

Lunch can be a school meal or a packed lunch, with the office informed when families choose the latter. Packed lunches must be balanced and healthy; sugary snacks and junk food are removed and returned to the collecting adult. School lunches carry an additional charge.

School communication includes weekly updates and texts through ParentPay's messaging service. Parents need to register their ParentPay account to receive those texts, making account setup a practical part of keeping in touch.

A nursery place does not guarantee admission to Reception. Families must make a separate application through Hackney Education's normal online route. For September 2026 entry, the deadline was 15 January 2026; that admissions cycle is now past. Treat the Reception application as a separate decision and process, even when a child already attends nursery.

Morning nursery runs from 9.00am to 12.00pm, afternoon nursery from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and full-time nursery from 9.00am to 3.30pm. Sessions operate Monday to Friday during term time. Families needing holiday care should plan around that term-time pattern.

Funded part-time and full-time places depend on eligibility for 15 or 30 hours. Families eligible for 30 hours must supply their 11-digit code. Extended Nursery Provision allows families who are ineligible for 30-hour funding to pay for a full-time place; school lunches are excluded. Ask the school for current charges. Nursery applications go directly to the school office, where families collect an application pack.

Collection is restricted to nominated adults aged at least 16. Provide two emergency contacts and tell the nursery team or office beforehand if a different adult will collect your child.