Curwen Primary School Nursery Review

Puppets bring stories into play at Curwen’s nursery, where early learning also includes making sense of time through children’s own lives. These are concrete starting points: familiar experiences and stories give young children something to discuss, explore and retell.

The nursery forms part of Curwen Primary School on Atlas Road in Plaistow, Newham. Children can join from the term following their third birthday, attending a morning or afternoon session. Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding following its inspection on 22 and 23 November 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Storytelling has a practical shape here. In November 2023, nursery children were using puppets to act out stories, giving them a way to participate in a narrative rather than simply listen. Early years learning about time began with events in children’s own lives, making an abstract idea more familiar.

The nursery is also the starting point for the school’s subject curriculum. Learning begins here and develops through the school, so these first experiences form part of a longer sequence. Read Write Inc. is used across Early Years for reading and phonics, supporting the skills needed to blend sounds and work out words. Together, story play and this named reading approach connect participation in stories with the building blocks of reading.

A library sits centrally within the school building. Parents as well as pupils use it during the school day, giving books a physical place in family involvement with the school.

An assistant headteacher has responsibility for Early Years, alongside a SEND coordinator within the school’s leadership structure. Inclusion at Curwen encompasses learning, medical, physical and behavioural needs, as well as children learning English as an additional language. This gives families several reasons to discuss their child’s needs with the team before starting.

Medical arrangements require practical preparation. Parents must tell the school about known illnesses or allergies and supply the relevant medical paperwork. Prescribed medicine goes through the office, with a consent form completed by parents and administration handled by the senior management team. Families also need to keep emergency telephone numbers current and provide alternative contacts, so staff can reach someone if a child becomes unwell.

Attending Curwen’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process; choosing the nursery should not be treated as securing the next place.

The curriculum beginning in Nursery provides continuity in learning. That educational connection is separate from the decision about admission to Reception.

Morning nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am; the afternoon session runs from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. Children attend one of these sessions. The distinction matters for families planning work and collection around a three-hour nursery day.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 0208 472 0290 or email info@curwen.ttlt.academy. Travel arrangements. Parents must not park within the school grounds or on the approach way, or drive through the car park when bringing or collecting children. Plan the journey with that restriction in mind.