St John Evangelist Catholic Primary School Nursery Review

A qualified teacher and a Nursery Nurse lead the provision here: an early introduction to school life for three- and four-year-olds within St John Evangelist Catholic Primary School. The setting is on Duncan Street in Islington. Children can begin in the term following their third birthday, with entry points at the beginning of each term.

The practical choice is between a full nursery day and two fixed part-time patterns. That gives families a choice of attendance arrangements, though the shorter options follow set days rather than a pick-and-mix timetable.

The nursery day starts at 8.45am and finishes at 3.15pm. Within the early-years timetable, lunch begins at noon and afternoon registration is at 1.15pm. These fixed points give parents a useful outline of how the day is organised.

Staff monitor children's development and discuss progress with families, linking what they observe in nursery with the information parents receive about their child.

Messy play is part of nursery life: the uniform arrangements explicitly provide for it, with spare clothing kept in the nursery for changes. Pack a labelled spare set so an accident or messy activity can be dealt with during the day.

Settling includes an allowance for parents to accompany nursery children to the classroom door. That gives families a way to support the early handover while their child adjusts. At collection, children leave only with an adult included on their collection list, so keeping that list accurate matters.

Families hear about development through consultations in the autumn and spring, followed by a report at the end of the year. An additional appointment with the class teacher can be arranged through the office. For concerns about special educational needs or disabilities, the class teacher is the first contact; the school's inclusion arrangements then provide for discussion with the Inclusion Lead and meetings to agree next steps.

Lunch can be a school meal or food brought from home. Packed lunches must exclude sweets, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks. Switching between the two meal arrangements requires a Change of Meal Form and notice to the office before noon on the preceding Friday.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee admission to Reception. Parents must make a separate application through the London Borough of Islington using its common application form. The school also requests a Supplementary Information Form, which is optional but helps assess applications against its criteria when places are oversubscribed.

For the September 2026 intake, the deadline was 15 January 2026. Keep the Reception application separate from any nursery booking. Development records are shared with families and passed to the Reception class or a child's next school, providing information for the next teaching team rather than an admissions advantage.

Two full-time funding structures are described: 30 funded hours for parents meeting the eligibility criteria, or, for parents who do not meet the 30-hour eligibility criteria, 15 funded hours combined with 15 paid hours under a nursery contract. The 15-hour part-time choices are Monday and Tuesday plus Wednesday morning, or Wednesday afternoon plus Thursday and Friday. Ask the school for current charges.

Additional nursery childcare runs until 5.30pm through the Extended Schools Service. Nursery children wear school uniform and need a labelled spare set. For a nursery application or visit, contact office@stjohnevangelist.islington.sch.uk or telephone 020 7226 1314.