Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School Nursery, Horsham

Coats, bags, snacks and lunch are learning opportunities here. Nursery provision at Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School sits within a community special school, where everyday routines include practising independence and communication. That practical emphasis gives families something concrete to weigh alongside classroom learning.

The school caters for children with complex needs, severe learning difficulties, or profound and multiple learning difficulties. For a family considering the nursery, the central question is how those needs fit the provision and the child's placement arrangements.

Independence starts with small tasks. Staff accompany children to class and encourage them to manage their own bags and coats as far as they can. Individual learning plan activities are prepared in classrooms, and lessons start at 9.10am across the school. Learning therefore includes the practical business of getting ready, rather than beginning only with a formal lesson.

Snack and drink time doubles as communication practice. Outdoor time follows when the weather permits; indoor activities take its place in unsuitable weather. The rhythm links personal skills with a chance to play outside, giving ordinary breaks a learning purpose.

Books have a place in nursery life too. In May 2023, a nursery child approached an inspector with a storybook and asked him to read it with her. It is a small, specific example of a child choosing shared reading and initiating an exchange with an adult.

Lunch stays close to the classroom routine: early years children eat in their own classes. Across the school, adults support personal and social learning during meals, so eating is also time to practise everyday skills. Specialist diets are catered for.

Starting school involves coordination with families and other services. QEII liaises with portage, existing early years settings, and health and social care professionals to support entry. For children already receiving help from several agencies, that contact gives the school a route to bring their existing support into transition planning.

Parents and carers are responsible for keeping medical details up to date. Updates can be emailed to office@qe2school.co.uk, providing a direct route for changes that affect a child's care.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. At QEII, West Sussex County Council decides placements after consulting the school. Families with an education, health and care plan express their preference through the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT). Discuss the next placement with that team separately from choosing the nursery; familiarity with the school should not be treated as an admission entitlement.

Visits can be arranged through the school office on 01403 266215. The school is on Comptons Lane in Horsham.

Transport and collection. Across the school, transport arrivals begin at 8.50am and home transport starts at 9.00am. At collection, children using school transport are taken out to the buses before children using home transport are brought out. Staff escort children to school transport; home collection is from the front entrance or cars. Families should build that staggered handover into their travel plans.