Olga Primary School Nursery Review

Block building, stories and conversation give Cherry Class its character. Olga Primary School’s nursery takes children from age three and forms part of the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in Bow. Its construction areas turn play into practical investigations of shape, balance and space.

The January 2026 Ofsted report judged early years to meet the Expected standard. Communication is a clear teaching priority: adults extend vocabulary through questions and conversation, helping children develop the language they need to explain ideas and join in learning.

Play and direct teaching work together. The EYFS covers relationships, physical development and communication alongside early literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Olga uses Development Matters alongside this framework, organising foundational knowledge around Big Ideas. In parent terms, children explore through their own interests while adults also teach specific skills.

Construction and block play provide a concrete example. Children experiment with stability and measure using resources that allow more than one possible use. Planned additions to the play areas introduce fresh learning, while personalised teaching and targeted interventions adjust the work to individual children.

Books give early learning a purpose. Traditional tales, including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, introduce number concepts; cupcake-making activities in the home corner develop physical skills needed for writing. Nursery reading preparation includes poems, action rhymes, listening activities and oral blending, following the foundations of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Children practise hearing sounds before tackling written words.

Movement has its own place in the day. An outdoor area is reserved for EYFS children, and daily energetic activities take place inside and outside. Early-years children also have a weekly physical-development lesson with the PE teacher, practising safe use of equipment and their bodies. Nursery receives between 40 minutes and an hour of music each week. These give children opportunities to learn through movement and sound as well as conversation.

Parents have regular contact with staff. In January 2026, early-years communication included planned meetings, informal discussions and opportunities to talk at the beginning of the day. Books also come home from Nursery for families to enjoy together, connecting classroom stories with reading at home.

For children with additional needs, the school aims to identify difficulties early, including at entry to EYFS. Parents are intended to contribute to targets and decisions about next steps. The school’s support team includes speech and language therapy, play therapy and an inclusion lead who is also the SENCo. These are school team roles, rather than a promise that every nursery child receives each service.

Lunch entitlement needs attention. Nursery children receive a free lunch only when eligible for Free School Meals; otherwise lunch is charged, with eligibility confirmed by the office. A switch to Tower Hamlets Contract Catering Services was scheduled for September 2026.

Settling before extended care. New nursery children can join wraparound childcare only once they are settled and attending the full school day. Families relying on longer hours need to account for that initial settling period.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Olga directs September-entry applications to eAdmissions and follows Tower Hamlets admissions procedures. Treat choosing Cherry Class and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.

The nursery day finishes at 3.20pm. School opens at 8.50am, with registration at 9am and the gates closing then. For September entry, the published part-time option is 15 hours across 2.5 days: either Monday through Wednesday midday or Wednesday midday through Friday. It is not spread across five days.

Full-time places can use the government’s 30-hour scheme where families qualify; a paid top-up option applies to those outside that scheme. Early Birds breakfast care and Night Owls after-school childcare extend the available hours to 8am–6pm on weekdays, subject to the settling condition. Confirm the booking app with the office before arranging sessions.

Uniform is compulsory, with plain dark-green tops permitted alongside logo versions. General enquiries go to admin@olga.towerhamlets.sch.uk or 020 8981 7127. Families can register interest in a school tour using the online form.