Earlham Primary School Nursery Review

Junk modelling, cooking and stories that children learn to retell give Earlham’s nursery day its character. This is provision for three- and four-year-olds within Earlham Primary School in Wood Green, with both part-time and full-time attendance options. Its purpose-built nursery classroom opened in September 2021, and learning extends outdoors as well as inside.

Younger children have their own starting point in the Sweet Pea classroom, with entry from the term following their second birthday. Daily outdoor play and activities supported by adults sit alongside children’s own exploration. That gives the two-year-old provision a recognisable emphasis: communication, movement and learning to manage everyday routines.

Children have time to pursue an idea. In the early years classrooms, adults observe play and offer help when it will move learning forward, rather than routinely interrupting an absorbed child for a separate activity. Resources invite children to experiment and choose how to use them. The balance is between independent exploration and guidance from staff.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together seven connected areas of development. Talking, movement and managing feelings establish foundations for number work, literacy, creative expression and understanding the world. At Earlham, those aims translate into practical experiences: painting, working with glue, making models and helping with cooking each week. Junk modelling is accessible during the day, while art and design activities can happen outdoors or indoors.

Stories have a clear place in the routine. Children revisit books, practise telling familiar stories and learn to listen while someone else speaks. Little Wandle provides the framework for early reading, with nursery experiences including poems, action rhymes and games that practise combining spoken sounds. A reading corner is accessible during free-choice time, giving books a place beyond group sessions.

Music also accompanies everyday activity. Early years children use percussion, clap rhythmic patterns and sing songs connected to routines. These are opportunities to listen and participate through sound and movement. In June 2022, Ofsted found that early years children sustained their attention and received help to persist with activities.

Every child has a key person for emotional support. Families can follow nursery experiences through Tapestry Online Journal and add experiences from home, while daily conversations and progress updates provide other ways to stay involved. For Sweet Pea children, staff work with parents to understand individual interests and routines, making familiar habits part of the move into childcare.

Independence includes small acts of self-care. Nursery children can help themselves to milk or water and practise pouring into cups. Those staying for lunch clean their plates and cups afterwards, then take part in a wellbeing session that has included yoga and talking about emotions. Earlham’s school meal service prepares food on site and accommodates vegetarian diets, allergies and halal requirements; the school also prohibits nuts.

For additional needs, the class teacher is the initial contact, followed by the Inclusion Leader where needed. The school’s support model combines adaptations to classroom learning with individual plans and targeted help. Adult support. A full-time individual adult is not routinely assigned to each child with SEND. Families should understand that support is organised around assessed needs and targeted work.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Reception admissions process. Earlham directs applicants to Haringey Council’s online route; for September 2026 entry, the deadline was 15 January 2026. That date belongs to the past admissions cycle.

Preparation for starting Reception is a separate matter from allocation. For children with an accepted place, Earlham arranges a summer information evening and a classroom visit with their parent. Home visits are offered immediately before entry, followed by a phased start. These steps help families become familiar with the next stage; they do not secure admission.

The school-day timetable gives Nursery a morning session from 9am to noon. Part-time and full-time places are offered, with nursery applications accepted throughout the year where space permits. Contact the office on 0208 888 2780 to request an application or arrange a visit.

Earlham offers 15 funded hours from the term after a child turns three, alongside 30-hour places subject to eligibility. Sweet Pea operates in term time, with eligible funded places and privately paid places for two-year-olds. Choose clothing suitable for paint and glue: the nursery explicitly advises families against sending children in their best outfits.