Our Classes
Woods offers a nurturing and inclusive community for young learners, initially focusing on children from 18 months to 8 years old. We will offer seven year groups, structured by developmental stages according to the British Curriculum
Seedlings
The Seedlings program (from 18 months) at Woods focuses on creating a stimulating and supportive environment for our youngest learners. We prioritize social and emotional development, encouraging children to play cooperatively, and build positive relationships.
Language development is nurtured through songs, rhymes, stories, and interactions with our teaching team. A key element of our Seedlings program is outdoor play, providing opportunities for sensory exploration and physical development in our natural play areas.
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We understand the close bond that often exists between toddlers and their nannies, and to help children settle in and become familiar with their new environment and teachers, nannies or caregivers are welcome to stay for the first month. After this initial period, we encourage children to attend school independently, allowing them to 'spread their wings' in our supportive setting.
Nursery
At Woods, we believe learning should be an adventure. Our Nursery is a busy, happy space where children explore through theme-based play, both in the classroom and out in the forest. Everything we do is designed to help them find their feet with early numbers, mark-making, and the listening skills they’ll need for reading and phonics later on.
We know that every child finds their own way in their own time, so we make sure there is a right fit for everyone. Play is at the heart of our day, making sure that first steps into "school" are practical, messy, and full of joy. We gather together for carpet time to introduce phonics and counting, and we spend plenty of time singing and sharing stories to build a love for language. Every day is packed with hands-on activities that build strong little hands and curious minds.
Foundation Stage 1 & 2
(previously Nursery 2 and Reception)
Foundation Stage at Woods is a time of wonder and big discoveries. Across these two years, we focus on building a happy, secure community where children learn how to make friends and continue to understand their own big feelings. Through themes like "All About Me" and "The Places We Go," we help them connect with themselves and the world around them.
FS1 is all about getting ready. We spend our time sparking a curiosity for stories and sounds, building those "listening ears" and strong hands needed before the formal journey into reading and writing begins.
In FS2 the adventure continues as we dive into phonics. Here, children start the exciting process of linking sounds to letters, beginning to read and write with confidence. In number work, we move from counting together to really understanding values up to 20.
Throughout both years, we make sure our learning spaces grow along with the children, always encouraging that sense of "what happens next?" by keeping play and friendship at the heart of everything we do.
Primary Years (Years 1, 2 & 3)
​The Primary years at Woods offer a smooth bridge from the early years into the more structured world of the British National Curriculum. As children move through Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) and into Lower Key Stage 2 (Year 3), we make sure their learning stays creative, hands-on, and full of energy.
While the academics naturally become more focused, we make a real effort to keep discovery at the heart of the day. Our Science and Forest classes are the perfect example of this—we often move beyond the four walls of the classroom to use our natural surroundings as a living laboratory. For History and Geography, children dive into immersive projects that help them connect with the past and the world around them in a practical way. Even as the work gets a little more serious, we ensure that learning remains nature-based and, above all, fun.
While each class has a maximum capacity of 18 children, we aim for smaller groups of 12-15 students.
Woods School operates within an international environment, and we understand that different national school systems have varying academic schedules and year group designations. At Woods, we follow the British curriculum, which categorizes children into classes according to their age at the start of the school year (September).
British Curriculum Year Groups by age
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Seedlings (often called Pre-Nursery)
18 months to join and able to walk and eat independently -
Nursery
Age at start of school year on September 1st: 2 years old -
Foundation Stage 1, FS 1 (previously Nursery 2)
Age at start of school year, on September 1st : 3 years old -
Foundation Stage 2, FS2 (previously Reception)
Age at start of school year: 4 years old -
Year 1
Age at start of school year, by September 1st: 5 years old -
Year 2
Age at start of school year, by September 1st: 6 years old -
Year 3
Age at start of school year, by September 1st: 7 years old
Class Times
Class timings per year group
Seedlings: 9 am - 12:30 pm
Nursery : 8:30 am -1 pm or 3 pm
FS 1: 8:30 am - 1 pm or 3 pm
FS 2: 8:30 am - 3 pm
Year 1 : 8:00 am - 3 pm
Year 2 : 8:00 am - 3 pm
Year 3 : 8:00 am - 3 pm