MSJ Prep (Years 3 – 6)

MSJ Prep

A warm welcome awaits you at MSJ Prep.

We passionately believe the Prep at Malvern St James provides the best possible start for your child. By building solid foundations to last a lifetime, we begin each child on their personalised learning journey. Our staff are incredibly committed, dedicating time and care to ensure your daughter feels safe, confident and happy from her very first day.

Pre-Prep at Malvern St James spans the three years from Reception (age 4) to Year 2 (age 7). It sets the scene for a child’s educational journey in a warm, secure and creative learning environment.

Meet the team

Mrs Bedford

My name is Mrs Bedford and I am proud to be the Head of Prep at Malvern St James. I oversee the Early Years (MSJ Minis), Key Stage 1 (Pre-Prep) and Key Stage 2 (Prep).

Teaching and inspiring young girls and giving them the best possible start in life is my passion. At Malvern St James, we use diverse and imaginative teaching methods to foster rapid progress and ignite a lifelong love for learning. I hold high expectations for all of the girls in my department and strive to help them become the best versions of themselves.

At Malvern St James, there is something for everyone. Whatever your daughter’s interests, we provide quality first teaching, support and guidance so that every girl can find her passion, allowing her to be successful and achieve.

I have taught at Malvern St James for ten years and have seen the department go from strength to strength. We recently developed our early years, accepting pupils from age 3 into MSJ Minis. Excellent early education is so vitally important for future success, having solid foundations to build upon is what we provide at Malvern St James.

We are a very close knit department, offering that warm, family feel to girls so that they feel safe, loved and supported in all aspects of their lives. Promoting wellbeing and educating young children to be resilient and aware of their own mental health is a huge part of the curriculum here in MSJ Prep.

I encourage openness and inclusivity amongst our girls and we embrace diversity in every form.We work closely with MSJ Seniors and many specialist staff teach girls in MSJ Prep. As the girls progress through MSJ Prep, they are gradually introduced to different areas of the school and different staff across the school, given more independence and responsibility as they go.

For example in Year 3, pupils start having Science lessons in our specialist Prep Science Lab, in Year 5 and 6 the pupils use the specialist Design and Technology rooms. In Year 6, our Transition Program means girls take part in different events each term to prepare them for life in MSJ Seniors, some academic events, some pastoral events including how to manage their friendships.

All of these initiatives are planned so that our Year 6 pupils will make a smooth transition into Year 7, to MSJ Seniors.Our Prep Department is made up of outstanding staff who relish teaching and are eager to educate our next generation of women. We work in partnership with our families to give girls the best possible academic and pastoral start in life.

When the girls are in Year 6 and getting ready to move into MSJ Seniors, activities such as transition meetings and a Year 6 and 7 pizza party night are arranged, to make sure that our girls are comfortable and supported in the next stage of their learning journey with us.