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Nursery at Friars Primary Foundation 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Climbing spaces, quieter corners and sensory planting give Friars’ nursery an outdoor character with room for different kinds of play. The early years playground combines areas for physical activity with creative play and structures suited to wet and dry weather. Children have places to move and places to pause.
This is the school’s own nursery on Webber Street in Blackfriars. Children can join in the September after turning three. Its classroom sits on the ground floor within the Foundation Stage provision, making the nursery part of the primary school’s everyday setting.
Stories, conversation and practical exploration run through the Early Years Curriculum Map. For parents, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, manage feelings, move confidently and develop early literacy and mathematics. Nursery activities include taking turns, choosing resources and talking about feelings: learning to join in is part of the work.
Transport and Growing provide concrete subjects to investigate. Children discuss journeys, explore how plants change and learn about animal life cycles. Planting seeds and looking after plants turn those ideas into something they can observe. The outdoor sensory plant and tree zones give this learning a physical setting.
Early literacy starts with listening, rhymes and Phase 1 phonics, with oral blending and segmenting receiving attention later in the curriculum map. Mark making develops alongside an interest in letters from children’s names. Mathematics includes matching small quantities to numerals, comparing capacity and building repeating patterns. These are practical beginnings, rather than a timetable borrowed from older pupils.
Creative work includes dough, clay, musical instruments and pretend play. Children make small world scenes and develop stories through role play, giving them ways to express ideas through materials as well as speech.
Settling starts before the first nursery day. Families are invited to visit the classroom with their child and meet the teacher and other children; the class teacher also visits the child at home. This introduces the adult in a familiar setting before the move into school.
Baseline assessment takes place in nursery. Parents can ask the class teacher about progress at any time, alongside consultation meetings in autumn and spring. Concerns about learning or development go first to the class teacher, with the Inclusion Manager available for further discussion. The school’s support options include visual timetables, Now and Next boards and speech and language programmes recommended by a therapist.
Toileting support includes changing supplies across year groups, and parents are informed when cleaning or changing has been needed. Trained paediatric first aiders are part of the school’s care provision. School meals are supplied by Lunchtime & Co. For prescribed medicines, parents must give written consent. The school accepts in-date medication in its original pharmacist’s container, with instructions for dosage, administration and storage.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and it is not a priority criterion in the admissions arrangements for September 2026 to July 2027. Families must make a separate online Reception application through the Southwark admissions route by the required deadline. Friars also requires a supplementary information form.
Transition support is a separate matter. For children needing additional support, the school lists social stories, transition meetings and contact with parents among its options. Familiarity with school supports preparation; it does not replace the application process.
The school day has a soft start between 8.45am and 9am. Early years parents accompany children to their classroom, and early years collection is from classrooms at 3.25pm. Gates open at 3.20pm, allowing parents to reach the collection area.
Nursery applications go through the school office. Contact office@friars.southwark.sch.uk or 020 7207 1807; open morning tours can be booked using the school’s form. The dress code allows unbranded clothing, with red sweatshirts or fleeces, white polo shirts and black or grey trousers or skirts.
Children can start in the September following their third birthday.
A visit with your child introduces the classroom, teacher and other children. The class teacher also carries out a home visit before the child starts.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a place or confer priority under the September 2026 to July 2027 arrangements. A separate online application and the school’s supplementary information form are required.
Speak to the class teacher first. A meeting with the Inclusion Manager can be requested through the teacher or school office.
Yes. Book an open morning through the school’s form, or contact the office on 020 7207 1807 or office@friars.southwark.sch.uk to arrange a visit.
