Highfield and Brookham Schools nursery extension work gets under way

Work has begun on an extension at Highfield and Brookham Schools to provide a new nursery space for the independent school.

The expansion is due to continuing strong demand for Early Years places over the last few years. The existing nursery space has been bulging at the seams, and the short-term fixes the school has made to house the extra children are not sustainable in the long term.

The new open-plan extension will enable the schools to accommodate all their nursery provision in one place and enable three-form entry throughout the pre-prep. It will measure around 100 square metres internally, with toilets for pupils and staff. It will also have a retractable wall to allow a space to be closed off for the youngest children when they are sleeping.

The building work is being undertaken by Verity Contractors and is expected to be completed in time for the start of the Autumn Term in September.

Brookham Headteacher Sophie Baber said: “These are exciting times for Brookham and I’m delighted that work on the extension is finally under way. It’s been several years in the planning but we know it will be very much worth the wait.

“The nursery children are already incredibly excited, and not just a little curious, about seeing all the new activity outside their window, and I’m confident that they will be just as excited come September when we move into our new space.”

With a week-long half-term holiday this month, the Easter holiday, a further half-term break in May and the extended summer holiday between now and September, noise and disruption to schooling at Brookham will be kept to a minimum.

Mrs Baber added: “Our nursery provision is exceptional, a fact which continues to be reinforced by the constant demand for places, but we know that our current arrangements aren’t sustainable in the long term if we want to continue to provide excellent education throughout the school, which is exactly what we intend to do.”

The nursery forms part of the early-years provision at Brookham and takes children from the age of two before they move up to Reception.