Brookdale Primary School Nursery Review

Caterpillars, community helpers and Handa’s Surprise give Brookdale’s pre-school learning a concrete starting point. This is the school’s own early-years provision, admitting children from 2 years 6 months. It became part of the main school in September 2022, having previously operated as a separate organisation within it.

Pre-school enrolment can exceed 30 because some children attend part time; that figure is not a nursery capacity. For families, the defining combination is learning shaped around children’s interests and access to Acorns wraparound care within the same school.

Adult-directed activities sit alongside play that children choose themselves. The curriculum follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with Development Matters and Birth to Five Matters guiding the approach. In parent language, learning brings together movement, conversation and relationships, then connects these with early number work, reading and writing, creative expression and discovering how the world works.

Planning responds to what children do during play. Staff observe their interests and development, then use that understanding to shape subsequent activities. Children’s own ideas can change the direction of learning. Daily provision takes place outside as well as indoors, with adults demonstrating, prompting and supporting activities according to individual needs.

The summer 2026 theme, Who Could Help?, shows how this works in practice. Planned learning explored the work of teachers, doctors and firefighters, alongside ways children could help themselves, other people and the environment. Caterpillar life cycles and seasonal changes brought nature into the theme. Handa’s Surprise introduced foods, animals and cultures through a story, while transport learning extended from familiar vehicles to astronauts and rockets. These examples connect imaginative play and discussion with things children can recognise and investigate.

SEND support includes the pre-school, giving families a route into the school’s early-years support arrangements. The nursery aims to work with parents and other agencies around children’s individual needs. That partnership sits alongside its observation-based planning, rather than treating every child’s development as identical.

Personal safety also has a place in early-years play. Children explore friendships, feelings and managing risks through daily activities. Across the school, staff receive child-protection training and must pass concerns about harm or neglect to the designated safeguarding lead. Families can contact the safeguarding team through the office or safeguarding@brookdale.wirral.sch.uk.

A nursery place does not guarantee admission to Brookdale’s Reception. Families must make a separate application through Wirral Council’s coordinated primary admissions process and meet its normal deadline. Nursery attendance does not confer priority: allocation considers looked-after status, catchment, siblings, medical circumstances and distance, with separate arrangements for children living outside the catchment.

Keep that application separate from the nursery decision. Familiarity with the school does not replace the Council’s allocation process.

Funding is accepted for children aged 2, 3 and 4. September is the main intake; a January start may be possible depending on availability. Nursery applications are handled by the school, with forms obtainable from the office, and families can request a visit before applying.

Acorns provides an additional childcare option for children attending Brookdale Early Years. Breakfast Club operates from 7:30am to 8:45am every morning, while After-School Club runs from 3:15pm to 6:00pm. Register through the school office and contact the school for current charges.

For nursery enquiries or a visit request, call 0151 6775170 or email schooloffice@brookdale.wirral.sch.uk. The setting is on Escolme Drive, Wirral, CH49 1SE.