Starting school
For information about how to apply to our school or nursery, please visit our Admissions page.
Starting in the Early Years
Whether you child is starting the Chameleon – our 2 & 3-year-old room, Cepheus – our Nursery class or in one of our Receptions classes all the information you need to know is in our EYFS Parent/Carer Handbook.
If you’d like even more information about the Early Years at Tufnell Park, then please take a look at our Early Years homepage. It contains details of our curriculum, photographs and videos plus just how good people think we are.
Starting Infants’ School (Years 1 & 2)
There are practical changes involved in starting Key Stage 1 (Infants), which begins in Year 1. For your child, the day will now consist of timetabled lessons and playtime, with less free flow between the two. There are 15-minute playtimes morning and afternoon, and lunch is from just after 12:00 noon until 1:20pm. Infants continue to eat with children from Reception, and their playground is separated from the Juniors’ by a yellow boundary line.
From Year 1, classes attend school assemblies and also put on their own. Children are included in nominations for the “Well Done” awards, presented at Friday assembly each week—families are very much invited! Children start to be eligible for school clubs from Year 1.
Each class from Year 1 upwards elects two members to sit on the School Council.
For parents and carers, you will start to say goodbye to your child at the classroom door (or, for Delphinus class, in the school hall)—unless, of course, you wish to speak with the teacher. Pick-up is similarly organised.
Starting Juniors’ School (Years 3–6)
Juniors school is the start of Key Stage 2. Children learn throughout the afternoon, without a third playtime. Lunch is from 12:30–1:30pm, and Juniors eat together.
In the classroom, Spanish lessons begin. Years 3 and 4 have one swimming lesson each week for one term in each year.
At the beginning and end of each day, children are collected from and brought to the playground by their teacher: you will both say good-bye and meet them there. Years 5 and 6 may go home without an adult if this has been discussed and agreed in advance by both parent and school. Please make sure your arrangements are explicit. If a child believes they are allowed to leave but the school is in doubt, we will keep them with us until a named adult can collect them.