Minerva Primary School Nursery

Two three-hour sessions shape the nursery offer at Minerva Primary School: a morning beginning at 9am and an afternoon ending at 3pm. Breakfast club adds an earlier start for families who book it. The provision caters for two-year-olds and children aged three and four, within the school on Outer Circle in Taunton.

This is the school’s own nursery. Its entrance has a ramp, a practical feature for children with mobility needs, although access across the wider school requires closer consideration.

Mornings run from 9am to noon; afternoons run from noon to 3pm. Those boundaries give families a clear timetable around which to organise other care and collection. Breakfast club runs from 8:15am to 9am, extending the morning arrangements before nursery sessions begin.

The nursery has ramped access. Across the school, the main building and annexe are both single storey, but internal changes in level include steps. For a child using a wheelchair, the route between spaces matters as much as the nursery entrance itself.

Parents’ knowledge of a child’s disability is recognised by the school, alongside confidentiality for the family. Minerva aims to discuss disabilities and health conditions early in its conversations with new parents. That makes the initial discussion an opportunity to explain the child’s everyday needs and the adjustments that help them participate.

Physical access has both useful features and limitations. Disabled toilets have a handrail, and many entrances have broad doorways with either level or ramped access. However, wheelchair access is difficult in parts of the school, with some areas inaccessible. Families should consider that distinction when assessing how their child would use the wider site.

For children who need an individual emergency evacuation plan, the school’s arrangements include sharing it with parents and staff and reviewing it at least yearly. Its accessibility plans also include at least termly additional meetings for parents whose children have an education, health and care plan. These are school-wide arrangements relevant to discussing support for a nursery child, rather than evidence of a nursery-specific care programme.

Attending Minerva’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Choosing nursery care and securing a school place are separate decisions.

For children with additional needs, the school plans liaison between special educational needs coordinators and contact with preschool settings, including its on-site nursery. The purpose is to identify needs and prepare provision for starting school. That preparation does not itself establish an admissions advantage.

Breakfast club is free, but spaces require advance booking through MCAS. Families using the earlier start therefore need to arrange it before attendance.

Charges apply when a child has no funded entitlement or attends additional hours beyond their funding. Ask the school office for current charges and to discuss these arrangements. The office is also the contact for questions about nursery sessions.