School-based nurseries – our reflections on their rollout
by Helen Edwards on November 5
Quick read
But what do school-based nurseries bring to the sector?
The addition of a school-based nursery in a school community is a chance to develop an enriching sequenced curriculum from the bottom up. School-based nursery and Reception teams can form an EYFS Phase, supporting each other, sharing good practice and developing their understanding of child development.
School-based nurseries have the chance to start building long-lasting relationships between families and the school from day one, supporting positive transitions for children who go on to attend that school.
And school-based nurseries can support inclusive SEND provision through the whole school, providing opportunities to get to know children earlier, and to prepare for appropriate adaptations to provision as they move through the year groups.
The government’s plan for the early years sector
The first round of funding has recently been launched to open 300 school-based nurseries. Primary schools can now apply for up to £150,000 to facilitate their school-based nursery set-up, with funding due to be allocated to successful schools in Spring 2025 ready for the first cohort of places in September. This forms part of the government’s ‘Opportunity Mission’ with the aim of destroying the unfair link between background and opportunity. The government wants to give every child the best start in life and is setting the agenda to reset the relationship with the early years sector; an underfunded and largely ignored sector for most of the last 14 years. The Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Philipson, has promised to work alongside sector professionals to deliver long-term reform of the early years; simultaneously building sufficient high-quality places for our youngest children and increasing the workforce to staff them.
Why school-based nurseries?
The early years sector in England includes pre-schools, maintained nurseries, PVI settings, and childminders. So why is the government focusing on setting up school-based nurseries? Here’s what the Labour Party said when they launched their plans:
While all parts of the sector are valuable to delivering the quality care that our children need, schools are at the heart of our communities. Proportionally, school-based nurseries currently look after more children with special educational needs and offer a higher number of places in the most deprived areas.
They add that school-based settings can be popular with parents because they can drop off older children at the same time and place as their younger ones. And there is continuity of care from nursery right through to the end of year 6, helping staff and families to start building relationships earlier.
Research suggests that maintained nurseries have worked very successfully in areas of deprivation and in supporting children with SEND, leading to better outcomes for children. This is evidenced in the Effective Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE), which highlighted how positive early learning experiences shaped children’s outcomes and development.
Responding to concerns about the new school-based nurseries policy voiced by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), Bridget Philipson explained that ‘the Labour Party recognise the hugely valuable contribution the PVI sector makes to the delivery of early education and care for children and families, and the importance of this to providing the best start in life for all our children and enabling parents, especially women, to have choices about their employment.’
The guidelines on who can set up a school-based nursery include PVI providers and childminding groups, who could lease space on a school’s premises. The other options are to offer a school-run nursery class embedded as part of the school, to have a governor-run nursery unit as a community facility, or to be a maintained nursery school which only offers early education provision. Local Authorities will have a duty to work with schools and early years providers to encourage expansion where necessary to meet future demand.
Whatever their starting point, school-based nurseries have an important part to play in helping children reach their potential. To ensure they offer high quality early years provision, there are some key areas to consider.
School-based nursery + Reception = an EYFS phase
On its own, Reception is a rich and valuable first layer of teaching and learning in a school. Add a nursery into the mix, and you have the whole package. Being part of an EYFS phase can give early years teaching staff more opportunities to reflect on knowledge and experience with each other, and to more easily share valuable early years pedagogy with Key Stage staff. This requires a supportive partnership between the Reception and Nursery teams, whether your nursery setting is embedded in the school or run by a separate group.
To provide high quality early education and care, members of the EYFS phase teaching team must be familiar with early years good practice. Worryingly, in their launch of the scheme, the government said that ‘School-based nurseries currently have … the option to use some staff more flexibly between reception and early primary…’ Teaching and learning with our youngest children requires an understanding of this most important phase of development. The EYFS Statutory Framework states: ‘All children deserve high quality early education and care. This requires a quality workforce. A well-trained, skilled team of practitioners can help every child achieve the best possible educational outcomes.’ However a school-based setting is run, be aware that the shift from key stage to early years works well only if training and support can be provided.
Curriculum development from the ground up
Connecting with your school-based nursery is an important starting point for implementing a school-wide curriculum that will positively impact progress for all children. However, it is vital that children in school-based nurseries are given every opportunity to learn in the way that’s suitable for them and their stage of development. There is a danger that we might see children in a school nursery encouraged to be ‘Reception Ready’ – more carpet time perhaps, or extra phonics sessions, or more teacher-led activities. These children are very young, and they need all the time and space they can have to explore, discover and learn about themselves and their world. The addition of a school-based nursery in a school community is a chance to develop your sequenced curriculum from the bottom up (not from the top down!).
Supporting parental engagement
One of the huge benefits of having a version of a school-based nursery is that everyone in the school can start developing positive relationships with children and families earlier. Parental engagement is a key factor in children’s outcomes, and helping families understand how much you value their input when their children are very young can help to encourage continued engagement as their child grows. Speaking at the 2021 Tapestry Education Conference (TEC), Reflecting on Parental Engagement, Dr Janet Goodall shared research that shows ‘for all children, the quality of the home learning environment is more important for intellectual and social development than parental occupation, education or income’ (Sylva, Melhuish et al. 2004).
Partnership with parents is at the heart of early years good practice and nurseries are well-placed to offer parents a warm welcome, take time to get to know them, and to build trust and confidence. It is important that staff check how they’re reducing barriers to engagement and ensuring that all families feel they belong to the setting and school. In her Beginner’s Guide to Meaningful Relationships with Families, educator and consultant Jaziea Farag shares the 4 C’s of connecting – Communication, Consistency, Collaboration, Celebration. Establishing these at the start of a family’s time in your nursery will support them, their child, and your staff team as they travel through the year groups.
School-based nurseries can promote positive transitions
All early years settings focus on positive transitions for young children – those that happen daily as well as preparation for one-off transitions such as moving on to Reception. Attending a school-based setting doesn’t guarantee a place in the school itself, but for children who will go on to Reception in the same school being at the school-based nursery can support them with that transition. The EYFS shared spaces and staff will become familiar, and by the time they begin Reception they will most likely have spent time with their new teachers and in their new classroom. The same is true of their parents and carers – and when their grown-ups’ anxieties reduce, children feel safer, more comfortable, ready to learn and play.
Farzana Chowdhury, Head teacher of Wentworth Nursery School, explains how using the childhood education platform Tapestry supports parental engagement at their setting:
‘Tapestry is so helpful when children and families are settling in with us. We use it to share small video clips of what their child is doing and what they are interested in at nursery. The parent can see how secure their child feels, and this builds that trust. And we know when children can feel that the parents trust the process then they’re probably going to start to feel comfortable themselves.’
Inclusive SEND provision
Getting to know children with SEND and their families as soon and as well as possible gives everyone involved a good starting point. Having a nursery in your school community means you can begin to build trust with parents and carers and understand their concerns while their child is very young. If the child goes on through the year groups at your school, you’ll likely already have a good understanding of their support needs, and you may be able to start getting appropriate adaptations to your provision in place early. Good early years practice can offer a wealth of knowledge about child-centred practice and assessment that will be valuable for other educators working with children with learning differences or disabilities through the school.
Tools to support your school-based nursery
As a school-based nursery, your needs and benefits are unique to your setting. Whatever your starting point, Tapestry is here to help you offer high-quality early years provision for the children and families in your community.
Because education is at the heart of everything we do.
Nurturing Relationships with Families
Work closely with parents and carers to build and maintain communication, collaboration and engagement, creating a supportive environment that celebrates every child’s growth and learning.
Helping Staff Develop Their Provision
Reflect on practice and pedagogy individually and as a team to implement inclusive provision that has an impact on learning and development.
Enabling Child-Centred Assessment and Planning
Put each child at the centre of their development and education, encouraging their interests and following bespoke learning pathways to ensure every child can thrive.
Supporting Nursery Management Processes
Use effective management tools such as smart booking, accurate invoicing, in-app attendance registers and adult ratios, to simplify and streamline processes for staff and families.
Are you a school-based nursery looking for Early Years software that supports your provision? Discover how award-winning Tapestry can transform your setting.