Wandsworth Preparatory School Nursery Review

Daily phonics, individual reading and Forest School give Wandsworth Prep’s Pre Prep Nursery a distinctly school-shaped day. Play happens indoors and outside, alongside specialist PE and lessons in French and Spanish. For parents seeking an introduction to school routines from age three, these are concrete features to weigh.

The nursery welcomes children aged three to four, with entry possible from their third birthday and during the year. It belongs to the independent Wandsworth Preparatory School at The Old Library, 2 Allfarthing Lane. Classes across the school usually have a maximum of 18 children, although exceptions allow that number to rise; this is a class-size rule rather than a nursery capacity.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning combines communication, relationships and physical development with early literacy, maths, creativity and understanding the world. In parent terms, learning to listen, talk and cooperate sits alongside beginning to read and work with numbers. Daily phonics and one-to-one reading give language work a regular place in the nursery routine.

There is movement and exploration too. Specialist PE takes place on site for Pre Prep children, while weekly enrichment includes climbing and Forest School. The school’s Forest School uses woodland at Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath. These activities give children different settings in which to practise movement and participate in shared activities, beyond their indoor play.

Project learning also formed part of the nursery plans assessed by ISI in February 2024, when extending provision to three-year-olds was still a proposal. Themes were planned on a three-year rotation, with flexibility for children’s interests. That was an assessment of preparations for the nursery, rather than a judgement of its subsequent day-to-day teaching.

A class teacher works with a teaching assistant in Pre Prep. Before admission, nursery children spend a session in the setting; taster activities also include Forest School and a morning with their future teacher. Familiarity begins before the first regular day.

Parents can discuss progress or everyday concerns with teachers by telephone, email or in person. Parents’ evenings and written reports provide more formal feedback. Lunch is included in the morning session, and school menus follow a three-week rotation, giving meals a recurring pattern alongside the learning routine.

Additional needs are discussed at a pre-entry meeting and assessed during settling and regular attendance. With parental consultation, Targeted Setting Support from Wandsworth and Richmond Council and Inclusion Funding can be sought. Support and access. The school has finite SEND resources, and its buildings can restrict movement for people with some mobility difficulties. Families should consider these limits alongside the adjustments agreed for their child.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Attendance itself is not one of the school’s oversubscription preferences: these include sibling or former-pupil family connections, staff children and particular skills or aptitudes. Familiarity with the school should therefore be kept separate from entitlement to a place.

Reception has its own offer process through the school, involving enquiry, registration and a meeting with the Head. Families should obtain the Reception offer separately rather than treating nursery enrolment as confirmation of the next place.

Morning sessions run from 08:15 to 12:30, afternoons from 12:30 to 15:30, Monday to Friday. Full-time and morning-only places are recognised booking patterns. Breakfast Club starts at 07:30, and after-school care runs until 18:00, included in fees.

Universal EYFE funding begins in the term after a child’s third birthday. Up to 15 hours weekly are delivered through the afternoon sessions, with a maximum of three funded hours per day. Delivery is term-time only, over between 34 and 35 weeks depending on the calendar; funded-only places are limited and subject to availability.

Optional extras. Funded-only attendance requires neither additional paid hours nor paid services. Families may supply food and consumables themselves, subject to healthy-eating and allergy requirements; trips and additional services can carry charges. Contact the school for current charges. Nursery enquiries and tour requests can be made through the contact form, with private tours and open days available.