A completely free-of-charge nursery for local preschoolers
Welcome Harris Nursery Hub Peckham is England’s first and only completely free nursery.
We opened in September 2019 and have 32 amazing children aged between two and four. Each September, as the older children move on to primary school, we will be able to take 8 new two year olds and 16 three year olds. The provision is run by a team of outstanding Early Years practitioners. With financial backing from the charity Urban Exposure Philanthropy, all places are completely free – that’s 55 hours per week, for 51 weeks of the year. We are the first and only completely free nursery in England. Our opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm. These are designed around the working day and our aim is to provide a wonderful experience for children, whilst removing the high cost and poor availability of childcare as barriers to parents looking to work or study. We know it can feel daunting to consider childcare when your child is still so young. We have regular open days so you can see for yourself the caring, safe, happy and truly enriching nursery we have created. Please contact us so we can arrange for you to come and visit.
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Inspiring success in every child A place at Harris Nursery Hub Peckham is the best possible start to your child’s education. The more fun our children have, the better – that’s how they learn best and it is also why we structure the day around purposeful play-based activities. These are planned to meet the individual needs of every child, following the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. A typical day would involve:
In the nursery children learn in small groups and oneto-one. For example, they develop and language skills through stories, rhymes and role play. Counting, sorting and building resources in the nursery enable children to explore early maths concepts. We also introduce the children to letter sounds following the Read Write Inc phonics program for nursery so that they are ready to read either in our nursery or once they start primary school.
• Role-play using toys and dressing up clothes; • Messy play, for example with water or sand – or construction games with lego and blocks; • Cooking; • Circle-time – stories, songs and rhymes – in our sensory room; • Creative Arts – for example drawing, painting or model-making; • Access to a fantastic, all-weather outdoor learning space that has been designed to support children’s physical development and their understanding of the world.
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Also through play, children develop the social skills they need to thrive – kindness and sharing, being gentle, listening to adults and speaking clearly and politely. Most children like to feel independent and we encourage this – for example by helping them feed and dress themselves, teaching them to tidy up or working with parents to ensure they are potty trained. We also have a designated family worker who will work closely with parents to provide support, information and advice. We know we are giving our children a fantastic start and cannot wait to see what they go on to achieve at primary school and beyond.
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The structure of the day Children can be dropped off at the nursery between 7:30am and 8:30am. Our on-site kitchen serves three healthy, delicious and freshly made meals per day, with milk, fruit and vegetables at snack times. Every meal is at a table and, where appropriate, the children are taught to use a knife and fork. Children need to ‘drink to think’ and are given plenty of water throughout the day.
Our nursery is set over two floors. This means there is a comfortable space for the younger children to have some quiet time and rest as needed during the day. Children can be collected any time from 5:30pm and by 6:30pm at the latest.
Our relationship with parents We work very closely with parents and want you to be involved with everything we do.
Each child has a key worker – a named member of staff who will work to form a close bond with them. You will be told who your child’s key worker is and this is usually the best person to discuss their daily needs with.
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Who this nursery is for If you are a working parent or studying full time – or if you would like to get into work or study – we hope you will apply. It is a fantastic opportunity. To apply, you must meet one of the following criteria:
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No:
Child living with a sole parent:
Child living with both parents:
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The parent is working full-time for a minimum of 16 hours each week (on average), and their gross salary (or expected gross salary) will be no more than £100,000 per annum
Both parents are working full-time for a minimum of 16 hours each week (on average), and their combined gross salary (or expected gross salary) will be no more than £100,000 per annum
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The parent is studying full-time on a recognised course for a minimum of 16 hours per week during term time
Both parents are studying full-time on a recognised course for a minimum of 16 hours each week during term time
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The parent is working and studying on a recognised course for a combined minimum of 16 hours per week (on average) during term time, and their gross salary (or expected gross salary) will be no more than £100,000 per annum
Both parents are working and studying on a recognised course for a combined minimum of 16 hours each week (on average) during term time, and their combined gross salary (or expected gross salary) will be no more than £100,000 per annum
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The parent is in receipt of at least one of the following benefits:
The parent is in receipt of at least one of the following benefits:
• Income based jobseekers’ allowance
• Income based jobseekers’ allowance
• Universal credit
• Universal credit
• Working tax credit
• Working tax credit
• Child tax credit
• Child tax credit
We welcome applications from children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
For our full admissions policy, including how we allocate places if we are oversubscribed, please see our website.
We also welcome children with Education Health and Care Plans but these applications must be managed by the child’s home local authority.
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Run by the Harris Federation and backed by Urban Exposure Philanthropy The nursery is run by the Harris Federation, a not-forprofit charity with nearly 50 primary and secondary academies in London and Essex. The majority of Harris academies are rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. There are around four applications from parents for every place available. Follow @HarrisFed on Twitter to stay updated.
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Financial backing for the free places comes from the charity, Urban Exposure Philanthropy. Urban Exposure Philanthropy is dedicated to transforming the futures of children within the UK by delivering life-changing resources designed to meet their fundamental needs: education, health and wellbeing.
Marmont Road, Peckham, London SE15 5TD T. 020 7639 6091 Email. info@harrisnurseryhubpeckham.org.uk  www.harrisnurseryhubpeckham.org.uk
@HarrisFed