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Nursery at Elizabeth Selby Infants' 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Seedling Class gives two-year-olds their own outdoor space, with play shaped around what catches their interest. Familiar adults and a consistent group of children provide continuity. This is a school nursery where choosing an activity and learning to spend time with others sit alongside the first steps in language and movement.
Elizabeth Selby Infants' School, on Old Bethnal Green Road in Bethnal Green, includes nursery provision for children aged two, three and four. Seedlings is the youngest children's class; the Nursery has its own pattern of group learning, stories and play within the school's early-years provision.
Play and adult teaching share the day. In Seedlings, children move between activities and join brief group sessions, with an emphasis on talking, physical development and managing relationships and feelings. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) also covers early number work, literacy, creative expression and finding out about the world. These are learning through everyday experiences, rather than a timetable of formal subjects.
Nursery children join a carpet activity with a different learning focus each day, then try a related task. Singing, phonics and a shared story are daily features too. The youngest children also have daily songs and stories, alongside creative activities led by adults. That gives child-chosen play a predictable framework.
Early reading begins with listening. Nursery Phase 1 concentrates on noticing sounds; Phase 2 begins in spring. The school uses THE Partnership Phonics Programme. In March 2023, Ofsted found skilled early-years teaching of basic mathematical ideas, including counting. The same inspection identified occasional imprecision in the school's phonics teaching and called for further development of staff expertise: a relevant caution alongside the daily early-reading routine.
White Rose Maths brings number ideas into practical play, using resources such as numicon, cubes and counters. Creative work includes modelling with clay or playdough, collage and role play. Outdoors, EYFS Forest School activities include investigating natural materials, balancing and climbing. Children can practise ideas with their hands and bodies as well as through conversation.
Consistency is central to Seedlings' approach: recurring routines, familiar adults and a stable peer group support young children as they become accustomed to the setting. In March 2023, Nursery children enjoyed saying hello to one another and spending time together at the start of their session. Shared routines make social learning part of the day.
Parents can talk with teachers after the school day. Nursery families also receive a weekly practical home activity through Evidence Me and can upload a video or photograph of their child taking part. Two reading books go home each week, giving families a regular connection with classroom learning.
For concerns about development or learning, the class teacher is the first contact and can involve the SENCO. Parents participate in decisions about SEND support. School meals are prepared daily, with vegetarian choices and provision for dietary requirements and allergies; nursery children may be able to have these meals, with arrangements handled by the office.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Tower Hamlets manages school admissions, and places are allocated using the council's admission criteria. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.
Breakfast Club welcomes all pupils on term-time weekdays, excluding INSET days, from 8:00am to 8:55am. Breakfast service ends at 8:30am; later arrivals receive a drink and cereal bar. Children use the front entrance, and staff take them to their classrooms afterwards.
After-School Club is also open to all pupils and runs from 3:30pm to 4:30pm on weekdays in term time. Staff collect children from classrooms, with free play, crafts and quiet reading among the possible activities. These clubs extend the options around the school day.
For enquiries, use the contact form, call 0207 739 6187 or email admin@elizabethselby.towerhamlets.sch.uk. Prospective families are encouraged to visit the school and contact the office for further information.
The nursery provision caters for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Seedling Class is the two-year-old provision.
A daily carpet activity leads into a related task. Children also have daily phonics, singing and story time, alongside play they choose themselves.
Nursery families receive one play-based activity each week through Evidence Me and can upload photographs or videos. Children also receive two reading books weekly.
Nursery pupils may be able to access school meals. The office handles further information; meals include vegetarian choices and can accommodate dietary needs and allergies.
No. Families need a separate Reception application through the normal Tower Hamlets admissions process. Places are allocated against the council's admission criteria.
