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Nursery at Dalmain Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Songs, stories and time to explore indoors and outdoors give Dalmain’s nursery its character. This is the school’s own provision on Grove Close, Brockley Rise, with its nursery joining route labelled for two and three-year-olds. Independence starts early: children learn to look after themselves and cooperate with others from Nursery.
At the Ofsted inspection on 12 and 13 November 2024, early years provision received a Good judgement. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery.
The nursery timetable combines children’s choices with organised activities. Self-registration and choosing feature alongside phonics games, while periods of indoor and outdoor exploration give children room to follow their interests. Small-group work adds a different pace. For parents, the practical picture is a day that moves between choosing, playing and joining a small-group activity.
Language has a clear place in that rhythm. Rhymes and singing support children’s interest in words, and early writing includes making marks. Maths also appears through songs and stories. These are concrete examples of early years learning: talking, listening and trying things out sit alongside social and physical development.
Thursday’s timetable includes Forest School. The Wildlife Garden is a setting for those sessions, giving outdoor learning a named space beyond the classroom. Circle games and story time also feature in the nursery timetable, so shared activities sit alongside the opportunities to explore.
There is an important qualification to this picture. In November 2024, practical activities and resources supported children’s emotional, social and physical development well, but the early years curriculum did not cover every learning area fully. Curriculum breadth. Children’s learning was consequently narrower than it could be. Families should weigh that limitation alongside the specific activities described here.
Learning to manage personal needs and get along with other children forms part of nursery life. Circle games and the timetable’s personal, social and emotional focus give that work a place in the day, alongside snack time.
Before starting Nursery, children must be toilet trained and no longer use nappies or trainer pants. This is a practical entry requirement for families preparing a child to begin. For additional-needs enquiries, the school provides a SEND coordinator contact at senco@dalmain.lewisham.sch.uk. Its family-information page also directs parents to year-group curriculum information and timetables, helping them connect conversations at home with nursery activities.
Attending Dalmain’s nursery does not guarantee a place in its Reception year. Nursery entry and Reception admission are separate processes: families must apply again through the normal Reception application route by the applicable deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.
Nursery intake enquiries go to admin@dalmain.lewisham.sch.uk, and families can also use the school’s Contact Us form. The nursery starter page links to information about the 30-hour entitlement; that signpost should not be read as confirmation of an individual family’s eligibility.
Open mornings can be booked through a form that includes Nursery among the year-group choices. They begin at 9:15am. For the journey, Dalmain warns that the road outside can become congested around the beginning and end of the school day and discourages driving at those times. That is a useful consideration when planning regular drop-off and collection.
The timetable includes indoor and outdoor exploration, phonics games, small-group activities, stories, circle games and Forest School.
Early years provision was judged Good at the inspection on 12 and 13 November 2024. The early years curriculum needed broader coverage across learning areas.
Yes. Children must be toilet trained and out of nappies and trainer pants before starting Nursery.
No. Families need to make a separate Reception application through the normal route and meet the applicable deadline.
Email admin@dalmain.lewisham.sch.uk for nursery intake enquiries. The Open Morning Booking Form includes a Nursery option, with open mornings starting at 9:15am.
