Children from the age of two from Charleton can now attend their own village nursery, after Charleton Church of England Academy has officially opened their own.

As a stand alone school, Charleton was unable to provide a nursery for local families, but as a result of joining the Multi Academy Trust, the Learning Academy Partnership, a nursery was available within a few months.

The chosen newly refurbished building has been specifically designed for a Nursery curriculum, providing a wonderful environment for the youngest children to learn through an exciting, play based approach.

The children also have a wonderful outdoor learning area which has been designed specifically for the youngest children in the academy.

On Tuesday, November 21, the Nursery was officially opened by Devon County Cllr Julian Brazil. Members of the local community, representatives from the Diocese of Exeter, Clergy, staff from across the Trust and the nursery children and their families attended the official opening. They were all taken on a tour of the Academy and then enjoyed a cream tea in the hall.

CEO of Learning Academy Partnership, Lynn Atkinson said: “This has been a long standing aim of the staff and community, and we are delighted to have been able to make it happen in such a short amount of time. Charleton C of E Academy Nursery is the latest addition to our family of exceptional schools at the Learning Academy Partnership.”

The Learning Academy Partnership is made up of eight schools across Devon and Torbay, including West Alvington and Thurlestone Primary who joined alongside Charleton on April 1, 2017. They are committed to providing excellent schools for the local community including nursery provision.

The academy has benefited from the expertise within the Learning Academy Partnership where best practice is shared amongst all of the nurseries.

Susan Rowe-Jones, Executive Head commented that: “Without the support and resources from the Trust, we would never have been able to provide a Nursery for local families in such a short amount of time.

“We have been able to provide an excellent environment with skilled staff from day one. The impact of teachers learning and working collectively across eight schools is of huge benefit to the children.”

The nursery at Charleton is open during term time from 8.30am to 3pm and offers 15 hour and 30 hour government funded sessions. The sessions are as follows: 8.30am-11.30am, 11.30am-12pm and 12pm-3pm.

Despite the initial popularity of the nursery within the community, there are some places still available. The Academy can be contacted for more information or to organise a tour, on 01548 531275 or through email on [email protected].