Located within the Family Centre in Beanhill, Moorlands Nursery School has completely transformed over the past 2-years into a modern, purposeful learning space with a bright classroom, a communication cabin and new sensory nature garden. It is a tiny oasis with a mighty mission.
Although Moorlands Nursery School has been serving the community for generations, it has a real rags to riches story. Just 3-years earlier, the nursery's future looked bleak.
"It had a feeling of decline," explained the Interim Head. "Budgets were so poor that the place was being held together with skipping ropes and duct tape. Staff were buying essential resources from their own money just to keep things going. But it had one thing money couldn't buy - a team of passionate people who wanted the very best for children."
With full commitment, the team pulled together and a new vision was implemented. The vision was based on core values with children at the centre. The mission was simple in principal - to put ALL children, whatever their need, at the very heart of what Moorlands Nursery School offered.
With the team empowered by a shared mission, the drive to break down the barriers began. A new 'responsive' curriculum was embedded to adapt continuously to the interests and developmental needs of each child. Significant investments improved resources and transformed learning spaces. New technology enabled efficient ways of working and more time to spend directly with children.
It was a period of rapid growth as the staff members challenged themselves and each other to deliver the very best for every child in the nursery. The work was recognised by a successful Ofsted inspection in January 2024 and the team received their first national award in the summer of 2024. It was a great honour, as one member of staff commented, "We have a bronze badge each and a certificate. Its quite an accolade for a state Nursery school in one of the most deprived areas of Milton Keynes."
Moorlands Nursery School restructured into a single classroom setting in September 2025, bringing about a change that enabled all children to benefit from the wider expertise of all staff. Not least, the nursery's full time teacher and SENCo could work directly in the classroom with the growing number of children attending with special educational needs. The 100% inclusive nature of the nursery led to the development of a new pathway in learning - children with special educational needs are given the specific steps in development that enables them to access the same learning opportunities as their peers. Each learning activity is adapted with small steps of achievement and personalised assessment to track the progress of each child. The teams commitment to inclusion in Early Years is exemplary.
It is testament to the hard work of this amazing team that Moorlands Nursery School has developed into the city's hidden gem. To win the Pearson National Teaching Award bronze 'Early Years Team of the Year' again in 2025 is an achievement to be proud of - but the biggest achievements are those of the amazing children that the nursery educates each and every day.