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Early Years
Your child’s early years with us will be stimulating and fun. Our Kindergarten class for 3-4 year olds is bright and friendly. It’s a lovely space where secure and positive relationships with key adults are formed, so that the smallest in the school find their feet quickly.
Specialist teaching starts now
Children enjoy French, Music and PE with subject specialist teachers. Introduced through stories, using rhyme, rhythm and fun, this lays the foundation for the years ahead. Our staff are dedicated and experienced and make each day fun.
We add to the Early Years Foundation Stage’s seven areas of learning by giving the children extras that we know work well. Awarded the Bristol Standard year after year for excellence and commended by inspectors, our Early Years department offers so much!
Lively and enthusiastic teaching involves and engages pupils.
— ISI Report
There’s fun to be had outdoors with free access to the outside for uninterrupted play in our superb play area. Play matters enormously in these years. Wonderful topics stimulate imaginations and develop the senses and learning - social and academic - happens every day.
Imaginations Ignited
Your child will have an input - there’s lots of consultation to allow enthusiasms to be followed.
The role play area - frequently redesigned by the children - has been a post office, a vet’s surgery, a space control centre and an office in recent months.
Our construction area, the builders yard, is hugely popular with girls and boys alike. Imaginations and co-operation grow and social skills develop fast.
Games and activities in class are designed to allow children’s natural curiosity to grow. We promote discovery, make learning exciting and encourage independence.
Without doubt one of the best decisions we have made is our choice of Berkhampstead Day Nursery and then on to Berkhampstead School. I would recommend Berkhampstead to anyone looking for a caring, creative, stimulating learning environment with fabulous results.
— Current parent
Specialist PE lessons are huge fun with dance, gym and ball skills being honed. The children love PE days and their agility, balance and co-ordination comes on in leaps and bounds!
Astronaut fitness training, exploring gravity, a dance performance of the Dinosaur Stomp - PE and music link in with class topics, which adds to the fun.
Reception
Our two Reception classes thrive in bright adjoining rooms and teaching becomes slightly more formal - but there’s lots of fun!
Learning through doing remains an important part. Building a troll bridge, investigating the best materials a pig might use to build a safe house, creating a mini-zoo in a shoebox, painting self-portraits, mapping Red Riding Hood’s best route through the woods, writing letters, making invitations, sequencing stories and putting on puppet shows are just some of what we do.
Topics stimulate and we are happy to follow the children’s interests and passions as we investigate - it’s always fascinating to hear their ideas - they’re super!
The Kindergarten and Reception children meet often; they perform in concerts and plays together and are familiar with staff across both departments. As the year goes on, children grow in confidence and when it’s time for the next stage, the transition is easy to make.
