Brookside Primary School Nursery Review

Home-corner play, dressing up and learning outdoors give Brookside’s nursery its practical character. Children can start from 3 years old, joining the early years provision within Brookside Primary School on Perth Avenue in Hayes. The emphasis is on developing the skills children use together: talking, managing feelings and becoming more independent.

Brookside introduces its school values during these early years. Its 6 Rs are Respect, Resilience, Resourceful, Responsible, Reflective and Rational. The school aims to help children begin putting those qualities into practice, connecting their first learning experiences with expectations across the school.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings care and learning together. Communication, physical development and emotional and social development provide the starting points; children also explore early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and the world around them. For parents, that means learning extends beyond letters and numbers to how children express themselves, move and build relationships.

Imaginative play gives those skills a practical setting. Early years activities include construction, puppets and pretend shops, alongside a home corner and hospital corner. Dressing up creates opportunities to take different roles and consider another person’s needs. Outdoor learning also has a deliberate place: the outdoor environment is used in planning Foundation Stage activities, rather than serving only as a break from classroom learning.

Zones of Regulation is included in the nursery’s learning about feelings. Children explore how they feel and ways to calm themselves, including sensory support tools. This gives emotional development its own teaching focus, alongside play with other children.

Tapestry connects nursery learning with home. Across the early years provision, staff use this secure online system to record observations, photographs and videos and plan children’s next steps. Parents can follow their child’s progress and add their own photographs and observations. It creates a shared picture of development, with contributions from both home and nursery.

For families seeking help with communication, Brookside directs parents to Speech and Language Link’s Parent Portal, which provides free activities, resources and advice. Hillingdon Talks, Moves and Plays also offers information about speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, including an advice line and referral guidance. These give families concrete routes to support beyond everyday conversations with staff.

Attending Brookside’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal route and meet the normal deadline. The application route is through the local authority, with Brookside following the London Borough of Hillingdon’s procedures and timescales. Keep that application separate from the decision to join nursery.

Nursery enquiries can go to the school office on 020 8845 6634 or Brooksideprimary@trhat.org; an enquiry form is also available. School visits can be booked, and guided tours run on Fridays at 11am, giving families an opportunity to explore the school and meet staff.

The Best Start in Life Childcare Support Checker helps families explore their eligibility for childcare support. Schemes include 15 hours early learning and 30 hours childcare for eligible working families. Eligibility checking is a useful part of planning childcare alongside choosing the nursery.