Morecambe and Heysham Sandylands Community Primary School Nursery

Songs, stories and number learning give Sandylands’ youngest children a shared starting point. Morecambe and Heysham Sandylands Community Primary School has both two-year-old provision and a Nursery, bringing early learning into a primary-school setting in Morecambe. The emphasis is on children joining in, talking and learning alongside one another.

In January 2023, children settled readily into both provisions and enjoyed playing together. That matters for families making the first move into group care: participation and relationships are part of the learning, alongside early language and numbers.

Conversation runs through the nursery learning. In January 2023, teachers made use of everyday opportunities for songs and rhymes, storytelling and number knowledge. Children had repeated chances to express their ideas. These are concrete examples of early years foundation stage learning here: talking, listening and beginning to understand numbers through activities shared with adults and other children.

Read Write Inc begins in Nursery during the summer term. The programme includes systematic synthetic phonics, teaching the relationship between letters and sounds. Its timing matters: this named reading approach starts at a particular point in the nursery year. In January 2023, early-years children were learning letter sounds quickly.

Outdoor activity has a physical base in the nursery outdoor area. In July 2024, it hosted a small sports day when wet grass prevented the planned event. That example shows the space being used for active play, as well as the nursery’s language and number activities.

Settling was a clear strength in January 2023: younger children adapted quickly to the two-year-old provision and Nursery, and played contentedly with their peers. For a child beginning group care, becoming comfortable enough to join others is an important part of taking part in the day.

Speech and language support includes a specialist teacher working with the early years foundation stage and Key Stage 1. This gives early communication needs a specific place within the school’s support structure. The Inclusion Team also supports emotional, social and mental health needs, while the school works with educational psychologists and specialist teachers for hearing and visual impairment.

Parents can contact the Inclusion Team at inclusionteam@sandylands.lancs.sch.uk. Appointments can also be arranged through the Hampton Road office. That creates a direct route for discussing concerns about a child’s development or family support.

A separate application matters. Attending Sandylands’ nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions process and meet the relevant deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as two separate steps, even though the provision belongs to the same school.

Morning nursery sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoon sessions run from 12.20pm to 3.20pm. These distinct start and finish times give families concrete collection points around which to plan the day.

General and admissions enquiries go to office@sandylands.lancs.sch.uk, or telephone 01524 410286. The school’s contact address is Hampton Road, Morecambe, LA3 1EJ. The office is the general enquiry route; the Inclusion Team provides a separate contact for pastoral, family and special educational needs support.