PREP
SCHOOL
PARENTS’ GUIDE 2025/26
Term Dates and Holidays
Autumn Term 2025
Start of Term: Tuesday 9th September
Half Term: Monday 20th October – Friday 31st October
Term Ends: Wednesday 17th December
11.00am: Nursery
11.15am: Reception and Year 1
11.30am: Year 2 - Year 6
Spring Term 2026
Start of Term: Senior School – Wednesday 7th January
Prep School (Years 1-6) – Wednesday 7th January
Prep School (Nursery - Reception) – Friday 9th January
Half Term: Monday 16th February – Friday 20th February
Term Ends: Thursday 26th March
11.00am: Nursery
11.15am: Reception and Year 1
11.30am: Year 2 - Year 6
Summer Term 2026
Start of Term: Monday 13th April
Half Term: Monday 25th May – Friday 29th May
Inset Day (school closed to pupils) Monday 1st June
Term Ends: Friday 3rd July
11.00am: Nursery
11.15am: Reception and Year 1
11.30am: Year 2 - Year 6
Contents
Welcome
Dear Parents/Guardians,
A very warm welcome to St Helen’s School. We are delighted that your daughter is joining our kind and vibrant community, and we look forward to getting to know both her and your family as you become part of life at St Helen’s.
This is the beginning of an exciting journey – one full of learning, growth, and opportunity. At the heart of everything we do is a strong belief in the potential of each individual girl, and we are committed to supporting her academically, socially and personally as she begins this new chapter.
We are looking forward to getting to know all our new families in the coming months and welcoming you into School for various events such as parent workshops, class assemblies and some truly stunning performances.
At St Helen’s we are passionate about the girls receiving the best opportunities across and beyond the curriculum and we are proud of how we carefully balance this with a strong sense of pastoral support, as we know that happy children learn well. hope you find this parent guide helpful as a brief introduction to the School. Please use it in conjunction with the Parent Portal which also contains a wealth of information. If you do have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the Prep Office who will be happy to help in any way they can.
Please do introduce yourselves when you see us around the School site, and we look forward to working with you over the coming academic year and beyond.
Best wishes
Miss Sudeep Gupta Director of Prep School
Mrs Bridget Ward Head
Character Attributes and Learner Habits
Our academic, pastoral and co-curricular activities enable our pupils to develop and cherish our Learner Habits and Character Attributes which together will enable them to fulfil our Vision Statement:
“Our pupils will be ever intellectually curious. They will believe they can do anything. They will want to explore how they can best interact with the world around them and make a difference for the better in their own way. They will be ready for whatever the future brings.”
Our Learner Habits
• Pursuit of Knowledge
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Metacognition
• Digital Intelligence
Our Character Attributes
• Courage
• Integrity
• Resilience
• Kindness
• Emotional Intelligence
Our Prep School Behaviour Guidelines are based around the promotion and expectation of positive, pro-social behaviour and pupils are rewarded for demonstrating our Character Attributes and Learner Habits.
Communication
Keeping in Touch
We appreciate close communication between home and school. If you have a query about day-to-day activities, please contact the School Office in the first instance.
Contacting the Prep School Office
The Prep Office deals with routine enquiries and attendance matters. If the office is not available, please leave a message and a member of the team will return your call during working hours.
Tel: 01923 843330
Alternatively, you can contact the Prep Office by email via prepschool@sthelens.london.
Account Queries
Any questions concerning fees or the termly bill should be directed to the Accounts Department.
Tel: 01923 843347
E-mail: accounts@sthelens.london
Parent Portal and Communications
The Parent Portal provides access to several services to help support parental interaction with the school, including school policies and confidential information about your child such as medical information, attendance data and annual reports. You can update your contact details or notify the school of a change of address via the Parent Portal.
It also provides access to SchoolPost, where you can view electronic copies of all letters and emails. Further services such as WisePay, absence reporting, our parents’ evening booking system and the school calendar can be found here. The pastoral team provide a wealth of useful information about important topics such as mental health, wellbeing and online safety on the parent portal, and this is regularly updated.
The Parent Portal can be accessed securely at schoolportal.sthelens.london
The main ‘comms drop’ in Prep School is Fridays at 12:00. This is when parents & carers can expect to receive the bulk of the week’s communications pertaining to their daughter or their daughter’s year group. There may be the occasional message which cannot wait until the Friday comms drop or which slips through the net, but hopefully these are the exception.
In addition to the weekly comms drop, parents & carers will receive a weekly Whole School Newsletter on Friday afternoons with an update from Mrs Ward and lots of good news stories and updates from the week.
We also like to update you weekly on what your daughter has been learning in class via Tapestry (EYFS) and MS Teams (Years 1-6).
Our Nursery and Reception parents will need to sign up to ‘Tapestry’ and parents of children in Years 1 – 6 will need to sign up to the relevant year group ‘MS Teams’ channel to receive these updates.
Pastoral Contact
You will be given your Class Teacher’s email address, which we kindly ask you to use only between the hours of 7.00am –7.00pm to preserve staff wellbeing/family time. Please be mindful that Teachers are in class all day and do not usually access emails during this time; please contact the Prep Office if your communication is urgent or concerns logistical arrangements.
When emailing, please include your daughters’ full name and class in the subject line.
Communicating about Trips, Events and Co-Curricular Opportunities
All letters providing information about trips and events are sent to parents via SchoolPost and all communication regarding Co-Curricular activities can be found on SOCS.
We have a clear system for responses and payment deadlines relating to trips, trials, sports fixtures and events, so that we can safely offer the range and quality of educational experiences to all pupils. We aim to make it clear in our communications to which of the following categories the opportunity belongs:
• Compulsory educational visits, which are part of the taught curriculum (you will always be given the opportunity to withdraw your daughter from a trip).
• Optional educational visits and other events, for which you can opt-in on behalf of your daughter.
• Sports trials, auditions, and academic opportunities for which explicit parental consent is required.
Who to Contact
Subject Submit Form/Email to
Please ensure all emails have your daughter’s full name & form in the subject line
• Change of personal details Via My School Portal
• Requests for planned absence (e.g. medical appointments, music exams, school visits / assessments etc)
• Register an absence due to illness
• Register a religious absence
• Request an exceptional absence Prep Office: prepabsence@sthelens.london
• Change in logistics (including end of day pick-up arrangements)
• Family matters e.g. bereavement, changes to personal circumstances etc
• General enquiries
Prep Office: prepschool@sthelens.london (by 1.00pm for changes to collection that day)
• Questions regarding your daughter’s learning, welfare etc Class Teacher (email addresses will be shared at the start of the school year)
• Appointments with the Director of Prep prepspa@sthelens.london
• Co-Curricular enquiries cocurricular@sthelens.london
• PE enquiries pe@sthelens.london
• Music enquiries music@sthelens.london
• Fee or termly bill query accounts@stehelens.london
• Car park enquiries carparking@sthelens.london
Financial Matters
Our Financial Matters letter contains important information about school fees, school lunches, payment systems (including Wisepay) and your school account. Please read this carefully and complete our Financial Options form by Friday 20th June
By Friday 20th June 2025:
Download and read the Financial Matters information, and complete the Financial Options form
Special Events
Specific dates for all School events can be found on the Parent Portal, and you can link this to your electronic diary.
The table below shows a selection of our events coming up this year.
September
Meet the Teacher Evenings
Open Morning (all Year 5 & Year 6 girls are expected to attend)
November Year 5 Drama Performance
Prep Autumn Ensembles Concert (KS2)
Parents’ Evenings
Dance Shows (Years 2 to 4)
December Christmas Fair & Calendar Sale (all girls are expected to attend)
Christmas Productions (Nursery to Year 2)
Christmas Concert (Years 3 to 6) – Year 6 parents are invited to attend
February
February/March
Year 3 Performance Showcases
Class Music Showcases (Years 4 to 5)
Gym & Dance Show (Year 5 upwards)
March/April Year 4 Drama Performance
Prep Spring Ensembles Concert (KS2)
Parents’ Evenings
May KS1 Choir Performance
June/July Sports Days (Nursery to Year 6)
Prize Giving (Years 1 to 6)
Year 6 Production
Summer Fair
Variable dates Open Ballet, Swimming & PE Sessions
Class Assemblies
Parent Workshops
FOSH (PTA) Events
Parent Engagement
Languages and Ethnicity Survey
In line with government guidance, we are seeking information about your child’s ethnicity, using the categories that the government have recommended. We are also seeking information about the language(s) your child uses or is regularly exposed to outside of school, and about the language(s) you consider to be their main language. This information will help us to be more knowledgeable about your child, and to consider whether your daughter may need any additional support in school. If we feel this to be the case, we would, of course, be in touch with you to discuss in the first instance.
Please complete the online Languages and Ethnicity Survey by Friday 20th June
If you have more than one daughter joining the school, please complete a separate questionnaire for each child.
By Friday 20th June 2025:
Complete the online Languages and Ethnicity Survey
Parents’ Evenings
Parents’ Evenings are an opportunity for you to see your daughter’s work and meet their teacher to discuss progress and next steps. We hold a Meet the Teacher evening early in the Autumn term and two parents’ evenings a year; one in the Autumn term and one in the Spring term.
You can book a parents’ evening appointment with a teacher using our online Parents’ Evening booking system. You will receive guidance and login details for this in your Parents’ Evening invitation letter.
Reports
Each pupil will receive a short report at the end of the Autumn and Spring terms and full report at the end of the Summer term. These reports will enable you to have a clear understanding of your daughter’s achievements in relation to our expectations and her next steps for learning. All reports are published on the Parent Portal.
We encourage two-way communication between home and the School and have put in place ways you can get involved with supporting our work and your daughter.
Class Representatives
You will receive an email from the Prep Office at the start of the Autumn Term about how you can volunteer to be a Class Representative for your daughter’s class. Class Representatives encourage and enhance two-way communication between home and School and meet with the Director of Prep in the Autumn and Spring terms to share questions from the wider parent body. Class Reps are often used to help disseminate messages from the Prep Office and FOSH. We hope this will help you get to know other parents of children in your daughter’s class.
FOSH (Families of St Helen’s)
FOSH is our Whole School PTA. They meet regularly and are always open to new committee members and volunteers joining. They put on wonderful events for the girls and our families throughout the year, which not only raise money to be re-invested into enriching the girls’ education, but also to bring our lovely school community together. We are always looking for parent volunteers to join us at FOSH to support with our school events and fundraisers. If you are interested in offering joining us, please drop us an email at familiesofsthelens@gmail.com
Futures
Programme
The Futures Programme prepares girls to flourish beyond school and promotes the professional and networking skills they need to become leaders of tomorrow. The wealth and breadth of the collective expertise of our Alumnae and parental network provides a strong and powerful resource for current pupils and recent Alumnae, so we welcome parents’ support.
If you can support the Futures Programme, for example by talking or presenting to current pupils at networking and mentoring events, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please share your areas of interest and professional expertise with our Development Team at development@sthelens.london
Pastoral Care Senior Sisters
All classes are cared for and taught by the Class Teacher and an Assistant Teacher from Nursery up to Year 6.
The Class Teacher actively fosters the crucial partnership between home and School, and develops a personal relationship with each girl, monitoring her progress and ensuring the fulfilment of individual potential.
Staff in the Prep School regularly discuss personal, moral, and social issues with the children individually, in small groups, in class or during whole school assemblies, whichever is most appropriate. Every effort is made to ensure that matters addressed are relevant to current issues so that the discussions are meaningful.
In addition to our Class Teachers and Assistant Teachers, the Directors of Nursery to Year 4 and Year 4 to Year 8 are also responsible for overseeing the pastoral and academic development of specific year groups.
We also have several non-teaching Pastoral Support Leads who are based in The Nest, our Pastoral support hub, offering a range of well-being initiatives, including counselling, to individuals or small groups of pupils who may need additional emotional support for a variety of reasons.
Zones of Regulation are used throughout the Prep School, to help pupils to understand how to ensure they are ready for learning.
If your daughter has any worries, she is always welcome to talk to any member of staff who will be able to liaise with the most appropriate pastoral lead.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for the Whole School is Mrs Simson, Deputy Head Pastoral. The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs) in the Prep School are Miss Gupta, Miss Carzana, Miss Marriott, and Mrs Harvey.
Senior Sisters
Girls in Years 5 are assigned a Senior Sister in Year 7 who will remain with them into Senior School. The Senior Sister is someone the younger girls can look up to and connect with outside their own year group. Mrs Savell, our Deputy
Head Engagement, arranges regular opportunities for the ‘sisters’ to come together during the school day to catch up and connect. Our Year 5 girls LOVE hearing who their Senior Sister is and often these relationships blossom into a really lovely ‘sisterhood’.
Medical Matters and Personal Care Wraparound Care
Medical Matters
The Prep School Nurse and a Welfare Assistant manage any health concerns, and care for children who are unwell until they can be collected.
Children who are obviously unwell and who require non-prescription medication such as Calpol, Nurofen or cough medicines should not be in School. Please do not bring your daughter to School if she is unwell as this is not good for her and risks spreading the illness. Girls who are unwell for morning registration should stay at home for the whole day rather than coming in later.
Please contact the School Nurse before your daughter returns to School if she has been unwell for any length of time, or if her treatment has required antibiotics. If your daughter has a bout of vomiting or diarrhoea, she should remain at home for 48 hours from the last episode. Similarly, girls should be clear of fever for 24 hours before returning to School.
The Prep School Nurse will administer a course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor if the child has been assessed fit to return to School. Parents should provide a completed consent form with the medicine, specifying the dosage and the time at which it should be given. Medicines must be in the original container, including the pharmacy label with the dosage instructions.
It is the parent’s responsibility to hand medicine to the Nurse, Welfare Assistant, or adult on duty at the main door in the morning and to collect it at the end of the school day.
Treatment for asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, or any long-term condition will be supervised by the Prep School Nurse and supported by the Welfare Assistant. It is essential that we have all information about any long-term medical needs before your daughter joins the School. Parents must provide treatment plans from the prescribing doctor and alert us to any changes. If your daughter has sustained an injury which restricts her mobility or requires special arrangements to be made, you should make contact in the first instance with the Prep School Nurse via Nurse@sthelens.london, who will work with the Class Teacher to put any necessary arrangements in place. Please ensure you include your daughter’s name and form in the email subject line.
Personal care
We expect all of our children to be potty trained when they join us in Nursery as we do not have nappy changing facilities, nappy bins or the necessary staff ratios to change nappies according to safeguarding protocols. Of course we understand that with small children, accidents do sometimes happen, and that is why we ask our Nursery and Reception parents to provide a spare set of named uniform in their child’s gym kit bag. Thank you for your cooperation.
Our wrap-around care is provided for on-site by the partner company JAG, Junior Adventurer Group. There is a Breakfast Club from 7.30am to the start of School and an after-school club, which runs until 6pm. The wrap-around care is based in the Gables building and there is close communication between the School and the provider to ensure seamless transitions.
All girls need to be registered with the wrap-around care provider in case you are ever unavoidably delayed and your
daughter needs to transfer into this care at the end of the day. To ensure the correct staff provisions are in place, you will need to book your daughter onto a session before lunchtime on the day you require wraparound care, otherwise a place cannot be guaranteed due to staffing ratios.
Please do make sure that you register before your daughter joins the School. Further details can can be found on the school website and via this link: www.junioradventuresgroup.co.uk/ find-us/st-helens-school/
The First Day: Nursery
On the first day of the Autumn term, Nursery children should be brought to School at the time specified in the letter you will receive towards the end of the Summer term (either 8.15am, 8.30am, 8.45am or 9.00am).
Please bring your daughter’s gym bag. It will double up as her spare clothes bag, in case of personal accidents.
Please enter the School via the side gate to Little Gables, and then the outside door to the relevant Nursery classroom. The Class Teachers and Assistant Teachers will be in the classroom ready to welcome you and will show you where to hang your daughter’s coat. After this, please encourage your daughter to settle down to one of the activities set out on the tables in the classroom.
Leave the room as quickly and quietly as possible, but do make sure your daughter knows who will be coming to collect her at midday. If your daughter is tearful and reluctant to separate, please don’t worry –
this is a normal part of transition and our staff will guide you in calming her down so you can make a swift and subtle exit.
At midday, you can collect your daughter from her classroom. Each child is dismissed individually when staff identify the person collecting her.
The First Day: Reception
On the first day of the Autumn term, Reception children can arrive at School from 8.15am but need to be in School by 8.45am Please enter through the side gate and take your daughter to side door, where she will be greeted and walked upstairs to wave goodbye from our special ‘waving window’. Once your daughter has waved goodbye, please exit the car park promptly to allow other parents to drop and wave.
You should bring your daughter’s book bag and rucksack for PE. The ballet bag should be brought in for Friday 12th September You will be advised of the day your daughter will be swimming.
If your daughter is tearful and reluctant to separate, please don’t worry – this is a normal part of transition and our staff will guide you in calming her down so you can make a swift and subtle exit.
Please collect her at 12.15pm from the colour-matched downstairs Nursery classroom (front door for Yellow Reception). Each child is dismissed individually as the person who is collecting her is identified.
The First Week
Reception girls finish at 12.15pm on Tuesday 9th September and Wednesday 10th September Their first full day will be on Thursday 11th September when collection will be at 3.15pm
The First Week
Nursery children finish at 12.00pm on the first three days of term. Nursery girls will have their first full day on Friday 12th September when collection will be at 3.00pm. Drop off is between 8.15am – 8.45am
Ballet bags should be brought in by Friday 12th September.
The First Day and Week: KS1 and KS2
Years 1-2
Pupils can arrive from 8.15am until 8.45am Girls should enter through the front door of Gables. There will be plenty of staff on hand to help your daughter make her way to her cloakroom and classroom.
All girls should bring their book bags daily. The ballet bag should be brought in for Friday 12th September. You will be advised of the day your daughter will be swimming.
Normal collection times apply in the first week:
• Year 1: 3.15pm
• Year 2: 3.30pm
Years 3-6
Pupils can arrive from 8.05am-8.30am Girls arriving between 8.05am-8.15am via the Carew Road gate must go to the Prep Hall to be supervised before moving to their classrooms at 8.15am. Pupils arriving between 8.15am-8.30am must use the main entrance to the Woolfson building and go directly to their classroom. All KS2 children must arrive before 8.30am
Arrival and Collection Arrangements
All girls should be settled into their classrooms prior to registration. If, however, you arrive after registration, please take your daughter to the Prep School Office in Woolfson. This is to ensure that all girls are correctly entered onto the electronic register and that we know your child is safely in School. Girls in Gables travelling to School with an older pupil may enter through the Carew Road gate and be walked to Gables by their older friend/sibling.
We ask for your support in ensuring that your daughter arrives at School punctually each day. Please collect your daughter promptly at the stated time.
Nursery 8.15am8.45am 3.00pm Red and Blue Nursery are collected from the gate nearest to their classroom Yellow Nursery are collected from the front door
Reception 8.15am8.45am 3.15pm Red and Blue Reception are collected from gate nearest to the colour matched Nursery classroom and Yellow Reception from the front door
Year 1 8.15am8.45am 3.15pm Collected from the class areas at the front of Gables
Year 2 8.15am8.45am 3.30pm Collected from the class areas at the front of Gables
Years 3-6 8.15am8.30am 4.00pm Mon, Tues and Thurs 3.30pm Wed and Fri
Year 3: Woolfson Front door
Year 4: Woolfson Front door
Year 5: Exit via the Drama Room
Year 6: Carew Road
We do not allow the girls to walk to the car park or to any of the School gates unaccompanied. Once a child has been handed over to the adult collecting her, the School’s responsibility for that pupil has ceased. She should not be allowed to play or wander within the School grounds unsupervised. If older siblings are collecting Prep pupils, they must be in Year 9 or above.
Pupils in Year 6 may, if parents so wish, have a walking pass which allows them to leave the School without an accompanying adult from any of the School exits. The walking pass can only be used at the end of the school day, and not after cocurricular activities or sporting fixtures. At the end of Year 5, parents will receive a SchoolPost communication asking whether they would like to take up the option of a walking pass. Please make sure clear arrangements are in place for where you will be meeting your daughter. Further details on car parking and arrival and collection arrangements can be found later in this guide
Travel to School
Parking, Arrival and Collection
You will appreciate that, with over 1,100 girls and over 300 members of staff, arriving at and leaving school each day, the local roads become busy at peak times. Car parking arrangements are designed with the safety of girls as our main priority and all users of the site are asked to respect speed restrictions and traffic control measures, and to take particular care where pedestrians have priority.
We operate a car parking badge scheme in the Prep School to limit congestion and ensure that our car parks are as safe as
possible for all members of our community. You will be allocated two of each badge type that is relevant to you (see table on the next page).
For example, if you have a child in Nursery and another child in Year 2, and you use our Sibling After School Club, you will receive two yellow badges, two blue badges and two green badges. The Sibling After School Club Badge permits you to park in Central Car Park between 3.00pm and 4.00pm, so that you can collect your child from Sibling After School Club.
(Sibling After School Club)
With the exception of the first day of Autumn term, parking attendants check badges at the entrance to the relevant car parks at the designated times. To enter the car park, simply display the correct badge for the time of day.
Parking permits will be sent home with the girls on the first day of the Autumn term. All badges are numbered, and each one is associated with a family.
If you have a disabled badge, please display this when you are parking.
Please display your badges whenever you are coming to collect your daughter. Parents are kindly reminded not to enter any car park on the School site until 10 minutes before your daughter's allocated pick-up time to keep the car park moving efficiently. Car park restrictions are in place between 8.00am – 4.20pm on weekdays The details of the parking arrangements for each year group are below:
Section of the School Morning Drop Off Times Afternoon Pick Up Times
EYFS
Parents (Nursery and Reception)
Park in Central Car Park displaying windscreen badge. Get out of car and deliver child to designated drop off point.
Key Stage 1 Parents
(Y1 and Y2)
Drive into Gables Car Park displaying windscreen badge and use ‘drop off’ zone. Get out of car and deliver child to designated drop off point.
Nursery 8.158.45am
Reception 8.158.45am
Y1 & Y2 8.158.45am
Park in Central Car Park displaying windscreen badge. Get out of car and collect child from designated collection point. Nursery
Drive into Gables Car Park displaying windscreen badge and use ‘drop off zone’. Get out of car and collect child from designated collection point.
Parents of pupils in Year 2 should not join the queue until 3.25pm.
Key Stage 2 Parents
(Y3-Y6)
Drive into Central Car Park displaying windscreen badge and use drop-off zone. Parents should not get out of the car.
Child will get out of car and make their way into the building.
Y3-Y6 8.158.30am
No use of School Car Park for collection. Find alternative parking off site. N/A
Senior School Parents May not use any School Car Parks. May not use any School Car Parks.
Local Parking and Walking Routes
We are proud to be the first independent school in Hillingdon to be awarded Gold STARS status, and we encourage our School community to share our support for a greener and healthier environment.
We also have plenty of scooter and bike racks, so why not scoot or cycle with your child.
School Coaches
Our coach service provides pupils with convenient, safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly transport to and from School, for pupils in Year 3 and above.
You can manage the bookings, payments and track the progress of your daughter’s journeys via the user-friendly website and App at sthelens.vectare.co.uk
More information, including timetables, route information and FAQs, can also be found here.
If you require further information or have a question or concern about coach services (including property left on coaches), please contact coaches@sthelens.london
By Friday 20th June 2025:
Book regular coach journeys (if required) via sthelens.vectare.co.uk (Years 3+ only)
Co-Curricular Clubs
Co-Curricular Optional Lessons
The co-curricular programme is integral to the education provided in Prep School and is designed to complement our academic curriculum. From Year 1, there is a plethora of after-school activities on offer, which aims to broaden our pupils’ experiences and horizons, helping to build the character attributes which will equip them for their adult lives.
We publish a full timetable of the co-curricular activities on offer each term (both free and paid-for) via SOCS. You can find information on how to access and make use of SOCS in our guide here
Autumn term clubs will go live on SOCS on Friday 13th June at 12 noon and will remain open until 10pm on Friday 20th June for parents wishing to book a club or activity. Allocation to all clubs will be made according to preference. We will endeavour to ensure that all girls are allocated to one of their top three choices wherever workably possible. Please read the Co-Curricular Club Information below before making your selection online.
Should you have any queries, please contact cocurricular@sthelens.london
By Friday 20th June 2025:
Download and read the Co-Curricular Club Information and submit your choices via SOCS
The school offers optional Ballet and Instrumental Music lessons, for which an additional charge is made. LAMDA lessons are also available. Our Individual Study Co-Curricular Guide outlines the offer, describes how the School manages these lessons and explains how these activities are billed to parents.
Should your daughter wish to participate in any of these activities, you should complete the relevant application form online.
Application form links are included in the relevant activities’ section in this booklet.
Download and read the Prep School Co-Curricular Guide and complete the relevant booking form
School Lunches
Each day, we provide a well-balanced hot and cold food menu, catering for all dietary requirements. Up-to-date menus are available on the Parent Portal. Parents are asked to notify the School about any allergies on the medical questionnaire which you will have received via SchoolPost.
Parents with girls in Nursery-Year 2 will also be asked to choose the dietary option they would like their daughter to be served. From Year 3, girls choose from a clearly labelled buffet.
House System
From Year 1, girls belong to one of four Houses: Curie, Earhart, Keller and Nightingale. Girls who make a valuable contribution to School, or show a particularly good attitude to their learning, are given a House point. During the year, there are Inter-House Competitions and a House Charities Afternoon. The House colours are orange for Curie, purple for Earhart, turquoise for Keller and magenta for Nightingale.
Girls are also expected to have a House t-shirt which they wear to House events. These can be purchased from the Prep School Office.
Snacks
We provide a mid-morning snack of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. If girls are staying for an after-school activity in Key Stages 1 & 2, they may bring a healthy, nut-free snack of fruit, vegetables, breadsticks, rice cakes or crackers with them if you wish.
All fruit and raw vegetables are permitted. Nuts, seeds, and other foods are not allowed
Drinking water is always available. Girls should bring a clearly named bottle of water for use in the classroom. The bottle should be no more than 500ml capacity, with a sports cap.
Equipment Needed in School
EYFS and Key Stage 1
In EYFS and Key Stage 1 all equipment is provided.
Key Stage 2
Girls need the following in school:
• Pencils, coloured pencils, 30cm ruler (not flexible or hinged), rubber, pencil sharpener, glue stick and a pair of scissors (all in a small, clear, soft pencil case).
• A Yamaha YRS302B Descant Recorder (available from music shops) – if your daughter already has an ‘Aulos’ recorder this will be acceptable.
• Girls in Years 5 and 6 need a protractor and compass.
• Girls who have obtained their pen licence will be provided with a blue handwriting pen.
• PE kit needs to be in School every day and taken home on Friday for washing. (Years 5 and 6 should also have wipes and roll-on or stick deodorant in their PE bag.)
Mobile Phones
Girls in the Prep School are not allowed to have mobile phones unless they have permission from the Director of Prep. Permission is granted if girls travel by coach or travel to or from School on their own. Phones must be handed to the Teacher/ AT on duty at the beginning of every day and must not be switched on when on the School site. Any girl found with a phone on her will have it confiscated, and a parent will be asked to collect the phone.
Prep School Uniform Guide
We take great pride in our smart, coherent, and bespoke uniform and PE kit. All regulation items are supplied by Pullens, our official uniform supplier. Items can be fitted and purchased in store or ordered at uniform4kids.com. During term time, this includes an option for collection from the School.
Pullens
50 High Street Northwood Middlesex HA6 1BL 01923 840050
48/50 Church Road Stanmore Middlesex HA7 4AH 020 8954 3850
School contact: Paul Beresford www.uniform4kids.com
Certain items can only be purchased directly from our PE department, via pe@sthelens.london (see uniform list for details of specific items).
Pre-loved uniforms can be purchased from the School. The shop is open once every term – dates will be advertised on the School Calendar and via SchoolPost. These are usually scheduled towards the end of each term. Please direct any queries to enquiries@sthelens.london
St Helen’s Prep School Uniform Guide September 2025-26
Rationale: Our School Uniform promotes a sense of pride, looks smart, is practical and makes children feel equal to their peers in terms of appearance. Items in black can be purchased from anywhere. Items in green must be purchased from Pullens. Items in purple must be purchased from the School.
Reception Green Pinafore (P) OR
Straight Leg Trousers
Green Gingham Long or Short Sleeved Shirt (P)
Green St Helen’s V-Neck Jumper or Cardigan (P)
Green St Helen’s Blazer (P)
Plain Green Knee-High Socks
Tights
Socks Plain Black Shoes
Green Pinafore (P) OR Black Straight Leg Trousers
KS1 (Years 1-2)
Green Gingham Long or Short Sleeved Shirt (P)
Green St Helen’s V Neck Jumper or Cardigan (P)
Green St Helen’s Blazer (P)
Plain Green Knee-High Socks
OR Plain Green Tights
OR Plain Green Ankle Socks
Plain Black Shoes
(P)
Tailored Shorts (P)
Gingham Short Sleeved Shirt (P) Green St Helen’s V-Neck Jumper or Cardigan (P)
Green St Helen’s Blazer (P)
Plain White Knee-High Socks
Plain Black Shoes
Green Gingham Dress (P)
OR
Black Tailored Shorts (P)
Green Gingham Short Sleeved Shirt (P)
Green St Helen’s V-Neck Jumper or Cardigan (P)
Green St Helen’s Blazer (P)
Plain White Knee-High Socks
Plain Black Shoes
Black St Helen’s Shorts (P)
Black St Helen’s Tracksuit Bottoms (P)
White St Helen’s Polo Shirt (P)
Black St Helen’s Mid-Layer (P)
Plain White Ankle Socks
Plain White Trainers
SWIMMING:
Green Waterproof Draw String Bag (P)
Green Swimming Hat (PE Dept)
Plain Black Swimming Costume
Towel
Black St Helen’s Shorts (P)
Black St Helen’s Tracksuit Bottoms (P)
White St Helen’s Polo Shirt (P)
Black St Helen’s Mid-Layer (P)
Plain White Ankle Socks
Plain White Trainers
SWIMMING:
Green Waterproof Draw String Bag (P)
House Swimming Hat (PE Dept)
Plain Black Swimming Costume Towel
Mesh Bag (P)
Pale Blue RAD Leotard
Pink Ballet Shoes (with elastics)
Pink RAD Ankle Socks
Years 5 & 6 only Black & Green Skort (P) St Helen’s Hockey Socks (P) Mouth Guard
Pads
Scarves Permitted
Pink Wrap-around Bolero Green 3-in-1 Coat (P) Green Fleece Gloves (P)
Mesh Bag (P)
Pale Blue RAD Leotard
Pink Ballet Shoes (with elastics)
Pink RAD Ankle Socks
Pink Wrap-around Bolero
Green Acrylic Hat (P)
Green Legionnaire Cap (summer) (P)
Green Book Bag (P)
Green Sports Haversack (PE kit) (P)
Wellies
Dark Coloured Water-proof Trousers
Named Water Bottle
No Scarves Permitted
Green 3-in-1 Coat (P)
Green Fleece Gloves (P)
Green Acrylic Hat (P)
Green Scarf (P)
Green Legionnaire Cap (summer) (P)
Green Book Bag (P)
Green Sports Haversack (PE kit) (P)
House Colour T-Shirt (Prep Office)
Wellies
Dark Coloured Waterproof Trousers
Named Water Bottle
Green Fleece Gloves (P)
Green Acrylic Hat (P)
Green Scarf (P)
Green Legionnaire Cap (summer) (P)
Green Sports Haversack (PE kit)
Black Rucksack (P)
House Colour T-Shirt (Prep Office)
Named Water Bottle
The school respects cultural dress, but uniform may only be modified in consultation with the Director of Prep. Headscarves should be black or dark green.
Personal Appearance
Hair
Hair that is longer than shoulder length should be tied back. Hair that is longer than shoulder blades should be plaited.
Hair fastenings, bands and ribbons may be plain, dark green or black. They should not be large or ornamented. Only soft Alice bands are allowed.
Nail polish and make-up
Nail polish and make-up are not permitted.
Henna, following a family celebration or a religious event, is welcomed.
Jewellery
Religious items of jewellery may be worn but must be removed for PE. Girls need to be able to remove them themselves and should hand them to their AT or PE Teacher for safe keeping.
Small, plain, gold, or silver round stud earrings may be worn but must be removed for PE. On days when girls in Little Gables have PE, swimming or ballet, please remove their earrings before school. School staff are not allowed to remove/replace earrings.
If you are going to have your daughter’s ears pierced, please do so at the start of the summer holidays, otherwise, she will not be able to participate in PE, swimming, or ballet for the 6-8 weeks it takes for the holes to heal.
No other jewellery or smart watches are permitted.
Money
No money should be brought into School. Parents are always informed if girls need to bring money for a particular charity or activity, and this should be brought in a named purse or envelope and given to the Class Teacher.
St Helen’s School
Eastbury Road
Northwood
Middlesex HA6 3AS
enquiries@sthelens.london
01923 843210
www.sthelens.london
@sthelensnorthwood
@sthelensnorthwood