Squirrels Pre-School

Squirrels Pre-School accepts children from their third birthday, up until they start their Reception year.

Pre-school children (children turning four years old between 1st September and 31st August)
We recommend that pre-school children attend Squirrels for a minimum of four sessions in the Autumn Term and increase to five sessions in the Spring and Summer Terms.

Children may attend morning sessions with lunch, or stay all day. This depends on availability and the age of the child. Wraparound care is provided by SuperPirates until 6pm and children can attend from the age of 3 years. 

* Potty Training - Children attending Squirrels are expected to be potty trained. Please speak to the school's Registrar if this is a cause for concern. 

We are open Monday to Friday throughout The Paragon school year. Click here for term dates.

We accept the Early Years entitlement vouchers which are applicable until the end of the term after the child turns five. We will claim the grant on your behalf. Visit our Fees page for further information.

Once a child attends Squirrels full-time, the school sibling discount applies.

Squirrels Pre-School provides a gentle transition from home to school, where each child is cherished and can blossom.

Squirrels is a bright, happy and caring environment which offers a secure introduction to school life. The Pre-School Leader works with a qualified nursery assistant. Between them, they provide free and structured play, child-initiated and adult-led, to ignite the children’s curiosity and encourage their enthusiasm for learning.

Good manners and moral values are an important part of education at The Paragon. We help the children develop those values through our interaction with them. We start with the small things like not pushing in front of someone or grabbing all the apple slices, moving on to more important things like owning up when you have done something you know is wrong.

We work in partnership with our parents to lay the foundations from which children grow into happy, self-confident young people. If you choose to join us at Squirrels, we will work closely with you to help your children take their first steps into school life with confidence.

We look forward to getting to know you as a family and giving your child the best possible start to their education.

We love to spend time in the school woods, discovering and exploring the world around us.

Squirrels - and The Paragon at large - is passionate about outdoor learning and transferring the children's learning into a different stimulating environment. We believe that every child should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of their development.

During the week, the children spend time in our school grounds for focused activities where they might make a stick man, an assault course for a squirrel, or discover more about the changing seasons. 

On Fridays we adventure into the woodland giving the children an opportunity to lead with the staff, responding to their ideas and inquisitive natures.

Our youngest children will most likely be found building dens, listening to the birds singing, stomping in streams, examining worms, singing songs, planting bulbs, collecting berries and counting feathers. These woodland wanderings help the children develop in many areas, including curiosity, confidence and teamwork.

Please click here to view our 2017 ISI inspection report