Skylar - Trelya

Trelya’s ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted registered specialist nursery provides individualised support to pregnant women and children aged 0 to 4 and their parents. Support takes a ‘360-degree holistic approach’ considering and working within all areas of each child’s life – home, nursery and community – providing continuity and serving as a link between the different aspects.

Through Skylar, each child engages in 15 hours a week of individualised support across the EYFS curriculum and additional services include family support, partnership work, therapies, and home visiting. Our unique working model has evolved from grass roots experience, whole families are offered support, interventions and opportunities – providing a family wide positive impact on health and wellbeing.

One of Skylar’s key aims is to address the high levels of educational disenfranchisement and structural inequalities experienced by the local community. For example, children in the community achieving Good Level of Development are significantly below England and Cornwall statistics. In contrast, to date, most children at Skylar have been assessed as ‘school ready’ when they leave Skylar to begin primary school.

Skylar is staffed by an experienced multi-disciplinary team, ensuring we are meeting need in the most holistic way possible.

Current session times for Skylar nursery:

Tuesday 8.30 AM to 1.30 PM

Wednesday 8.30 AM to 1.30 PM

Friday 8.30 AM to 1.30 PM

Skylar Transition

Ensuring a successful transition from Trelya’s Skylar nursery to and through primary is critical to childrens continued success.

Through Skylar Transition, each child aged 5 to 8 years old is provided with weekly, face to face support on both a one to one and small group basis. Sessions take place in class, on the playground, at home and out in the community and are tailored to meet the needs of each individual child. Workers cover a range of issues and activities for example ensuring children have school uniforms, supporting homework, removing barriers to attending extra curricular activities, self-management, consistent attendance and academic achievement, making friends, enjoying school and meeting their full potential.

We work closely with parents, carers and schools, particularly class teachers, to provide specific, intensive support that meets the individual needs of each child.

In addition to the core services delivered through Skylar and Skylar Transition, we also deliver a series of specialist projects each year, which develop specific skills and provide positive developmental experiences.

Examples include:

Physic’s Pick n’ Mix – funded by The Institute of Physics, the project provided exciting physics based activities for pre-school and primary children.

Cudjack – funded by Youth Music, Cudjack used progressive music activities to develop the emotional, social and creative skills of pre-school children. Learning from Cudjack continues to inform Skylar’s music practice today and forms the foundation for our music therapy programme.

Opportunities through Sport – The Peter Harrison Foundation funded a permanent traversing wall in Trelya’s gymnasium which can be used to deliver climbing games that build numeracy, communication and literacy skills.

Embedded into all Trelya’s core services are:

Crisis support
Wraparound whole family support
Partnership working

Trelya provides immediate solutions to crises (including safeguarding, evictions, conflict and food poverty).

Intensive family work which connects each family member to relevant resources, and supports them in overcoming individual obstacles in their own lives, whenever the need arises. We know from experience that a whole family approach has a sustained and positive impact on health, wellbeing and life outcomes.

Trelya works closely with partners from across the locality and has developed its three storey community centre in the heart of Penzance East into a hub from which 20+ statutory & voluntary sector organisations deliver support services. After 1 year of engagement with Trelya 80% of children, young people and families who previously experienced barriers to support services are engaged in at least two new services.

Skylar Newsletters and Information for Parents
Ofsted Reports
Skylar Home Learning Packs
Skylar Policies and Documents
Skylar SEND and Inclusion Pledge

Download Offsted report

In Skylar we send home a ‘Book of the Month’ to all children in line with their interests and the topics that we are focusing on. Examples include traditional tales, nursery rhymes, stories that celebrate diversity and books that explore different feelings. Makaton signs for key words are sent home alongside the ‘Book of the Month’ for families to sign and read words together when sharing books at home.

Families receive ‘Home Learning Packs’ to enjoy which are designed to encourage creativity, exploration, communication and positive family experiences outside of nursery sessions. These are also available following themed family events and are often put together to provide a range of reusable resources for families. Popular packs have included:

‘Making Playdough’ with ingredients and cooking utensils

‘Water Fun’ with objects that could be used and explored in the bath or in a washing up bowl

‘Go Exploring Outdoors’ with magnifying glasses, minibeast and bird identification sheets and outdoor nursery rhymes and puppets

‘Get Growing’ with a seed to grow and care for and some simple objects to use outside

‘Fun with Numbers’ with simple number games and mark making resources

Learning packs also include free and easy ideas for families to try at home such as creative ways to use household recycling and simple outdoor ideas to encourage families to explore in the local area.

What is ‘SEND’?

SEND stands for Special Educational Needs or/ and Disability and here in Skylar we believe that all children should have the opportunity to grow in self-esteem and develop towards their full potential. Many children develop without any need for additional help, but some children may benefit from additional support.

Sometimes children need extra help to take part in learning, lots of children at some point will have support, this may be short or longer term.

The child might need:

- some time in a small group

- more time to learn a new skill

- support to develop their communication

- support with their walking

- support with their emotions

If you think that your child would benefit from additional support please talk to your Key Person, Skylar’s SENDCos, Manager or Deputy Managers and we will discuss with you how we can work together to support your child.

If we think that your child would benefit from additional support, we will talk with you about how we can work together to support your child.

If in doubt check it out

Skylar policies and documents here.

The Code of Practice 2025 in the Early Years here.

Cornwall Council SEND in the Early years here.

Cornwall Council's Family Information Service (FIS). The Local Offer explains the support and services that are available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years here.

We follow the National Association for Special Education Needs (NASEN) Inclusion Pledge: Send and Inclusion Offer