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Nursery at Sir John Heron 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Number songs and early reading give Sir John Heron's nursery a clear learning focus. Within this primary school in Manor Park, children join the three-year-old provision after their third birthday. Rainbow Class has a nursery teacher who also leads early years, linking the classroom team with early-years leadership.
Specialist provision is part of the picture too. In 2025-26, the school's resource provision for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) included two nursery spaces. These are specialist places, with learning organised around each child's needs.
Language and number learning begin early. At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that early-years children made a strong start in both areas: nursery children explored numbers through rhymes and songs, and reading began in Nursery through a structured phonics programme. For parents, those examples show how familiar activities introduce number ideas and the relationship between sounds and reading.
People who help me is a named nursery unit. Children learn when they might need support from a teacher, police officer, dentist, firefighter, nurse or doctor. Visits from people doing these jobs and a police workshop connect the learning with recognisable adults. The practical purpose is clear: children learn who can help and when to ask.
For children in the PMLD resource provision, learning follows a personalised timetable shaped by their needs and Education, Health and Care Plan targets. Activities use several spaces, including the Butterfly room, Beehive room, Puffin room and sensory room. Communication, physical development and independence sit alongside learning skills. Where appropriate, children join mainstream classmates for activities such as shared reading, allowing specialist support and time with peers within the same timetable.
Settling begins with contact between home and school. Nursery transition arrangements include home visits, opportunities for new children to stay and play, and meetings involving families and relevant professionals. These give staff a starting point for understanding the child before planning support.
Box Clever gives some nursery children speech and language support through play. The school also has an NHS speech and language therapist working on site one day each week. Parents of non-verbal children can exchange information with the supporting adult through Evidence Me, providing a route for sharing observations between home and school.
Food brings care into everyday routines. Children receive free milk and fruit until their fifth birthday; foundation-stage snacks include fruit or vegetables, with children helping to pass food around and tidy up. School lunches are cooked on site each day. Nuts cannot be brought into school, and food from home must be nut-free. Families using 30-hour nursery places pay for meals: the primary-school free-meal scheme excludes these children.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority, including those whose child already attends this nursery. Newham residents apply through London Borough of Newham; families elsewhere apply through their own borough and name the school as a preference.
For September 2026 entry, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is past. Classroom transition is a separate matter: when children change classes, teachers exchange information and reports so the next teacher can plan with knowledge of the child.
A limited number of full-time, 30-hour nursery places are offered to eligible families. Enquiries go directly to the school office on 020 8514 9860. Families can also use the nursery enquiry form or contact the office on weekdays between 8.30am and 4pm.
Meal charges. Meals for 30-hour nursery children are charged separately and paid termly in advance. Ask the school for current charges when planning the full-day arrangement.
Clothing must carry the child's name. Children should bring a water bottle each day and take it home for washing each evening, making these two simple preparations part of the nursery routine.
Children can join after their third birthday. Families may add a child to the waiting list after their second birthday.
Yes. A limited number of 30-hour full-time places are offered to eligible families. Contact the school office to enquire.
No. A separate Reception application is required through the family's home local authority, even when the child already attends nursery.
No. The primary-school free-meal scheme excludes 30-hour nursery children. Their meals are charged separately, with payment termly in advance.
Some nursery children take part in Box Clever, a speech and language group using play. An NHS speech and language therapist also works in the school one day each week.
