Our Environment
“When my children come home with muddy shoes I think it’s great. It means they’ve been having a fun day at school!”
Children need space, whether it’s in the classroom, at lunchtime or during break times. Winterfold pupils are free to roam in extensive grounds which include adventure playgrounds, a ball games area, an area for table tennis, areas for peace and quiet, gardens to enjoy and adventure playgrounds to climb in.
Winterfold House School is centred around a spacious Georgian manor house set in some 40 acres of beautiful grounds, surrounded by traditional English countryside of gently rolling farmland and pasture. Beyond, there is a particularly fine view of Worcestershire across a landscape of small valleys, hills, copses and farmhouses to the Malvern Hills in the distance. This is the setting for our playing fields, pitches, woods and gardens and the perfect location for all our activities.
We also have a Forest School and outdoor learning area. There are rugby, football and cricket pitches plus an astroturf pitch and netball and tennis courts. We have a multi-activity sports hall which can accommodate cricket nets, indoor hockey and football. Pre-prep children have an outside learning area plus their own dedicated play area with sand and water.
Our grounds are safe and child friendly, beautifully maintained and much loved by everyone in our community. From our youngest children at the Nursery to our prefects in Year 8, all our pupils enjoy the space and freedom afforded by our unique environment.
In recent years, we have vastly improved our facilities at Winterfold and continue to do so.
- 2010 – A new classroom block (‘The Fletcher Building’) with eight classrooms, Science labs, Art and CDT rooms.
- 2011 – A new Performing Arts Centre was officially opened by HRH The Earl of Wessex in December 2011.
- 2018 – A full size, all weather and floodlit AstroTurf pitch.
- 2018 – A floodlit multi-use games area with two tennis/netball courts.
- 2019 – A new Adventure Playground.
- 2020 – Forest School development.
- 2020 – Complete refurbishment of Kindergarten 1.
Recent Developments
Forest School
An exciting new outdoor learning environment has recently been built here at Winterfold. Officially opened by former BBC Countryfile presenter Michael Collie, the new Forest School has a new shelter, which will be an outdoor classroom and the site is being put back to nature. The Friends of Winterfold have funded a new bird hide, tool shed and the new Forest School suits for the children. There will be sections for each year group, from Nursery, through to Year 8, with plans to plant a herb garden, vegetable patch and an orchard.
The pond, which is said to have been a bomb crater, is already well established, with flora and fauna in abundance. A jetty has been built, so that the children can enjoy lessons in pond dipping. Sustainability is of paramount importance to us here at Winterfold. One of our parents commented that it was great to see the School re-using the materials we already have for the project.
Our new Forest School is an outstanding facility for our young pupils to explore the outdoors and enhance their learning and development. We look forward to taking groups of children to explore the Forest School area with pond, orchard, bird hide, shelter and fire pit. We aim to motivate, inspire and give the children a positive outdoor experience.
Kindergarten 1
During July and August 2020, work began on the conversion of Kindergarten 1. The room has now been completely refurbished, with new seating area and separate space for eating. There are new toilets with nappy changing facilities, an outside play area for messy play, a home corner and quiet area. The children have use of an ActivPanel and the room has completely new furnishings.
