School nurseries are normally open from 9am until 3.30pm and you may be offered either a morning or afternoon session. They are closed during school holidays.
All school nurseries:
- are registered with Ofsted and inspected
- offer a government-approved early years curriculum
Nursery schools and classes can be part of the state education system and are free except for meals and trips. Some are private or voluntary sector organisations and they charge fees. They all offer experience and development activities suitable for your child’s age.
Part-time nursery places
Children may have a part-time place in a school nursery in the term following their third birthday. Most parents/carers choose to start their child at nursery in the September of the academic year (running from 1 September to 31 August) in which the child is aged 4.
If there are more requests than part-time places available, we use the criteria explained on the full-time nursery places page to decide which children should be offered places.
You should ask your preferred school for an application form.
Schools nurseries carry out their own administrative procedures for admissions. There is no right of appeal against the decision to refuse admission to nurseries.
Full-time nursery places
We provide a small number of full-time places in a few schools. The places are offered to families in greatest need.
The types of need that we take into consideration are related to children who:
- have special educational needs (SEN)
- have a social or medical need
- are housed in temporary accommodation
- are cared for by a lone parent
- are refugees or asylum-seekers
- are from a family receiving Income Support
- have English as an additional language
- are from a family with a number of pre-school-age children
If your child has one or more of these needs, they may be given a higher priority for a place, but there is no guarantee of a full time place. If you think your child has any of these needs, please contact your preferred school or centre to discuss this in detail.
Parents/carers should note that admission to a nursery class in a school does not guarantee a place in the reception class at the same school. Separate application forms must be completed for the nursery and the reception class.
Places for 2 year olds
Some schools now provide care and learning for 2 year olds, check our childcare in Haringey directory for more information.