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Nursery at Cherry Garden 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Communication, movement and personal goals give Cherry Garden’s nursery provision its character. This is early education within a special school in Peckham whose overall age range is 2–11, supporting children with severe learning difficulties and complex needs, including autism and physical or sensory impairments. Individual development directs the learning: goals connect to each child’s education, health and care plan (EHCP), rather than assuming children will progress together.
Play provides the starting point. The Early Years Foundation Stage framework guides a curriculum covering communication, early mathematics, physical skills, emotional development, creativity and understanding the world. The Explorer Curriculum, adapted from Routes for Learning, concentrates on early interaction, thinking and movement. Discoverer and Investigator are the other named pathways. These give teaching a structure while allowing goals to match a child’s development.
JAM (Just About Me) goals translate EHCP outcomes into individual learning aims. A separate JAM wish concerns something the child wants to learn or do, with children contributing to decisions where that is meaningful and practical. This makes personal interests part of planning. In December 2024, Ofsted identified early-years classroom routines as a starting point for communication, within teaching adapted to children’s developmental needs.
Total Communication brings together different ways of expressing needs and joining in, including Makaton, pictures, objects of reference and eye gaze. Read Write Inc is used for children ready for structured phonics. Across the school, practical learning includes counting during cooking, imaginative role play and music sessions; the curriculum provides weekly music for every pupil.
The wider school environment adds physical possibilities: an interactive sensory room, two soft play rooms and a hydrotherapy pool sit alongside specialist spaces for music, cooking and art. Outdoors, the sensory nature garden supports gardening and woodwork. These are school facilities, rather than a description of a separate nursery suite.
Teachers and support staff work alongside health professionals and therapists. School-wide staffing can reach five adults for eight pupils; that is an upper staffing description, rather than a fixed nursery ratio. Speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists contribute to the team. Classroom staff receive training for medical needs, including epilepsy management and gastrostomy feeding.
Self-care is also learning. Children are encouraged to participate in dressing, washing, eating and toileting as far as they can. MOVE builds opportunities to practise mobility into ordinary activities for children who use the programme, connecting movement goals with participation in daily life.
Parents can exchange photographs and videos of learning through Tapestry, linked to Cherry Garden Branch Maps. Cherry Chat mornings create opportunities to meet other families, while parent sessions cover subjects including communication, toileting and sleep routines. Once a placement is agreed, the admissions policy sets out an individually planned transition for the child and family.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Treat progression as a separate admissions question, distinct from the support that helps a child settle into education.
Cherry Garden’s special-school placement route involves the local authority and the child’s Case Officer. Its admissions criteria require an EHCP naming Cherry Garden in Section I, a suitable available place and confirmation through consultation that the school can meet the child’s needs. The placement process, rather than nursery attendance alone, determines admission.
The school’s pupil day runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Families can arrange an informal visit by calling 020 7237 4050 or emailing admin@cherrygardenschool.co.uk; the admissions policy permits a friend or professional to accompany them.
Comfortable clothes and labelled spares suit the practical learning here. Uniform guidance allows plain white or red polo shirts and red jumpers, with dark bottoms preferred. Price & Buckland supplies logo clothing, and the school has a second-hand uniform swap shop. Families supply nappies or pads where needed, with replenishment requests sent by text or the child’s red book.
It belongs to a special school supporting severe learning difficulties and complex needs, including autism and physical or sensory impairments. The school’s overall age range is 2–11.
Play-based teaching follows individual goals linked to the child’s EHCP. Explorer, Discoverer and Investigator pathways provide different curriculum starting points, with JAM goals identifying personal aims.
Tapestry enables families and teaching staff to exchange photographs and videos. Cherry Garden Branch Maps help represent progress, and parents can attend class learning events and Cherry Chat mornings.
No. Cherry Garden placements follow local-authority consultation and the school’s criteria, including an EHCP naming the school in Section I and space in a suitable class or year group.
Contact the school on 020 7237 4050 or admin@cherrygardenschool.co.uk. An informal visit helps families consider whether the setting suits their child, and a friend or professional may accompany them.
