St John the Baptist Nursery, Hoxton

Paper-plate animals, water-tray play and conversations about the journey to school give this nursery its character: learning starts with things young children can recognise and explore. St John the Baptist has one nursery class within its Church of England primary school on Crondall Street in Hoxton. Its nursery admissions offer covers three- and four-year-olds, with morning, afternoon and full-time patterns. For families, the choice is between a shorter daily session and a day that includes lunch.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, getting along with others, physical development and early reading, writing and number work. Exploring the world and making art sit alongside these. Here, Essentials English gives early reading and writing a planned sequence connected to children's topics and development. This connects early reading and writing with the topics children explore.

Practical activity gives those topics substance. An early-years example based on The Animal Boogie involved making zebras and lions from paper plates, followed by washing the animals in a water tray. In the nursery itself, children discussed the different forms of transport they use to reach school. Familiar experiences become material for conversation.

Technology also enters through play. The EYFS computing approach includes using a whiteboard for drawing and controlling a toy remotely. Outdoors, walkie-talkies, metal detectors and controllable traffic lights support exploration. These are opportunities to practise language and control through handling equipment. At the November 2023 inspection, early-years mathematics included grouping, sorting and counting objects through stories and nursery rhymes, connecting number ideas with familiar activities.

An EYFS lead who also teaches nursery, together with a nursery teaching assistant, forms the listed nursery team. The wider school team includes a special educational needs coordinator (SENDco) and a SENDco assistant. The school's inclusion policy sets out identification and support for children who struggle to keep pace with peers, giving families a school support structure alongside the nursery staff.

Every nursery place includes snacks, milk and wipes; children attending full time also receive lunch. Those everyday provisions matter when planning what to send with a child, and lunch forms part of the longer attendance pattern.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at St John the Baptist. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process, meeting the applicable deadline. The school's admissions route points parents to Hackney Education for the Reception application form. Treat that application as a separate task while your child attends nursery: enrolling in the nursery does not complete it.

Sessions run Monday to Friday during term time. Morning attendance is 8:45am to 11:45am; the afternoon runs from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Full-time places have a timetable of 8:45am to 3:30pm and are described as 30 hours per week. The part-time allocation is 15 hours weekly. These fixed patterns let families plan collection around the session they choose.

The nursery offers a funded 15-hour place from the term following a child's third birthday. Children aged three or over with working parents may qualify for 30 funded hours, subject to eligibility. Families can check and apply through Childcare Choices. A combination option joins 15 funded hours with 15 paid top-up hours, provided the child qualifies for funding. Ask the school for current charges.

Applications use the online nursery form. Tours can be booked at different times, with arrangements also made by telephone on 020 7739 4902. General enquiries can go to office@st-john.hackney.sch.uk.