Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School

The Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School is an independent private school in Highgate bordering Hampstead, Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Finchley. It was founded in 1977, and became a member of the IAPS (Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools) in 2009.

The school is situated in a quiet, residential street in Highgate, conveniently placed for easy access to the tube and local busses. It occupies a large, rambling Victorian house with a very large, spacious garden.

The priority of our non-denominational School is the happiness and well-being of every child within a secure, friendly and nurturing environment. We believe that children are our most valuable resource for the future and we are committed to providing an exciting and stimulating learning environment where every child is valued and encouraged to reach their potential.

We achieve this by the introduction of a wide, varied timetable of extracurricular activities designed to inspire and challenge all our pupils. Music is an important part of the School’s provision with singing and the learning of a stringed instrument incorporated into the daily timetable. Drama, French, swimming, football, yoga and ICT are all part of the curriculum at present. Offering a wide variety of timetabled activities available to all children regardless of their gender, race, religion or family background, benefits children in many ways.

Our commitment to encourage self confidence, self reliance and self esteem is underlined by the provision of these extracurricular activities. We also encourage independence of thought, the development of social and interpersonal skills and a responsible attitude towards property and the environment.

At The Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School we are committed to providing the highest quality education for your child, inspiring their imagination and creativity within a caring and nurturing environment. Children are supported and challenged to reach their full potential in all areas, both academic and personal.

Innovative teaching, an outstanding learning environment and endless opportunities for adventure and discovery make The Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School a truly exceptional place for your child to begin their education.

From the fun and creative play of early years learning, through to the nurturing and preparing of children for the world beyond Year 2, The Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory offers each child a unique and memorable learning adventure.

The Avenue Nursery was founded by Mary Fysh and first registered in 1977, by the London Borough of Haringey, as a small child-minding group of 6 children. As the years progressed, the School outgrew its location in her home and moved into its current premises in September 1989 with a roll of 65 children aged from 2 1/2 years to 5 years . At that time, all children left the School after their Reception Year. The School was registered with OfSTED and was inspected on a regular basis.

A substantial building programme was started in July 2000. A Hall, classroom and library were added to the building, enabling us to extend our age range to include children to 7 1/2 years in Years 1 and 2. The School registered with the Department of Education as an Independent School in August 2004 and the first intake of Year 1 children commenced in September 2004. The following year the DfE inspected the provision at the school and confirmed its registration as an Independent School. OfSTED confirmed that the School was no longer required to be registered with the organisation and the Ofsted registration was surrendered.

The youngest children in the school are those that join us in the term they turn 3. They join a small class of approximately 8 children in the Autumn term. The class size increases in the January and again in the Summer term. They enjoy the benefit of small class size in a nurturing environment, a gentle introduction to their school life.

The children engage in a range of activities designed to develop their emerging skills in areas such as fine and gross motor control, social awareness, speaking and listening ability and independence. This is a valuable preparation for Morning Nursery the following September.

We take the children throughout the year on stimulating educational school trips as they are a vital part of a child's education. The trips reinforce areas of learning and the enthusiasm it can bring a topic is immeasurable. The added benefit of important life skills like travelling safely as a group is highly valuable. These trips vary from year to year but may include trips to museums, galleries and even the theatre.

At The Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School, our aim is to identify and encourage children who excel in one area of, or across the curriculum as a whole.

The Avenue Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School is a non–selective school and as such we have a community of children who have varying skills and abilities. Some require additional support therefore we have a committed learning support team in house that consists of our SENCO (specialist learning support teacher) and speech and language therapist. We believe early identification and intervention is the key to future success. We have different levels of support which we can offer children that might require extra help. This ranges from in class strategies, small group interventions and one to one specialist teaching.