What is Kindergarten?
Kindergarten offers an holistic and nurturing, Early Years Education for ages 3 to 6, covering the ages of pre-school, nursery, Reception and Year 1.
In an increasingly fast-paced world, we believe that an unhurried approach to early childhood offers the healthiest and strongest foundation for children’s academic, social, and personal growth.
In line with Europe (and 88% of nations worldwide) regarding school starting age, our carefully designed, pre-school, play-based programme builds foundational skills that allow children to flourish through school and beyond.
In the homely, caring environment of our Kindergarten, children are given the freedom to enjoy childhood. Your child learns through play, exploration and the world around them, discovering and developing without pressure, as their intellectual capacities naturally awaken. It’s a gentle introduction to school and the wider world.
Who’s it for?
Kindergarten is open for all children age 3 to 6. Children join our Kindergartens from a variety of settings for a unique Early Years Education they cannot find elsewhere.
For some it is their first step away from home and the family, others join us as a next step after nursery, pre-school, childminders or other childcare.
Families choose us as a gentle introduction to school, and though most decide to stay on to our Lower School, we welcome children who plan to move on to their local or other school setting or home-schooling.
Kindergarten runs Monday to Friday 9.00-1.00, with optional Wraparound Care from 8.00 to 3.30, 4.30 or 6.00.
Flexible attendance with wraparound care. Prices from:
- 9.00am to 1.00pm £33.03 a day
- 8.00am to 1.00pm £36.74 a day
- 9.00am to 3.30pm £41.26 a day
- 8.00am to 3.30pm £44.97 a day
- 8.00am to 4.30pm £50.02 a day
- 8.00am to 6.00pm £55.08 a day
See our full Fees & Payment Information
What our parents say…
Our Approach
The family atmosphere, mixed age group and small class size (just 16) of our Kindergartens give a deep sense of warmth and security where confidence and social skills thrive.
Children learn to play together, to work together and look after one another – developing empathy, cooperation, and self-reliance – vital building blocks for life success of all kinds.
Beautiful surroundings nourish your child’s developing senses – soft pastel fabrics, vivid water colours, the touch of beeswax, the smell of crushed lavender. In free play with simple, natural materials a wooden bench becomes a rocket, plaited wool ropes are mermaid’s hair.
This freedom to engage deeply in imaginative play is a wonderful gift – stimulating creative, inquiring minds that stay with our children for a lifetime.
Reassuring daily and weekly rhythms are the foundation for imitation and learning. Painting today, chopping vegetables for soup tomorrow, and, always, cleaning on Friday. By watching the adults busy at work children learn by seeing, doing and active participation.
Traditional songs, rhymes, and stories offer a rich exposure to language, cultivating children’s natural love of words and focusing memory and concentration; while counting games and rhythmic activities build a solid foundation for number skills.
The natural world and outdoor play are a key part of Kindergarten life. The children play outside whatever the weather.
Well wrapped up against the cold, we walk and explore the local park. Outside there’s space to run and skip, play in sand and mud and ride in a wheel-barrow.
Activities reflect the changing seasons and children celebrate a diversity of festivals throughout the year – developing a love and appreciation of nature, a sense of community and a rich inner life of feeling.
Playing, working, singing, dancing, making, exploring and story-telling – these are your child’s experience of Kindergarten. Underpinning it all, the Teacher is expertly supporting their developmental needs, gently observing and encouraging them as understanding and inquiry grow – helping your child acquire the social, physical and intellectual foundation for future learning and life.
The comforting smell of bread baking in the oven is familiar in Steiner Kindergartens around the world.
We believe that a healthy and hearty mid-morning snack provides the children with the energy and focus they need for healthy physical and neurological development.
Every morning in Kindergarten the children and teachers sit down together for a substantial, mid-morning snack – nourishing, organic, whole food with dishes rich in vegetables, grains and fruit.
Meals are freshly made at Kindergarten by our teachers and assistants using organic and seasonal ingredients. We cater for all dietary requirements including vegan and dairy and gluten free.
Daily, weekly and yearly rhythms are the foundation of Kindergarten education. We follow a consistent snack rhythm through the week creating a familiar rhythm the children love – ‘Is it Rice Day or Soup Day today?’
- Monday: Rice & Garden Vegetables
- Tuesday: Barley and Vegetable Soup with oatcakes
- Wednesday: Wholemeal, Millet Bake
- Thursday: Kindergarten spelt & rye bread with hummus & vegetable sticks
- Friday: Apple and Almond Crumble with yoghurt and seasonal fruit compote
- And everyday Fruit Salad with plenty of Water, or Children’s Tea in the colder months (warm camomile tea and apple juice)
The children help prepare the food as part of the daily work in Kindergarten – kneading the dough, peeling the vegetables, measuring and mixing the the ingredients, and buttering the bread.
Care is taken in the preparation and serving of our food. The table is set in a beautiful way with folded cloth napkins and lighted candles.
Children who are staying with us for the afternoon, enjoy a healthy lunch, that complements the morning snack.
Sustainability & the Environment
We understand the importance of living slowly, thinking about the future and the urgency of environmental protection. Parents are increasingly looking for an eco nursery or pre-school that supports these values.
Enabling children to become stewards of our fragile planet begins with developing an early and sustained connection to the earth. If we’re going to save and renew our planet, it requires people with a strong relationship to it.
Sustainability lives and breathes in the Kindergartens. It’s a conscious and intentional approach to every step that we take.
The Kindergarten curriculum embeds understanding, respect and care for the environment and celebrates our connection to the natural world. The children play outdoors every day whatever the weather, and all crafts, classroom decor, festivities, food and stories revolve around the changing seasons.
Our children are engaged in many practical tasks and learn how to do and make things for themselves – developing their resourcefulness, competence, and preparing them to be environmentalists on the deepest level.
We use eco-friendly, natural play and craft materials, made from wood, wool, cotton, silk, plants and beeswax, to develop an appreciation for natural materials through sensory experience. Many of the dolls and other toys are made by the teachers, and some by the children themselves. Conkers, twigs, leaves are collected to be played with, counted or put on the nature table.
Our classrooms have wonderful natural lighting, so overhead lights are rarely turned on and there are no computers, screens or electronic toys. We use hand brushes rather than vacuums, eco-friendly cleaning products, hand creams and soaps from natural ingredients, and recycled, uncoated toilet paper and hand towels.
Our People
Our Kindergarten team are experienced, qualified and expert Steiner Early Years Teachers and Assistants, with a warm heart and strong collaborative spirit.
With some of our team having worked together since 1999, they bring a joyful balance of fresh practices and new ideas, combined with wisdom, experience and a deep understanding of the needs and nature of young children.
Find out more about our dedicated Early Years team below.
Kindergarten Teachers
Kindergarten Assistants
Find out more
Kindergarten News
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cs-admin2022-05-01 22:45:442022-05-01 22:51:04Building Social and Emotional Skills in Nature
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cs-admin2022-04-26 23:48:002022-05-01 22:54:38Wet-on-Wet Painting in Kindergarten
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cs-admin2017-05-28 12:07:182022-05-01 21:36:24Kindergarten May FestivalWatch…
‘Becoming’ an introduction to Steiner Early Years Education
A beautiful look at Steiner Early Years Education (from birth to age 6) around the world shot in South Africa, Israel, Japan, India, South Africa, Guatemala, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany [20:36 mins]
