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Nursery at Villa Real 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.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 play, supported communication and physical learning shape Villa Real’s nursery provision. Children can start from age two within the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with provision organised across Conductive Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Severe Learning Disability streams. The emphasis is on learning matched to the child’s needs.
Some early years groups also include Key Stage One pupils. Families are therefore choosing provision where class organisation and teaching approaches respond to developmental needs, rather than a nursery organised solely by age.
Play shares the day with focused teaching. Adults sometimes follow a child’s interests, sometimes help extend an activity, and sometimes teach a specific skill directly. The EYFS provides the framework for early development; Villa Real’s REAL curriculum adds Regulation, Emotional, Access to the World and Learning. This brings participation and emotional needs into the learning plan alongside early academic skills.
Maths can begin with matching colours, stacking objects or filling containers with sand and water. These activities build the attention, exploration and understanding needed for later number work. Literacy uses Launchpad for Literacy to identify the next steps in development. Children can express ideas through symbols or an adult writing for them, allowing participation while movement and hand skills develop.
Communication has several routes. Makaton signing, PODD and objects of reference are among the methods used, so speech is one way to make a choice or share an idea. TEACCH approaches support learning in the autism provision, while Conductive Education includes task series within the day.
The physical environment extends beyond the classroom. Early years children can use the Hydrotherapy Pool, Multi-Sensory Room and Soft Play when appropriate. Classes can access outdoor areas, communal play spaces, gardens and Forest School spaces, giving children different settings for movement, exploration and sensory learning.
Settling is personalised. A child may begin gradually or start straight away, depending on family and individual needs. A photographic pack can introduce staff, classrooms and specialist spaces before the start. Families can also discuss health needs and medication between visits, helping staff prepare for the child’s care.
Support includes the school’s own Speech and Language Therapist and Future Steps Occupational Therapists, with programmes for early years staff to follow. Across the school, teachers work alongside higher level and enhanced teaching assistants and supervisory assistants. This gives learning support several roles rather than placing every task with the class teacher.
Parents have several ways to stay involved. Stay and Play takes place once each half term, while Earwig, Class Dojo and home school diaries help share progress. Nursing-team coffee mornings provide another opportunity for conversation.
Chartwells Schools provides school catering and has a medical-diet process for allergies and intolerances. Nuts and products containing them must be kept out of school. Medication also requires completed consent forms before staff can administer it. These are practical preparations for families managing dietary or medical needs.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Ask SEN Placement and Provision how your child’s Reception placement will be determined. Villa Real’s school admissions come through SEN Placement and Provision at County Hall, and pupils require an Education, Health and Care Plan. The Placement and Provision Team is the contact for admissions.
Villa Real offers nursery placements of 15 hours from age two and 30 hours from age three. These are placement hours, rather than a promise of a particular daily timetable.
Initial early years enquiries go to the SENCo, with visits arranged alongside the relevant class teacher. For general contact, call 01207 503651 or email villareal@durhamlearning.net. The school is on Villa Real Road in Consett.
School uniform is ordered through School Trends. Clothing and belongings should be labelled, and children need a towel and swimming costume on days when they use the hydrotherapy pool or go swimming.
Villa Real offers nursery placements from age two, with 15 hours at that age and 30 hours from age three.
The early years provision uses alternative communication methods including Makaton signing, PODD and objects of reference, alongside speech.
Yes. Entry to early years can be phased or immediate, according to the child’s and family’s needs. A photographic pack can also help introduce the setting.
No. Villa Real’s school admissions are handled through SEN Placement and Provision at County Hall, and pupils require an Education, Health and Care Plan. Ask the team how your child’s Reception placement will be determined.
Stay and Play is scheduled once each half term. Earwig, Class Dojo and home school diaries also help families keep in touch about progress.
