Altrincham Preparatory School: A Message to The Parents
by Claire Finch, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Head of Early Years
Having worked at Altrincham Preparatory School for eight years, I am so proud to be Head of Early Years. It is proven that children learn more quickly during this time than at any other in life and so I feel extremely lucky to work directly with our youngest children, supported by my amazing, highly qualified and experienced team.
Our youngest boys are housed at Bank Place on Stamford Road, a bespoke Early Years building which sits next to Bell Field. The grounds are stunning and lend themselves to lots of outdoor learning, complete with tennis courts, bicycles, tricycles, outdoor construction equipment, an adventure playground, planting areas, and a football pitch, as well as access to all of the other amazing facilities that our School has to offer.
We take in boys from 2 years old and offer flexibility with a 48-week provision and a choice between either ‘school days’, half days or 8am-6pm days, as we recognise the importance of meeting the needs of the families we serve and the ever-increasing demands of balancing work and home life.
Our curriculum has evolved over recent years, and we are so proud of what we offer. We know where we need the boys to get to for academic success and have back-planned the skills needed to reach those goals. However, we also recognise that children are only able to fulfil their potential when they are happy and secure, so this is the foundation of everything we do. Our curriculum includes daily Phonics and Maths for even our youngest boys, and exploration and application of this through play. Our students also benefit from the presence of specialist teachers for Music, Games, Art, Drama and Spanish, as well as receiving instruction in all other areas of the Early Years Curriculum in a boy-centric, child-lead way.
The parent partnership is extremely important to us at APS and arguably even more so for the parents of our youngest children. We have an online platform where the relevant key worker will post images and captions; we also have a weekly Early Years Newsletter, parent workshops, stay and play sessions, class assemblies, mystery readers and an open-door policy.
Choosing the right Nursery and School for your child is an extremely important decision and a very personal one. As well as our regular Open Events, I am always happy to show families around and answer any questions they may have. Please contact admissions@altprep.co.uk or 01619283366 to arrange a chat or a tour.