New from 2025-26

Kindergarten and Pre-Reception holiday provision

From this autumn 2025, parents of our Kindergarten and Pre-Reception children have the option to join holiday provision at 99 Herne Hill for 7-8 weeks over the course of this academic year.

An exciting extension of our offering for our youngest children

From the academic year 2025-26, parents of on-roll Kindergarten and Pre-Reception pupils can benefit from optional, additional Herne Hill School holiday provision for 7-8 weeks.

This provision at our Kindergarten site at 99 Herne Hill is available as an option on top of the term times published on our website, initially as follows for 2025-26: one week during the autumn half-term, one week during the Christmas break, the spring/February half-term week, one to two weeks at Easter and three weeks in the summer holiday.

20-24 October 2025 (first autumn half-term week)
15-19 December 2025 (first Christmas holiday week)
16-20 February 2026 (half-term week)
To be confirmed: 30 March – 2 April 2026 (four days until Good Friday)
13-17 April 2026 (Easter holiday week)
6-10 July 2026 (first summer holiday week)
13-17 July 2026 (second summer holiday week)
17-21 August 2026 (second to last summer holiday week)

Please note that these dates are subject to change, demand and availability.

Herne Hill School quality provision – with a holiday twist

‘The Ferns’, as the children attending the School’s holiday provision at 99 Herne Hill are called, benefit from all the hallmarks of our usual Herne Hill School provision for 2-4 year-olds, with a special ‘holiday fun’ flair.

It is anchored in our tried and tested teaching and learning approaches (for this Pre-School age range essentially ‘child-led, experiential play-based learning’); with a large component of being outdoors; under our ethos of Love • Care • Excellence; adhering to our policies, procedures and high staffing ratios; and delivered by our trusted, loving, caring, expert staff. The staff are pooled from both the Kindergarten team and the main site, thereby enabling the children to get to know and form bonds with additional staff members.

Having both year groups on the same site enables some vertical grouping opportunities beneficial to both the younger and older children. The Pre-Reception children are usually very happy to return playing in their previous year’s stomping grounds, and the Kindergarten children feel safe, secure and confident in their current ‘home’ environment with consistent routines.

Besides the broader staffing pool and participation of the Pre-Reception children, all else is largely organised along the lines of the term-time Kindergarten provision with a more relaxed holiday spirit.

The provision is overseen on a daily basis by an on-site Lead Teacher, who is supported by at least one additional Teacher plus a appropriate number of Herne Hill School Teaching Assistants. Our Head of Reception Cycle, Emma Clay, organises the staffing arrangements and provides additional oversight.

Eligibility

The holiday provision at 99 Herne Hill is available exclusively to Herne Hill School on-roll Kindergarten and Pre-Reception pupils, bookable flexibly by the week or on specific days, subject to availability.

The School is not offering holiday provision for Pre-Prep children. However, they have the opportunity to join holiday camps offered at our main site by Evergreen, an external, Ofsted-registered provider run by our long-standing Teachers Bradley and Emma Clay.

Evergreen’s camps are also available to external children, with the offered dates and hours being coordinated with the School’s holiday provision for Kindergarten and Pre-Reception to enable a seamless holiday provision opportunity for Herne Hill School parents with children in both the School’s Pre-School and the Pre-Prep.

Hours and costs for 2025-26

Standard day hours (£100 for any weekday or £475 if booked for the week, inclusive of lunch, snack and all resources/activities):

Drop-off: 8.45-9.00am
Pick-up: 3.45-4.00pm

Additional wrap-around care is available at an extra charge, as follows:

Breakfast club: 7.45am until standard day start (£16/day or £75/week)
Extended day: 4.00-5.30pm (£21/day or £100/week)

Food, naps, etc.

Our caterers are on site to cook from scratch their hot, healthy lunches, which the children eat family style with the staff in two sittings. They also prepare the usual breakfast offering, a mid-morning and mid-afternoon fresh fruit snack for all children as well as a more substantial snack for those staying for the extended day.

Children who still nap are able to have their usual lie-down after lunch. In order to keep with their routines, the Ferns wear their Herne Hill School uniform, albeit in an even more relaxed and flexible fashion than in term-time.

Booking

Booking for a particular holiday provision week or period occurs online. It goes live at the beginning of the preceding half-term, with confirmation being provided around mid-way through that half-term, once staffing and eligibility have been confirmed. Payment becomes due at that point to secure the booking.

Although attendance is subject to availability, we will do all we can to accommodate all requests. If ever this may not be possible, attendance would be allocated in line with the School’s admissions entry criteria, i.e. based on sibling priority, date of registration and our perception of the family’s long-term commitment to Herne Hill School.