Foundation Stage: Pre-Prep & Prep
Children in Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. This covers the following seven areas of learning and development which are important and inter-connected.
Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and to thrive.
The three prime areas are:
The specific areas are:
These seven key areas are at the core of the children’s learning within the Nursery and Reception and form the foundations upon which the children will build as they move up to Form 1 and further up the school.
Through the provision of child-led activities every day, children within our Foundation Stage are encouraged to ‘have a go’ and feel secure in taking chances to try something new, even if they may not initially succeed.
The needs of the children are met by an experienced team of staff who know them well and regularly observe each child’s interests and interactions. Accordingly, staff are well-placed to support and extend the children’s learning.
Children at St Michael’s enjoy their Pre-Prep journey from the ages of 4 to 7. The children are surrounded by a rich and fulfilling learning environment that not only supports their understanding and development, it nourishes their interests and encourages curiosity within the setting. Our broad and balanced curriculum, based on the National Curriculum, provides many enrichment activities to further the children’s knowledge and skills. The carefully planned progression from learning through play, to a more formalised style of learning, enables the children to make outstanding progress by the end of Pre-prep. Children leave Pre-prep with the foundations needed for being an independent learner, along with lifelong skills for effective communication and ready to acquire new knowledge as they embark on their learning journey in Prep.
We offer the pupils of St Michael’s School a learning experience that is truly memorable and will inspire them to have a life-long love of learning. We aim to achieve this by creating a rich and stimulating environment where the pupils feel confident, their natural curiosity is nurtured and they develop a desire to aim high.
We are committed to providing a curriculum that is broad, challenging and differentiated to suit their needs.
All subjects are valued and we offer a balanced and stimulating variety of learning opportunities.
With our curriculum for the 21st Century; we endeavour to foster independent learners who are confident in the use of new technology and have the skills to access knowledge and develop their practical and problem-solving skills.
We encourage pupils to discuss, reflect and evaluate their learning experiences.
Come and see for yourself
Book a personal visit or register for one of our open days
Visit our school so you can see for yourselves the class sizes, the dedication and commitment of our staff, the range of facilities and resources available to enhance your child’s learning, meet our pupils and confidently make the right decision for your child.
“Just a note to say thank you to St Michael's for our son's 8 years at the school. He's enjoyed every second of it and has fully embraced all the opportunities the school has to offer. I'm sure his time at the school will stand him in excellent stead for secondary school. As an additional mention, I wanted to let you know how wonderful Mrs Matthews has been for our daughter in Year 4. We've always felt that the teaching has been very good at the school but Mrs Matthews seems to be on a whole other level! Her communication, feedback and encouragement has been excellent. She has clearly spent time really getting to understand the children and our adughter's confidence and ability has come on in leaps and bounds. We cannot thank her enough! ”
- Mrs Levell, Parent
“After a lengthy search in West Oxfordshire at numerous other private schools, I found none of them were a patch on St Michael's. They had huge grounds, impressive sporting and drama facilities, however the special family/nurturing feel we've always loved about St Michael's just wasn't there at all. I decided that if we couldn't find a school which measured up to St Michael's, then there was little point in moving, so we stopped the house move and are remaining where we are.”
- Mrs Falconer, Parent
“During my time at St Michaels, not only did I really enjoy it, I found that I wasn’t scared to move on and I felt prepared and ready for senior school. I now realise just how much the school gave me and at Senior School, I have found topics that I had already covered or had been hinted to in the lessons at St Michael’s. So I really thank the school and feel grateful for the preparation that I had and now use. ”
- Francesca Halling, Former Pupil
“As a former pupil, St. Michael's was the obvious choice. Their values and school ethos have remained the same and Sophia has become a confident, caring and hardworking individual. ”
- Mrs Lloyd, Former Parent
“Just wanted to say a big Thank You to all staff and teachers over the last few months. As a full time working Mum I don't know what I would have done without the structure provided each day.”
- Mrs Homer, Parent
“..thriving, secure, ‘family feel’ environment where children are positively nurtured as individuals and able to reach their own potential.”
- Mrs Foy, Parent
“St. Michael's is a wonderful school. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a safe haven for their child to grow, learn to be well rounded individuals with the love of God in their hearts and love for all human beings as well as develop academically putting them in a good position ready for the next level of education.”
- Mrs Balogun, Former Parent
“St. Michael's is a well organised school with a long track record of academic excellence. The small classes combined with the warmth and positivity of the staff make it a fantastic place to learn, grow and thrive. I loved my time at the school so for me the choice was simple. ”
- Mrs Grant, Parent and Former Pupil
“St. Michael's has been on our radar for the last few years following on from various positive conversations with different people about the school, your results and the general atmosphere and approach. With our daughter now turning two, we felt it was a good time to start enquiring and visiting the school. We're so glad we did!”
- Prospective Parent
