St Charles Catholic Primary School Nursery

Play, exploration and creative activity give this nursery its starting point, with learning focused on helping children communicate and become more independent. It is the nursery class within St Charles Catholic Primary School, a Catholic primary in North Kensington, rather than a separate childcare setting.

For the September 2026 intake, children needed to turn three before 31 August 2026. The nursery class teacher also holds the Early Years Lead role, connecting responsibility for the class with leadership of early education.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the curriculum. Here, its nursery emphasis translates into learning through exploring, playing and creating, alongside developing confidence and communication. Independence is an explicit aim. For parents, that puts learning to express themselves and do more for themselves alongside children's creative activity.

Relationships also feature in the nursery's learning priorities. Building confidence is therefore linked to communicating with other people, rather than treated simply as preparation for later classroom work.

Early reading has a concrete place in the wider early-years provision. At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children in early years learned phonics confidently and that staff taught the programme expertly. Stories and rhymes provided opportunities to explore unfamiliar sounds. That gives parents a specific picture of how language and early reading connect, although the finding covers early years rather than the nursery class alone.

The class teacher handles children's immediate pastoral needs, with teaching and support staff also taking responsibility as needs arise. This makes the teacher a central contact for day-to-day concerns, within a wider school care structure.

For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the school's approach includes adapting teaching and reviewing additional interventions through assessment, planning, action and review. Extra support supplements the class teacher's teaching. It does not replace it.

Communication Champions can provide language, speech and communication interventions. External support options include the Early Years and Inclusion Advisor and the Bi-Borough Inclusion and Autism Advisory Team. These are school support arrangements, with provision shaped around a child's needs. Parents' contributions form part of that process, so discussions about support can draw on what families know about their child.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process.

For the 2026 Reception cycle, this meant completing the local authority's online Common Application Form, naming St Charles among the choices, and completing the school's Supplementary Information Form. The deadline for the Common Application Form was 15 January 2026; that cycle is now past.

The local authority application matters: without notification that the form had been completed and St Charles selected, the school could not consider the application. Treat the Reception application as a separate task from choosing the nursery, rather than assuming continued attendance follows automatically.

Eligible working parents may qualify for an additional 15 childcare hours each week, bringing the extended entitlement to 30 hours. Eligibility is a condition, so this should not be read as a universal allocation.

Visits can be arranged through the office on 020 8969 5566 and include meeting the Early Years Team. Nursery enquiries can also go to info@st-charles.rbkc.sch.uk. A visit offers a direct opportunity to discuss whether the nursery's emphasis on communication, relationships and independence suits your child.