Headfort Preschool

"How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold."
Wordsworth

Arriving in September 2026 - the Headfort Preschool - for students aged three and four.

The Headfort Preschool marks the earliest entry point into Headfort School. Our journey is one that sees our students, travel the length of their Primary School experience in a beautiful enclave of Kells, County Meath.

The story of our school is written in pages of a past built on a strong community, a community that is centred on the success of every child. So it is, with abundant joy, we announce the opening of the Headfort Preschool in September 2026.

Our Preschool is centred on the growth of each child through play-based learning. We nurture the social and emotional development of our littlest learners through a model of learning that employs the Montessori methodology, while incorporating elements unique to Headfort School – these include, but are not limited to, our deliberately small classes, our emphasis on inquiry learning, our commitment to foundational skills, and our awareness of the imperative of celebrating every child.

Educational Programme

The Headfort Preschool is centred on the belief that every child can, and will, learn through the richness of the experiences they have.

We see it as a fundamental responsibility of education today, to allow them to experience their world. We see the Aistear framework as an opportunity to embrace the fundamental skills of learning, while building upon this through the Montessori model, long associated with the story of our school.

Set in an environment, unlike any other school in Ireland, in apple orchards three centuries old, perfect puddles for jumping in, horses that wander by our windows and class sizes that are kept deliberately small – ours is a Preschool with a common purpose, a creative centre, and with a deep commitment to building compassionate young people.

2026 - 2027

We have planned, and we have prepared, and we are excited to launch our Preschool One (beginning at 2.8 years of age) and Preschool Two (beginning at 4 years of age) Programmes. Each class is capped at ten students, with one Early Childhood Educator and one full-time Teaching Assistant. This deliberate design is created to ensure that every child is known, understood for who they are, and celebrated for their brilliant uniqueness.

Headfort After School Care Programme

After a busy day of learning, our students have the option to join our Headfort After School Care Programme.

Preschool After-School Care is available from 1:00-6:00 pm Monday to Friday during term time.
Early Years After-School Care is available from 3:00-6:00 pm Monday to Friday during term time.

We try to get outside for play and outdoor games every day, weather permitting. From 3:00 pm the older students join us from Junior Infants to Form 2 to participate in extracurricular activities to finish homework, play and read.

A light tea or afternoon snack is provided each day at 5:00 pm.

These services are available at additional cost.