Earlsmead Primary School Nursery Review

A nursery that starts at two gives Earlsmead's youngest children an unusually early place in the school's learning sequence. The provision is part of Earlsmead Primary School in Tottenham, rather than a separately registered nursery. The September 2022 inspection explicitly records two-year-olds in the Nursery and says the carefully organised curriculum includes them in preparing children for new ideas.

The school does not publish a nursery roll or a current number of places in the archived material. Families apply directly to the school office. Its published nursery criteria include special need, social services referral or looked-after status, previous attendance on the Two Year Old Programme, date of birth, siblings, catchment and application order.

The educational thread is clearer than the timetable. Earlsmead follows the Early Years Foundation Stage, where young children build communication, physical, social, literacy and early mathematical understanding through purposeful play, talk, stories and adult-guided activity. The school's curriculum is organised around key knowledge and vocabulary, with ideas sequenced so children can practise and remember them.

Early mathematics breaks number, shape and measure into small steps. Familiar stories and songs give children daily practice. The September 2022 report also says the wider curriculum is designed to prepare Nursery children, including two-year-olds, for learning new ideas. This points to a deliberate progression rather than disconnected activities, although the archived website does not give a nursery-specific daily timetable or describe its indoor and outdoor areas.

The school's inclusion arrangements apply across its provision. The September 2022 inspection found that children with special educational needs and disabilities were identified accurately and supported with adaptations, including additional help, so they could access the same curriculum as their peers.

Clear routines and expectations support behaviour, while classroom worry boxes give children a route to share concerns. The same evidence records a strong safeguarding culture, with staff trained to recognise risk and report concerns quickly. The available nursery pages do not set out a key-person model, settling programme, sleep routines or nursery meal arrangements, so families should ask the office how these work for the session they are considering.

A Reception place is not guaranteed by Nursery attendance. Nursery and Reception admissions are separate, and families must make a fresh Reception application through Haringey Council's normal admissions process by the applicable deadline. The archived school material says the school follows Haringey Council's admission policy, but it does not contain published Reception arrangements giving nursery attenders priority.

Educational continuity and admission entitlement are different questions. Earlsmead's sequenced curriculum may help children become familiar with the school's approach, but that familiarity does not secure admission. Families should check Haringey's current Reception timetable and oversubscription criteria for the year in which their child is due to start school.

Nursery applications go directly to the school office by form or email. Earlsmead is on Broad Lane, Tottenham, close to South Tottenham station and Seven Sisters rail and Underground services; the school lists several nearby bus routes. The archived evidence does not publish current nursery session times, funded-hour patterns, uniform expectations or collection arrangements. Ask the office for the current session offer, eligibility process, term dates, charges for extras and arrangements for drop-off, meals and collection before accepting a place.