Back to School in Nailsea 2024/2025

Heading back to school is a hectic time of year, for parents/carers as well as children. You’ve got to work, they’ve got to get to school, and somehow the kids have all lost their shoes – and only told you at the last minute. While we can’t help with that issue, we can at least make you best prepared for getting started.

At Nailsea Town Council, we believe the ‘back to school’ season is a great time to get engaged and involved in the community. We’ve put together some different resources to help you, like uniform and stationary checklists, and overview of schools in the area, and insight into some of the different routes around.

Got any questions about getting back to school? Get in touch.

How to Prepare for the New School Year

There are a few different things you need to prepare to ensure the new school year goes smoothly. While you may already be back by the time you read this, you can still check things off to make sure you’ve got everything you need.

Uniforms

Growing up makes you grow out of clothes quicker than you might expect. You need to make sure you’ve got enough clothes, in the right sizes, so that your children can continue to attend school comfortably.

Uniforms are typically unique to each school, but often include several core components like trousers/skirts, polo shirts, jumpers, and black shoes. Keep an eye on what your school requires, but also look for things like:

  • Sports clothes
  • Summer and winter uniforms
  • Raincoats
  • School bags
  • E. bags

Once you do put the uniform together, make sure to name and label each item with a fabric pen. Things get lost all the time, even the ones you wouldn’t expect!

There’s a lot of different things to get hold of for your child’s uniform. Most of this is usually available via the school or School Togs Nailsea, but there are other options too. Whether you need help dealing with ‘cozzie livs’ or are focused on the reuse part of the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), then watch out for second-hand uniforms (often available via the school website) – you may just find exactly what you need!

Stationary and Equipment

Our local Crown Glass Shopping Centre has a few places you can go to get stationary for the new school year, such as WHSmith’s or The Works. Wherever you end up, you’ll need to know what to get, so here’s a useful checklist to keep you on track:

  • Pencil case
  • Notebook
  • Pens
  • Pencils
  • Sharpener
  • Eraser
  • Compasses
  • Protractor
  • Ruler
  • Calculator (scientific)
  • Highlighters
  • Glue stick
  • Colouring pens/pencils
  • Water bottle
  • Lunch box
  • Lock for lockers

Not all of these items will be useful for everyone. For example, a scientific calculator doesn’t have much use at a primary school, and while colouring pencils can be good fun they’re mostly on this list for things like geography lessons at secondary. The best thing to do is to find out what your kids need, either from them or the school, and buy accordingly.

Extra Activities

A varied lifestyle is important to any child’s development. Both academic and extra-curricular learning are required to receive a proper, well-rounded education. Luckily, there’s quite a lot to help your children stay fit and active in Nailsea!

Skate Park. Always a bustling hub of people learning some new moves, the skate park is a fun place to get involved with – just make sure to bring protective gear, especially when you’re just starting out.

Play Park. As well as the skating area, Millenium Park is also home to a fitted-out play park (complete with a zipline!), meaning younger children also have somewhere to go and play.

Leisure Centre. For the serious athletes among you, or those just getting into sports, Scotch Horn Leisure Centre offers some impressive facilities, engaging lessons and activities, and a connection with the swimming centre at Backwell.

Other Activities. There’s plenty more going on as well. Even if sports isn’t your thing, I’m sure there’s something to get involved with in our huge list of societies and clubs you can find in and around Nailsea.

If you need help finding things to do, get in touch! We’re always happy to help.

Finding Schools in Nailsea

Looking at schools for the future? There’s plenty of places to choose from, taking your child all the way from nursery to sixth form.

Nursery and Preschool

There are lots of great nurseries and preschools in and around Nailsea. Some examples that are close to the town centre include:

Primary and Junior School

After the early years, from age 5 to 11, there are also a range of primary and junior schools your children can attend! These include:

Secondary School and Sixth Form

When it comes to secondary school and sixth form, your main choice is Nailsea School. Promoting an attitude of ambition, respect, kindness, pride, and community, they offer a quality education (with A-Level results for 2022/23 above the UK average!) and are a great local place to further your child’s education.

For more choices of secondary schools, sixth forms, and colleges, you’ll need to look further afield to Backwell and Bristol.

Special Education

Many of the schools in the area accommodate those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, there are a couple of dedicated places you can send your children should the require extra support:

Bus Routes, Footpaths, and More!

Getting around is a breeze with all the great transportation and travel options around Nailsea. Whether you’re a local, or coming in from Bristol or any other nearby town, there’s plenty of ways to help you get where you need to go.

Badgerline. Running fairly frequently, the X7, X8, and X9 buses help us stay connected with Bristol and other great nearby areas. This is useful both for getting into the city centre, but also for getting to and from these places for school.

Festival Way. This bridleway supports a range of different transport methods like walking, cycling, or even horse riding! While you’re not likely to take a horse to school, this route does offer a good channel through the outskirts of Nailsea.

Millenium Park. As well as being a great spot to enjoy the sun, the local park is also a central location that gets lots of foot traffic – a nice way to walk and get an extra view of Nailsea nature on the side.

Free Parking. For now, parking here is free, so if you do need to stop by and drop the kids off on your way to work, it won’t cost you a fortune.

Find out more about transport in Nailsea with our new electric buses >

Find Out More About Nailsea Town

We hope you’ve found this back-to-school guide helpful! Getting back into the school routine is never easy, but being prepared will ensure you start the year on the right foot. If you’ve got any other questions about school life in Nailsea, things to do in the area, or our town in general, please get in touch.

Even in autumn, the sun’s still out – stay safe and hydrated with our guide >