The first few weeks of the school year have a particular feel to them. New shoes, new names to learn, and (for the families who have just joined us) a new routine settling into place. To everyone starting with us in Pre-Nursery, Nursery and Reception this term: welcome. We are delighted you are here.
Choosing a nursery in Harpenden, or a school for your daughter’s Reception year, is one of the bigger decisions a family makes. Here is a little of what the term ahead holds, and how we work together to make the start a happy one.
Settling in happens at your child’s pace, not the calendar’s
Some children walk in on day one without a backward glance. Others need a fortnight, a familiar toy and a slightly longer goodbye at the door. Both are entirely normal, and neither predicts anything at all about how the year will go.
What matters is that the adults around your child are paying attention. Our Pre-Prep department works closely together, so the person greeting your daughter in the morning knows how yesterday went. If something is unsettling her (lunchtime, the noise of the hall, a friendship that has not clicked yet) we would far rather hear about it in week two than at the first parents’ evening.
Inside our independent nursery in Harpenden
Our nursery welcomes boys and girls from the age of two, across two rooms: Puffins for our Pre-Nursery children aged 2–3, and Kittiwakes for Nursery children aged 3–4. From Reception onwards, St Hilda’s is a girls’ school.
Both rooms follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework across its seven areas of learning, with a deliberate balance of adult-led activity and child-initiated play, indoors and out. In practice that means a morning might hold a phonics game, a muddy expedition and twenty minutes of nothing more structured than building something enormous out of blocks, all of which is doing real work. Running through it are the qualities we want every child to grow into: caring, curious and confident.
What a day in Reception actually looks like
Reception is the first year of full-time school, and the day has a rhythm the girls pick up quickly:
- The day starts at 8.20am with Busy Fingers; fine motor skills activities to wake the hands up before writing
- Adult-led literacy and maths take place in the morning, when concentration is at its best
- Afternoons are topic-based and more exploratory, with plenty of learning outdoors and in the local community
- Specialist teachers take music, French and PE; a real benefit of an independent pre-prep setting
- The school day ends at 3.10pm, with wraparound care available from 7.30am to 6.00pm
You can see the shape of a full day on our Day in the Life of Pre-Prep page, which is worth a look with your daughter — children often settle faster when they can picture what is coming.
How you can help in these first few weeks
- Keep goodbyes short and cheerful; lingering is harder on everyone, your child included
- Protect bedtime; tiredness is behind most wobbles in September
- Name absolutely everything, from water bottles to wellies
- Ask specific questions after school — “who did you sit next to at lunch?” works better than “how was your day?”
- Expect tiredness and the occasional backwards step; both usually pass by half term
Talk to us – and dates for the diary
You will hear from your daughter’s teacher regularly, but please do not wait for a formal moment if something is on your mind. A quick word at the door or an email is always welcome.
Term dates for the year are on our website, and if you know a family still looking at nurseries or independent pre-prep schools in Hertfordshire, our Open Morning on Saturday 3 October (10am–12pm) and our Reception Open Event on Wednesday 7 October are both open for booking. A personal recommendation from a current parent means a great deal to us.
Here is to a happy and busy first term.
