Charlotte House Nursery & Reception
Early Years provides our youngest girls with a happy, safe and stimulating introduction to school life.
Our bright and lively Foundation Stage is full of light, colour and laughter: it embodies all the themes of Early Years Foundation Stage, ensuring that girls get off to a flying start where their education is concerned. In our recent inspection, we were judged Outstanding in every category - one of few schools in Hertfordshire to be awarded this distinction. The Nursery's key strength is developing girls' confidence, individuality and enthusiasm for school. Every Child Matters is central to our Early Years' ethos; it translates into a broad, stimulating timetable which covers everything from visits from the fire engine and trips to the teddy bear factory to early Phonics, painting and story-telling.
The girls' daily routine includes opportunities to learn and play in the garden. Nursery often joins Reception class for projects and themed activities and this is a great opportunity for them to interact with girls from a different age group.
Attendance at Nursery is flexible: from a minimum three mornings a week, through to a full five days per week. All girls attend full-time when they go into Reception, but have the option of leaving early on a Friday afternoon.
Early Years focuses on learning through play and introduces girls to a wide range of experiences, from which they learn different skills. We also recognise that girls develop rapidly and often want to learn to read and write at an early age. Our Foundation Stage teaching actively supports this; introducing Phonics for reading, letter forming for writing and number work at an early age - alongside Art, Craft, IT, French and Music.
Because Nursery girls work so closely with Reception, the start of 'real school' holds no fears for them. In Reception, whilst still following EYFS tenets, the girls are also building on early work in phonics, sums and writing. A great deal of progress has been made by the time everyone moves up to Form I's more structured classroom enviroment.
“This outstanding setting fully meets the needs of all children while appreciating their individual differences.”
“Leadership and management are outstanding, with clear vision and understanding of high standards.”
“The quality of provision is outstanding.”
“Outcomes for children are outstanding. They make rapid progress and are on course to meet all of the Early Learning Goals by the end of their Reception year, with many likely to exceed them.” (ISI Inspection, July 2011)