Our lively Pre-Prep Department comprises three year groups, each with two-form entry; our small class sizes (maximum of 22 pupils) provide the perfect learning environment, with an emphasis on building confidence, relationships and key skills.
Each year, pre-prep pupils enjoy a wide range of new experiences, from performing on the stage during the Christmas nativity, to racing along the track during our annual Sports Day.
Children begin reception in the September following their fourth birthday. Our bright, colourful reception rooms incorporate specific areas for learning and play. Renovated in 2020, our outdoor classroom provides a stimulating open-air environment, complete with climbing frame, herb garden and mud kitchen – perfect for learning new skills.
Since 2013, our unique, tailored reception curriculum has been exempt from the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ framework (EYFS) – click here to learn more about this exemption.
All reception pupils are paired with a year 6 ‘big girl’, who acts as a sister figure throughout their first year at Holy Cross Prep.
You can enjoy a ‘day in the life of a reception pupil’ from the eyes of one of our youngest learners.
As pupils enter year 1, they continue to build and consolidate the skills learned during reception. Through the acquisition of new strategies for learning, our year 1 pupils develop their independence, as they discover and explore the wider curriculum.
In year 2, pupils build on the skills and knowledge they learned in year 1. Class teachers ensure that every pupil feels happy and safe, and is successful in achieving to their highest attainment. There is a focus on developing the girls’ independence and preparing them for life as a junior pupil; teachers nurture and encourage the feelings of independent thinking, learning and decision-making.
