Pre-prep (Nursery) hours are from 8.30am to 1pm or 3pm. Siblings may come into school with their older sisters from 8.40am. Prep (Reception) starts at 8.30am and finishes at 3pm each day.

Yes, there are clubs running throughout the week finishing between 3.45pm or 4.30pm

All girls wear a yellow t-shirt, yellow jumper, dark blue tracksuit bottoms, blazer and shorts all of which can be purchased from the school office. A full uniform list can be seen here by clicking on this link.

At The Village Prep, there is a real emphasis on partnership between teachers and parents, parents are always welcome at the school. We strongly encourage parents to be actively involved by bringing their daughters into the classroom, helping them engage in activities, taking part in school events and communicating regularly with their teachers. If you are interested in carrying out an activity with the class or to celebrate any cultural festival, you can discuss the idea with the class teacher. In the Early Years we welcome parent story readers.

Our morning snack includes choices of fruits and/or raw vegetables. The girls have a nutritious hot lunch, freshly prepared on site by Chef Fitz. The girls are encouraged to enjoy a varied diet at lunch from a menu incorporating all food groups. We do accept that children may not like some things however we encourage them to taste new foods. We encourage birthday celebrations (remembering we are nut free school).

At The Village Prep we use positive reinforcement to encourage and support your child in making the ‘right choices’. This consists of praising children for their achievements however, most importantly, using positive words of encouragement; telling children what to do rather than telling them what not to do. We engage children in reasoning about the pros and cons of their choices and the consequences choices may come with.

We are a nut free school that takes careful note of all allergies and known medical conditions for all our girls. All our staff are first aid trained. We work closely with parents to ensure that children are safe and that we are meeting their needs.

We do encourage you to try training before your child begins in the Early Years. If that is not possible, we will be able to support you with this process in the first term.

We do not have dedicated sleep facilities however, girls can rest in our book corner if they are feeling tired. However, we would recommend that all children needing an afternoon nap starts by attending morning sessions only.

At The Village Prep we recognise that every child is a unique individual and that all children develop different learning styles and pace. The learning in the Early Years is developed around the child’s interest, needs and personal requirements differentiated depending on each girl’s ability. We will support and extend each child as needed, during their journey through the school.
Being that we are a small school with small class sizes, means that we can easily deliver this…

The girls are exposed to a wide range of literature from the moment they start at The Village Prep. Stories are read daily by teachers, teaching assistants and prefects. Girls are encouraged to make up their own stories which we then act out (Helicopter stories) and to look through books independently.

Phonics is taught daily to enable girls to begin to access reading material. Personal reading books will be introduced in the Autumn Term when your daughter is in Prep (if we feel that your daughter is ready before this time then we will begin this stage of the reading process earlier to suit her academic needs). Books will initially be wordless, to encourage storytelling and comprehension skills. As they progress through the phonics phases, the reading books will become more challenging. Your daughter will progress through the reading scheme at her own pace, with the focus being on comprehension of the story in addition to the ability to decode and recognise words. Your daughter will read to an adult at school 3-5 times per week and reading books will be sent home for daily reading with parents.