Early Years Department

The early years of your child’s life are crucial to future development. We aim to enrich a child’s life through a carefully planned programme of activities, which will stimulate natural curiosity in a safe and caring
environment. Social interaction with other children and adults is of great importance to all-round development and we provide every opportunity for a child to develop self esteem and self confidence.

A confident child who has a sense of his/her own worth will go on to achieve in all areas of development. It is our intention that each child in our care has this excellent start in life.

The nursery occupies a self-contained unit in the grounds of the Preparatory School. Pupils from 2- 3 years of age may join the nursery on a full or part-time basis. The nursery has three colourful activity rooms, a quiet room for rest periods and its own secure garden and outdoor play area. It provides a happy, stimulating and safe environment in which to take those vital first steps from home.

Kindergarten pupils attend full time from the age of 3+. Their well resourced classroom is situated in the Preparatory School and the children make good use of the school grounds, woods and wildlife areas in both their play and learning.

Kindergarten pupils also enjoy using the Gym and Hall for soft play, drama and dance. ‘Kindergarten Splash’ sessions in the swimming pool are always very popular. An aftercare club is available for those pupils who need to stay beyond the end of the normal school day.

Download Early years Prospectus

This document is a large file and may take 2 to 3 minutes to download. If you do not have broadband we recommend you request a copy of our printed documents by emailing Mrs. Mackenzie, Registrations Secretary: m.mackenzie@bggs.com, or calling 01274 545 395.

In both the Nursery and Kindergarten each her/his is allocated a key worker who is responsible for planning and assessing each child’s progress in the learning programme. A variety of activities and experiences allows each child to develop at his / her own pace in all the key areas identified in the Early Years Programme.

Pupils join Transition at the beginning of the academic year in which they reach 5. Through structured play activities in small groups pupils learn phonics, writing and numeracy skills and have an exciting range of topic based activities, educational visits and experiences. Specialist teaching in Music and Physical Education starts at this age and a range of extra curricular activities are on offer after school.

Nutritious home-made meals and snacks are prepared on the premises by our own catering department, and vegetarian options are available. Tea is served in the Nursery at 4pm and older pupils staying for aftercare club bring a packed tea. Milk is available for all Early Years pupils and individual dietary needs are catered for wherever possible.

The school is registered with Ofsted and the local authority as an Early Years Provider and pupils qualify for the Early Years Grant. The school also accepts a variety of company nursery voucher schemes.

Our highly dedicated and well qualified staff have a wealth of experience in educating and caring for young children and the school supports their professional development by providing both internal and external training courses. The staff maintain close links with parents through daily contact, parents evenings and a written annual report. We welcome the involvement of parents in the life of the school and value their support with educational visits, productions, concerts, book fairs and school events.

Download The Preparatory School Prospectus