Nursery and Pre-Prep
The Castle Court Pathway begins in the nursery, Badger Cubs and Badgers, grows through to Reception and Pre-Prep and the senior years in the school.
Our Nursery and Pre-Prep teams recognise and celebrate each child’s unique personality and learning journey. All children are encouraged to form positive relationships with each other and with the adults who care for them in school, and parents are welcomed into classrooms to share the wonder of their child’s learning.
The children in Badger Cubs and Badgers, our nursery years, and Reception are based in the heart of the school. The environments in which the children learn are exciting and stimulating, both in the classrooms and outside in our glorious 60-acre grounds. Castle Court has excellent resources including ICT suites, a Performing Arts Centre, sports hall and astro, as well as comfortable areas where children can be themselves.
These principles foster the characteristics of effective early learning:
- Playing and exploring
- Active learning
- Creating and thinking critically
The children in these early years use the facilities on offer around the school, and are taught sport (including swimming), dance and music by specialist teachers. They are seen as part of the whole prep school and pay a key roll in whole school events such as services, sports days and plays.
Years 1 and 2
As the children move into Year 1 and 2, the importance of these principles continue to be central to life in the Pre-Prep. Each child is nurtured and benefits from a broad curriculum where Forest School, drama, dance, sport and music skills are integrated alongside mathematics and literacy. The Castle Court 7Cs (collaboration, courage, creativity, compassion, commitment, curiosity and courtesy) are recognised as being just as important as the academic subjects and underpin all experiences.
There is nothing more amazing than a child’s capacity to learn: to see the world through the eyes of a child is to see a world of awe and wonder, of endless questions and possibilities. We nurture children’s innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge by giving them the time and space to explore, question and learn with others.
Our child-centred approach ensures that each child receives the attention and support they need to grow in confidence, develop academically and flourish as individuals.
