MENU

Pilgrims School | The Harpur Trust Pre Prep

An independent school for children aged 3 months to 7 years

CONTACT US

Little Pilgrims

3 months to 2 years

In Little Pilgrims, the youngest members of our school learn and develop through play, in a happy, safe and vibrant environment. Separated into three distinct rooms (Little Toddlers, Toddlers and Pre Kindergarten) set aside from the main building, the facilities and resources within Little Pilgrims have been specifically designed to support each stage of your child’s development. Each room has ‘free-flow’ access to a large outdoor space which includes a climbing wall, a mud kitchen, a slide and even a ‘hide’ to keep a close watch on the wildlife visiting the school pond. Even our youngest children take part in Forest School and music sessions throughout the week.

Kindergarten

2 Turning 3 year olds

In Kindergarten, the children are in their proper academic year group for the first time. Swimming lessons form part of the busy Kindergarten weekly timetable, starting in the Spring term. The children also take part in specialist sessions for Forest School, music and Hall Time.

Pre school

3 Turning 4 year olds

Our Pre School building sits at the front of the school and benefits from a large open-plan room with distinct areas for learning and play. The room also has free-flow access to an outdoor courtyard as well as a separate playground and garden. Snack and mealtimes are served in Pre School within its own specially designed area. There is also a quiet group room for the children’s phonics and numeracy sessions which are led by the Pre School teacher. Pre School’s weekly timetable also includes specialist sessions for swimming, Forest School, music, IT and PE.

LET THEM BE HAPPY AND SAFE

Getting to know each other is a priority. We want to learn as much as possible about your child and their routine. We offer play visits before your child joins us so you can meet your key person – an invaluable way to establish relationships, develop confidence and help your child through the initial stages of settling in.

LET THEM EXPLORE AND DISCOVER

From digging in the mud kitchen, to finding the ingredients for a pie, discovering what you can see from the top of our look-out tower or exploring the meadows to find out what creatures live there, there’s lots to discover at Pilgrims.

LET THEM BE CURIOUS AND CREATIVE

Turning a page to find out what happens next, stepping into jelly and exploring the sensation between your toes or becoming an astronaut and flying to the moon in a rocket.

Throughout the day, the children will have access to a wide range of activities such as role play, art and craft, design and make, together with their other timetabled sessions for swimming (Kindergarten and Pre School), music and Forest School.

What we offer

To make things easier for parents, we supply all nappies, wipes and suncream (as age appropriate). Our school meals are prepared freshly each day in our school kitchen and the cost is included in the session fee. Special dietary requirements are catered for and parents will be given the opportunity to talk through these in more detail during their child’s play visit.

Nursery Grant Funding: Pilgrims School offers the 15 hour ‘universal’ funding, and we are pleased to now offer the 30-hour childcare funding from September 2026, find out more here.

Our Early Years provision is Ofsted registered for children aged 0–5 (up to 31 August after their fifth birthday) under the Early Years Register, where EYFS statutory requirements apply.

Sessions

Little Pilgrims, Kindergarten and Pre School is open between 8.00am and 6.00pm. Parents can choose from the below session timings. There is a minimum requirement of 2 days/sessions per week in Little Pilgrims and Kindergarten. This rises to 3 days/sessions per week in Pre School. Parents can also choose between the Pilgrims term time (approximately 35 weeks per year) and the annual term (approximately 50 weeks per year). Fees for each session can be found on our admissions page.

Session times:

  • Full day 8am to 6pm – includes breakfast, snack, lunch, afternoon snack and a hot tea
  • School Day 8.45am – 3.30pm – includes lunch
  • Little Larks 8am – 8.45am – includes breakfast
  • Little Owls 3.30pm – 6pm includes tea