Nursery

To apply for a place click here.

We recognise that choosing a nursery for your child is difficult, many factors need to be considered, not least your child's happiness and obviously practicalities such as opening hours, proximity to work/ home etc. So why choose us?

We have evidence to show that children who come to Purley Oaks Nursery School:

Are happy
Are safe and secure within school grounds
Become familiar with the school setting and make the transition to school more confidently
Progress well throughout the Foundation stage and achieve improved attainment throughout school

We provide a bright, spacious and stimulating learning environment for the children in our care. At Purley Oaks Nursery your child will thrive emotionally, physically and academically to their own potential. A foundation in good learning skills and work patterns will be laid, which will serve them well in the years ahead.

Our staff team of teachers and childcare professionals are highly qualified and offer naturally inspiring care to children aged from 3 months to 5 years. We follow the EYFS and have programmes to help prepare your child for school.

What happens when my child joins Purley Oaks Nursery?

We invite you and your child for a morning to have a look around the Nursery (even if you have been before) and meet the teachers. At this time, you will be able to ask any questions you wish, in order to make sure you are totally happy with the service we are able to provide. We will answer them honestly and to the best of our ability.

Teachers from the nursery will come and visit you and your child at home to discuss your child and what happens when they start. You will also be asked to complete, with a member of staff, an initial child profile (ICP), which will give us a good idea of what your child is capable of at home. Often children show different capabilities in different situations. There are no right or wrong answers and it helps us greatly if you can be as honest as possible. At our Open Mornings you will also be given various documents with information about the Nursery, to read at your leisure. If you have any queries with the information received, please speak to a member of staff.

How does the teaching that my child receives at Nursery relate to what they will be doing at Primary School?

When your child enters Nursery, we already have a fair idea of their capabilities at home, by the information you have supplied us at your initial interview.

Each child will have a set of ‘observation sheets’ for staff to complete each time your child attends. These will chart their progress in various areas of development whilst they are in our care and we will record on the sheets, things that we actually see the child achieve. However, as mentioned previously, a child does not always perform the same in different situations e.g. she/he may be able to ride a bike at Nursery, but not at home, or will count to ten by rote at home, but not at Nursery.

The observation sheets are broken down into different areas of development, roughly appropriate to age (all children develop at different rates). Our activity planning reflects the outcome of the observation in line with the Government guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage, to help develop each child’s knowledge and potential.

When your child moves on to Reception, we ensure that the teachers fully understand your child and their capabilities relating to curriculum guidelines. This gives the teachers a baseline for them to plan how to ensure the ongoing development and achievement of your child.

How do I know my child will receive good care whilst with you?

We are inspected by Ofsted to ensure that we keep up high standards of care and education in relation to your child’s care and education. We have also been inspected by Croydon Council who have assessed the Early Years Provision as ‘Good’.

We really do think we have a fantastic team and set-up here at Purley Oaks Primary School. (This opinion is supported by our parents, children and Croydon Council!) But, we would like to invite you to come and visit us to make up your own mind, just contact the office to arrange an appointment.