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Nursery at Oliver Goldsmith 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A large outdoor learning space, school gardens and access to a library give Oliver Goldsmith’s nursery a day that can extend beyond its own classroom. This is school-attached provision in Camberwell, with children starting from three years and three months. The nursery has a spacious indoor environment, while the wider school provides playgrounds, a hall and music spaces for nursery families to use.
Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 24 and 25 May 2022. That is an early years judgement within the school’s inspection, rather than a separate nursery rating.
Play provides the framework for learning. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together children’s communication, movement and emotional development with early literacy, maths, creativity and understanding of their surroundings. Development Matters guides this work. Adults join both planned activities and play initiated by children, explaining ideas, asking questions and demonstrating language. For parents, the distinction matters: children have opportunities to pursue their interests, with adults helping them take their thinking further.
The nursery topic sequence starts with All about me, followed by Night and day and Traditional Tales. Later themes include Farming, In the jungle and Under the sea. These give families concrete starting points for conversations about learning at home. Purposeful conversation and storytelling are part of the early years language approach, with opportunities to hear and practise more complex sentences.
Music has a regular place too: nursery children have weekly lessons using Sing Up. Alongside the outdoor learning area, access to gardens, the library and music spaces gives the provision several settings for learning.
In May 2022, early years mathematics gave children repeated practice with counting, sorting and linking quantities to numbers. Phonics also began in the nursery. There was a qualification: some staff were still learning to apply the phonics programme consistently, and further training was needed. That concern sits alongside the positive early years judgement.
Starting nursery includes contact with the school before the first day. Parents or carers and their child must take part in an individual introductory meeting. An annual information meeting takes place in June for families considering nursery or Reception. These are useful opportunities to establish contact before a child begins.
School meals are prepared on site by ISS Caterhouse. The school’s catering includes vegetarian and meat choices, vegetables, salads and fresh fruit; all meat is halal. This describes the school’s meal service rather than establishing a free-meal entitlement for nursery children. Families should discuss their child’s meal arrangements when registering.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. A separate application goes through Southwark Primary Admissions, where parents can select up to six schools.
The school’s stated oversubscription priorities cover looked-after children, an identified social need supported by a social worker’s report, siblings in the same household and distance from home. Nursery attendance is not among those criteria. Children with an EHCP or statement are admitted as directed by the local authority’s SEN department. Familiarity with the school’s spaces should therefore be kept separate from the Reception allocation process.
Families can choose a part-time place of 15 hours a week or a full-time place of 30 hours. For eligible families using a 30-hour childcare funding code, the application must be made in the term before starting, and the code needs updating each term. The funding step needs advance planning.
Register nursery interest directly with the school office; application forms come from the same team. Parents usually register after their child’s second birthday. The contact email is office@olivergoldsmith.southwark.sch.uk and the telephone number is 020 7703 4894.
The school expects children to wear its uniform. This includes a maroon sweatshirt and navy polo shirt, with grey trousers or a skirt and completely black shoes. Uniform items are sold by Trutex Uniform Shop in Peckham Rye.
Children must be at least three years and three months old before starting. Parents usually register after the child’s second birthday.
There are part-time places of 15 hours per week and full-time places of 30 hours per week.
Eligible families must apply in the term before their child starts and update the code termly.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Southwark Primary Admissions. Nursery attendance is not listed among the school’s stated oversubscription priorities.
Parents or carers and their child must attend an individual introductory meeting. The school also holds an annual information meeting in June for prospective nursery and Reception families.
