A new school building, Teddy’s Lodge, has been opened at King Edward’s School Pre-Prep to give a ‘home from home’ atmosphere for children requiring care around school times.
The lodge was opened at King Edward’s School Pre-Prep on Friday 17th April during which children from the school were joined by Big Ted, from the Royal United Hospital’s Forever Friends Appeal.
Located in its own building at the Pre-Prep with dedicated indoor and outdoor space, Teddy’s Lodge offers a real ‘home from home’ atmosphere for children requiring early morning and after school care.
Run by the teaching staff at KES, Teddy’s Lodge includes a welcoming kitchen and dining area, sitting room with comfy sofas and a bright and airy conservatory.
Teddy’s Lodge includes its own secure outdoor play area and children attending sessions will also enjoy the wider facilities available at the Pre-Prep including the sensory garden, outdoor wooden fort and extensive playground and playing field.
In addition to providing before and after school care, Teddy’s Lodge is also designed to act as a community space for families in the local area who will be able to drop in for regular ‘Stay and Play’ sessions or join classes run by Jo Jingles and the Creation Station, among others.
Anyone is welcome to attend these sessions and there is no requirement to have a prior connection with the school.
Teddy’s Lodge is the vision of King Edward’s Head of Pre-Prep, Jayne Gilbert, who said: “The whole idea of Teddy’s Lodge was to make it feel like a home from home for children staying on after school or arriving earlier in the morning.
“It’s a cosy nurturing space that is a world away from the classroom environment.”
Just as important to Jayne Gilbert was to make Teddy’s Lodge available to everyone in the Bath community.
Local families can join one of the weekly toddler classes or simply drop in for one of the regular ‘Stay and Play’ sessions.
As toddlers play and have fun, parents can enjoy a cup of tea and meet or catch up with other families.
Jayne Gilbert commented: “I really wanted to be able to offer local families a place where they could come and meet friends while their children played in a friendly and inviting space that offers both indoor and outdoor play areas.
“We also have an exciting number of classes on offer, with more being added to the timetable over the coming weeks, so do keep an eye on our calendar of events on the school website and spread the word to anyone looking for new baby or toddler groups.”
In the run up to the opening of Teddy’s Lodge, children at the Pre-Prep entered a school competition to draw a teddy bear.
Winning entries from each year will be framed and put on show in Teddy’s Lodge.
As part of the opening ceremony the school community also raised funds for the RUH Forever Friends Appeal, with all the children bringing their own teddy bears into school for the day.
