Circle Centre

Communication takes many forms at Circle Centre: gestures, objects, symbols and voice output systems all have a place in the nursery day. This specialist setting in Middle Claydon supports autistic children and children with sensory, interaction and communication differences. The practical aim is clear: give each child ways to understand what is happening, express a preference and participate in learning.

Children aged two to five attend the nursery at The Old School, Buckingham, MK18 2ET. At its 14 July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Circle Centre Outstanding and found safeguarding effective, with education shaped closely around children's individual needs.

Specialist teachers, learning support assistants and therapists work together here, while parents have protected time for daily conversations with staff. Attendance is term-time, with morning and afternoon sessions as well as whole-day attendance on selected days.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the everyday learning framework, covering communication, physical development, early reading, mathematics and learning about the world through play and activities. Circle Centre adds SCERTS, an approach addressing social communication, emotional regulation and the adjustments adults make to help children participate. These work together: specialist support helps children access the early-years learning experiences, rather than replacing them.

The curriculum approach makes adaptation concrete. Activities are paced around attention and participation, stimulation is controlled, and children's interests help shape what they explore. Termly topics come with core vocabulary in a half-termly newsletter, giving families a connection between nursery activities and communication at home.

Choosing Time includes puzzles, construction and pretend play in the main teaching room, with outdoor play another option. Circle Time uses songs and shared activities to practise listening, communication and attention with others. A specialist teacher or therapist generally leads it, so group participation sits alongside the individual work rather than dominating the day.

Individual Education Plan targets are divided into manageable steps for Work Activity. Where appropriate for the child's development, staff use tabletop tasks, work individually with the child and record their response. Exploring sessions bring structured activities such as playdough, messy play and cutting and sticking into the timetable. The point is a recognisable sequence with room for individual differences.

In July 2025, staff used picture prompts that children could select to express a need, including wanting more space. Visual schedules helped children understand the sequence of their day. Adults demonstrated play and activities, then allowed children to decide when to join; participation was supported rather than demanded.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large garden provides equipment for settling and regulation, while climbing equipment, scooters, bikes and a large trampoline give children different ways to move. The soft tarmac play area offers another outdoor setting. Inside, the soft play room includes a ball pit; the exploring room and messy play area give activities their own spaces.

The nursery building and gardens are on ground-floor level. Individual and group activities can use these different environments, allowing the setting to adjust both the activity and its surroundings. Children staying through lunch also have music and movement or relaxation sessions during the afternoon.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with staff learning a child's interests, communication and the supports that help them feel secure. Learning support assistants act as key workers, helping children build a relationship with an adult who supports their play, independence and ability to express their needs. Each child receives an individual assessment and education plan on enrolment, with progress followed throughout their time at the nursery.

Parents are part of that work. Daily conversation time is built into collection arrangements, and a book travels between home and nursery. Families can also telephone staff. This gives communication a regular place in the timetable, rather than leaving it to a hurried exchange after a session.

The Parent's Portal, a resource service offering information and guidance, is free for Circle Centre families. A Family Support Coordinator also provides listening, guidance and signposting on matters including the SEN process and difficulties affecting family life. Support therefore extends beyond the child's activities at nursery to the decisions parents face around them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Specialist teachers work directly with children and collaborate with the therapies team on education plans. Occupational therapy addresses sensory and physical differences, including participation in play and personal care; speech and language therapy supports understanding, interaction and access to different communication methods. Their contributions also inform SEN support plans and reviews of termly outcomes.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that the specialist teacher, key-person and therapy arrangements supported rapid progress towards individual targets and preparation for school. In July 2025, children had an adult working individually with them each session, with staff rotating while retaining some weekly sessions with their key person. Morning briefings shared changes in children's needs before sessions began.

At that visit, the nursery employed 16 childcare staff, including 11 with early-years qualifications and five qualified teachers. Those figures describe the team at that time. The current team structure combines teaching, therapy and learning support, rather than placing responsibility for every aspect of a child's support with one practitioner.

Education plans develop a detailed account of each child's strengths, preferences and support requirements for the next stage of education. Families considering a delayed or deferred school start are consulted individually; Circle Centre admits a child in those circumstances only once the child's local authority has agreed the arrangement.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9.45am to 12.15pm, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions run from 12.15pm to 2.45pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 1.15pm to 3.45pm on Thursday. Whole-day attendance runs from 9.45am to 2.45pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Collection includes time to discuss the child's day: parents return at noon for mornings, 2.30pm for Monday to Wednesday afternoons, and 3.30pm on Thursdays. Those earlier return times matter when planning work or other commitments. The conversation is part of attendance, not an extra appointment.

Children may attend between two and six sessions weekly, with the nursery requesting at least two Core sessions. The attendance pattern is discussed with each family. Enrolment is for a minimum of two full school terms, and parents agree to give 12 weeks' notice before leaving. Circle Centre operates for 35 weeks a year during term time.

Applications can begin through the nursery enquiry form or a telephone conversation. A completed application joins the waiting list; an assessment establishes whether the child's needs match the specialist provision before a place is offered. Allocation is usually by application order, with priority for children considered a Child In Need or a Looked After Child. A particular diagnosis is not the deciding criterion.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds during term time. The funding streams include the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, disadvantaged two-year-old funding and eligible working-parent funding for two-year-olds. The fee terms address 15 or 30 hours of entitlement, but the 35-week year means families cannot use the full annual entitlement at Circle Centre.

A parental contribution supports the specialist therapeutic provision delivered to children. If a child's entitlement is allocated entirely to another setting, the parental contribution requires a top-up to replace that funding. Means-tested assistance can provide a further subsidy; where full EHCP funding is received and Circle Centre is the named setting, no parental contribution is payable. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Fees are requested in monthly instalments, with payment before the 28th day of each month. Families provide a packed lunch when children stay through lunch, and supply nappies and wipes if their child uses them.

• Matching support to the child. Admission depends on an individual assessment of needs and the specialist provision, rather than a specific diagnosis. At the Open Day, ask how your child's communication preferences and sensory needs would shape their education plan and settling arrangements.
• Collection is earlier than session end. Parents return at noon, 2.30pm or 3.30pm for discussion with staff. Build that conversation time into your attendance plans, especially if another commitment follows collection.
• Funding across settings. Circle Centre's year is 35 weeks, and entitlement allocated entirely elsewhere triggers a contribution top-up. Request a written quotation showing the funding allocation, therapeutic contribution and any means-tested assistance together.
• A sustained commitment. Enrolment spans at least two full school terms, with a minimum request of two Core sessions weekly and 12 weeks' leaving notice. Discuss how that commitment fits your child's support plans before accepting a place.

Circle Centre suits families seeking specialist early-years support through morning sessions, afternoon attendance or a whole day on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Communication aids, individual education plans and teaching joined with therapy give its offer a clear purpose. Daily parent conversations make family participation practical, too.

The decision rests on the match between a child's needs and this specialist provision, alongside the term-time calendar and parental contribution. For families whose child benefits from adapted communication, sensory support and individually planned learning, these are substantial reasons to consider it.