Back in the 1960’s, Notting Hill children pioneered a path of adventure, risk taking and exploration and created the very first adventure playground in London. Drawing inspiration from adventures and discovery. In a time of walls and barriers, our nursery will be influenced by the Age of Exploration, where the simple act of going somewhere was an adventure and the possibility of discovery was around every corner - Grand West Pre-Prep promises to be its own vessel of exploration for children, one that will depart at parent drop off and arrive back at pick up time.

Grand West Pre-Prep, widely regarded as one of the top nurseries in London, is the vision of Stuart Bamford who is also the founder of Chelsea Pre-Prep, Archmore Gardens Pre-Prep and, Kingsland Pre-Prep - named top 6 schools in the world leading innovation and creativity in education by WISE. Our adventure first started in 2009, and since then we have passionately care for children and families in London as well as navigating parents through the London 4+ assessments and next schools.

Our Pre-Prep

Grand West is docked at Lancaster Road, a mere 20 metres from Portobello Road. The nursery facilities are remarkable, including a large garden for lots of outdoor learning and a art atelier for creators, makers and doers, a welcome deck, a performance studio and seven unique classrooms for children aged 2 to 4+.

Grand West Pre-Prep operates term-time only. There are three terms in the school year, beginning in September, January and April. We offer a morning session from 8:30am - 12pm, an afternoon session from 12:30pm - 4pm and full day sessions from 8:30am - 3:15pm. Children start from 2 years of age and we aim for a spread of birthdates throughout the year. Admissions are given priority to siblings and then on a first come basis.

Full days are all about getting physical and active. Early childhood is about discovering new talents and skills and our teachers will be able to bring out the Serena Williams or Carlos Acosta within. Kingsland also offers after-school clubs run by our teachers until 4pm. At present we ask parents to provide a packed lunch for those children staying all day.

Food - We provide children with healthy, delicious, and seasonal snacks that they look forward to eating and preparing themselves. We take responsibility in encouraging healthy and active habits from the start. We believe that choosing, preparing food and sitting together are crucial opportunities to bond with family and friends.

Specialist subjects - We are one of the first in London to directly employ specialised Sports, Dance & Performance teachers. Rocket Pre-Preps aim to equip children with the skills needed to be confident, competent and motivated to move as well as nurturing an appreciation for the arts and expressing one self confidently through music, performance and dance. We also have external specialist teachers such as Bilingual Beats, who come in to teach Music & Spanish for all children on a weekly basis, and termly story-telling with Cat & Hutch for our older children.

The Rocket Approach

We are not your traditional school, at Rocket we transform our spaces into ‘theatres of learning’ where spark and wonder keep children motivated to explore, create, adapt, persevere, and collaborate. Most settings work around the same topics year after year, these are pre-set and not long which means learning tends to be superficial. Decades of experience tell us that children learn best when they are allowed to follow their own interests and to explore real-word concepts through hands-on learning, at their own pace. For us schools should not just be a place where children sit waiting to be filled in with information but a place of connection, friendship, adventure and discovery.

Our approach allows for meaningful and child-centred education where both adults and children engage together in the inquiry process as they remain curious, create, connect and collaborate. Individual aptitudes, skills, knowledge and needs will determine how complex a project becomes and how teachers will plan their role in guiding and supporting children’s progress. We have also developed our own set of practical skills necessary for everyday life tasks as well as a ‘Rocket camp’ for our older children which focuses on environmental citizenship and nurturing the connection with the outdoors and nature.

We also place huge importance in wellbeing and allowing children to make a positive contribution by engaging with the wider community. Throughout the years we have collaborated with organisations such as Little Village, Felix project and Glass door as well as taking part in environmental projects.

Training and professional development is also at the heart of our vision for changing Education, we cannot underestimate the impact of high quality teaching. Our teachers are highly skilled at nurturing children’s understanding of the world and themselves as they build on their individual needs, interests and questions with hands-on project based learning which is underpinned by our four key values: Be Imaginative, Be Brave, Be Creative, Be Kind and framed by the EYFS. Our team brings in a diverse and unique blend of experiences, knowledge and talents which allows children to thrive and to become lifelong learners, makers and doers and possibility thinkers as well as being ready for future transitions, including next schools. How can we nurture the thinkers and makers of tomorrow if we don’t give children a chance to imagine and to take risks?
Grand West Pre-Prep recently achieved an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ grading in all areas, you can find the report here.

Grand West Pre-Prep is part of our Rocket Productions Pre-Preps, If you want to know more about what we do at Rocket Productions Pre-Preps and how we want to change Education click here.

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