The Pre-Prep is a vibrant and caring environment, enriching children’s lives through a broad and well-balanced curriculum.

Our children are self-confident and respectful and have a great enthusiasm for learning. Small class sizes allow our educators to give the best learning experiences to every child.

  • Being Nurtured – Our nurturing and stimulating environment continues to build upon the strong foundations and key skills of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We have created a learning environment which is exciting and varied. We produce motivated learners with high levels of achievement through success. They receive praise to assist in their successful progression and to build self-confidence. Whole class, group teaching and individual attention promote happy, active learning.
  • Being Responsible – The children will be encouraged to become more independent and responsible. The wide range of activities provided by fully qualified staff in a well-structured day enables each child to reach his or her own potential.
  • Being Self-assured – All children participate in concerts and performances throughout the year. In addition, a variety of clubs provide a wonderful opportunity for children to further explore many different areas of creativity, expressive arts and physical activities.
  • Being Mindful – Pupils are given the opportunity for quiet reflection and a chance to share their thoughts and feelings with others during class sessions. Educational trips, and visitors further enhance these topics and enrich our children’s learning. Learning is also enriched through our varied co-curricular programme.

Our Pre-Prep Department exudes warmth and friendliness. Our caring and professional educators quickly recognise your child’s strengths and support their learning, so that they are happy and well-rounded. We provide sound academic and creative foundations on which the children can build upon in the years to come.

Reception (4-5 Years) 

Reception at Ashley Manor is focused on promoting independence, exploration and self-confidence in our secure and nurturing environment. Following the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), play is at the heart of our every activity and we provide varied and valuable opportunities for the children to practise their skills across the seven areas of learning and development. Our themes and mini topics are therefore inspired by the children’s interests to encourage a curiosity for learning and have-a-go attitude towards every task. Reception children begin their specialist French and Music sessions, and enjoy their focused PE, Art, Computing, Science and RE lessons, which offer a broad and enriching curriculum in preparation for Key Stage One. In addition to our classroom provision, Reception children thrive within our beautiful surroundings, enjoying our stimulating trim trails in the playground, dedicated Forest School area and hands on experiences with the animals at our farm.

Year 1 & Year 2 (5-7 Years)

In Years 1 and 2, our pupils are taught the core subjects of Literacy, Mathematics and Science and a broad range of foundation subjects. Alongside these, specialist lessons in French, Music, Computing, Swimming, Forest School and PE add an extra dimension.

Forest School,  Outdoor Learning and Specialist Teaching

All children in Pre-Prep take part in Forest School sessions and use the School Farm to complement learning in the classroom. Our educational programme also involves inspiring visits to nature reserves, the seashore, farms and other local places of interest.

Ashley Manor prides itself on a high level of pastoral care. The school is  open, family orientated and friendly. The Headmaster and the Senior Leadership Team are “hands on” and along with the class teachers, work hard to ensure that the pupils are productive and happy, and that parents are involved with every stage of their children’s education.

The children receive specialist teaching in the following subjects:

  • French
  • Spanish
  • Latin
  • Music
  • PE
  • Computing
  • Art
  • Science
  • Design Technology (STEM)
  • Drama

The above specialist subjects are taught in dedicated classrooms/labs.