Pre-Preparatory

Reception

Most of the girls attending the nursery school move on together to the two Reception classes based on the Twickenham site in the September after their 4th birthday. Those in the same nursery group remain together and are joined by other entrants who are offered the remaining available places. Classes are small with typically no more than 16 pupils in each group meaning that the adult to child ratio remains high.

As they are still part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, these girls enjoy the benefit of this child directed, play based approach, coupled with our own traditional curriculum which has operated so successfully over many years. In practical terms the day is arranged so that the girls experience the more formal approach to the teaching of literacy and numeracy in the mornings followed by a full range of creative, investigative and imaginative activities in the nursery setting during the afternoons. They therefore experience the best of both worlds and make the move to our Year 1 classes, based on the Hampton site, with enhanced competency in the key skills and ready to confidently tackle the more advanced demands of the curriculum there.

Girls in the Reception classes are part of the Upper school and join with the older girls for all show events except at the end of the autumn term when they perform their own Christmas Nativity show in the school hall at Twickenham.  Parents remain close partners with the school, participating fully in the completion of their daughter's learning journey and culminating in the completion of the statutory Early Years profile at the end of the year.

 

Pre-Preparatory

Girls in the four classes based on the Hampton site are taught the same traditional curriculum devoted to acceleration in literacy and numeracy during the mornings, balanced by a full range of additional subjects in the afternoons.

Those subjects requiring greater or more specialist space than is available at Hampton are taught at Twickenham and the girls transfer there by coach for three afternoons each week.  Additionally, all girls have a weekly swimming lesson, taught in small groups, at the new pool complex of a local Preparatory school.

The unique, homely environment offered by the premises at Hampton, together with high quality teaching and guaranteed individual attention, enables each child to not only develop her academic skills to their full potential but also to flourish emotionally and socially. Girls at this stage of the school are guided and encouraged to have regard not only for their own development and achievements but also to celebrate those of others. We have strong house system where each child belongs to one of the school's three teams and participates in a weekly team assembly led by captains appointed from the Year 2 pupils. Girls also gain awareness of the wider community and global issues through the school's citizenship and diversity programme.

Girls are prepared for entry to a variety of preparatory schools, the majority of which assess children after Christmas during the final year at Jack and Jill. Teachers collaborate with parents to choose the school most suited to each child's abilities, interests and aptitudes and then prepare the girls for a successful transition.  Finding a school where each child will continue to be happy and flourish is of paramount importance, and is the measure by which we consider ourselves to be successful. Feedback from past pupils, their parents and the schools to which they most frequently transfer confirms this. The majority of leavers go on to attend The Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton, though our pupils also go on to Bute House Preparatory School, Newland House School and Surbiton High School.

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