Our Ethos
Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools
Little Habs is part of the Haberdashers’ Elstree Group of Schools.
At Habs, our roots lie firmly in our philanthropic founding principles, giving us a deep sense of purpose and responsibility to our community.
Our purpose at Habs is simple yet ambitious: to ensure that every student who comes through our doors is empowered to make a profound impact in the world. We want all our students to develop the confidence and capacity to lead, to question, and to contribute meaningfully to society.
Our schools are academically ambitious, and our students are consistently challenged to think beyond the boundaries of any exam curriculum. We encourage them to think deeply, ask questions, and explore ideas. By nurturing intellectual curiosity, we enable students not only to excel in their future studies and achieve their academic potential, but also to cultivate an enduring love of learning that stays with them throughout their lives.
Founding principles
Little Habs is the beginning of this lifelong Habs journey. Babies are born curious curiosity is the natural heartbeat of childhood learning. It sparks exploration, drives discovery, and forms the foundation for every cognitive milestone a child achieves.
At Habs, we believe that when curiosity is nurtured early, children build stronger problem-solving skills, greater confidence, and a more resilient attitude towards learning.
We will be offering carefully designed, age-appropriate environments across three rooms, providing a high-quality early years education that embraces each child’s innate curiosity. Through playful, stimulating and purposeful experiences, we introduce children to learning in a way that feels joyful and fun.
By feeding your child’s curiosity from a young age, we lay the foundations for a lifelong love of learning. This early curiosity becomes the cornerstone of the intellectual growth we will continue to nurture as your child hopefully moves through the Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools helping them grow into thoughtful, inquisitive, and capable young people ready to shape the future.
Our curriculum
At Little Habs, we believe the early years are a child’s first step into the wider world of learning a place where curiosity takes root and imagination begins to flourish. Children learn best when they are inspired to explore, to play, and to discover, and our approach is designed to nurture the innate sense of wonder that inspires every young mind.
Our early years curriculum is broad and ambitious; rooted in the EYFS and enriched with a STEAM-focused approach and forest school-inspired experiences. It offers children meaningful, hands-on opportunities to investigate the world around them. Through nature, play and purposeful exploration, learning becomes joyful, immersive and fun.
Our curriculum has been carefully designed to support the holistic development of every child - nurturing their emotional, intellectual, creative, physical and social growth all within a warm, caring, home-from-home environment where children feel known, supported and celebrated.
Woven throughout our provision are our core Habs values. Children are encouraged to grow with courage, explore with curiosity, dream with ambition, and flourish within a strong, supportive community. We aim to cultivate confident learners who are brave enough to try, eager to discover, inspired to achieve and strengthened by the relationships around them.
At Little Habs, we offer more than an early years education we offer the beginning of a learning journey filled with possibility. By nurturing curiosity from the very start, we help children develop a lifelong love of learning and build the foundations for the thoughtful, inquisitive and capable young people they can become.
Hablings
(6 months – 2 years)
A calm, cosy, homefrom-home environment supporting early exploration, sensory play, and the development of secure relationships.
These are critical, formative years in a child’s development, when they begin to build trust, curiosity and confidence in the world around them.
We gently nurture each child through this important phase, providing attentive care, stimulating experiences and warm, responsive relationships that help lay the foundations for lifelong learning and wellbeing.
Dashers
(2 – 3 years)
Nursery
(3 – 4 years)
A nurturing, curiosity-led space where children are encouraged to develop independence, language skills, and early problemsolving abilities.
As children grow in confidence and awareness, this stage plays an important role in preparing them for the next steps in their educational journey.
Through playful exploration, supportive guidance and rich learning experiences, we help children build the social, communication and thinking skills that form the foundation for successful learning as they move towards Nursery and beyond.
A vibrant pre-school environment supporting school readiness through STEAM activities, storytelling, outdoor learning, and imaginative play.
During this important stage, we place a strong emphasis on preparing children for success in their journey through education and beyond by nurturing their confidence, creativity and love of learning.
Through engaging, handson experiences and supportive guidance, children develop key skills in communication, collaboration, problemsolving and independence; helping them feel prepared, capable and excited as they take their next step into school.
Little Habs will offer carefully designed, age-appropriate environments across three rooms
Opening times
Little Habs will provide a flexible year-round offering. There will be two core options:
1. Term-time only
2. Term-time plus+ (flexibility to book additional weeks during the school holidays, if required)
Should you wish to secure a place at Little Habs all year around, please do let us know and we would be happy to discuss this with you.
Term-time only
The termly offering will be aligned to the Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools calendar.
Term-time Plus+
Term-time Plus+ will offer parents the core Term-time dates with the flexibility to book additional weeks during Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools holidays (if required).
During the school holidays we will revisit and reinforce key learning from the previous term, helping the children consolidate their skills while continuing to learn through play and exploration.
Fees
The fees for Little Habs will be published when registration opens after Easter.
To support families in the Habs community, we offer the 15 hours per week Government funding for all 3 and 4 year olds
Nursery hours
The core nursery hours will be from 8am-3.45pm. We will not be offering half-days.
We know that many families may need support with their children outside the core nursery hours. We will additionally be offering:
- a breakfast session 7.30am-8am
- an after-school session 3.45pm-6pm.
Both these sessions can be booked and paid for in advance.
Days
Hablings (6 months – 2 years)
Babies and toddlers are required to be enrolled for a minimum of 2 days a week. We require this to be two full days (we are unable to spread the 2-day requirement over multiple days). You can of course enrol for more days if you wish to do so.
Dashers (2 – 3 years) and Nursery (3 – 4 years)
To ensure that we nurture all Little Habs children to fulfil their potential, children are required to be enrolled full-time (5 days a week) during the term time. Not only will this help them along their developmental journey but also build long-lasting and deep friendships.
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As a non-selective nursery, Little Habs does not offer automatic entry into Habs Girls Junior School and Habs Boys Prep School.
Habs Girls and Habs Boys - Reception
Internal Priority Pathway
We will be offering a pathway for children who are in the Little Habs Nursery class.
If Habs Girls or Habs Boys is the preferred school for your family, and your child is in Little Habs Nursery class, your child can be assessed in the nursery setting in September. This is an internal priority pathway and separate to the external 4+ assessment.
This provides Habs families an opportunity to receive a decision in October of the Nursery year.
First round-assessment
Our Habs Nursery staff will observe your child in their familiar nursery setting through a range of activities looking for characteristics of effective learning.
The Habs Nursery staff will recommend which children should be offered a secondround assessment with Habs Girls Junior School/ Habs Boys Prep School.
If your child is selected to progress to the second-round assessment, you will receive an email from Habs Nursery.
Second round-assessment
In the October, the second-round assessment will, once again, take place within their familiar nursery class setting.
Your child will take part in a range of oneto-one activities with members of our Habs Girls Junior/ Habs Boys Prep staff. Staff will be exploring in more depth how your child demonstrates the characteristics of effective learning.
Offers
Offers will be emailed by October half-term. 4+ offers will remain open until the formal external 4+ offer acceptance deadline in early February.
Main external 4+ assessment
We recognise that children develop at different times. If you child is unsuccessful at the first or second-round Internal Priority Pathway assessment you are more than welcome to apply and sit the main external 4+ assessment held in December.
The outcome of the internal priority pathway will not be considered during decision making as part of the main 4+ process.