Our Curriculum
Little Prestfelde caters for the pre-preparatory year groups, aged 3 -7 years of age in a purpose-built building with, amongst many things, its own Library, changing rooms and covered play-area. ‘Little P’ not only boasts excellent facilities, but also experienced, well-qualified staff, with dedicated classroom assistants on hand. The department is bright, modern and secure.
The aim is for our children to become good citizens for the future with excellent values, enabling them to become learners for life. This is achieved through active involvement, hands on practical experiences, which embed and consolidate their new understanding, throughout all areas of the curriculum.
The children have the opportunity to respond physically, emotionally, artistically and musically through an exciting and inspirational creative curriculum. In addition, our children benefit from the skills of specialist teachers. Technology is used in all its forms and the children benefit from the close association with Middle and Senior School.
At Prestfelde, we appreciate that early childhood is the most formative developmental stage, and are aware that the quality of experience has lifelong consequences.
Within Little Prestfelde we aspire to maintain a warm, friendly and values rich environment in which children are encouraged to be active, capable learners through exploration, play, talk and interaction with other children and adults.
We aspire to support all our children in developing a positive attitude to learning, enjoying what they set out to do, nurturing a desire to find out by exploring and in developing their creativity, being able to think critically.
Learning is focused on a range of transdisciplinary skills which provide children with the foundation for lifelong learning. This is fostered and nurtured through the use of our learning behaviour characters: Wise Owl, Tough Tortoise, Team Ant, Sensible Squirrel.
Relationships based on trust and respect are central to the child’s emotional and physical health and learning. Children, supported by experienced and well qualified staff are encouraged to become confident, secure, independent, and caring individuals.
Our curriculum supports learning through inquiry and play based approaches, as educators we look for ways to capture children’s natural curiosity and shape their exploration in meaningful contexts. This has resulted in excellent outcomes for all children with a focus upon their accelerated progress.
Supporting each other
We value partnership with parents and their families. The child-family bond is of primary importance and parents have principal responsibility for their child, being the child’s first and most enduring educators. We therefore welcome parents into our school to observe, listen and take part in workshops to understand how their children are being taught and how they can support their learning.
We are committed to ensuring that children are safe and healthy, make positive contributions, enjoy and achieve. Each child is central to the direction, pace and content of their learning.
Learning to be you
We are fortunate to be set in a beautiful enabling environment, where the children can explore nature and their own physicality within a safe open space, sharing experiences within a whole school 3-13 family.
The curriculum is therefore built upon real world experiences and relationships and is not confined within subject boundaries. Key elements of this include, Forest School, stimulating clubs and links to the community, such as local maintained schools, special schools, trips and visitors to broaden and nurture a child’s cultural heritage.