Welcome to our nursery
tour. The Kindergarten and Nursery School (often known simply as the Cottage
Nursery) together provide the early years facilities of
Clarendon Cottage Preparatory School, a fully registered and highly successful local independent school.
We were established in 1989, so we have plenty of years of experience behind us,
which has allowed us to build our own unique approach
to childcare. This is a dynamic 
fusion of care and education the balance of
which shifts as the child progresses, meeting and challenging children's needs
as they develop. The nursery has gained a very good reputation within the
community over the years and is correctly known for the strong educational
content of the care we provide. We provide fully professional childcare for
babies, from just a few months old through to school age; allowing you complete
peace of mind to return to work. The care meets all the requirements of the
Children Act and it is hoped that our commitment to caring and attention to detail is evident as you progress
through the tour. The nursery school is regarded as providing the most advanced
nursery education within the wider area, with a very strong commitment to early reading
and writing within a well balanced and exciting curriculum - it really is difficult to
imagine any more auspicious start for a child. Parents wishing their children to
attend local authorit
y schools often take advantage of the advanced nursery education,
while
offsetting the fees with nursery education grant and so greatly reducing the cost. It is important to understand
that we are not the same as local day nurseries - none have the same philosophy or ethos or can offer the educational
competence, backed by the Prep School, that we can. For example, we provide a
qualified nursery teacher in each class from Pre-Prep up and your child would
enter Pre-Prep at about 2 years 3months old. This commitment to your child's
early education is a world apart from what other nurseries may claim to offer.
To help visitors find out about the nursery and to understand what makes us so different, we have constructed this nursery tour. The tour is conducted by the head of the nursery, and with text and images it will take you through the baby group, through the main nursery and then the nursery school. There is considerable detail in the tour, which we felt was necessary to convey our philosophy, and we hope that you find the tour both informative and enjoyable. It is written in style that tries to reflect the narrative contained within a real tour.
