Highfield Pre-School

Christian worship, age-related groups and a garden used for play give Highfield Pre-School a clear identity. Based at YWAM Oval in Harpenden, it combines an explicitly Christian programme with practical early learning: children make choices, explore materials and gradually take more responsibility for themselves. Faith is part of the daily routine, rather than an occasional celebration.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Highfield Outstanding, finding carefully sequenced teaching, positive behaviour and activities that built on what individual children already understood. The useful detail behind that judgement is the connection between assessment and activity: staff used children's starting points to decide what would challenge them next.

Highfield has 40 places in total and accepts children from two years old, with its programme extending to school age. Lamb Group, Dove Group and Lion Group organise that progression. Term-time attendance includes morning, afternoon and full-day options, with an additional morning-and-lunch pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Age-related groups organise the programme, with key workers monitoring development as children progress towards school.

Lamb Group supports the move from home into preschool through social play, language and physical development, using activities such as construction, paint and play dough.

Dove Group brings together early mathematics, literacy, communication and exploration of the world in more structured activities. Lion Group builds on earlier experiences, with school preparation spanning children's emotional, social, physical and creative development.

Learning and Activities

EYFS shapes the programme through areas of learning that include communication, physical development, relationships, literacy and mathematics, taught through play and planned activities. It is the shared early-years framework, while Highfield's Christian teaching and daily worship give its own programme a separate character. The programme outline connects learning with exploration, persistence and developing children's ideas.

Choice sits alongside structure. Free play lets children explore different activity areas and contribute to changes in what is provided; group periods and story sessions give the day a recognisable rhythm. This matters for children who need both opportunities to follow an interest and predictable points at which everyone comes together.

Christian teaching includes learning about the Bible and Jesus, and praise and worship forms part of the morning timetable. Families should understand that this is an explicit religious programme. In September 2025, children chose songs and reading material, while staff gave them time to consider questions and formulate answers. Conversation was woven into activities rather than confined to a separate language lesson.

Music Activities develop rhythm, memory, coordination and balance, with a qualified music teacher contributing to the programme. Cooking also forms part of children's experiences. These give children different ways to practise concentration and physical control, alongside the painting, construction and imaginative play used elsewhere in the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is part of the learning space, and Highfield aims for at least two outdoor play periods each day.

In September 2025, children worked together to create roads and bridges, poured and sifted material in a large sandpit, and used equipment for hanging, swinging and climbing. These examples show the different demands of outdoor play: coordinating a shared idea, handling materials and testing movement. Planned physical activities also involved jumping and moving around other children.

Bossie, the preschool's Welsh Sheepdog, comes daily and spends time among children during outdoor play. This is a concrete part of Highfield's day that families will want to weigh alongside the garden and programme, especially where a child is uneasy around dogs.

Relationships and Communication

Key workers provide continuity across the groups, with assessments and observations informing conversations about development. Concerns about progress are shared with parents.

In September 2025, an online welcome meeting introduced parents to the learning programme and ways to support it at home. Staff helped children become familiar with preschool, and ongoing conversations kept parents informed about development.

Everyday communication also has practical rules. Staff can receive messages at the beginning of the morning or the end of the day; families using someone else to bring or collect their child are asked to put messages in writing. A Parents' Committee normally meets about once a term and helps organise events and fundraising, giving parents another way to participate.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and individual support productive, with additional funding and work alongside early-years professionals helping children progress towards their own targets.

Highfield has a SENCO role working with parents, children and professionals, as well as staff undertaking one-to-one support. Its safeguarding structure includes a designated lead for the preschool. Those are practical mechanisms for raising concerns and coordinating help.

Behaviour teaching uses role play, clear expectations and conversations about choices, apology and forgiveness. Parents are informed when discipline is needed. The Christian ethos therefore extends into how disagreements and boundaries are handled, which makes alignment between home and preschool worth considering.

In September 2025, children practised handwashing, learnt about drinking water and took part in physical activity. Parents supply a healthy snack, a filled water bottle and, for full-day attendance, a packed lunch with a drink; milk is provided for children who prefer it. Food planning consequently remains a practical part of the family's preschool routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Highfield opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, during term time. Four attendance patterns are offered: Morning Session from 9am to noon; Morning Session plus Lunch from 9am to 1pm; Afternoon Session from noon to 3pm; and Full Day from 9am to 3pm.

Parents choose their attendance pattern at the beginning of each term for the remainder of that term. Children can begin at a term's start or join mid-term once they reach the entry age. Applications for younger children can be held until they turn two, so applying and starting are separate steps.

Sessions missed during term time remain chargeable. Parents are asked to notify the preschool about planned holidays and explain an absence on its first day. Families should factor that payment rule into the choice of pattern, especially if term-time travel is likely.

Getting There

The address is YWAM Oval, Ambrose Lane, Harpenden, AL5 4BX, within the Oval's private grounds. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01582 320566, by email to info@highfieldpreschool.co.uk or through the contact form.

Children need labelled belongings, a spare set of clothes, indoor footwear, and wellington boots and waterproof trousers kept at preschool. Clothing that children can manage themselves supports toileting and changing, while clothes suited to messy play make the activity programme easier to accommodate.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2025, Highfield provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen attendance pattern.

Highfield describes itself as affiliated to The King’s School. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families use the local authority admissions process for state schools or the school's own process for an independent school. The preschool's school-readiness work should be considered separately from any admissions decision.

• Christian daily life. Worship, Bible teaching and Christian behaviour expectations are embedded in the programme. During a visit, discuss how your child would participate and how this fits your family's beliefs.
• A term-long attendance choice. The four patterns are chosen at the beginning of each term, and missed sessions remain chargeable. Compare collection times and holiday arrangements before selecting a pattern.
• Funding and everyday supplies. Parents provide snacks and packed lunches. Ask how funded hours would work for your chosen sessions and who supplies non-food consumables, including any associated charges.
• A dog in outdoor play. Bossie attends daily and joins children outside. If your child has an allergy or is frightened of dogs, discuss the arrangements during your visit.

Highfield suits families seeking an explicitly Christian preschool with a choice between mornings, afternoons, mornings with lunch and full days during term time. Its garden, music programme and progression through Lamb Group, Dove Group and Lion Group give the day substance beyond the attendance timetable.

The September 2025 Outstanding judgement adds weight to that practical picture. The important fit questions concern faith, term-time coverage and the family's role in supplying food and clothing. For parents comfortable with those arrangements, Highfield offers a clearly defined preschool experience, with individual support and school preparation built into its programme.