Arnold House School EARLY YEARS
WELCOME Welcome to the Early Years at Arnold House School. The Huxley building at Marlborough Place was acquired by Arnold House School in 2020 and enabled the School to realise its long-term vision of being able to expand into Early Years and start an Arnold House boy’s educational journey at the School at 3+.
Mr Giles Tollit, Headmaster
Mrs Victoria McKenzie, Head of Early Years
OUR ENVIRONMENT
STRUCTURE & STAFFING
The Early Years spaces have been designed using a wonderful range of resources and furniture. The décor is light, bright and airy with plenty of space for the boys to explore. The environment is carefully considered to ensure the boys first steps away from home are positive, safe, and stimulating. Resources and equipment reflect a sustainable approach, with authentic reallife objects and natural, upcycled transient materials, also depicting a range of cultural backgrounds. The outdoor provision is spacious, also showcasing a Forest School area. The grand Huxley Hall is used for Assemblies, Music and PE as well as for drama workshops and class performances. The boys eat their lunch in year groups, in the dining room, beside the kitchen, where everything is cooked onsite.
The earliest starting point of the school begins in Pre-Reception where boys are 3-4 years old. The boys then progress into Reception, with their established teacher, at the age of 4-5 years old. This allows two years of consistent care and attention, enabling teachers to support emotional wellbeing and resilience, in preparation for Year 1. Arnold House School has a two-form entry. Each Early Years class has 20 boys, with one teacher and two teaching assistants in Pre-Reception (ratio 1-7), and one teacher and one teaching assistant in Reception. In Reception, there is also a Lead Teacher who works closely with both forms (ratio 1:8). A key person approach is embedded in the Early Years to ensure maximum care and attention is given to each boy.
ARNOLD HOUSE SCHOOL - EARLY YEARS
CURRICULUM All the boys in Pre-Reception and Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships, and thriving. These are the Prime Areas: • communication and language • physical development • personal, social, and emotional development There are four Specific Areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The Specific Areas are: • literacy • mathematics • understanding the world • expressive arts and design In Literacy, we focus on Comprehension, Reading, Story Scribing, Phonics and Handwriting, whilst in Mathematics, we look to promote mastery of the area, exploring recall, subitising, number bonds, numerical patterns, quantity, even and odd numbers and double facts. Primarily, we focus on numbers to 10, looking to extend beyond at the right stage. All other areas of the curriculum are seen throughout the continuous
and enhanced provision, and are strengthened in the boys’ own investigations and interests. The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning are embedded in all that we do at Arnold House, with many opportunities for the boys to make excellent progress. • Playing and exploring – engagement. Finding out and exploring. Playing with what they know... • Active learning – motivation. Being involved and concentrating. Keeping trying... • Creating and thinking critically – thinking. Having their own ideas... The mornings are adult-directed, focusing on core subjects such as Mathematics and Literacy. The afternoons lean toward the creative side, focusing on Topic and Forest School. ‘In the Moment Planning’ is also embedded in the routine, following the interests of the boys and extending their learning. The boys have constant access to an inviting continuous provision where they can initiate their own learning experiences. Each week, Music, French and PE are taught by specialist teachers. At Arnold House, we value everyone’s background, and welcome opportunities for families to come into school to share their experiences reflecting culture and diversity and also any skills.
WHY HUXLEY? The building was once the family home of Thomas Huxley, one of the 19th century’s finest scientists and a committed educational reformer. A friend of Charles Darwin, he once said “Try to learn something about everything.” Inspiration indeed!
ARNOLD HOUSE SCHOOL - EARLY YEARS
HOW TO APPLY Entry to Arnold House is at 3+ into Pre-Reception. Boys should have had their 3rd birthday by September 1st in the year of entry. Registrations are accepted before your son’s second birthday. Registrations will be considered subject to availability and the admission requirements of the School at the time when places are offered.
before your son’s proposed date of entry. Whilst places are not guaranteed, younger siblings, whose parents remain fully committed to the ethos and values of the School are looked upon favourably, as are the sons of Arnold House old boys. Please email the Registrar registrar@arnoldhouse.co.uk with any queries or phone 020 7266 4840.
The Registrar will invite you to attend an open evening the year
ARNOLD HOUSE SCHOOL, 1 Loudoun Road, St John’s Wood, London, NW8 0LH Tel: +44 (0)20 7266 4840 Email: office@arnoldhouse.co.uk