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Nursery at Brookside Community Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Babies, toddlers and preschoolers belong to the same nursery offer at Brookside, with provision grouped for ages 0–2, 2–3 and 3–4. It forms part of Brookside Community Primary School in Street, alongside the academy’s mainstream and specialist provision. The connection has a practical purpose: nursery staff share approaches and resources with the specialist team to support children with additional needs.
Play, conversation and children’s developing interests shape the curriculum. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning about relationships, communication and movement with early literacy, maths, creativity and understanding the world. In everyday terms, that means practising turn-taking, learning words, handling scissors, counting objects and expressing ideas through drawing or music.
Stories and rhymes give language practice a regular place in learning. Staff plan next steps around each child’s development and interests, using Development Matters alongside Brookside’s Progression Milestones. Those reference points help connect observations of a child’s play with what staff plan next, rather than treating every child’s starting point as identical.
Practical exploration includes investigating the natural world, making marks and experimenting with size, shape and capacity. Singing, dancing and imaginative play sit alongside these activities. The emphasis is on learning through doing: a child can practise communication while playing with others, or explore mathematical ideas by handling and comparing objects.
In November 2023, Ofsted found that early-years staff supported language development effectively, with children practising vocabulary through speech, symbols and signs. That gives children different ways to take part in communication.
For children with SEND, support includes a specialist key worker and the wider nursery team. Adaptations can involve personal resources, changes to routines and planned adult interaction. Children with a diagnosis or health-based care plan have an individual APDR document, reviewed each half term, with parents involved in decisions and kept informed about progress.
Attention Autism is one example of work developed with the academy’s specialist provision. Speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists also support the nursery team and families. This connects nursery routines with advice about a child’s communication, movement or sensory needs.
The staffing structure includes a nursery manager, an assistant manager who also acts as SENCO, room leads, practitioners and a lunchtime assistant. Meals can be arranged around attendance: breakfast, tea and a cooked lunch are charged separately for both funded and fee-paying families and must be booked a week ahead.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority under the 2027/28 oversubscription criteria. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. For Somerset residents, that is Somerset Council; for entry in September 2027, the deadline is 23:59 on 15 January 2027.
Transition activities are separate from allocation. For the September 2026 intake, children were invited to two Stay and Play sessions with the Early Years team. Nursery staff accompanied children already attending on Monday afternoons. That arrangement offered familiarity and continuity for those children, rather than an admissions advantage.
Opening hours run from 7:30am to 5:30pm on Monday to Thursday, with Friday closing at 5:00pm. Both term-time-only and all-year-round contracts are used. Changes to agreed sessions require four weeks’ notice, which matters when work patterns change.
Funding can follow either attendance pattern. The basic entitlement is approximately 15 hours weekly during term time or 11 hours across the year. Families entitled to 30 hours can use 30 weekly in term time or 22 weekly year round, within the funding-period maximum. Attendance beyond funded hours is charged separately. Claiming funding requires a birth certificate copy, a signed registration form and termly declarations.
Optional additional services, including some outings and photography, may carry charges. Late collection also attracts charges; families should obtain current charges from the school. The nursery closes for inset days and during a Christmas closure period. No charges apply to these closures or to bank holidays. Enquiries go through the academy office on 01458 443340 or office@brooksideacademy.co.uk.
The provision is grouped into babies aged 0–2, toddlers aged 2–3, and nursery and preschool children aged 3–4.
The EYFS curriculum includes communication, relationships, physical development, early literacy and maths, creativity and exploration of the world. Staff use Development Matters and Brookside’s Progression Milestones to plan next steps.
Support includes a specialist key worker, adapted routines and resources, collaboration with the academy’s specialist provision, and input from therapists. Individual APDR documents for children with a diagnosis or health-based care plan are reviewed each half term.
Breakfast, cooked lunch and tea carry additional charges for funded and fee-paying families. They must be booked a week in advance.
No. Nursery attendance gives no priority under the 2027/28 criteria. A separate application is required through the home local authority, by 23:59 on 15 January 2027 for September 2027 entry.
