Nursery at St Paul's Whitechapel Church of England Primary School

African drumming gives this nursery a distinctive musical thread: specialist teachers from THAMES (Tower Hamlets Arts & Music Education Service) teach the nursery children. Music sits alongside an early-years curriculum built around exploration, talk and practical activity.

The nursery belongs to St Paul's Whitechapel Church of England Primary School in Wellclose Square. Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Outstanding at its June 2024 inspection. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Development Matters guides the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). In parent language, the curriculum brings together movement, relationships and communication with early reading, number, creative expression and discovering how the world works. Children explore through play and tackle problems through interactive activities, with learning matched to their stage of development.

Practical experiences give children something to talk about. In June 2024, early-years children watched butterflies emerge from chrysalises, linking a real transformation to language and literacy. Communication receives close attention, giving children foundations for reading rather than treating reading as an isolated skill. Early mathematics includes counting beyond ten.

Maths teaching uses objects and pictures alongside abstract ideas across early years and the rest of the school. Classroom mathematics walls display vocabulary, worked examples and prompts for reasoning, giving children visual reference points for their learning. African drumming adds a specialist-led musical activity to this mix. Physical learning also follows the PE Hub programme from EYFS onwards, with a planner organising the skills covered.

By June 2024, children across early years were becoming familiar with established routines quickly. Predictable routines matter for a child adjusting to group learning: they provide a recognisable structure around the activities of the day.

Support for additional needs follows a staged process. Staff raise concerns with the Inclusion Leader, discuss the child's needs and plan an intervention. This can include classroom strategies and an Individual Education Plan with specific targets. Parents take part throughout, and SEN reviews happen each term, creating regular opportunities to reconsider the support.

The school's inclusion team includes a speech and language therapist and a speech and language assistant. Its inclusion policy provides for reasonable changes to teaching, the curriculum and the learning environment. These are concrete routes for discussing a child's communication or learning needs, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the normal Reception admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as two distinct steps.

The admissions page provides separate supplementary forms for nursery and for Reception onwards. A nursery application should therefore never be treated as completing the later application.

For enquiries or a school tour, contact the office at reception@st-pauls.towerhamlets.sch.uk or telephone 020 7480 6581. Tours can be arranged through the office, offering families a chance to see the school setting before making their decision.

The nursery supplementary form is linked from the admissions page. Forms must be delivered to the office by hand, accompanied by the original birth certificate and proof of address. Have those documents ready when submitting the form.