Together we adventure

Our Pre-prep

Childhood is a time for fun and discovery through a wealth of learning opportunities. Our pre-prep is a special and unique place. Our aim is to give children the best possible start to their educational pathway, where friendships are made, individual academic excellence is achieved and happy memories are created. We are an independent pre-prep in Liphook situated in 175 acres of stunning grounds in the South Downs National Park on the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Children in our pre-prep develop their social, emotional and cognitive skills through play-based activities. Every day your child will have to opportunity to apply what they have learnt in the classroom to activities in their shared areas or out in our fabulous 175-acre grounds. These hands-on opportunities give your child’s learning meaning and a grounding in the real world.

Our pre-prep children visit Forest School several times a week. It provides a stimulating and engaging environment that encourages exploration, creativity and curiosity. Through being outdoors your child will develop an appreciation for the environment. They will learn to understand the significant impact they can have on sustainability for themselves and future generations by learning about environmental issues and taking meaningful actions to reduce their carbon footprint. We are fortunate to have two libraries at school and one is reserved for exclusive use by our pre-prep children. It has been carefully curated to instil a love of reading in all our children and to help your child to discover the magic that books bring. Inspiring them in every topic from expeditions and exercise to Fairtrade and faraway places. Storytime and our robust phonics programme will help your child to develop crucial skills such as communication and comprehension.

Alongside the core curriculum, in the pre-prep your child will enjoy weekly swimming lessons in additional to their Games and PE classes. They will develop a positive attitude toward exercise and will grow to understand that a healthy body means a healthy mind, helping your child gain insight on how they learn best. A pre-prep education is one to be cherished. It is a time to develop the foundations for a love of learning where challenges are seen as positive experiences and every activity is approached with a smile, laughter and a can-do attitude.

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Seeing the pre-prep children jump into wellies and waterproof trousers in record time and charge out to break was fabulous

Lessons

Our pre-prep timetable has been meticulously curated to ensure we get the best out of your child throughout the day. Your child will benefit from being taught maths and English every morning by their highly-qualified class teacher. They then embark on a day full of incredible lessons, including Music, Games, PE, Spanish and Swimming which are all delivered by subject specialist teachers. Lessons are either taught as a single lesson of half an hour or to allow, your child to really get stuck in, some lessons are scheduled as a double one-hour lesson.

The timetable also ensures the pre-prep children can make the most of our incredible facilities as well as our amazing teachers. The acres of woodland just a stone’s throw from their classroom door is home to your child’s Forest School lessons. Our on-site, 25-metre indoor swimming pool, which is heated by a renewal energy source in the shape of our woodchip biomass boiler, is where your child will learn to swim. For their music lessons, your child will head over to our purpose-built Music School to be surrounded by musical inspiration and every instrument they could possibly dream of – everything from African drums to a grand piano. Our Art Studio is where our pre-prep and prep school children delve into painting, pottery and collage, allowing your child to share their creative vision with their older peers. The Sports Hall, Astro and endless fields and pitches will give your child the space to breathe, stretch their physical muscles and discover their sporting prowess.

Food

Great children need great food which is why we hire a fantastic team of chefs, bakers and cooks to keep your child well fuelled throughout the day. Morning break is at 10am, the same time as our prep school children. Your child will enjoy a carbohydrate-based snack to provide them with a slow release of energy to power them through their morning lessons.

Lunch break for our pre-prep children is at 11.45am when your child will enjoy a good run around outside as well as a nutritious meal before returning to lessons at 1pm. Your child’s lunch is freshly prepared on site by our in-house Catering Team. We offer a wide choice of dishes to ensure we cater for all tastes. There are always hot and cold options, with plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and salads. Vegetarians, vegans and those with special dietary requirements are well catered for.

Our seasonal menus operate on a three-week rotation and aim to educate your child about healthy choices and responsible eating.

Logistics

The Pre-prep Week

7.30am Breakfast Club (Optional £)

8am Before School Care

8.15am Gates open

8.30am Registration

10am Morning break

11.45am Lunch break

3.30pm School day ends

3.30pm After School Clubs (Optional)

4.30pm Clubs end

4.30pm Picnic Tea and Play (Optional £)

6.30pm Last pick up

Drop off

The doors to our pre-prep swing open for children at 8.15am ready for your child to start their day promptly at 8.30am. We know and completely understand that mornings can be busy for many families, with parents juggling school drop off, work and other commitments. It’s important that your child’s start to the day is calm and stress free to set them up for a successful say of learning. That’s why we offer an earlier 8am drop off option for those families who need it, at no extra charge.

Many of our families make use of our Breakfast Club, which opens for our nursery children at 7.30am. Breakfast Club takes place in the Dining Hall and your child will be spoilt for choice for what to have for breakfast. There is always a hot option such as beans on toast as well cereal, porridge, yoghurt, toast and fresh fruit. A truly hearty breakfast to kickstart their active day ahead.

After school

The school day finishes at 3.30pm but your child’s time with us does not have to stop there. There is a plethora of after-school clubs for your child to choose from. But not before they have had a snack for a well-earned energy boost to see them through the next hour of excitement. There are four categories of clubs: academic, skill development, artistic and physical and we encourage your child to try to choose one club from each group to give themselves the opportunity to explore new interests. Most of our clubs are run by our teachers who are passionate about a certain sport, subject or hobby and are free of charge. We also invite external professionals to run clubs such as Karate, Modern Dance or Cookery, which do incur additional costs.

If there isn’t a club that takes your child’s fancy but you need your child to be looked after, they can join our after school care which runs until 4.30pm. We know life is exceptionally busy for all families which is why, in addition to our after school provision, we also offer Picnic Tea and Play. In this popular session your child will be served a high tea which they will enjoy as a picnic with their friends. There will be lots of games and activities on offer for your child until 6.30pm.

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