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Nursery at Purley Oaks Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Weekly library visits, a Christmas production and Water day give Purley Oaks nursery a clear connection to school life. Children aged three to four attend nursery within Purley Oaks Primary School, with indoor rooms and outdoor learning areas. It is a school setting from the start, with opportunities to join Ethos Awards assemblies and the Summer Dance.
Parents have a place in that routine too. Weekly open teaching sessions and termly craft activities let families take part in their child’s learning, rather than relying solely on updates afterwards.
Play shapes the learning. Teachers plan around the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, using stories, singing and play activities; children also choose where to spend their time. The practical emphasis is on learning through participation, with room to make decisions independently.
The Learning Resource Centre, the school library, adds a weekly change of setting. Families can also borrow books there on Tuesdays between 3pm and 4pm. That gives classroom reading a route into home life. Nursery curriculum themes include Traditional Tales, Bears and Water, offering recognisable starting points for conversation with children about their learning.
Theme days bring further variety. Pirate and Mermaid Day, a Teddy bears’ picnic and the Zoo Lab workshop sit alongside Water day and Bubble day. Zoo Lab introduces children to a minibeast, while the Christmas production gives them a chance to perform for their families. These are concrete experiences around which children can talk and play.
In February 2025, Ofsted described early years learning that developed communication, movement and emotional skills across inside and outside spaces. That finding concerns early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery grade.
Settling begins with a home visit by nursery teachers. An initial child profile completed with staff records what the child can do at home, giving the team a starting point beyond classroom observations. Each child has a nursery key worker who offers individual support, agrees targets and hears them read weekly.
A school planner, parents’ evenings, curriculum workshops and a report each term keep families involved. The nursery’s weekly teaching sessions give parents another way to understand how learning works and support it at home. For children with SEND, the school’s policy is to make the provision they need; the nursery application also asks about medical needs, special educational needs and an EHCP.
Full-day children eat in the nursery under lunchtime supervision. Families choose between a packed lunch and a school dinner, with dinners charged separately. In-house catering provides meat or vegetarian choices, with halal meat, fruit or homemade dessert, bread and a salad bar. Milk is free for under-fives, and the school operates a nut-free policy.
Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Croydon Council Admissions. The school’s stated deadline of 15 January 2026 applied to September 2026 entry, a past admissions cycle.
Transition support is a separate matter. Nursery staff pass information about each child’s capabilities to Reception teachers, helping them plan from an informed starting point. Familiarity and information sharing support the move, but do not secure admission.
Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am; the full-day option runs from 8:40am to 2:40pm. Full-day places accommodate children eligible for 30 funded hours, or families using 15 funded hours and paying for the additional 15. The nursery describes the additional funded entitlement as covering up to 38 weeks, subject to eligibility. Contact the school for current charges.
Breakfast Club starts at 7:30am, and POPS Kids runs from 3pm to 6:30pm. Both require advance booking and payment through MCAS. Club staff take children to nursery and collect them afterwards.
Nursery uniform consists of blue jogging bottoms, a white polo and a blue sweatshirt or cardigan bearing the logo. MAPAC and the Community Cabin supply uniform. To arrange a viewing, email schooloffice@purleyoaks.croydon.sch.uk; the online nursery application asks families to choose morning or all-day attendance.
The nursery welcomes applications for children aged three to four.
Morning attendance is 8:30am to 11:30am. Full-day attendance is 8:40am to 2:40pm.
Nursery teachers arrange a home visit, and families complete an initial child profile with staff. Each child is assigned a key worker for ongoing individual support.
Yes. They can bring a packed lunch or have a school dinner for an additional charge. Children eat in the nursery with lunchtime supervisors.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Croydon Council Admissions. Information sharing between nursery and Reception teachers supports transition but does not secure a place.
