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Nursery at Brays School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Sensory learning and individual communication needs shape the nursery experience at Brays. This is early education within a special day school in Sheldon, Birmingham, whose age range begins at 2. Brays is resourced for up to 110 places across nursery and primary provision combined, rather than 110 nursery places.
Three classes access the early years foundation stage (EYFS), grouped by need. They cater for severe learning difficulties and for severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties, with different teaching approaches and learning speeds. For families, the important distinction is that the learning group is organised around what a child needs.
Personalised timetables give the day its shape. Across Brays, classroom learning in the morning includes snack and play; lunch brings outdoor activity, followed by further classroom learning in the afternoon. Each class timetable takes account of the children’s needs and curriculum pathway.
Within EYFS, the emphasis here is on learning adapted to the individual. Small teaching groups and personal targets connect classroom work with each child’s education, health and care plan (EHCP). Communication, physical and sensory needs, learning, and emotional and social development inform those targets. That makes a child's own next steps central to planning.
The surroundings extend learning beyond the classroom. Children have access to a hydrotherapy pool, soft play and the Light & Sound sensory integration room, alongside horticulture gardens and sensory outdoor spaces. These give movement and sensory exploration a place in the school day.
Creative Space, the sensory drama studio, adds another setting for practical exploration. Workshops connect with classroom themes, using props, costumes, music and lighting. Activities can involve sorting materials or finding a way to handle them physically, allowing children to engage at different levels. Listen & Learn Boxes introduce sound activities before formal phonics, including rhythm, voices and environmental noises. Listening comes first.
Settling begins with preparation for the individual child. Before a start date, families and external professionals share information so that health and physiotherapy provision, and classroom arrangements, are ready. Children are invited for visits to their class; a reduced timetable can be used during transition where their needs call for it.
Teachers work alongside teaching assistants and personal care assistants, with a Family Support Worker also part of the school team. Staff training includes moving and handling, medical needs and safeguarding; specialist expertise includes gastrostomy care and Makaton. Adapted hygiene spaces have tracking hoists and specialist equipment, making personal care part of the physical provision.
Parents contribute to pupil passports and risk reduction plans through DoJo. Class teachers discuss individual education plan progress with families three times per year, and parents help agree new targets. Meals are cooked on site, with menu choices and provision for special diets. Packed lunches are another option. Lunch also gives children opportunities to practise social and everyday living skills.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Brays operates through the local authority’s special school placement process: an education and health care needs assessment or evidence gathered at an annual review informs placement, with allocation decided by the statutory special educational needs panel. There is no routine admissions priority order, so nursery attendance should not be treated as a priority entitlement. Continued placement is subject to annual review.
Transition support is a separate matter. During the summer term, children can meet their next class team through visits, either in their existing classroom or the new one. Staff also prepare and share transition information, helping the next team understand the child's needs.
Placements are normally full time. Exceptional part-time arrangements require the placing local authority’s written agreement and must serve the child’s educational interests. Funding for each child is linked to local authority needs banding and the provision in their EHCP.
Family Tours can be booked through reception on 0121 743 5730 or enquiry@brays.fet.ac. Families can apply to their local authority for home-to-school transport; eligibility and journey arrangements sit with that authority, including pickup and drop-off times.
The school’s age range starts at 2, with nursery provision within its special school setting.
Three classes access EYFS and are organised by need, covering severe learning difficulties and severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Families and professionals help prepare health, physiotherapy and educational provision before the start date. Children can visit their class, with a reduced transition timetable where needed.
Yes. Meals are prepared on site and include provision for special diets. Families may also send a packed lunch.
No. Placement is handled through the local authority’s EHCP process, and continued placement is subject to annual review. Nursery attendance should not be treated as an admissions priority entitlement.
