Starfish Nursery at Lent Rise School

Letter sounds begin early at Starfish Nursery, Lent Rise School’s own nursery provision in Burnham. Early reading gives this nursery a clear educational focus: children start learning the sounds that will support their next steps in phonics. The setting sits at Coulson Way, within the school.

Learning letter sounds is a concrete part of nursery life. At the June 2024 inspection, this work was recognised as preparation for children’s subsequent phonics learning. For parents, the useful distinction is that early reading starts during nursery attendance, rather than waiting until children move into school.

In June 2024, children across the early years also worked attentively and listened to teaching. These findings give a picture of children engaging with adults and learning alongside them.

Relationships with adults matter here. In June 2024, early-years children valued the bonds they had developed with staff who supported them. Children were included in findings about feeling happy and safe, giving parents reassurance about the emotional side of attending.

For children with additional needs, Lent Rise aims to adapt learning to each pupil and remove obstacles to participation. Its approach includes adjustments to the curriculum and reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils. These are school-wide arrangements, relevant to discussions about how an individual nursery child will be supported.

Physical access has practical substance. Every classroom and the main hall can be accessed, and the school has a toilet adapted for people needing greater accessibility. Before a child with disabilities or special educational needs joins, the school seeks advice from the disabilities Specialist Teaching Service about access to both buildings and learning.

Parents can arrange a discussion with the SEND coordinator through office@lrschool.co.uk. Child-protection concerns have a separate route: dsl@lrschool.co.uk reaches the safeguarding team. That team receives recurring training from the Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Team, while staff working with children receive regular child-protection awareness training.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Buckinghamshire Council coordinates Reception admissions, and applications go through Buckinghamshire Admissions.

Keep the educational preparation separate from the place allocation. Learning letter sounds in nursery helps children prepare for phonics, but it does not secure admission. Choosing Starfish Nursery and applying for Lent Rise Reception are two separate decisions; families should treat the later application as an essential step.

For nursery enquiries, an expression of interest or a nursery tour, email nursery@lrschool.co.uk. The nursery team can also be reached on 01628 662913. Families on the interest list are sent application forms when their child reaches the appropriate age. This provides a direct contact with the nursery team before applying.

The 2026–27 nursery calendar follows the main school’s term dates, with two exceptions: nursery opens on Thursday 20 May and Friday 21 May 2027 while the rest of the school is closed. For families with older children at Lent Rise, those dates mean different attendance arrangements for siblings. Put both nursery days into the family calendar when planning care and collection.