Wilson Stuart School Nursery Review

Play, communication and physical development shape the early years at Wilson Stuart. The specialist nursery accommodates up to 12 children within a school whose age range begins at 2, on Perry Common Road in Erdington, Birmingham. Its context matters: Wilson Stuart caters for physical disabilities, complex medical conditions and associated learning needs. This review concerns that specialist provision.

Individual needs guide the learning. The Foundations pathway combines play with support from adults, taking children's interests as a starting point. For families, the important fit is between their child's development and the learning and care arranged around them.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) pathway brings together learning to communicate, developing movement, understanding feelings and exploring the world. Stories, mathematical exploration and creative activities sit alongside these foundations. Children encounter music, role play, drama and art, with learning matched to their developmental stage.

Development Matters (2021) informs the Foundations curriculum. Themes organise learning, while children's interests help shape play and exploration. Adults also guide activities and provide support for individual next steps. That gives the day two complementary strands: opportunities to explore and experiences with a specific learning purpose.

Get Real is the school's wider curriculum approach, with an aim of giving children time to practise skills useful in everyday life. Sensory exploration and outdoor learning are among its learning experiences. The school describes its environment as fully accessible, an important consideration for children whose movement affects how they participate.

Progress is personal. Personal Learning Goals sit alongside EYFS assessment, so planning can consider an individual child's next steps as well as the early years framework. Within Foundations, staff review children's needs and work with parents and medical professionals. Communication, care and learning are therefore considered together.

Education and healthcare professionals join parents at the initial admissions meeting. Medical and educational induction must be completed before a child starts, with relevant information gathered from families and other agencies. This makes preparation for attendance a shared process.

Nurses, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists work on site. Across the school, a care team supports personal needs, while nursing staff assist with medication and interventions. These are school-wide resources surrounding the nursery, rather than a separate nursery staffing promise.

Parents share in reviewing learning targets. Each child's Individual Education Plan is reconsidered every term, and annual EHC reviews provide another point for discussion. Reach More Parents supports communication between home and school. Family support also extends to children's routines, relationships and housing concerns, giving families a route to help beyond classroom learning.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. For specialist placement at Wilson Stuart, families should work through their local authority's Special Needs Assessment and Review service, rather than assume nursery attendance settles the next stage. The trust routinely gives no admission priority; placement suitability is considered when authorities make referrals.

Internal transitions include transferring pupil information between teams. That continuity supports planning for a child's needs. It is separate from the decision about their placement.

Placements are normally full time. Part-time attendance is exceptional and requires the placing local authority's written agreement that it serves the child's educational interests.

For enquiries, contact enquiry@wilsonstuart.co.uk or call 0121 373 4475. Admissions enquiries can go to admissions@wilsonstuart.co.uk. Home-to-school transport is assessed by the family's local authority according to the child's needs.