Merton Abbey Primary School Nursery

Phonics begins in Nursery at Merton Abbey, while the early years also take learning outdoors to investigate plants, pollinators and playground habitats. Language and curiosity give this provision its character. It belongs to Merton Abbey Primary School on High Path in South Wimbledon, where the school's age range begins at three.

The staffing structure includes a nursery teacher and a nursery nurse. For parents choosing a school nursery, those are useful distinctions: teaching and nursery care both have identified roles within the wider team.

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised shapes the school's phonics teaching, which starts in Nursery. Lessons follow an ordered sequence, with speaking and listening given explicit attention alongside the connections between letters and sounds. Shared reading and writing provide further opportunities to use that learning. The practical emphasis is on building language that children can use as their reading develops.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum also includes early number learning. At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified children recognising small quantities without having to count each object. This gives a concrete picture of the mathematical foundations being taught: understanding a group of objects before moving towards addition and subtraction.

Outdoor investigation has a specific setting here: plants and habitats around the playground. An early years activity with the Nature Park RHS team involved exploring habitats and checking the pollinators attracted to plants. It connects learning about the natural world with things children can examine on the school site. This was an early years project, rather than evidence of a fixed daily timetable.

Additional-needs support has a clear contact route through the school's SENDCo. Families can discuss their child's learning and support directly, while parents of children already attending can use half-termly drop-ins. Parents of pupils with SEND are also offered a meeting with the class teacher each term. These provide distinct opportunities to raise concerns and discuss support.

The school's parent resources include early years wellbeing materials about feeding, sleep, positive behaviour and attachment. Alongside these, work with the Merton NHS Mental Health Support Team includes parent workshops, coffee mornings and guided individual support for childhood anxiety or challenging behaviour. These are family support services, separate from nursery care routines.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as separate steps when planning your child's education.

Visits and general enquiries go through the School Office, by telephone on 020 8542 7129 or by email at office@mertonabbey.merton.sch.uk. A visit gives families an opportunity to discuss their child with the school before deciding.

Nursery start dates differ from the main school calendar in autumn, spring and summer. Keep that distinction in mind when arranging work and childcare around the beginning of a term.