• Help with Childcare Costs

Welcome to our Nursery Page

At Sir John Lillie Primary School we see the Early Years as the foundation of “Succeeding on the Journey through Lifelong learning.”

There are currently 39 places per session in our Nursery and we have excellent, experienced staff, including qualified teacher(s) who deliver a curriculum with a strong emphasis on play and enjoyment.  All children are encouraged to join in with a rich variety of activities daily; each activity developing the 7 areas of the early learning curriculum. 

We take a holistic approach to learning treating each child as an individual who is listened to, supported, challenged and encouraged.  We also support the children to become independent and resilient learners.

Combine this with a happy, stimulating, purposeful atmosphere and you have the ingredients for your child’s best possible start.

We have a marvellous room with dedicated areas for carpet time and curriculum areas.  The Nursery children have direct access to a stimulating outdoor area.  Excellent use is made of local amenities including the parks, the local shops and the market.

We also participate fully in the wider school community, joining in with events such as International Evening and the annual Musical Extravaganza.

The joy of learning is a crucial foundation to lay at this early stage of education and we value the partnership with home to ensure a link for the child and a sense of security and happiness. Due to the pandemic, this is done through regular phone conversations, socially distanced informal chats at the end of a day or 1 to 1 socially distanced meetings.

Every child has a key person who is responsible for a group of children. Records of development and care are created and shared by the key person, parents and the child. Small groups foster close bonds between the child and the key person in a way that large groups cannot easily do. These groups allow the key person to better ‘tune into’ children’s play and their conversations to really get to know the children in the group well. Children feel settled and happy and are more confident to explore and as a result become more capable learners.

A Typical Nursery Day:

8.45am	Welcome to Nursery. (Parents and children enter Nursery and choose from a wide range of activities to start the day)
8.55am	Parents wave “bye bye” and children go to their groups for greeting time.
9.15am to 10.50am	Children take part in either focus activities with an adult or are engaged in child initiated learning. Children can choose to play inside or outside.
11am to 11.25am	Phonics activities in small groups
11.30am to 12pm	Lunchtime
12pm to 1pm	Outside playtime for all
1pm to 1.20pm	Small group time – usually a maths activity
1.20pm to 2.50pm	Children take part in either focus activities with an adult or are engaged in child initiated learning.
3pm to 3.25pm	Large group time – this is a chance for all the Nursery to meet together and talk about our learning.
3.30pm	Hometime.

Lunches are designed to encourage children to try a range of delicious foods that are cooked on the premises. The children eat lunch with their friends and the staff. Children are shown how to eat correctly with a knife, fork and spoon, how to converse with friends, how to cut food, etc. 

For admissions to our school Nursery please contact

Mrs Janet Smith on 020 7385 2107.

30 Hour Funding

The Government introduced new funding to allow childcare providers to offer 30 hours free childcare to working parents. All 3 and 4 year old's are already entitled to 15 hours of free childcare a week and this additional 15 hours will be on offer to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone-parent family), and each parent earns the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national minimum or living wage, and earns less than £100,000 a year.       

To find out more information on 30 hours childcare, how to check you eligibility and how to apply, please click HERE.