St Matthew's School, Westminster Nursery Review

Learning to share, taking turns and building language give St Matthew’s nursery its early-years character. This is the nursery within a Church of England primary school in Westminster, at 18 Old Pye Street. The school’s age range begins at three; full-time and part-time nursery places are advertised, giving families a choice of attendance pattern.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 12 and 13 July 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

A part-time day takes the form of a morning or afternoon session. Language is a useful thread through the early-years approach: the school’s reading guidance draws on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), explaining how conversation, shared books, songs and rhymes develop children’s understanding before later word reading. For parents, the emphasis is on talking about meaning as well as looking at print.

Shared reading extends into home life. The guidance encourages adults to discuss illustrations, ask what might happen next and talk about favourite parts of a story. Families who use another language at home are encouraged to share stories in that language too. This gives parents concrete ways to join in, rather than treating reading as a task confined to school.

Social learning matters alongside language. In July 2023, children in early years were learning turn-taking and sharing. These are practical foundations for playing with other children and participating in a group.

Talking Tables and Box Clever are named speech and language interventions for early years in the school’s 2025–2026 SEND Information Report. They give families a specific starting point for discussions about communication support, although the appropriate provision depends on the child’s needs.

The school’s support process begins with the class teacher, with the SEN team involved as concerns are explored. Parents can discuss progress and support strategies with the teacher and SENCo; learning plans, strategies and progress are reviewed each term. Specialist input can include speech and language therapy or occupational therapy where appropriate. Support is therefore planned around individual needs, with parents involved in reviewing it.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Choosing nursery should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself.

Transition support is a separate matter. The school’s SEND arrangements provide for staff to share children’s needs, progress and helpful support strategies when they change classes. That continuity can help the next teaching team prepare for a child; it does not secure admission.

Morning nursery sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Both use the Early Years entrance on St Ann’s Street. Nursery collection is from the Early Years area, keeping the collection point distinct from the main playground used by older pupils.

Collection arrangements. Parents must notify the school before another adult collects their child. Adding a collector requires an email to the office with that person’s name and contact number, so changes need arranging ahead of collection.

Tours can be booked through the school office throughout the year. Contact office@stmwschool.org.uk or 020 7504 0500 to arrange one.