Princess Charlotte's nursery revealed: Young royal will enjoy pottery and poetry classes at outstanding-rated £9,000-a-year Willcocks school from next month

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a new family portrait today with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Princess Charlotte will begin attending an exclusive London nursery from next month, her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge revealed today.

William and Kate, who is pregnant with her third child, will send the two-year-old to Willcocks Nursery School, located close to their Kensington Palace home. 

Charlotte will enjoy pottery and poetry classes at the sought-after nursery, which is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted and located next to the Royal Albert Hall.

The princess will first be invited with her parents for a short 'stay and play'. Kate and William will then be asked to leave to see if Charlotte is happy to be left alone.

The school recommends in its guidance to parents that pupils bring a toy or photo from home, and take a picture of their teacher back to their house.

It says: 'As your child builds a rapport with the teachers, we will ask you to stay in the vicinity for the first few sessions so that you can return if needed.'

Fees are £9,150 a year for morning sessions and £5,400 for afternoons.

Palace sources said Charlotte would attend the school 'full time' but declined to elaborate on whether that was for either morning or afternoon sessions - or both.

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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.'

The nursery broke up for Christmas last week, but the spring term will start in just over a fortnight on Thursday, January 4. 

It holds what it calls morning school for 32 youngsters, aged almost three to five years old, who are in class five days a week for three hours.

On its website, Willcocks says pupils experience 'a fun and structured morning with lots of free play where children embark on the first stages of learning to read, write and to understand simple numbers with the minimum of pressure'.

Charlotte may be enrolled in the afternoon school, which is less structured than the morning session but provides a similar wide range of activities including art and music. 

Kensington Palace issued this photograph this morning of Willcocks Nursery School in London

It is tailored for younger children, aged two to three years old, and is run three days a week.  

Its headmistress and owner is Lavinia Taylor, who has been teaching at the school for many years and moved into her current role in September 2009. 

The nursery was founded in 1964 by Diana Willcocks and has been at its current location in the church hall of Holy Trinity Church in Kensington since 1984. 

The most recent Ofsted inspection declared it 'outstanding', saying the staff had 'meticulous planning skills in ensuring children's individual learning needs are met'.

The report also stated how children have outings to the Science and Natural History museums, and have visitors such as the police, fire service and a vicar. 

Kate, pictured with Charlotte in Hamburg in July, will send her to the school next month

They also use programmable toys and show 'excellent mathematical skills as they count accurately in excess of 20' as well as using a 'broad range of puzzles, construction sets and games with staff, which develop their problem solving skills'.

Children are said to 'make good use of the outside play area, running around with ribbons which flow in the wind' and 'show skilful use of wheeled toys and use a variety of equipment which develops their physical control'.

A profile of the school by society magazine Tatler, which lists it among its best London nurseries, said: '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. It's all quite understated. 

'Yes, you should register at birth and yes, there are waiting lists, but 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'. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced that their daughter, Princess Charlotte , will begin attending Willcocks Nursery School in Kensington, West London, from January

'They're just by the Royal Albert Hall, so expect jaunts to the museums and the park, as well as captivating talks on things like Shackleton, archaeology or the environment to keep things lively and fun. 

'Kindness is evident everywhere, plus the nursery is a cooperative, so you know staff are in it for the long haul.' 

The royal couple have also released a new family photograph of themselves and their children - which will feature on their Christmas card.

The photograph shows the duke with his son, Prince George, standing immediately in front of him, while Charlotte stands with her mother.

The image was taken at Kensington Palace earlier this year by Chris Jackson, royal photographer for Getty Images.

Running with ribbons in the school yard, pottery lessons and a poetry classes: The education awaiting Charlotte as she becomes one of 36 pupils at outstanding-rated nursery in a London church 

Princess Charlotte will receive an exclusive education at the Willcocks Nursery School, featuring tuition in the likes of science, art and music.

The school, which operates from a hall and one room of Holy Trinity Church in Kensington, also has an enclosed outside play area.

According to the most recent Ofsted report, staff are 'meticulous' in their activity planning and 'all areas of learning are promoted exceptionally well'.

The school operates from a hall and a room of Holy Trinity Church in Kensington, West London

The children 'engage in meaningful conversations with each other and staff' and 'enjoy story times and benefit from visits to the nursery from a librarian'.

Staff also introduce children to poetry, and 'high regard is given to developing children's skills in expressive arts and design'.

For example, while learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali, children drew around each other and painted their cut out life-size figures in bright colours.

Children also visit the Royal College of Art where they create their own works of art, exhibited for parents and the public to see.

They also have regular visits from the Royal College of Music, which enable them to explore the sounds that different instruments make.

The school timetable on its website lists the various activities such as garden play and jigsaws

In addition, children have visits to the nursery such as the police, fire service and the local vicar, who helped them to learn about the harvest festival.

Children use some programmable toys which help develop their mathematical skills so they can count accurately up to and beyond 20.

They use a broad range of puzzles, construction sets and games with staff, which develop their problem solving skills.

The children run around with ribbons outside and 'show skilful use of wheeled toys and use a variety of equipment which develops their physical control'.

They are also said to be adopting healthy lifestyles as they help themselves to water when they are thirsty and have fresh fruit at snack times.

How Prince George attended a £5.50-a-hour nursery in Norfolk

Nearly two years ago Prince George started nursery at the private £5.50-an-hour Westacre Montessori School near the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

Westacre, which is three decades old and in a former chapel, runs on the approach developed by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the early 1900s.

The 'child centred' technique uses children's natural instinct to learn through play, and allows them freedom to develop at their own pace.

A photograph taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in January 2016 of Prince George on his first day at the Westacre Montessori nursery school near Sandringham in Norfolk

In its latest Ofsted report, Westacre was described as a 'bright, attractive and welcoming environment'.

The announcement that George would be attending the nursery was made when the Cambridges unveiled their family Christmas card in 2015.    

Today, there are more than 5,000 Montessori schools in the US, and around 700 in the UK, where they are privately funded.

The method discourages traditional competitive measurements of achievement, such as grades and tests, and instead focuses on the individual progress and development of each child.

Westacre Montessori School Nursery in Norfolk, which was attended by Prince George

Children of different ages share the same classes, and are encouraged to collaborate and help each other.

Special educational materials are used to keep children interested, and there is an emphasis on 'practical life skills'. 

Most Montessori classrooms are secular in nature, and the method has had its share of criticism. 

Some parents believe the classroom environment is 'too free' while others question Montessori teaching priorities, or the fact that children are not normally assigned homework.