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Nursery at Montacute 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.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 gives Montacute’s early years provision its focus. Language development shapes the curriculum, within a school where children need an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to take up a place. For families, that makes the child’s individual needs central to considering this nursery.
Montacute has nursery provision within its school at 3 Canford Heath Road, Poole. The school’s entry age starts at two; that is a whole-school age boundary rather than a nursery-specific age band.
In March 2023, the early years curriculum concentrated on language and communication, with staff planning children’s learning carefully. The practical implication is a clear focus for discussions about a child’s learning: how activities help them communicate and understand others.
In 2023–2024, foundation stage assessment combined the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile with Development Matters, teacher judgement and Montacute’s M-levels. These gave staff several ways to consider a child’s development, rather than relying on a single measure. During that period, foundation stage M-level information provided a starting point for tracking learning through the school.
The wider school day combines therapeutic activities with curriculum learning, with a midday break for lunch. Classes send their own detailed timetables home, giving families a class-specific picture of how that structure works. A library occupies a central position within the school. These are school arrangements and facilities, rather than a promise of a particular nursery timetable or library session.
Family support includes a Partnership Co-ordinator and Safeguarding & Wellbeing Lead. This role connects families with the school and other professional services, providing a point of contact where education and wider support overlap.
Food brought onto the site needs care. Because of severe allergies, Montacute asks families to keep bananas, nuts and products containing nuts off the premises. That applies when packing food as well as bringing anything in for a school activity.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must treat Reception as a separate application step, through the appropriate route and by the applicable deadline, rather than assuming nursery attendance secures the next stage.
For Montacute, the EHCP requirement remains essential: a school place cannot be offered without one. Keep the school and local authority involved when considering the next placement. Familiarity with the school and entitlement to a place are separate matters.
The school operates during term time, from 9:00am to 3:20pm. Morning registration starts the day; lunch and break occupy 12:00 to 1:15pm. Families receive a detailed class timetable, which is the practical reference for their child’s daily arrangements.
At the end of the school day, staff help pupils reach their taxi buses or meet family members. Families providing their own transport are asked to collect promptly at 3:20pm, so the handover needs to fit household travel plans.
Visits can be arranged with the Montacute Team on 01202 693239 or Office@montacute.poole.sch.uk. Parents exploring a placement should also alert the local authority. A visit provides an opportunity to discuss how the child’s EHCP relates to the provision.
In March 2023, language and communication were the focus of the early years curriculum, with staff carefully planning what children would learn.
Yes. All children and young people attending the school must have an Education Health and Care Plan; a place cannot be offered without one.
No. Treat Reception as a separate admissions step and involve the school and local authority in planning the next placement.
Bananas, nuts and products containing nuts must not be brought onto the site because of severe allergies.
Contact the Montacute Team on 01202 693239 or Office@montacute.poole.sch.uk, and alert the local authority when exploring a placement.
