Athelney Primary School Nursery Review

Three-hour sessions set the rhythm at Athelney’s nursery, with morning and afternoon options for children aged two to four. This is the school’s own provision, within the King Alfred Federation. For families choosing a shorter nursery day, the session model is a decisive practical feature.

Athelney also has up to 13 funded 30-hour places for eligible three- and four-year-olds. These are limited places, rather than an automatic extension of a shorter session. Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 13 and 14 July 2022; that judgement covers the school’s early years provision.

Language has a concrete place in early learning here. In July 2022, staff introduced the word habitat while discussing frogs in the pond. The example connects vocabulary with something children can observe: a new word gains meaning through a real animal and its surroundings.

The early years curriculum begins a sequence of learning that builds knowledge and skills, with opportunities to return to important ideas. In parent terms, children encounter ideas and then revisit them, rather than simply moving through unrelated activities. Communication is part of that starting point. The pond example gives this approach a clear physical setting and shows how an everyday discussion can become a learning opportunity.

Lunch is a family responsibility for children taking 30-hour places: parents must send a healthy packed lunch each day. That makes preparing lunch part of the routine for the longer nursery day. The federation’s Healthy Eating Policy can be obtained through either school office or its website.

Across the federation, the accessibility plan describes learning resources matched to pupils’ support needs and tracking that includes children with disabilities. These are federation-wide arrangements. They provide a policy basis for adapting access to learning, rather than expecting every child to use identical resources.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no Reception admissions priority under Lewisham’s 2026/27 arrangements. Families must make a separate application through their local authority. Choosing this nursery should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself.

For Lewisham residents, the school’s policy gives eAdmissions.org.uk as the online application route. The deadline for September 2026 entry was 15 January 2026, which has passed. Nursery children’s applications are considered alongside those of other applicants; continuing within the same school is not automatic.

For three- and four-year-olds, the 15-hour offer runs during term time in three-hour sessions: 8:45am to 11:45am or 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Eligible two-year-olds receive 15 hours during term time, attending either mornings or afternoons on five days each week. Their hours cannot be rearranged into full days or another attendance pattern.

A 30-hour place requires eligibility and an available place. Families must supply a valid eligibility code by the deadline in their offer and renew it every three months. If the eligibility code expires, the longer place ends after the grace period and a 15-hour morning or afternoon place is offered instead.

Nursery enquiries can go through the admissions form or admissions@kafed.org.uk. Application forms can also be collected from the school office. Families can request a school tour through the enquiry form, giving them a direct way to arrange a visit before choosing.