Welcome to Caterpillars

Caterpillars operates over 47 weeks of the year, Monday to Friday, offering a flexible attendance pattern to suit your needs between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm.

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Children can join Caterpillars from the term in which they turn two years old.

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Parents can choose for their child to attend 38 weeks term time only or add time during our holiday clubs, which run during the three half terms, a week at Easter and Christmas and four weeks during the summer.

 

​​You are invited to come to a drop-in session with your child to see our setting and what we have to offer.  Before your child starts at Caterpillars, they are invited to two settling-in sessions, or more if required.

 

Holiday clubs are run during the school holidays for children aged 2 to 7 years.  

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Caterpillars Montessori Pre-School provides a small, nurturing setting with highly qualified and experienced staff.

 

We have high adult-to-child ratios for the staff and children to build trust and relationships with each other. We make sure each child is known well on a personal level, whilst they have deeper 1-1 sessions with their key person to practise and develop important life skills. 

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As a setting, we provide a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.

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At Caterpillars, the children enjoy time with two small dogs. The children learn how to care for animals, whilst the dogs have a positive, calming effect on them.

 

We have two well-equipped, secure outdoor spaces which children access daily.

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We also make regular visits to the village and the local woods.

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Staff ensure transitions to local schools run smoothly for each child based on their individual characters, friendships and needs. We follow the child and their interests, and through observations, we prepare them for school and their next steps after Caterpillars.

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The Pre-School is in the Appleton Hall, located in the heart of the beautiful Hampshire village of Hartley Wintney.