Nursery Consultation 2024

The purpose of this page is to advise you that Trinity School Governing Body are proposing to alter the age range of the school to become a 0 to 11 school - we are exploring the possibility of setting up a nursery for six to twenty-four-month-old children and we would like to hear your views on our proposal. We already offer free 15-hour places for our 2-year-olds and 15 and 30 hour free places for 3 and 4-year-old children. From September 2024, we plan to offer 15 hours of free childcare to eligible working parents with a child from nine months old. If there is demand for places for children aged six to eight months, such sessions will be offered as ‘paid for’ sessions by parents / carers, this is because the government funding starts the term after a child turns nine months old. From September 2025, eligible working parents of children aged nine months and upwards will be entitled to 30 hours free childcare per week right up to school age. This staggered approach will give our proposed new nursery time to prepare for the changes, ensuring there are enough places ready to meet demand.

Qualified staff will operate the service and it would open school hours during school term time. We plan for the nursery to open in September 2024.

We have offered nursery places for our 2 and 3-year-olds at our school for quite some time in our fabulous Sunflower Nursery. Since the Sunflower Nursery opened in 2005, it has continuously provided a welcoming, warm and nurturing community where everyone feels happy, safe and valued. Quality teaching and learning underpins everything we do in The Sunflower Nursery, so children can play, explore, experiment, develop confidence, be curious and build strong relationships with others. Based on the success of the Sunflower Nursery we are therefore proposing to replicate this model for babies. This would not alter our admission policy or procedures for entering school at reception.

The Department for Education (DfE) requires the school to consult with parents and other interested parties to gauge demand for the proposed change and to provide them with sufficient opportunity to give their views.

The issue of this document marks the beginning of a period of consultation during which the views of any interested parties are sought. Having considered your views, the Governing Body will then decide whether or not to publish formal proposals, in order to move to the next stage in bringing about the change of age range. If the proposal is approved by Governors, then changes would be implemented from September 2024. The consultation period begins on 26^th April 2024 and ends on 24^th May 2024.

How can you ask questions, get more information and comment on the proposal.

If you have any questions please contact the school on 01695 723878
Email the school at bursar@trinity.lancs.sch.uk
To make a written response to this consultation please email the school on the same email address or alternatively write to the school for the attention of Mrs Winstanley, Trinity CE / Methodist Primary School, Kiln Lane, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 8PW

What is the motivation behind the change and what are the benefits?

Children will be able to have all their nursery provision in the same setting
If we open a nursery for babies, transition through EYFS and into school should be quicker and easier for children. The children will be part of the school from the first day in nursery and should therefore mean that there would be significantly less adjustment anxieties when moving into the reception class.
Getting to know our families earlier in order to build an effective and longer lasting parent partnership.
We believe school led nurseries are best for children. Research has proven that school led nurseries effectively improve academic and social progress for children from 0 to 5.
The current reception class is taught within the final part of early years curriculum which is seen as a separate Key Stage within the school. Extending the age range will enable the school to teach the entire early years curriculum for 0 to 5-year olds. This means there is no break or change in provider at any point in this Key Stage. This will lead to higher standards of the children entering our Sunflower Nursery and reception class
The local community would be able to access excellent 0 to 4 nursery education in Old Skelmersdale. Mrs Pownall (EYFS Lead) and Miss Powell (2-year-old lead) have a vast amount of experience leading and working in early years. Therefore, we have the staff to ensure excellent EYFS provision and we are keen that the children of Old Skelmersdale get access to the very best start to their education.
The nursery will offer additional hours for children at a competitive price

How will the setting differ if it is run by a school?

All children will have access to a qualified teacher. The resources currently used in school, including staff, will be used and available to the nursery, including the pastoral team, educational psychologist assessment and support, access to the school’s dedicated SENDCo, counselling services, IT support.

Who will be in charge?

The nursery will be led by Mrs Pownall, (Early Years Lead) and it will be supported by the nursery manager who will be part of the leadership team within the school. All HR services, line management and performance management systems will be provided to the staff of the nursery as employees to ensure that the best quality education and childcare is sustainable.

Opening Hours

It is anticipated that the proposed nursery provision would initially operate each day (Monday to Friday) with three hour sessions offered in the morning and the afternoon. This will enable parents to claim their 15 hours entitlement, but there will also be the possibility to pay for additional hours at a competitive rate. We will also be able to provide lunch for our babies if required. The school also has a breakfast club and after school club which the babies could also access.

Will there be a uniform?

Will there be more resources?

Funding for places will come from the government via the Local Authority. The school will receive funding to resource the nursery based on the requirements of the Early Years curriculum and the facilities that we give the children access to within the school. There will be full access to resources, both human and physical, that the school has to its disposal.

What building will the children be in?

The nursery will be based in the current school building. A separate entrance will be used for drop-off pickup on Kiln Lane. We will also be remodelling the interior in school and developing an outdoor area for the children to access. There will be opportunities for the children to use the school facilities such as the hall, library, playgrounds and to spend some time in the current foundation classes for appropriate sessions throughout the year. This building will be maintained updated and resourced in the same way as all the parts of the school site.

Will there be any disruption to the other children in school?

Trinity Primary School is a spacious, well laid out site. The additional nursery class will be situated at an appropriate distance from the rest of the school and so use by the nursery will not have a detrimental impact on the other children. We have conducted a thorough assessment of the resources needed and the impact on the existing primary school provision and we do not see that there will be any adverse impact on the existing level of provision. The school will be able to successfully manage this change allowing for an additional nursery class and outdoor area for babies.

What will the impact be on local providers of nursery provision?

The increased 30 hours free education for 3 and 4-year-olds, the introduction of 2-year-old funding, as well as the 15 hours of free childcare for children aged nine months for eligible working parents has resulted in an increased demand, especially for school-based settings.

We have seen a significant increase in the number of parents requesting 6 month, 9 month and 2-year-old provision at Trinity. Parents appreciate all their children attending the same setting. The lowering of the age at Trinity will likely increase the take up of baby room provision in the area.

We are confident that our proposals will ensure that our children will have the very best start at Trinity Primary School and welcome any comments that you may have.