Proposed opening of Holy Trinity Nursery as a result of the closure of Tringham Pre-School

 

Following the imminent closure of Tringham Pre-School, we would like to ensure this important nursery provision continues for children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old, and we are therefore proposing that Holy Trinity CE Primary School takes over its leadership and responsibility. We know how much the current provision at Tringham Hall is valued by the local community and parents and we want to ensure that this important stage of education continues to be available locally.

We know how popular Tringham Pre-School is, but we understand the importance of consulting with the whole community when there is change to ensure we are providing what is needed and wanted. We propose to offer provision to children who are funded for 15 hours under the universal funded entitlement and those eligible for 30 hours funded childcare.

As a result of the above, we propose to lower the admissions age of Holy Trinity CofE Primary School to enable us to open a school nursery to include 2, 3 and 4 year olds.

The consultation will run for 3 school weeks (excluding school holidays), commencing on Friday 26^th April and ending on Monday 20^th May 2024 at noon.

If you would like to respond to the consultation please submit your response via the link below, which is also available on our school website;

Public Consultation Form

Responses will be analysed, and the school will publish the outcomes here.

 

 Information Leaflet and Proposal to lower the Holy Trinity School’s age range

Proposal to lower the age range of Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Benner Lane, West End, to include children under the age of four, to ensure the school can meet the needs of local families.

The governing body of Holy Trinity CofE Primary School is therefore consulting you on a proposal to lower the admissions age of the school. This will enable us to develop a school nursery, entry for children under the age of four. This proposal will ensure a consistent approach to learning for our youngest children and enable us to meet the needs of our local community in relation to early years’ education.

Tringham Pre-school no longer has the capacity to run as a separate entity and Holy Trinity School has been approached to lead the resource and so keep this valued provision going.

Following the imminent closure of Tringham Pre-School, we would like to ensure this important nursery provision continues for children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old, and we are therefore proposing that Holy Trinity CE Primary School takes over its leadership and responsibility. We know how much the current provision at Tringham is valued by the local community and parents and we want to ensure that this important stage of education continues to be available locally.

Why are we proposing to lower the entry age of the children joining our school?

Supporting the government’s policy on providing 15 hours Funded Early Education for eligible children in schools we propose to ensure that our school is able to provide for children under the age of four, in the area; a secure, stimulating and quality early years education place. This will complement the offer we have for children in our Reception Early Years Class and provide a joined- up approach to early years education in our School.

If Holy Trinity CofE Primary is to take over Tringham Pre- School we have to officially change our age range with the Department for Education.

We believe we can provide:

• We can offer quality first nursery teaching by qualified teachers.
• To impact positively on children's early development.
• To establish a smooth transition from nursery into Reception and maximise learning opportunities.
• Every child is an individual and develops at their own pace. It is essential that additional learning needs are identified early, and support put in place. The school SENCO who works closely with a range of agencies will spend time in the nursery observing children and working collaboratively with staff.
• The nursery will be part of the school community and have the opportunity to use the school's resources such as the library, sporting equipment, vast outside learning environments.

Will the proposal have any impact on the school’s admission arrangements?

No our admission arrangement will not change. The current capacity of the school is 420 and it is proposed that this will increase when nursery children are added onto role, although the nursery will continue to be run at Tringham Hall.

Please note there is no automatic right for nursery aged children to gain a Reception place at the school. Parents of nursery aged children would need to apply in the normal way for admission to the school.

Do the governors and staff support the proposal?

The governing body and staff support the proposal, as they believe the school community would benefit from lowering the entry age of pupils, so that they can access a nursery provision.

How many pupils will be there?

We intend to accommodate the same number of pupils that Tringham Pre-School currently does.

What age children will we admit?

2, 3 and 4 years old.

What style of teaching will we use?

The teaching in the nursery will be driven by the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) and safeguarding the children will be of paramount importance. We will timetable plenty of discovery, free flow and child led activities that incorporate a range of exploration, experimentation and opportunities for age- appropriate risk taking.

Would there be a negative impact on local schools and nurseries?

Tringham Pre-school is already operating in West End successfully. All local schools, nurseries and other interested clubs and groups have been informed of the nursery proposal to change leadership/responsibility and are invited to share their thoughts through communication with the school. As a school we are very aware of the need for this local provision to continue.

Would there be an impact on parking and traffic in the immediate area?

We don’t anticipate there being any adverse impact on traffic and parking as the nursery would continue to operate from Tringham Hall.

Does the school have sufficient expertise?

Yes, we believe we do. We are committed to utilising all the resources available to us to ensure the nursery meets and exceeds the expectations of all involved. We already have a team of passionate, dedicated staff in our school, and we will also be able to draw upon the expertise from the following:

• Expertise and infrastructure within The Alliance Multi-Academy Trust with many years' experience leading state nurseries.
• Local schools and nurseries
• Surrey County Council Early Years team

Will a child that goes to the nursery automatically get a place at Holy Trinity CofE Primary School?

Parents of nursery aged children would need to apply in the normal way for admission to Holy Trinity CofE Primary (Reception years and older).

What will the start and finishing time be at the nursery?

The intention at this stage is that the nursery times will remain the same as the current Tringham Pre-School times.

What are the next stages in the process?

Responses will be received throughout the consultation period which ends on Monday 20^th May 2024. These will be analysed, and the school will publish the outcome on its website.