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Nursery at St James the Great Roman Catholic 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.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 story can become something children make: after reading The Little Red Hen, nursery children at St James the Great baked their own bread. That connection between books and practical activity gives a concrete picture of this school nursery on Peckham Road.
Catholic teaching shapes the early years curriculum too. Come and See introduces themes of family, belonging and church celebrations, while the nursery’s yearly plan includes learning about Judaism and Islam. Faith is part of the learning programme.
Play supplies the starting point. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines activities children choose with learning directed by adults. In parent language, that means developing conversation, movement and relationships alongside early reading, number work, creative activities and exploration of the world. Children can learn indoors and outdoors, choosing some activities independently and tackling others together.
Stories give those areas a shared thread. The Spring 2026 nursery plan uses a puppet theatre, masks and stick puppets to help children retell traditional tales. Bread-making brings instructions into practical use; sorting objects by size or colour and counting up to five bring mathematics into play. Children also practise using words about position through practical examples. These are opportunities to speak, listen and handle materials together.
Physical activity includes obstacle courses, puzzles and construction with 3D bricks. Funky Fingers activities develop control of small movements, useful preparation for handling drawing and writing tools. A home role-play area and hospital feature in the Autumn 2025 plan, giving children settings for pretend conversations and shared play.
Songs, rhymes and listening games introduce children to differences between sounds before formal letter work. At the October 2022 inspection, nursery sound activities were found to prepare children well for later phonics, while early-years number learning included counting objects and recognising quantities without counting each item.
The yearly nursery overview also plans visits to Surrey Docks Farm and Dulwich Wood at Cox’s Walk. These extend exploration of animals and natural surroundings beyond the classroom.
The nursery team includes a nursery teacher and nursery nursing support. Settling, friendships and learning to manage the toilet with increasing independence appear in the Autumn 2025 curriculum. Care routines therefore sit alongside learning, rather than being treated as separate from it.
Zones of Regulation helps children recognise emotions and practise ways to calm themselves. Brain Breaks provide mindfulness practice three times daily. Together, these give children repeated opportunities to work on managing feelings.
For children with SEND, the Inclusion team can arrange family visits and, where appropriate, extra visits or a gradual start. The school’s support policy uses Assess, Plan, Do, Review, with provision reconsidered at least termly and parents contributing feedback. That gives families a defined way to discuss whether support is helping.
School lunch arrangements include meals supplied by ISS Mediclean and packed lunches eaten together. Packed lunches should contain a savoury item, fruit and drinking water; sweets are excluded. Weekly school newsletters and nursery curriculum newsletters give parents further contact with classroom life.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place or confer priority under the 2027-28 admission arrangements. Families must make a separate application through the local authority’s normal process, using eAdmissions, and send the school its Supplementary Information Form by 15 January 2027. Catholic admission categories and the policy’s further priorities determine allocation when applications exceed places.
Preparation for the change is a separate matter. Reception teachers host a summer session about routines. Where helpful, children can have a photo transition book; the Inclusion team also arranges transition meetings for children with complex needs. Familiarity supports the move, but does not change admission rights.
Parent enquiries go through the school office on 020 7703 5870 or office@stjamesthegreat.southwark.sch.uk. The contact page also provides an enquiry form. For families discussing additional needs, the same office telephone and email provide a route to the SENDCo.
The EYFS combines adult-directed activities with children’s own choices, using play to develop language, physical skills, relationships and early subject learning.
Activities include retelling tales with puppets and masks. Nursery children have also made bread after reading The Little Red Hen.
The Inclusion team can arrange visits with families, additional visits or a staggered start where appropriate. Photo transition books can also be used where helpful.
No. It gives neither a guarantee nor priority under the 2027-28 arrangements. A separate local authority application and the school’s Supplementary Information Form are required by 15 January 2027.
Contact the school office on 020 7703 5870 or email office@stjamesthegreat.southwark.sch.uk. Parent enquiries can also be submitted through the contact page’s form.
