Shrewsbury nursery planning new independent school

Shrewsbury Prepatoria, which was opened in 2013 by Jane Smalley, plans to launch a provision for Reception and Year One pupils.

To ensure that the new school delivers something different, Ms Smalley, an experienced Early Years Education Consultant, has drafted a brand-new curriculum which will be scrutinised by Ofsted.

She said: “Since establishing The Prepatoria four years ago, I have met many parents committed to providing their children with the best educational start in life, but for whom the current system doesn’t meet their needs once they leave us here.

“It became increasingly apparent that there was sufficient demand for an alternative to both the local state provision and the independent schools in and around Shrewsbury, but to achieve this it would be necessary to thoroughly consider the curriculum being delivered.

“When I closely analysed the National Curriculum, it became clear that its focus on academic study and outcomes simply doesn’t suit most young children.

"I researched alternatives including the Scandinavian model, Reggio Emilia (on which the values of our nursery and pre-school are based) and the Welsh Foundation Phase and set about creating a bespoke and unique approach that drew on the best aspects of each of these.”

The curriculum that Shrewsbury Prepatoria hopes to deliver focuses on the whole child with the emphasis being on helping each pupil to develop emotionally, socially and with moral, spiritual and cultural awareness.

Ms Smalley added: "This new curriculum includes a robust assessment process and is, I believe, the perfect approach for children to develop holistically so that they thrive in a more formal education setting later.

“With a background delivering Early Years Education in school settings, I am totally committed to ensuring that the children who pass through both our nursery and pre-school and, in the future, our reception and year one classes, do so in a way that supports them to develop resilience and self-regulation whilst promoting their well-being."

Aside from delivering a new curriculum, the new Prepatoria School will also operate on a model not seen elsewhere in Shropshire.

Open for 48 weeks of the year, the school will deliver the curriculum in a way that repeats key topics in different ways throughout the year to ensure that any children taken out for holidays will not miss out. It will cover linguistic development, mathematical development, physical development, human & social development, technological development and aesthetic & creative development.

The Prepatoria’s application has been accepted by the Department for Education and it is anticipated that Ofsted will grant the school its full licence in the coming weeks, ready for the first intake in September 2018.