Kindergarten & Reception

Arnold Lodge School offers girls and boys the very best start on their individual journey of learning and discovery. We make certain that every child develops solid foundations on which they can build, ensuring that they will continue to flourish throughout their school years and beyond.

Arnold Lodge School Kindergarten accepts children from the term of their third birthday. A smooth transition is made into the Reception class in the September following their fourth birthday. A flexible approach is taken to the number of half or full days that pupils attend per week. The children in the Kindergarten follow the Early Years Foundation Stage as set out by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority which is continued through to the end of the Reception year. During their time in the Kindergarten the children are encouraged to become increasingly independent, develop their skills through playing, talking, observing, questioning, experimenting, reflecting and responding to adults and to each other.

The Kindergarten is located in an attractive and welcoming self-contained building comprising of a large multi-purpose room and two smaller activity rooms enabling the teachers to run small groups of different activities throughout the day. The building is attached to a well equipped gym and there is an outside play area and garden. The Kindergarten plays an important part of school life and the children participate in assemblies and make regular visits to the Reception class. The children are provided with a healthy and nutritious lunch prepared in-house each day in the school dining hall. There is an open door policy and parents are informed of their child's development and successes informally each day and more formally at meetings held throughout the year.

Early Years Foundation Stage (Kindergarten and Reception)

The curriculum covers six areas of learning and underpins all future development and education:

• Personal Social and Emotional Development;
• Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy;
• Communication, Language and Literacy;
• Knowledge and Understanding of the World;
• Physical Development;
• Creative Development.

Children join the Arnold Lodge Reception class in the September following their fourth birthday. Although most children come directly from the Kindergarten many pupils join the school at this stage. The Reception classes occupy the whole of the ground floor of the Junior School with dedicated bright and airy spaces for children to explore, create, investigate and play. The small class sizes and wealth of books and equipment available ensure that learning can be initiated and encouraged by the interests of the individual child. In addition to the Early Years Curriculum the children enjoy French, ICT, music and swimming during the summer term. Children in Reception can join a number of clubs including Spanish, ballet, tap, karate and chess and are taken on visits to local places of interest to supplement a topic they are covering. The children also participate in a busy schedule of school events including sports days, music concerts and plays, book weeks, charity days, Christmas concerts and themed days.