Entry Points
Find Us
Dover College, Effingham Crescent, Dover, Kent, United Kingdom, CT17 9RH
| 8:30am | Registration |
| 8:30am – 10:00am | Morning Session 1 |
| 10:00am – 10:50am | Snack followed by outside play |
| 10:50am – 12 noon | Morning Session 2 |
| 12 noon – 1:20pm | Lunch and outside play |
| 1:20pm – 2:45pm | Afternoon Session 1 |
| 2:45pm – 2:50pm | Snack |
| 2:50pm – 3:50pm | Afternoon Session 2 |
| 3:50pm – 4:00pm | Story / Singing time |
| 4.00pm – 5.20pm | After School Activities |
Children are welcomed into nursery from 8.15am. Parents accompany their child to their classroom, where the child will find their name to self-register, hang up their coats and book bags before finding an activity to take part in. A purely child-led learning time – with free flow between two bright and colourful classrooms – this time offers the opportunity for the child to settle into nursery for the day ahead.
During the morning, children are divided into two age groups for a daily maths challenge or Letters and Sounds activity, which is followed by child-initiated learning. Our experienced and fully qualified teachers interact through play, helping to promote learning and enjoyment through questioning and developing key skills. Both Music and PE are taught within this session also, with each occurring twice per week.
Children partake in break time between 10am and 10:50am. During this time, they will enjoy a healthy snack of cereal or a selection of fruit with milk and water and free flow play in our fully equipped playground and Enchanted Garden, accessed directly from the nursery.
We eat in the College Refectory together with the pupils in the Prep School, sharing freshly cooked food from our tailored menu. Our team of chefs and kitchen staff know the children’s likes and dislikes, enabling them to slightly adapt the menu to ensure pupils have not only a healthy, but appealing menu. Children are also encouraged to try new foods.
The children sit around a table with ceramic plates and real cutlery. Children sit in small groups – with at least one adult joining each table in order to help develop knife and fork skills, good table manners, as well as stimulating conversation and promoting turn taking skills.
Once finished, the children enjoy outdoor play until the afternoon session begins. Children staying for our standard morning session will depart at 1.30pm.
Our afternoon sessions begin with ‘Fizzy Activities’ which promote fine motor skills, before children take part in activities, which varies from specialist teaching in child initiated play, music to sport, languages or forest school. A healthy snack is provided mid-afternoon, after which children staying for our extended morning depart at 2.30pm. Those children staying for a full day and finishing at 4pm continue activities before finishing the day with story and singing time.
Children in our nursery are welcome to stay for After School Club until 5.20pm. Nursery pupils will be able to access our ‘Stay and Play’ sessions run by our experienced team who understand how tired children may be towards the end of a busy day. These sessions are designed to help them relax, in an environment, which they are familiar with. Children may also take part in more structured activities such as ballet, yoga, cricket, environmental club or sign and sign. These are subject to change each term.
Parents supply a healthy snack (enough for a meal for younger children) which is eaten at 4pm before after school activities commence.
Pupils begin to arrive at school from 8.15am onwards, unless they have been to our Breakfast Club in the Refectory. Children congregate in the Prep school playground before the school day officially begins at 8.20am when the school bell is rung. Then, pupils line up before moving into their classrooms for registration.
Twice a week, the Prep School comes together in the College chapel. One of these services is led by a member of staff supported by the Headmaster and Prep School Deputy Head and celebrates the successes of the week. In addition, pupils in Prep 3 upwards join together with the senior school for one service each week.
The first lesson starts at 8:40am. Lessons are 40 minutes each and there are two lessons leading up to morning break, which is 30 minutes long when the children are free to play outside. There follows a further two lessons, until lunch which starts at 12.15pm in the college’s Refectory. After pupils have eaten they are free to play, supervised by Prep School staff, until afternoon lessons begin. Muddy Knees to Prep 2 have the Prep School playground to themselves during this time, whilst Prep 3 to 6 have the enviable position of either the Astro or our magnificent Close area to exercise, play and explore.
Following a five-minute registration at 1.20pm, there are four lessons, ending at 4pm when pupils may be collected to go home, having signed out with the teacher on duty. However, a significant number of children choose to stay and take part in our extensive after schools activities programme from 4pm-5.20pm.
The school day officially ends at 5.20pm. Pupils sign out with the teacher on duty or are met by their bus driver to take one the school buses home.
Dover College, Effingham Crescent, Dover, Kent, United Kingdom, CT17 9RH