Drayton Park Primary School Nursery

Home visits before the first session and a key worker for each small group give Drayton Park’s nursery a clear emphasis on relationships with families. This is the nursery within Drayton Park Primary School on Arvon Road in Highbury, welcoming three and four year olds from the term after their third birthday. The nursery offers 15- and 30-hour places. The 15-hour offer follows a morning or afternoon session pattern.

Termly themes provide a connection between classroom learning and home. The nursery has its own Thematic Overview Document, alongside Nursery Thematic Maps that explain the learning and home activities for families. Knowledge and skills are organised to build on earlier learning. For parents, the maps give a practical starting point for talking about what their child is doing.

Reading also creates opportunities for parents to take part. Friday Reading Mornings invite families into classrooms to share books with children; parents can join when they are able. Open Classrooms take place each term, giving families another opportunity to learn alongside their child.

The Drayton Park Way supplies the school’s shared language for behaviour: teamwork, ambition, resilience, independence and effort. Adults recognise positive behaviour and use positive examples to guide children. Beyond the classroom, the school playground contains the Drayton Park lifeboat, a distinctive physical feature of the wider school site.

Settling begins at home. Before nursery starts, key staff visit the family to meet the child in familiar surroundings. An Early Years Welcome Meeting also introduces children and parents to staff, the space and other families before nursery starts. These are concrete opportunities to begin building relationships before the first nursery session.

Within the focus child system, a key worker takes responsibility for a small group’s learning and wellbeing. Termly meetings bring parents and that worker together to discuss progress, home support and the family’s knowledge of their child. Parentmail carries routine messages and documents, while conversations and phone calls provide other ways to keep in touch.

Caterlink organises lunch, which is cooked in the school kitchen. The school’s meal offer includes three daily choices, with a vegetarian option and halal food. Menus rotate over three weeks. Packed lunches are permitted, and families should complete a medical form at the office for food allergies.

For children with special educational needs and disabilities, teachers work with parents, the SENCO and specialist agencies. Concerns can be raised with the Inclusion Manager. Staff also receive asthma and allergy training, and administering medicine requires written parental permission. These arrangements make sharing health and support needs part of preparing for nursery.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Islington Council’s Admissions Site, following the normal application timetable. Nursery applications go directly to the school; the Reception route is through the council. Plan for that second application rather than treating nursery enrolment as a reservation.

Morning sessions run from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoons run from 12:45pm to 3:45pm. The 15-hour offer uses one of those session patterns. The nursery offers 30-hour places to eligible working families, who must bring their eligibility code to school to confirm the application. Additional hours can also be purchased, up to 30 hours, under the Islington charging schedule. Contact the school for current charges.

Provision follows a term-time model of 39 weeks. All children are expected to wear school uniform, with logo items sold by Rough Cut Casuals. Download the nursery application form and contact the office with enquiries. Families can also telephone or email to arrange a school tour.