St John’s Pre-Reception is situated within our purpose-built Kindergarten building, enabling the children to become familiar with other children in Reception, Lower Kindergarten (Year 1) and Upper Kindergarten (Year 2) and their members of staff who may teach them once they move on from Pre-Reception.
Pre-Reception offers you flexibility to tailor sessions to your childcare needs. We offer morning 8.45am to 12pm sessions, 8.45am to 3.15pm, 8am to 6pm and the option to start at 8am and also finish at 4.30pm. We are one of a few independent schools offering the Essex County Council FEEE (15 hours) Funding for all three to four year olds. From the term after your child turns three they will qualify for FEEE Funding which gives you free afternoon sessions from 12.10pm to 3.10pm. The minimum number of sessions per week is two mornings.
We have two bright and colourful rooms which are dedicated to our Pre-Reception. Pre-Reception Garden Room (Nursery) is for our youngest children aged 2 – 3 years and the Orchard Room is for 3 – 4 year olds. This way, activities can be planned which not only target the age and stage of each child but also foster a love of learning which is carried throughout their years in education and beyond. Secure outdoor learning areas allow the children to investigate and explore, this is further enhanced in our on-site Forest School that the children attend weekly.
Our Pre-Reception staff constantly record children’s progress, highlighting their learning goals and achievements and we operate an ‘Open Door’ policy. On entry to St John’s parents are invited to join our parent portal which is used for day to day communications, reports and invoicing. In addition to the regular reports there are two ‘face to face’ parents’ evenings each academic year. Pre-Reception is an integral part of St John’s School, children in our Orchard Room (3 to 4 years) take part in Harvest Assembly, Christmas Plays and Sports Day.
For children staying throughout the day we have an onsite catering team who freshly prepare meals for the children, catering for all dietary requirements. Children are also given snacks of fruit and a biscuit/ crackers mid-morning and a similar snack mid-afternoon.
Next Steps
Come and visit us and see our Pre-Reception in operation and the exciting opportunities we can offer your child as they embark on their learning journey. Once you have visited us, registration is easy and free. All we ask is for you to return a completed registration form along with a copy of your child’s birth certificate and a latest nursery report if they have already been in a nursery/ childminder setting. We may then invite you to visit with your child and will then advise if we are happy to offer a place. At this point we will arrange an induction and uniform appointment.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
