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Nursery at The Forest 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Communication takes many forms here. The Forest School’s early years provision combines learning through play with an Access Pathway that uses sensory experiences to help children participate, express preferences and understand their surroundings. Making a choice is part of the learning.
The nursery belongs to the school on Park Lane in Knaresborough. Provision includes two-year-olds, within a specialist school focused on communication and interaction. This gives the nursery a specific purpose: early learning shaped around children’s individual needs rather than a single pace for everyone.
Play provides the starting point. Children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with an emphasis on communication, physical development and understanding feelings and relationships. Children explore independently, while adults guide investigations indoors and outside. Personal learning targets connect with outcomes in each child’s education, health and care plan (EHCP), bringing individual needs into everyday activities.
Twice-daily circle time uses Makaton signs; stories feature daily, and a choir combines singing with Makaton once a week. Clicker Communicator and Core boards support communication during lessons and snacks. These give children different ways to join in, including when speech is still developing. Painting, playdough and peg-boards provide practical opportunities to develop hand control.
Outside, Woodland Adventure begins in early years, led by an approved therapeutic Forest School practitioner. Children explore natural materials and make choices, with activities responding to the group’s interests and needs. An early years playground refurbishment was completed in 2020. Outdoor learning has a defined place here.
Finance Friday adds another practical experience: children exchange coins for a chosen Friday Cafe item. Sensory food education lets them investigate food through sight, smell, touch, sound and taste, building familiarity with foods as well as opportunities to communicate preferences.
Individual Education Plans connect personal targets to EHCP outcomes, and children receive specific interventions where needed. Across the school, staffing includes SEN higher level teaching assistants and a Health Care Implementation Lead. These are useful distinctions for families considering how educational and care needs fit together.
Settling starts with an individual transition arrangement after a placement offer. The school can observe a child in their existing setting while considering whether it can meet their needs; the move and start date are then negotiated. Transition is therefore planned around the child.
Meals are cooked freshly in the school kitchen each day. Families should tell the school about allergies or intolerances and complete the Special Diets Information / Allergen Form. Allergen absence cannot be guaranteed, so individual dietary requirements need careful discussion. Everyday independence also receives attention: snack time includes learning to use cutlery, alongside reminders about toileting and handwashing.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Here, school admission runs through the local authority’s Special Educational Needs Office (SENO), with an EHCP or Statement of Educational Needs and a referral following an annual or interim review. Families should discuss the next placement through that route rather than assume nursery attendance settles it.
New-child visits and moving into a new class feature in the early years programme. Those experiences support familiarity with change; they are separate from the placement decision.
For the 2025/2026 school year, the early years timetable began with registration at 8.55am. Lunch ran from noon to 12.30pm, with a 3pm finish except on Fridays, when school ended at 2pm. The shorter Friday is a useful distinction when considering the weekly routine.
Prospective families can arrange a visit by calling 01423 864583. Enquiries can also go to admin@forest-school.org.uk. A visit offers an opportunity to discuss the child’s needs alongside the specialist placement process.
Yes. The Forest School has provision for two-year-olds.
Makaton, Clicker Communicator and Core boards feature in the early years programme, including circle time, lessons and snacks.
Yes. Indoor and outdoor play form part of the EYFS approach, and Woodland Adventure starts in early years with an approved therapeutic Forest School practitioner.
No. School placement is handled through the local authority’s Special Educational Needs Office; nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.
Yes. Call 01423 864583 to make an appointment.
