Pre-Prep

Pre-Prep

Located in our Clough House, our Pre-Prep Department encompasses our Reception Class and Years 1 and 2. This idyllic setting provides a safe, stable environment where children aged four to seven embark on a 3-year transformative, dynamic educational journey. With each passing year, pupils grow, learn, and mature, emerging fully prepared for their next education step in the Prep Department.

Our Pre-Prep Department is where traditional and modern education merge. Inside, each classroom comes alive with interactive whiteboards to enhance the learning experience, while specialised facilities, including dedicated art, music, ICT, and cookery spaces, provide pupils with an enriched curriculum. A modern, exciting new science room is also being created for 2024.

As part of Saint Felix School’s holistic educational experience, our Forest School allows our pupils to learn about and embrace nature – getting them away from their desks and digital devices, which, although important, is fundamental in an age where children are so attached to technology. This hands-on outdoor learning experience promotes supported risk-taking while building confidence, self-esteem, perseverance, curiosity, and resilience. Pupils learn to build dens, weave fences, light and control fires, make bird boxes, build and study bug hotels, plant and care for trees and shrubs in a planting nursery, have star gazing evenings, learn about water tables, and so much more. This immensely valuable outdoor education transfers directly to academic subjects, such as science, maths, geography, history and art.

By broadening horizons and deepening our pupils’ knowledge through a comprehensive syllabus, we ensure that every child excels across subjects. Our pupils are also encouraged to participate in choirs, sports activities, concerts, and annual drama productions, igniting a personal sense of pride and building confidence. Saint Felix cultivates a warm, close-knit community environment that nurtures self-esteem and celebrates individuality.

We understand that family life can be hectic. Therefore, we offer both a breakfast and after-school club to provide consistent, wraparound care from 7.45am to 5pm.

Reception

In Reception, children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum, designed to set high standards for your child’s learning, development, and care. This comprehensive framework encompasses seven prime areas of learning and development:

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal and Social Development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

Play is a cornerstone of our Reception pupils’ development. Through thoughtfully planned play and activities, we ensure learning is fun, exciting, and enjoyable. As the year progresses, the transition to a more structured learning environment sets the stage for Year 1 and the Key Stage One National Curriculum.

We believe in hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and exploration. To support this, we partake in indoor and outdoor learning experiences, invite visitors to our lessons, and enjoy outings that expand children’s understanding of their community and the wider world.

Our teachers guide pupils as they learn to read, write, and problem-solve with numbers. While we adhere to the EYFS Curriculum, our small class sizes and specially trained Teaching Assistants allow us to tailor the learning experience to each child’s needs.

Beyond academics, we offer weekly swimming, sports, games, music, and French to cultivate well-rounded and confident individuals.

Assessment in Reception is a gentle and an ongoing process. Regular assessments allow us to celebrate your child’s progress and guide their next steps. The baseline assessment at the beginning of the year helps us understand your child’s starting point, and an end-of-year assessment reflects their growth across the seven areas of learning.

Key Stage One

Key Stage One (KS1) encompasses Years One and Two, a pivotal phase in your child’s educational journey as they exit the EYFS and begin the National Curriculum. At Saint Felix, we want this transition to be a smooth, enjoyable, seamless experience where children feel relaxed and supported. Our carefully orchestrated Key Stage One curriculum will guide and inspire your child’s learning adventure.

Our dedicated teachers ensure KS1 learners establish strong foundations in mathematics and communication, encompassing reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Other academic lessons include science, religious studies, geography, and PHSCE. Our enriched curriculum allows our pupils to enjoy our forest school, weekly swimming, art, French, sports, games, drama, music, and more.

An exciting calendar of visitors and outings ensures our pupils gain a greater understanding of our local community, as well as their own place in the wider world. Learning is taken beyond the classroom walls whenever possible, with pupils enjoying lessons outside, particularly in our Forest School.

We warmly invite prospective families to visit Saint Felix School for a tour of our Pre-Prep and Prep departments, have the opportunity to meet Miss Jade Wong, Head of Prep, and her wonderful staff, and discuss how our Pre-Prep Department is the perfect educational setting for your child, preparing them for their next educational steps in our Prep Department.

Miss Jade Wong

Head of Preparatory Department

Jade Wong, Assistant Head and Head of Prep School