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Nursery at Shorefields 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
An assessment base shapes the early years at Shorefields: children begin with learning built around their needs, while assessment helps families consider the right full-time placement next. The designated Foundation Stage class covers ages 3 to 5 within this special school in Clacton-on-Sea. Its nursery provision belongs to that early-years setting.
Children may already have an Education Health and Care plan (EHCP), or be undergoing assessment for one. Occasionally, a child whose medical needs are complex starts instead in Pier Strand, where provision is designed around profound and multiple learning disabilities. The starting point is the child’s needs, rather than a single classroom route for everyone.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is adapted to individual needs. Here, curriculum means the experiences children have throughout their session: what they hear, touch, notice and try, as well as planned activities. Learning builds on existing abilities, with different starting points and opportunities inside and outdoors. That gives children ways to participate beyond completing an adult-directed task.
Shared school facilities add concrete possibilities. During the inspection on 5 and 6 November 2024, pupil numbers across the school exceeded its registered accommodation capacity. Ask how space is managed for early-years children. Soft play rooms have scheduled access for all pupils, with play used to practise communication with others. Sensory rooms contain soundboards, a bubble tube and lights that respond to touch. Classes have allocated slots, giving sensory exploration a place alongside classroom learning.
Outside, the Interactive Sensory Garden includes water play, a mud kitchen and a structure for climbing. A summer house provides somewhere quieter to explore sensory toys or relax. These are school facilities rather than a nursery-only playground, but they offer different settings for movement, exploration and calmer activity.
At the November 2024 inspection, early-years children took part in sessions to develop confidence in water before learning to swim. The emphasis was preparation: becoming comfortable with water as a step towards a later skill.
Before a child starts, staff gather information from parents and work with them on the move into school. Communication then continues through a home-school diary and Tapestry learning journals. Parents can add photographs and videos of activities at home, helping teachers connect experiences across both settings.
Support extends beyond the class team. A full-time nurse works at the school, alongside visiting speech and language, occupational therapy and physiotherapy services. Individual support can bring together medical arrangements, personal care, moving and handling, and sensory programmes. For children with overlapping needs, these arrangements connect care with participation in learning.
Eating and drinking difficulties are also within the speech and language team’s remit, including assessment, recommendations and staff training. School dinner payments are handled through School Gateway. Urgent concerns about a child’s health or wellbeing prompt a telephone call to parents.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Confirm the next-placement application process and deadline with the school; choosing the nursery should not be treated as securing the next placement.
Assessment has a practical purpose here. It is completed early enough for parents to seek a different full-time setting if that would better meet their child’s needs. The next step is therefore a placement decision informed by the child’s assessment, rather than an assumption that remaining at Shorefields is automatic.
Funded attendance changes with age: a 3-year-old may attend one full day each week until the term they turn 4, when two days each week are offered. This is a limited weekly pattern, so families should factor it into their childcare arrangements.
Across the school, arrival is staggered between 09:10 and 09:25, with departure between 14:50 and 15:00. Some pupils travel with Community Link; others come with parents or carers. These are whole-school arrangements, distinct from the nursery’s funded attendance pattern.
For general enquiries, call 01255 424412 or email admin@shorefields.essex.sch.uk. School visits can be arranged by calling the office.
The designated Foundation Stage assessment class covers children aged 3 to 5. Occasionally, children with complex medical needs start within Pier Strand instead.
A 3-year-old may access one full day each week until the term they turn 4, when two days each week are offered.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee Reception entry. Confirm the next-placement application process and deadline with the school.
Parents can contribute photographs, videos and comments through Tapestry. A home-school diary also supports communication.
Call the school office on 01255 424412 to arrange a school visit.
