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Nursery at Nightingale 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.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, stories and play indoors and out give Nightingale’s nursery its character. This is the school’s own provision for three and four-year-olds on Ashbourne Avenue in South Woodford, with capacity for up to 52 children in each morning or afternoon session. Families can choose one session or combine both, making the length of the nursery day a practical part of the decision.
Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 10 and 11 October 2023. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Play runs through the day, with children using both indoor and outdoor learning spaces. Adults also bring them together for class activities and smaller groups. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning to communicate, move and manage feelings with early reading, mathematics, creative work and exploration of the world. Children therefore practise social and physical skills alongside the beginnings of subject learning.
Books give activities a focus. Owl Babies and Zog appear among the nursery’s core texts, while themes include All About Me and Heroes & Heroines. These connect stories with children’s own families and people who help them. Outdoors, the growing topic involves planting seeds and caring for plants, giving children something living to observe and look after.
Early reading begins with listening closely. The nursery curriculum includes rhyme, distinguishing sounds and oral blending and segmenting, meaning joining spoken sounds together and separating them again. Children who are ready progress to Read Write Inc; others continue with pre-phonics activities. In October 2023, daily stories, rhymes and songs supported preparation for reading, while counting songs helped children develop the foundations for later calculation.
Learning to share and wait for a turn is part of early years life. In October 2023, children used bubble time charts to express feelings. This gives emotional learning a concrete activity alongside the social demands of playing together.
Before children start Nursery, families are invited to summer Parent Information Meetings, with opportunities to discuss individual needs and further meetings where needed. For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the support structure includes an infant inclusion coordinator whose remit begins in Nursery. Parents can raise concerns with the class teacher or SENCO, and support follows an assess, plan, do, review cycle. Families contribute to decisions rather than simply receiving a finished plan.
Lunch sits between the two teaching sessions. The registration form includes supervised packed-lunch arrangements. This distinction matters when planning a day that spans both sessions.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the local authority by the deadline for their entry year. The school’s 2024 admissions policy gives nursery attendance no Reception priority; its sibling criterion concerns children in the main school and explicitly excludes the nursery class.
Transition support is a separate matter. Children moving between classes or phases have opportunities to get to know their next teacher, supporting adults and classroom. Children with an EHC plan prepare a Passport or All About Me booklet, helping information about their needs travel with them.
Morning nursery runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, with children expected in class by 9am. Afternoon nursery runs from 12.45pm to 3.45pm, and collection can begin at 3.30pm. Each session provides 15 hours a week; attending both provides 30 hours of education, with an additional hour for lunch between them.
Session preference. The school attempts to accommodate a family’s morning or afternoon choice but does not guarantee it. Check the offered pattern before arranging other childcare.
The admissions policy provides for 15 funded hours for three and four-year-olds and 30 for eligible families. Those entitled to 15 hours can pay to extend to 30. Contact the school for current charges. Nursery applications go directly to the school using its registration form; enquiries can be sent to admin@nightingale.redbridge.sch.uk or made by calling 020 8989 9987.
The nursery caters for three and four-year-olds. Most children start in September after their third birthday; January or April entry may be possible after they turn three, subject to space.
Yes. Attending morning and afternoon sessions provides 30 hours of nursery education a week, with a separate lunch hour between them.
The nursery curriculum includes outdoor play and a growing topic in which children plant seeds and care for plants.
No. The school’s 2024 admissions policy gives no priority for nursery attendance, and a separate local authority application is required. Attendance does not guarantee a place.
Speak to the class teacher or contact the SENCO through admin@nightingale.redbridge.sch.uk or 020 8989 9987. Families take part in support planning and review.
