Welcome to St Mary’s Kindergarten

Welcome to St Mary’s Kindergarten Colchester! We are a conveniently located private Kindergarten near Colchester, Essex. The Kindergarten is part of St Mary’s, an independent school for girls, and is based at our Lower School site.

At St Mary’s Kindergarten Colchester we offer an outstanding academic and all-round pre-school education, amazing facilities and flexible childcare. We provide a great introduction to learning and prepare the children for starting school, academically and socially. The progress of our pupils by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is excellent, as reflected in our recent inspection.

The Kindergarten also provides girls with a smooth transition through to our Lower School, ranked 12th highest performing Prep School in England by The Sunday Times. The majority of the girls in our Prep (Reception) Class move up from our Kindergarten.

There is a very high demand for places in our Kindergarten and places can fill up over a year in advance. We advise you to therefore contact us as early as possible regarding a place.

A great introduction to learning

Children can start at St Mary’s Kindergarten Colchester at the start of the academic year in which they turn three, allowing children to spend two full years in our Kindergarten before starting school.

During their time at the pre-school, we introduce children to learning and give them a solid preparation for starting school, both academically and socially, so they can make the most of all the opportunities school life brings.

During school term time in the year before school, we will be introducing new teacher-led lessons for Kindergarten pupils. These sessions will complement the work of our highly qualified early years specialists and will be delivered alongside our existing broad curriculum, which includes subjects such as French, Forest School, music, and ballet, further enriching the Kindergarten experience for our young learners.

Nursery life

Preparation for starting school

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum continues in our Prep (Reception) Class and academic excellence is seen across the school. We were so proud when The Sunday Times ranked St Mary’s Lower School the 12th highest performing Prep School in England. Our pupils perform at well above the national average in maths, spelling and grammar, reading and writing. We also have a high 11+ pass rate for those who choose to sit the exam.

The National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) has recently reaccredited the Lower School with the NACE Challange Award. This award is given in recognition of commitment to high-quality provision for more able learners within the context of challenge for all.

Lower School

Small class sizes

At St Mary’s, we’re able to achieve such success by tailoring the education to suit the needs of each individual in our small classes. We also give pupils the encouragement and support they need to aim high.

From September, we will be introducing smaller class sizes in our Kindergarten for classroom-based learning, to further enable us to tailor the education to suit the needs of each individual. Children will still come together for activities such as Forest School, PE, and playtime, to facilitate greater social interaction.

Academic focus

Well-rounded pre-school education

We believe in providing a well-rounded experience. Children take part in a range of activities such as PE, Forest School, music, ballet, French, cooking and outdoor learning. All activities are included in the fees.

Children have the opportunity to go on trips, such as to the local church. They also take part in events including the Kindergarten and Infant Sports Day, Nativity performance, Prize Giving, Remembrance Day service and Mothering Sunday service.

We also hold a number of events for the whole family of those at St Mary’s to enjoy. These include Fireworks night, our Summer Fete and outdoor theatre production.

Activities

First-class nursery facilities

Our purpose-built Kindergarten has an enclosed outdoor multi-sensory play area. It is the perfect place for young children to thrive in a safe environment. There is also a specially designed outdoor learning area for the Kindergarten children to use.

Additionally, Kindergarten children have access to all the Lower School facilities. For example, the Kindergarten children use the Library, Forest School area, outdoor classroom, Dance Studio, School Hall, playing fields and sports courts, all set on nine acres of land. This introduction to St Mary’s school life helps provide a smooth transition to school.

Visit us

Rated excellent

The Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) rated St Mary’s excellent in February 2023. This rating is the highest award. It covers both ‘the quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements’ and ‘the quality of the pupils’ personal development’.

The key findings emphasised the high levels of attainment across the curriculum for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), in National Curriculum tests for Year 6 and at GCSE level. We were delighted that our emphasis on the importance of pastoral care was also documented by inspectors.

Inspection report

Flexible childcare options

Our Kindergarten is open 51 weeks of the year, providing continuity for the children and enabling their learning to continue across the year. We have a small number of term-time only places available, reserved for children with siblings at the school. Our core day is 8.30am-3.30pm and we have different wrap around options, starting at 7.30am and running until 6pm. Regular wrap-around sessions can be booked as well as ad-hoc sessions, subject to availability.

Our Kindergarten is very popular and places can fill up over a year in advance. We would therefore recommend getting in touch as early as possible to enquire about availability. Please contact our Registrar on 01206 594256 or at registrar@stmaryscolchester.org.uk

Early years funding

At St Mary’s Kindergarten you can receive funding for up to 15 hours of childcare a week, which is based on 38 weeks childcare. For those taking year-round childcare this will be stretched across 51 weeks.

From September 2025 we will be accepting 30 hours funding for those who are eligible. For further information, please contact our Registrar, Mrs Justine Tierney.

We look forward to welcoming you

So if you’re looking to find the best kindergarten in Colchester for your child, arrange to visit us today to see all we offer. You can also contact our Registrar on 01206 594256 or at registrar@stmaryscolchester.org.uk

The following pages of our website will give you a sense of our Kindergarten and school. You may also receive recommendations from others. Nothing will give you a better insight than visiting yourself however.

We hold Open Days at three times each year, in the spring, summer and autumn. Our weekday Open Days provide an opportunity to see the Kindergarten and school in action and meet the Senior Leadership team. At our Saturday kindergarten and school Open Days, there will be an opportunity to tour the Kindergarten and school, and meet pupils and staff. Our Senior Leadership team and Admissions team will also be available for you to speak to at the end of your tour while you enjoy refreshments provided by our catering team.

We very much look forward to helping you explore St Mary’s Kindergarten Colchester as an option for your child.

open days

prospectus

Download our prospectus here

St Mary's Kindergarten

See the amazing facilities and the range of activities available at St Mary’s Kindergarten Colchester, from French to Forest School. During their time in our nursery, we give children a solid preparation for starting school. This is both academically and socially, so they can make the most of all the opportunities school life brings.

Children in the EYFS and pupils in the lower school make excellent progress. From ISI inspection report 2023 - rated 'excellent'

Pupils of all ages demonstrate outstanding communication skills From ISI inspection report 2023 - rated 'excellent'

Very positive attitudes to learning are fostered by strong and warm relationships between pupils and their teachers. From ISI inspection report 2023 - rated 'excellent'

The youngest children in the EYFS confidently ask for resources or explain their choice of activities From ISI inspection report 2023 - rated 'excellent'

Nursery life

Get an overview of St Mary’s Colchester nursery life

At work

Find out more about the curriculum at St Mary’s Kindergarten

At play

Read about learning through play at St Mary’s Kindergarten