New Fosseway School Nursery Review

Play, communication and growing independence shape New Fosseway’s early learning approach. Its Foundation and Key Stage 1 department uses play to develop interaction, exploration and children’s ability to contribute ideas. Activities are adapted to individual developmental needs, making the child’s starting point central to the learning offered.

The provision belongs to New Fosseway School at Bridge Learning Campus in Hartcliffe, Bristol. The school serves children and young people aged 4 to 19 with special educational needs and disabilities; its 150 places are a whole-school figure. This is a specialist school context, with an individualised curriculum and a team spanning education and health.

Child-led play provides the clearest picture of early learning here. The Foundation and Key Stage 1 approach encourages children to explore, communicate and build ideas through play themes and stories. For parents, the emphasis is on learning through participation: developing ways to interact and express an idea alongside thinking and discovery.

Concrete examples from the department’s past activities include constructing rockets for a space theme, experimenting with potions and capacity, and harvesting garden produce to taste and use in food. Outdoor examples include a hill used for sliding and the Wild garden. These illustrate opportunities for movement, imaginative play and practical exploration rather than a timetable of formal subject lessons.

Across the school, communication, self-care and self-help are curriculum aims. Optimal Learning Maps describe how an individual pupil learns, while contact with parents and therapists contributes to understanding progress. That connects learning goals with skills a child can use in daily life.

Specialist support includes occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and paediatric input within the school’s multi-agency team. The individualised curriculum sits alongside that support, bringing learning and developmental needs into the same planning context.

Families can raise welfare concerns through the main office or email the Safeguarding Team directly at safeguardingteam@newfossewayschool.co.uk. This gives parents a specific contact route when a concern needs attention.

Meal arrangements differ by school base. Pupils in K and E block eat in the Main Hall, with Aspens providing dishes. That is a school-level arrangement rather than a nursery-specific meal promise.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Ask Bristol SEND Department how your child’s Reception placement will be handled.

For New Fosseway, the school’s specialist placement route directs applications through Bristol SEND Department. Families should treat the placement decision separately from attendance at nursery.

The school day runs from 8.45am to 3.05pm; these are whole-school timings. Contact the office on 0117 903 0220 or office@newfossewayschool.co.uk for enquiries. School visits can be arranged through the office, giving families a direct way to meet the team.

The school charging policy distinguishes education during school hours from optional extras. It does not charge for therapy, swimming or hydrotherapy, while after-school clubs fall within charged optional activities. Voluntary contributions may be requested for particular activities: inability or unwillingness to contribute does not exclude a child, although insufficient contributions can mean an activity is cancelled.