Rocklands School Nursery

Communication and individual learning needs shape the school context around Rocklands’ nursery provision. At this special school in Lichfield, the curriculum takes account of children’s Education, Health and Care Plans, their previous experiences and their interests. For parents considering the nursery, that gives a useful starting point: learning is organised around individual starting points rather than a single expectation for every child.

Practical experiences and learning through different senses form part of Rocklands’ school curriculum. Its total communication approach puts communication alongside participation in learning. The school aims to connect activities with children’s interests, giving them a reason to engage rather than treating engagement as a separate task.

Individual targets drawn from Education, Health and Care Plan outcomes guide assessment. Progress is tracked through a bespoke framework on Tapestry, with staff using assessment to decide what comes next and adjust provision. The emphasis is on each child’s development. For families, this makes communication, growing independence and participation useful topics for conversations about learning.

Predictability also features in the school’s approach: visual aids sit alongside familiar routines and spaces for calming down. These are practical supports for children whose sensory needs or reactions to changes in routine affect their readiness to learn. They connect the learning day with emotional comfort, rather than treating the two as separate concerns.

Relationships are the starting point for Rocklands’ response to distress. Across the school, staff focus on understanding children’s communication, emotions and social needs; work with families and outside agencies forms part of that approach. Clear boundaries and routines are combined with restorative responses, intended to help children learn from difficulties.

Zones of Regulation provides a shared way to talk about emotions across the school. Mood Bears give children on the Pre-formal and some Semi-formal pathways something visual and tactile to work with. Adults use the bears to model language for feelings, offering another route for children who find expressing emotions difficult.

Support can become more individual. The Boxall Profile informs decisions about Nurture Groups or sessions with Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA), according to the child’s needs. Interventions are reviewed after each block. A Social and Emotional Learning team works across the school, supporting staff and delivering interventions, while educational psychologists and CAMHS are among the external specialists involved. This describes the wider support structure around the provision, rather than a fixed programme for every nursery child.

A separate application. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the applicable Reception admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as two distinct steps; attendance itself should never be taken as confirmation of a later place.

Rocklands School is on Purcell Avenue, Lichfield, WS13 7PH. Nursery enquiries can be directed to the school office on 01543 548700 or by email to office@rocklands.mhat.org.uk.