Charlotte, the cutie on a Christmas card
PrINCESS Charlotte is to get her first experience of the outside world when she starts nursery school next month, it was revealed yesterday.
The daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the £20,000-ayear Willcocks Nursery.
In a quiet part of Kensington in West London, its pupils are described as a mixture of ‘old English families and chic foreigners’.
William and Kate selected Willcocks even though there is a nursery at Thomas’s Battersea, the private school attended by the princess’s elder brother, Prince George.
They really liked ‘ the feel’ of Willcocks, a royal aide said. ‘They felt it was ideal as a first step for Princess Charlotte’s early education and they were impressed by the team that work there,’ the aide added.
Part- owned by its headmistress, Lavinia Lechmere Loveday Taylor, Willcocks is rated as outstanding by Ofsted. The co-educational school, which describes its ethos as ‘high standards, excellence and good manners’ has a small, allfemale staff.
Charlotte, who will be two years and eight months old when she starts on January 4, will be attending the nursery full-time, Kensington Palace said. It is believed this means five mornings a week, from 9am to noon, to start with.
This will cost Kate and William £ 3,050 per term. The school charges a further £1,800 per afternoon between 2pm and 4pm. And Lunch Club, which runs for three days a week for older children who stay extra hours in preparation for ‘big school’, costs a further £1,740 per term. That means by the time Charlotte leaves at the age of four, her parents could be paying £19,770 a year. William and Kate, who are expecting their third child in April, already pay annual school fees of £17,604 for George.
Willcocks, seen as a surprise choice, was founded in 1964 and says it helps children learn through ‘enormous fun whilst playing’. This includes educational games, singing, books, jigsaws and outdoor time, but also includes poetry, acting and basic French. Children embark on the first stages of learning to read, write and to understand simple numbers ‘with the minimum of pressure’.
Parents of new pupils fill in a questionnaire titled ‘All About Me’ to ensure a smooth settling in. Teachers also encourage parents to bring in their child’s favourite toys and photos from home.
Parents are initially invited for a short ‘stay and play’, and if the child seems to be coping well the session will be gradually extended. Society bible Tatler says of the school: ‘We know describing a good school in Kensington as a “hidden gem” is an oxymoron, but the Willcocks Nursery is just that.
‘It has a loyal following – a mix of old English families and chic foreigners – but flies under the radar. Fab head Lavinia Taylor says: “We try our best not to disappoint”.’
A mother describes it as ‘gentle, which is what you want for young ones’, adding: ‘Kindness is evident everywhere... staff are in it for the long haul.’
Willcocks was last inspected by Ofsted in 2012. Its report states that ‘the educational programme is outstanding’ and children ‘gain first-hand experiences that effectively consolidate their learning’.
The choice of nursery for Charlotte is in contrast to the small village school initially picked for George – Westacre Montessori School, near the Cambridges’ Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.
A school spokesman said: ‘ We are delighted that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen the Willcocks Nursery School for Princess Charlotte. We look forward to welcoming Charlotte to our nursery in January.’
‘Excellence and good manners’