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Nursery at Sheringham Woodfields 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.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 can begin with a gesture, a picture or a sign here. Nursery provision at Sheringham Woodfields sits within a purpose-built school for children with complex needs, where education starts at age 3. Every pupil has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), so individual needs shape the learning rather than a single programme for everyone.
The school shares its campus with Sheringham Primary and Sheringham High. Within Woodfields, classes bring together pupils with similar learning approaches and needs rather than following a strict year-group structure. For a young child, the relevant question is how their particular group learns and communicates.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) objectives inform assessment alongside other developmental frameworks. Progress is also tracked against Personalised Learning Goals, small steps drawn from each child's EHCP. This gives families a way to recognise development that might otherwise be lost in broad age-based expectations.
Total Communication combines speech with gestures, pictures, signing and communication devices. Signalong is one of the approaches used across the school. For pupils who are not ready for subject-based learning, the Engagement Model looks at how they explore, anticipate, persist, initiate and make discoveries. Attention and participation count as learning too.
Books have several routes in. Across the school, sensory stories use smell, taste and touch, while story sacks and audio books offer other ways to participate. Twinkl Phonics and Rhino Readers are used from Early Years onwards. Daily phonics applies to pupils able to undertake subject-specific learning; others follow a more flexible route centred on communication, symbols and sensory experiences.
The surroundings support different ways of exploring. School facilities include an interactive floor, a sensory theatre and soft play equipment. Outdoors, there is woodland and a courtyard, with accessible equipment in the primary playground. These are school spaces rather than a promise of an identical activity timetable for every nursery child.
Parents can communicate daily through home-school books and Evidence for Learning. EHCP reviews take place twice a year for children under 5, giving families regular opportunities to discuss needs and next steps. Visiting speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists work alongside school staff; support depends on the child's needs.
Lunch is part of learning. NORSE supplies hot meals and can accommodate most dietary needs, including food requiring liquidising. A packed lunch is another option. Class staff and midday supervisors support mealtimes, when pupils practise social skills and independence.
Therapy access. Hydrotherapy use is prioritised according to health needs because specialist spaces are under pressure. Families should view therapy as individual provision rather than assume every child receives the same sessions.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. The next placement needs to be considered separately from nursery attendance. Woodfields admissions follow the local authority's special-school process: parents seeking a place contact their EHCP co-ordinator through the Area Education Office.
Within school, summer-term activities help pupils and staff prepare for changes between classes. That preparation supports familiarity with the next group; it does not establish an admissions entitlement.
Visits are welcomed when Woodfields has been suggested as a possible placement, and tours require an appointment. Contact the office on 01263 820520 or Office@sheringhamwoodfields.norfolk.sch.uk.
Uniform is optional, with comfortable clothing encouraged. Most pupils travel by taxi or minibus, and the majority of those vehicles have passenger escorts. Norfolk County Council Passenger Transport arranges school transport centrally, making travel arrangements a relevant part of planning the child's day.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee Reception admission. Woodfields placements follow the local authority's special-school process, with enquiries about placement directed to the child's EHCP co-ordinator.
Total Communication uses speech, signing, gestures, pictures and communication devices according to individual needs. Signalong is among the approaches used.
Yes. Families can choose a packed lunch instead of the hot meal supplied by NORSE, which can meet most dietary requirements, including food needing liquidising.
Daily communication is available through home-school books and Evidence for Learning. Children under 5 have EHCP reviews twice a year.
Yes, when Woodfields has been suggested as a possible placement. School tours need an appointment; contact the office on 01263 820520.
