Heywood Prep, Corsham
Heywood Prep, Corsham

Early Years at Heywood

Early years at Heywood Prep starts in the Nursery and continues through into Reception at the main school.

We understand how critical these first years are in setting your child’s long-term attitude towards learning and school. So our aim is create a warm, happy and nurturing environment, an extension of your child’s home, packed with cheerfulness, reassurance, play, friends, support and imagination. And here we encourage the complete development of the whole child, helping them to mature into loving, independent, thoughtful individuals.  While the emphasis for the child is on happiness and fun, behind the scenes, our planning of the curriculum and the general organisation of the school is carefully crafted to support every aspect of their development.

Heywood Nursery

Heywood Nursery, housed in Corsham’s old fire station, is where your child will take his or her very first steps into a world of discovery and learning. Led by the hugely experienced Mrs Alex Jones, with her enthusiastic team of four further nursery teachers and two nursery assistants, Heywood Nursery offers a gentle and supportive transition from home to formal education.

In this cheerful and inspiring environment, our youngest children in the Sapling class quickly settle in, make friends and build confidence as they explore and enjoy the world beyond their home and family. There are skills to be learned and developed, new experiences to try, friendships to share and challenges to tackle and overcome. With the emphasis on fun and play, there is plenty of learning happening, and in the morning sessions, even our youngest children begin experimenting with the wonders of words and the magic of maths! There is time too for storytelling, creativity, music and physical activities. They have access to two delightful dedicated playgrounds, while walks in the beautiful landscaped grounds of Corsham Court take place every week

As the children grow and move up into the Pre-School classes, Oak, Beech and Ash, our focus shifts towards developing independence, tackling early-learning skills and addressing school readiness. With an eye to their continuing education, we ensure that transition into Reception class, and big school, is seamless and approached with enthusiasm by the children. They set to work developing problem-solving skills, and begin learning phonics, steadily building letters and sounds, inspired as the glorious world of books comes within their grasp.

All our children benefit from specialist teachers for Forest School, French, Music, Dance and PE. In PE, the children develop gross motor skills, which will help them pursue an active life.

"It's hard putting the care of your child into the hands of someone else for the first time. But it was such a warm and caring place, I truly felt it was the perfect first step for my little boy. He was clearly so happy in that environment, so fond of the staff and so excited to tell me everything that went on there, I knew it had been the right decision. " Previous parent