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Nursery at Garfield 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
An oral story each half-term runs through Garfield’s early years curriculum. This gives the nursery a clear emphasis on spoken language alongside play indoors and outside.
For children aged three and four, the nursery forms part of Garfield Primary School’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Qualified teachers work with teaching assistants, and children normally start in the term following their third birthday. Morning and afternoon groups each have a maximum of 39 children; full-time places are also offered. Families can therefore choose a shorter session or a day that includes lunch.
Children combine play they choose themselves with activities directed by adults and group teaching. Topics organise the learning, while the EYFS brings together communication, relationships, movement, early reading, maths, creativity and exploration of the world. In parent language, learning to express a feeling or handle a tool belongs alongside learning about letters and numbers.
The nursery has indoor space and an outdoor learning area. Books are used in both, with poems, songs and stories woven into learning. Storytelling Schools supplies the named approach: six oral stories across the year give children repeated opportunities to use story language. Read Write Inc introduces nursery children to the first 30 sounds and accompanying letter rhymes, making early literacy a specific part of the offer.
Practical exploration adds another dimension. Early years art includes experimenting with colour and textures, while design activities involve choosing materials, making purposeful constructions and preparing food with hygiene routines. These are opportunities to try ideas through doing. In November 2024, Ofsted found effective support for nursery children’s awareness of surrounding sounds and a strong early years foundation in number. The same inspection’s school-wide improvement point concerned presenting too much information together, which could limit how much pupils understood and remembered.
Tapestry connects learning at nursery with home: parents can see photographs, videos and observations, and contribute experiences of their own. Regular stay-and-play sessions offer another way to participate. Teachers can be contacted by email or through an appointment arranged with the office, while MCAS carries school announcements and letters.
Food depends on the session. Children attending mornings or afternoons eat lunch at home; full-time children can have a paid school meal or bring a healthy packed lunch with no nuts. Lunches are freshly prepared in the school kitchen. Fruit or vegetables are provided as snacks, and early years children under five are offered daily milk unless they have a milk intolerance. A child with a food allergy needs an approved medical diet before taking school meals.
SEND support explicitly includes the EYFS. The arrangements involve parents in identifying needs, draw on outside agencies and review interventions. Nursery starters are expected to be toilet trained, with spare clothing and wipes supplied for accidents. For wraparound care, children usually complete a couple of settling-in days first; nursery children must be independent, with reasonable adjustments discussed through the SENCO where support is needed.
Separate application. A nursery place does not guarantee admission to Garfield’s Reception. Families must apply again through the normal admissions process, managed by Merton Council. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions.
Morning nursery runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Full-time attendance is 8:30am to 3:30pm, five days a week. Part-time places use the 15-hour universal entitlement. Families cannot use their child’s funding here and at another nursery at the same time. For eligible families, 30-hour funding leaves five additional hours in the full-time week chargeable; daily collection at 2:30pm avoids that extra hour. Paid full-time places are subject to availability. Ask the school for current charges.
Breakfast and after-school care accept nursery children, subject to the independence arrangements above. MCAS bookings can vary by day: breakfast requires booking and payment the day before, and after-school care by midday that day.
Nursery uniform consists of a red sweatshirt and polo shirt with black leggings or jogging bottoms. Bring a labelled water bottle. For enquiries or a tour, contact admissions@garfield.merton.sch.uk or 020 8540 1053; open events include a presentation and a tour focusing on early years.
Children are aged three and four and usually join in the term after their third birthday.
Yes. Full-time nursery runs from 8:30am to 3:30pm, five days a week, with an earlier 2:30pm collection option.
No. You must make a separate Reception application through Merton Council’s normal admissions process.
Full-time children can have a paid school lunch or a healthy, nut-free packed lunch. Morning and afternoon children eat lunch at home.
Yes, subject to independence requirements. Where a child needs support, the SENCO can discuss reasonable adjustments. Settling-in days usually come first.
