PRE-SCHOOL
We know that a child’s earliest years are the most formative and we believe that providing an exceptional beginning to a girl’s education is one of the most important elements for her future success. It is well documented that the early years of a child’s education provide the building blocks for all future learning.
Our Pre-School class is for girls aged 3 to 4 years old. We welcome girls in the academic term following their third birthday.
We will provide a nurturing environment in which your daughter can play, learn, grow and develop with all the benefits of our outstanding Prep School. In the classroom you will find an oasis of warmth, laughter and a wealth of activities to inspire young
minds and create a love of learning. Happy, confident girls will benefit from exploring the stimulating classroom and outdoor spaces.
Every day will be varied and stimulating, with a balance of free-flow, adult-led and child-initiated activities. Highly experienced, committed early years’ staff will recognise and respond to your daughter’s unique qualities. Our aim is for her to be excited and eager to learn as she moves through our school, well prepared by her early years’ experience.
Our Pre-School girls are part of our busy and vibrant Pre-Prep. They will have the opportunity to join in events along with our Pre-Prep and Prep pupils over the course of the year, such as assemblies, our Harvest Festival, Nativity and Spring Service. Our youngest pupils are an important part of our school, nurtured in a safe and secure community.
Why consider us for your young daughter’s first steps in education?
Our Pre-School class is based on our guiding principles: that happy girls learn best and that each child is valued for her individual qualities. The Pre-School curriculum follows the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework which includes programmes of learning based on:
• Communication and Language
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding of the World
• Expressive Arts and Design
In addition, girls will benefit from an innovative weekly STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) afternoon which is a key area of strength at St Catherine’s. In Pre-School your daughter will achieve many milestones and continue to meet early learning goals as she moves on up through PPI (Reception).
It has been wonderful to watch my daughter skip in, without hesitation, each week for a range of exciting activities; building her confidence to start Reception in September.
Mrs W, Current Parent
Our highly skilled practitioners understand that children learn best through play and that these early learning experiences must be bespoke to each child. Child-initiated activities are an integral part of each day alongside important introductions to phonics and emergent numeracy skills.
Qualified, knowledgeable and caring leadership
Emily Jefford has a wealth of experience caring for children from birth to 10 years old. She first trained and worked as a Norland Nanny and has over 20 years’ experience in Early Years education. Her passion for the early development and education of children, combined with her professional experience and a BA Hons in Early Years Teaching, positions her as a highly qualified and knowledgeable Head of Pre-Prep. She is excited to welcome your daughter and oversee her journey through our Pre-Prep.
Emily Jefford | Head of Pre-PrepEvery day will be an adventure.
Your daughter will build her self-belief and independence as she engages in child-led activities and thrives while completing a challenge all by herself. She will feel a real sense of success when she finds a ladybird on a woodland walk, counts 5 dinosaurs or learns to do the zip on her coat. Activities will encourage and support her to try new things and experience the feeling of success in her own achievements.
From the age of 3, children start to understand themselves in relation to the world in which they live. Pre-School supports your daughter in this, as she will:
• learn how to manage and express her emotions
• build relationships with the people around her that are integral to her emotional and social development
• learn how to think, understand and communicate
• practise key social skills
• feel a sense of belonging through friendships with her peers
• be encouraged to believe in herself
• develop resilience
• learn to trust others.
We will strengthen your daughter’s social development and wellbeing as she collaborates in a range of contexts including role play, construction, creativity and design, small world imaginative play, science investigation and more.
The Pre-School Day Focus on Learning Specialist Teachers
As an educational Pre-School, we greatly value a strong element of phonics, literacy and mathematics in the early years’ daily routine.
Enjoying the play-based experiences interwoven through each day will enable your daughter to flourish and develop a love of learning.
The girls will also benefit from curriculum enrichment through lessons with our specialist teachers for PE, music and ballet, gardening with our school gardeners, and a weekly visit to the library with our librarian.
The Pre-School class will join in activities with our PPI (Reception) classes including STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that encourage problem solving, learning by trial and error, resilience and investigative skills. They will also come together for playtimes in our Pre-Prep garden.
A Typical Day
8:00 - 8:45 am
Welcome (including breakfast on request)
Child-initiated activities and settling in time
8:45 - 9:00 am
Registration
9:00 am
Phonics & Mathematics
9:45 am
Assembly
10:00 am
Morning snack and playtime
10:30 am
Library visit
11:00 am
Carousel of themed activities relating to Early Years Foundation Stage Areas of Learning & Development
For example, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen themed activities.
11:45 am
Lunch and Playtime
12:45 pm
Story / Circle time
1:15 pm
End of morning session /
Afternoon Registration and quiet time
1:30 pm
Ballet
2:00 pm
Exploration Learning
Adult-led small group activities
2:40 pm
Afternoon snack, Circle and story time
3:00 pm
End of Pre-School day
Child initiated play
4:00 pm
End of Extended Pre-School day
Circle time is an important part of each day when girls enjoy activities such as reading stories, singing songs, sharing their weekend news or discussing the weather which help encourage social and selfregulation skills.
As young children are full of boundless energy and are on the go from the moment they wake up, we understand the need for them to have time to rest during the day. After lunch and fresh air at playtime, we provide the girls with structured time to recharge both physically and emotionally ready for the afternoon.
Our partnership with you as
parents
You are the most significant people in your daughter’s life and have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of her. We will work in close partnership with you as parents. In addition to regular feedback at the beginning and end of the day, more formal feedback on your daughter’s progress is reported at termly Parent Meetings.
We use a secure online learning journal called Seesaw to share significant learning moments and achievements with parents. You will have an insight into your daughter’s learning and can comment on any observation and upload your own photos and videos to share what your daughter is doing at home. To ensure the safeguarding of the girls, everything that is added to Seesaw can only be viewed by School staff and the parent of each girl.
Our first day at St Catherine’s
Our partnerships with parents are key to the success of each child in the Prep School.
Miss Naomi Bartholomew, Prep School Headmistress
Sessions
Pre-School is open throughout the School term
from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm with an extended day until 4:00 pm. While morning registration is at 8:45 am, girls in Pre-School can arrive from 8:00 am and have a gentle start to their day. They are welcome to enjoy breakfast with us in the classroom. The morning sessions run from 8:00 am to 1:15 pm including lunch.
The girls enjoy a short walk to the dining room in the Senior School for lunch with our Pre-Prep girls. Girls wishing to stay for a full Pre-School day, can stay until 3:00 pm and are welcome to extend their day and stay until 4:00 pm. The girls will be provided with a morning and afternoon snack.
8:00 - 8:45 am
Arrival (including breakfast in pre-school classroom on request)
8:00 am - 1:15 pm
Morning session - including lunch
8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Full Day
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Extended day
In our Pre-School class we aim to build an excellent understanding of each child and provide her with the very best start in her learning. To achieve this fully we ask that girls attend a minimum of 5 morning sessions a week.
Our School term dates can be found here: stcatherines.info/calendar/term-dates
Admissions
Come and visit
We invite you to learn more about our Pre-School and to meet our Head of Pre-Prep, Emily Jefford.
Call Sarah Waller, Prep School Registrar on 01483 899665 or email
prepadmissions@ stcatherines.info to find out more and book your visit and tour. For more information go to stcatherines.info/pre-school or use the QR code here.
GSA Day & Boarding School since 1885
Near Guildford | GU5 0DF
