Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Nursery

Fairtrade banana bread and a Nativity performed for families give this nursery a distinctly practical, Catholic character. Children have explored Fairtrade bananas through baking, connecting an everyday ingredient with choices that affect other people. Faith also has a place in their shared celebrations.

Corpus Christi's nursery belongs to the school's Foundation Stage in New Malden, on Chestnut Grove. Its staffing structure includes a nursery teacher and support staff. For parents, this is a school nursery with its own sessions, alongside the wider school's arrangements for learning support and family communication.

Children's interests help shape the themes they explore. The early-years approach follows Development Matters, with themes used to develop skills and encourage children to work creatively and independently. This gives learning a starting point that children can recognise.

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), nursery learning concentrates on movement, communication and children's social and emotional development. In parent language, the emphasis is on how children express themselves, develop physically and relate to others. These foundations connect with the other learning areas: understanding the world, creative expression, maths and literacy.

Baking banana bread with Fairtrade ingredients is a concrete example of that approach in action. It links making something with learning about the world beyond the classroom. Nursery children have also taken part in Nativity performances for parents and the school, giving shared storytelling a place in their experience.

Additional learning needs are addressed through the school's Graduated Approach. The class teacher works with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) to assess a difficulty, plan support, put it into practice and review it. Parents are involved, and other professionals can contribute where needed. That gives families a defined process for discussing barriers to learning.

For children on the SEND register, targets are shared half termly, with teacher and SENCO meetings each term. Practical help also includes support for families making visual timetables, using the school's symbol software. Objects, photographs or pictures can represent what happens next, making a routine easier for a child to understand.

Nursery meals are paid through a child's lunch account, which parents need to keep in credit. Food therefore needs to be considered separately from the session itself.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process; choosing the nursery should not be treated as securing the next stage. Keep that application separate from nursery arrangements when planning your child's schooling.

Morning nursery runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; the afternoon session runs from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The nursery gate opens at 8:30 a.m. These are distinct session windows, so collection planning matters as much as the start time.

The school asks families to notify staff if collection arrangements change, including a delay or a different person collecting. For nursery enquiries, contact the office at office@corpuschristi.rbksch.org or call 020 8942 2645. The admin team is the general contact point for questions.