For Girls Starting Out
“ We help girls to develop into resourceful, resilient and independent learners. Girls who have confidence, self-belief and a good moral compass.”Claire Lilley, Head of Prep School
Our Approach
We recognise that the early years are an important time in your child’s life and want to ensure that your child enjoys this special time and makes the most of every opportunity to play and learn.
As girls’ education experts for over 150 years, our tailored approach to fostering wellbeing, self-confidence and academic success in girls is woven into everything that we do.
Cranwell Curriculum
The underpinning principles of our nursery philosophy are based on the Early Years Foundation stage with an emphasis on the Reggio Emilia approach.
We have taken the elements that we understand work best for children and families and developed the Cranwell Curriculum. It focuses on creative approaches, independent thinking, enquiry-based learning whilst growing the girls’ understanding of the world.
From July 2026 we will no longer offer Nursery places - our Prep School site is closing and girls in Years 5-6 will move to the Lansdown Road site.
A focus on individuality
Your daughter’s first experience of school should be all about excitement and adventure. Our girls in Nursery will make discoveries, develop their imagination and gain in confidence. They will build friendships and start to experience a joy of learning.
We take great care to develop every girl’s individuality, providing the foundation for her to grow into becoming a strong young woman ready to seize opportunities and make her mark on the world.
Our Environment
Come rain or shine you will find our Nursery children out and about learning All our pupils, even the youngest, have dedicated outdoor learning opportunities which create memorable experiences, including bug hunting, tree planting and pond fishing.
The practical, hands-on nature of learning is what makes lasting memories and helps our girls grow and learn. On any given day your daughter could be growing vegetables in our upcycled greenhouse, performing on our open air stage or exploring our Celtic roundhouse made from wattle and daub.
Our Children
We instil a passion for learning right from the start and our Learner Qualities - brave, inquisitive, reflective, collaborative, sparky and kind - serve to help girls with a positive attitude and confident self-assured young people who always try their best
“ Within the first week of being at the Royal High Nursery, my daughter became more confident and independent in a way I couldn't have imagined.”Parent