Yes, absolutely! Forest School is a core and cherished part of our curriculum and it will fully continue as we grow into a primary school.

Our pupils will still enjoy regular opportunities to explore, build resilience and connect with nature in our superb, dedicated outdoor forest school facilities.

Yes - Charlwood in Surrey has been doing so successfully for many years, Ewehurst will be starting in September and throughout the country there are many schools, both state and private, who operate in this way. Some estimates are that 20% of primary schools in the UK operate in this way.

Yes, although Parents who wish to apply to an alternative Year 3 school may still submit a junior application by 15th January 2027 or an in-year application

No, being in our Nursery does not guarantee a place in Reception. Our normal admissions criteria apply. We hope that the majority of children who attend our Nursery will apply to join the school in Reception.

The curriculum will be organised by phases:  An Early Years Phase, Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2

This is the way in which the curriculum is organised nationally. This gives us the opportunity to create our curriculum for our children.  It will roll over a two year cycle.  Where specific content needs teaching in a Year group, such as phonics, maths concepts and spelling, these will be taught to the children in those year groups within their classes.

We hope that the impact on other schools will be lessened as we are only taking 15 children per year.  We believe that Polesden Lacey Infant Academy has a place within the Bookham community and this is the way we can ensure the school’s long term viability. We want families in the local area to have a choice of school for their children.

As we do now, we will adapt our teaching for both those who need support and those who need additional challenges. Teachers plan questions for specific children, challenges are set.

We have been fortunate to secure £150,000 of funding to develop our Nursery provision.  We will be using this funding to create space so that we are able to offer additional Nursery places. The plans are to carry out some of the building work in the summer holiday and then continue into the Autumn term. We will, of course, work to minimise the impact of the building works on the children, staff and local residents wherever possible.   Some of our older nursery children will be in Class 1 with the Reception children. Class 1 is now named Kits and Rabbits. This will exclusively be a mixed class for our older 3 & 4-year-olds (pre-schoolers in their immediate year before starting school) and our Reception children. This allows the older nursery children to benefit from a richer learning environment while ensuring our younger children have the focused, nurturing space they require.

The day-to-day running of Class 1 (Kits and Rabbits) will seamlessly blend free-flow play with targeted, age-appropriate learning. Because both nursery and Reception fall under the same Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, the environment is fundamentally built around play-based learning.

Free Flow & Play: The classroom and outdoor spaces will operate with a free-flow system for large portions of the day. The 3 & 4-year-old nursery children will absolutely retain their freedom to explore, choose their own activities, and engage in open-ended play.

Differentiated Structure: When Reception children transition into short, focused adult-led sessions—such as phonics or early maths—the 3 & 4-year-old nursery children will continue with their play, or be guided into age-appropriate, brief communication and language games. The timetable is carefully mapped out so that more structured expectations for Reception never infringe on the play-based rights of the children.

Yes, definitely. In line with statutory EYFS welfare requirements, every single nursery child will be assigned a designated Key Person. 

Yes, our core drop-off and pick-up routines for the nursery session times will remain highly consistent to ensure a smooth transition for the children. Regarding the 8:30 am start, this will be delivered in the current Nursery Classroom.  For those children and families wanting extended wraparound care, these sessions will be delivered as part of our closely supervised, nurturing whole-school wrap setting where early years staff ensure our youngest children are safely settled with age-appropriate activities. These sessions will run from 7.30am in the morning and from 3pm to 6pm in the afternoon.

Grouping older nursery children with Reception pupils offers immense educational and social benefits, and is a highly successful model used in many schools:

• The Benefits: Older nursery children naturally model their language, social skills, and play on the slightly older Reception children, often leading to rapid boosts in confidence and independence. Conversely, it provides a wonderful opportunity for Reception children to practice empathy and leadership. It also means nursery children become thoroughly familiar with the school environment, making their eventual transition into full-time school completely seamless.

• Staffing Levels: Class 1 will strictly adhere to (and where possible, exceed) the statutory EYFS staffing ratios. The class will be led by a fully qualified Early Years Teacher, supported by experienced Early Years Teaching Assistants.

• Training & Qualifications: Our staff are experts in early childhood development, highly trained in delivering both pre-school provisions and the Reception curriculum. They excel at tailoring a single space to meet diverse developmental needs.

• Resources: Class 1 will be robustly resourced with open-ended, high-quality materials that cater to both ends of the age spectrum—from tactile, sensory, and imaginative play resources for 3-year-olds to slightly more advanced fine-motor and literacy resources for Reception.