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Welcome to The Castle Children's Centre and Nursery School
The Centre has been providing services since 1990 (known as the Sandal and Agbrigg Pre 5 Centre until 2005) and has always put children and families at the heart of all its developments. As well as a very high standard of early education and childcare, the Centre provides activities and services which aim to support and enhance family life. 
The Castle Children's Centre operates from two buildings and two small portocabin units. The Castle building, which was completed in 2004, houses the nursery school and daycare for 3 to 5 year old children, additionally it has a large central dining/multi purpose space, a main kitchen and community kitchen, creche, two meeting rooms and offices.
The Sandal Building is the original large portacabin style unit, which houses the daycare nursery for 0 to 3 year old children, family support team offices, reception office, community room, family room, staff room and small sensory room
The two small portacabins, called The Garden Room and The Bridge are used for group work and meetings, with the Garden Room housing computers for parent's use. The Bridge is available to hire for training and meetings. The grounds and play areas are attractive, exciting and stimulating.
The Centre has 14 broad aims which reflect the work of the Centre and its commitment to quality.
Aims of the Centre
The different services have specific aims.
- To provide a welcoming, caring & positive environment, which enables personal growth and friendships & reflects the individual’s identity, culture and heritage.
- To provide an excellent integrated early education and day care service.
- To promote the welfare of all children, working within the guidelines of the ‘Children Act 1989’ by undertaking supportive work & early identification and interventions for families, in order to recognise and prevent harm & to enhance family life.
- To encourage a partnership between home & Centre & actively involve parents/carers in the education & care of their child, through family learning, developing parenting skills and raising expectations, using both formal & informal approaches.
- To offer a dynamic & challenging early years curriculum, supported by the ‘curriculum guidance for Foundation Stage’, delivered by highly trained, motivated & effective practitioner, who maintain high expectations & encourage children to achieve their true potential.
- To ensure early identification of difficulties & undertake appropriate interventions for children with special educational needs/ children in need.
- To be actively committed to the principles of inclusion.
- To provide a family support service, which responds to individual need – paying particular attention to people who may be disadvantaged, isolated or ‘hard to reach’ & which avoids stigma & is sensitive to people’s individual culture & identity.
- To provide a service in which the staffing reflects the qualifications, skills and best practice of education, social work and childcare and which pro-actively encourages continuous staff development
- To promote good health through practice & education & close liaison with health professionals & other relevant agencies.
- To develop effective multi-agency collaboration and partnerships.
- To promote high standards in integrated early years provision by contributing to the training & development strategy of the District Sure Start Partnership and by the development & dissemination of good practice.
- To pro-actively respond to local & national initiatives which correspond with our overall aims.
- To operate continuous & effective monitoring & evaluation of our service.