Highfurlong School Nursery Review

Individual learning plans and specialist support shape the context for Highfurlong’s nursery provision. This is the early years of a special school academy in Blackpool, where education starts at age 2. Early Years and Primary share the Blackpool Old Road site.

Children attending Highfurlong have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), or are undergoing assessment for one. The school caters for needs including physical disabilities, complex medical conditions, autism and difficulties with speech, language or communication. For families, the relevant starting point is the child’s particular learning and care needs.

Personalisation provides the organising principle. Pupils have a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) and an individually adapted curriculum. Highfurlong’s curriculum spans ages 2 to 19 and begins with each learner’s starting point, so the approach concerns how learning is delivered as well as what is taught.

Five named areas organise that curriculum: Communicate, Move, Create and Inspire, Play, and Think and Explore. These give parents a useful picture of its scope, bringing communication, movement and play alongside exploration and creative learning.

The school’s physical resources include two sensory rooms, accessible to pupils throughout the day. In the Immersive Sensory Room, projections across the walls and floor change in response to movement detected by overhead cameras. Even pupils with very limited movement can change the surrounding effects. Images, sound and video can be selected for an individual pupil, making the equipment adaptable to different interests and responses.

Therapy is integrated into the school’s teaching arrangements. Dedicated rooms accommodate physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language work, with NHS professionals, private practitioners and the school’s own therapy team involved. Lessons are designed to accommodate ongoing therapy, linking physical care with access to learning.

Communication support starts with an assessment of speech, language and communication needs. A speech and language therapist works with the pupil and classroom staff on strategies; parents receive a report and future targets through an annual collaborative meeting. Signing, gestures, symbols and objects of reference are among the communication methods used across the school.

Family support extends beyond classroom matters. Each site has a family support worker, with help covering transport difficulties, benefits, bereavement and housing transitions. Families can contact the office to arrange a conversation. The annual EHCP review also brings parents and professionals together to discuss progress and agree the next year’s targets.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Treat the Reception placement as a separate decision from joining the nursery. Highfurlong’s admission route is referral through Blackpool Council, so families should work through the council’s SEND Team for placement arrangements.

Visits require a Blackpool Council referral. The SEND Team can be contacted on 01253 476602 or at send@blackpool.gov.uk to arrange the referral route for a visit.

At school level, drop-off is staggered from 9.00 to 9.20, with collection from 3.00 to 3.20. These windows accommodate the majority of pupils travelling by local authority transport. General enquiries go to 01253 392188 or admin@highfurlong.seteducation.org.uk.