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Early Years
Your child’s Early Years with us will be engaging and enjoyable. Our Kindergarten for 3-4 year olds provides a bright, welcoming environment where children form secure and positive relationships with caring adults. This supportive atmosphere helps the youngest members of our school settle in quickly and confidently.
Specialist teaching starts now
At Berkhampstead, our children benefit from specialist teaching in French, Music and PE from day one in Kindergarten. These subjects are introduced through engaging stories, rhyme, rhythm and fun activities, laying a strong foundation for the years ahead. Our dedicated and experienced staff ensure every day is filled with excitement and discovery. Beyond the Early Years Foundation Stage’s seven areas of learning, we offer enriching extras that we know work brilliantly for our children.
With small class sizes - capped at 18 pupils per Reception class - every child is nurtured, supported and celebrated as an individual. With an average staff-to-child ratio of 1:8, our teachers and teaching assistants provide personalised attention, tailoring their support to each child’s needs, so that all can flourish.
Leaders in the Early Years promote a welcoming and supportive environment for the children. The effective teaching of phonics in the Early Years leads to good progress in this aspect of their learning. Teachers know the children well, and plan activities which engage their interests.
— ISI Report, November 2023
Outdoor fun
In Kindergarten, children enjoy free access to the outdoors, with uninterrupted play in our well-equipped play area. Play is essential in these early years, supporting both social and academic growth. Exciting topics ignite imagination while encouraging sensory exploration and learning.
Choosing Berkhampstead School was one of our best decisions. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a caring, creative and stimulating learning environment with excellent results.
— Current parent
Specialist PE lessons are huge fun with dance, gym and ball skills being honed. The children love PE days and their agility, balance and co-ordination comes on in leaps and bounds!
Reception
Our two Reception classes thrive in bright, adjoining rooms where teaching becomes more structured, yet there’s still plenty of fun! Learning through hands-on experiences remains a key focus. Children build troll bridges, explore materials for a pig’s safe house, create mini-zoos in shoeboxes, paint self-portraits, map Red Riding Hood’s journey, write letters, make invitations, sequence stories, and put on puppet shows—just a few of the many exciting activities we enjoy.
Our topics inspire learning, and we are always eager to follow the children’s interests and passions as we explore new ideas—hearing their thoughts is always fascinating.
Kindergarten and Reception children regularly meet, performing in concerts and plays together and building strong relationships with staff across both year groups. As the year progresses, children grow in confidence, making the transition to the next stage a smooth and easy process.