A child building words with wooden alphabet letters
  • Led by Adam Whitfield
  • 5 hours daily
  • 16 children
  • Mon – Fri

A confident year before big school

Pre-K is the year children stop being led and start leading. They choose their own projects, write their own labels and take real responsibility for the classroom. Our job is to make that feel exciting rather than heavy.

Mornings follow a predictable rhythm — greeting circle, focused learning, then a long stretch of child-led work. Afternoons are for the garden, the studio and the library. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is compulsory beyond kindness.

What your child will learn

  • Phonics and early reading — letter sounds, blending and the first fifty sight words.
  • Writing for a purpose — labels, lists, cards and captions for their own photographs.
  • Numbers to twenty — counting, comparing, patterns and simple addition through games.
  • Self-management — dressing, tidying, asking for help and resolving small disagreements.
“The aim is not a child who can read at four. It is a child who believes they will be able to read — and who wants to.”

A typical day

TimeActivityWhere
8:30 – 9:00Arrival, free choice & greeting circleClassroom
9:00 – 9:45Phonics and shared readingClassroom
9:45 – 10:15Snack and outdoor playGarden
10:15 – 11:15Project work & maths gamesClassroom
11:15 – 12:00Studio: art, music or discovery labStudio
12:00 – 13:00Lunch, story and quiet timeDining room
13:00 – 13:30Review circle and home timeClassroom

Common questions

If they are four by September and comfortable spending a morning away from home, yes. We assess readiness during the trial day rather than through any kind of test.

None in the formal sense. We send a weekly reading book and a suggestion for something to notice at home — a shape hunt, a favourite rhyme, a walk to count front doors.

Photos and short notes go into the parent app daily, with a written summary each term and two face-to-face meetings a year. You can request a chat at any time.