Pre-Prep
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The Kindergarten children transfer into the Reception in the September following their 4th birthday and are joined by children from other local nurseries. All of them are placed into balanced classes with an appropriate mix of age, gender and ability. As the children progress through the school, they largely remain in the same class compositions. However, changes are sometimes made to enable a better balance across the classes within the year group. The children visit their new classes just before the end of the Summer term.
There are usually three Reception classes, all of which are located on the first floor of the Mulberry building. The Year 1 and 2 classrooms are situated in Mulberry and the Vicarage. All rooms are new or recently renovated. Each room is equipped with an interactive whiteboard, its dedicated computer and projector and an additional computer to enable individual ICT work on a rotational basis. All computers have hard-wired high-speed internet access (there is no longer a wireless network).
Pre-Prep pupils arrive between 8.40am and 8.55am and end their day at 3.15pm (Reception), 3.20pm (Year 1) or 3.30pm (Year 2). Reception children are given the option of having a half day on Friday until they turn five years old.
All children bring a packed lunch, which they eat together in their class or in the Church Hall, depending on the year group. This enables parents to monitor what their children eat on a day-to-day basis. We have had a ‘nut-free’ policy for a number of years to not put at risk children with nut allergies.
The children wear the blue and red Herne Hill School uniform. There are winter and summer uniforms for both boys and girls, which are still available from Peter Jones (at the end of 2008 we are switching to a new local supplier, Thomas’s School & Sports Shop at 8 Croxted Road) or through the second hand uniform sales regularly organised by our parents’ association “The Friends of Herne Hill School”.