In February, West Rise Infant School Nursery moved into new premises attached to a children's centre on the school site. It now offers full daycare, and is open 48 weeks of the year, from 8am until 6pm. Head teacher Lynne Weir says the nursery is very much part of the school and is committed to the EYFS, viewing it as an important building-block.
'Formerly a local pre-school, the nursery moved to our school site in 2005, where it stayed until this year in a mobile classroom,' Lynne says.
'We are now able to offer full daycare for up to 30 children per session and have space for up to seven children from birth to age two. Alongside daycare we offer sessional care, with or without breakfast or lunch.'
A top priority is to meet the childcare needs of the local community and offer flexible provision. 'We serve Langney in Eastbourne, which is one of the most deprived wards in the area,' says Lynne. 'Historically there has been a problem with parents not taking up nursery places but the choice and flexibility of sessions is appealing to them.'
Lynne says that although the take-up of places is still variable, the nursery is thriving and has a waiting-list.
It has 70 children on roll - including five babies. She explains that the move to full daycare was mainly in response to parental request, although currently only a few children stay for the day, while many attend for a session and lunch.
'We have a well-established team of seven nursery workers - including the nursery supervisor - and we also have part-time admin support,' she says. 'The staff are very well qualified and highly committed to providing quality childcare and education.'
Lynne and the governors have overall management of the nursery, in the same way as the rest of the school, and the nursery staff work as part of the West Rise team. 'The nursery is supported by myself and the wider staff team and is subject to the same monitoring of quality as the rest of the school.'
The new children's centre is expected to make an enormous contribution to supporting the needs of local parents and it is hoped that this in turn will have a positive effect on standards of achievement for the children. Most of the nursery children transfer to the infant school for reception.
'The nursery provides a quality environment,' says Lynne. 'It is kitted out in natural materials - we practically bought out Community Playthings! We have an excellent setting, with the highest quality resources. Our vision is to achieve excellence for every child and the quality of provision features highly within this.'