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Founding families come together at St Swithun’s new Nursery and Preschool |
St Swithun’s welcomed over 40 families to its new Nursery and Preschool last week, as preparations gather pace for the opening of its new co-educational early years setting.
There was a real sense of something beginning at St Swithun’s, as families gathered for the first Founding Families Welcome Morning for the school’s new Nursery and Preschool.
Created for families who have already expressed an interest in joining the Nursery community, the morning offered the first opportunity to experience the setting coming to life, meet the founding team and spend time discovering what the earliest years at St Swithun’s will look and feel like. And with 44 families joining us across the morning – from babies and toddlers to future preschoolers – there was plenty of life in the building.
Rather than a traditional open day, the morning was deliberately relaxed. Families could arrive in their own time, explore the new spaces, talk with the Nursery team and allow their children to begin getting to know the environment through play. It was also a chance to introduce the thinking behind the Nursery and Preschool.
St Swithun’s new co-educational setting will welcome children from nine months to four years, bringing together exceptional early years practice with the space, expertise and opportunities of the wider St Swithun’s community.
At its heart is a belief that these earliest years matter enormously: that children should have the time and freedom to be curious, build confidence, form relationships and discover the world around them. That means plenty of room for muddy knees and big questions; stories, music and movement; time outdoors; familiar routines; and the security of being known well by the adults around them.
It is an approach designed to light their way from the very first steps.
A community taking shape
Perhaps the most exciting part of the morning was seeing the beginnings of the Nursery community itself.
Families chatted over refreshments while children explored and played, and our founding Nursery team – Nursery Manager Sarah Lindsay, Deputy Nursery Manager Izzy Richardson and Nursery Administrator Bryony Bisley – were able to begin getting to know many of the children and parents they hope to welcome over the coming months.
The details of the morning reflected the same sense of place and connection we hope children will experience here. Seasonal flowers were gathered just up the road in West Meon by Hortus Poeticus, while each child left with a little daisy plant to take home and grow – a small reminder of the morning, and of everything still to come.
For us, it was a particularly special milestone. What began as plans, drawings and ideas is rapidly becoming a real place, filled with children and families. With strong interest already in the Nursery and Preschool, the Founding Families morning gave us an exciting glimpse of the community that is beginning to form around it.
“There was something rather magical about seeing the Nursery filled with children and families for the first time. We’ve spent so long thinking about all the little details, how the rooms should feel, where children might curl up with a book, what might catch their curiosity or tempt them off on an adventure, and suddenly, there they all were, doing exactly that. Children have a wonderful way of making a space their own very quickly, and it was such a joy to watch. More than anything, it felt like the beginning of the happy community we’ve imagined for St Swithun’s Nursery and Preschool, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back.”
Sarah Lindsay, Nursery and Preschool Manager.
Come and discover it for yourself
Missed our Founding Families morning? There’s another opportunity to come and experience St Swithun’s Nursery and Preschool very soon.
Our next Stay & Play takes place on Friday 25 September, giving families the chance to spend time in our new setting, meet the team and let little ones explore through play. It’s a relaxed way to get to know us, ask questions and begin imagining what life at St Swithun’s could look like for your child.
With registrations now underway and growing interest in Nursery and Preschool places, we’d love to meet families who are considering joining our founding community.
DISCOVER OUR NURSERY AND PRESCHOOL MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
