Billericay Catholic Preschool

A church-hall setting with a sun-canopied outdoor area, child-led play and practical independence gives Billericay Catholic Preschool its character. Based at the Canon Roche Centre on Laindon Road, it welcomes children of any faith or none. The Catholic identity shapes some experiences, but it is not a religious entry requirement.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good, found safeguarding effective and praised its support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including adaptations to teaching and the environment. There was a clear development point too: staff needed to make more of opportunities for children to investigate and deepen their thinking.

There are 30 places in total. Children can start from 2 years 4 months and attend until age 5, making this a preschool choice rather than baby care. Morning-only attendance and an optional Wednesday extension give families different ways to use the provision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: here, play, conversation, physical activity and group experiences give children opportunities to develop their skills. Children choose activities and are encouraged to stay with a task, alongside adult-led work in smaller and larger groups. The balance gives them practice both in making decisions and in joining something organised by an adult.

The library corner anchors the morning register, with a calendar and weather chart helping children talk about the day and season. Show and tell draws on objects from home and photographs for the Links to Home Board. These are concrete ways to connect family life with preschool conversation, giving children something familiar to explain to others.

Stories, songs and movement sit alongside games such as skittles and parachute play. Group art offers another way to participate together. Tablets are used with supervision and restricted access, so technology has a defined place within the day rather than being an unrestricted activity.

In February 2025, storytelling involved children discussing illustrations and predicting what could happen next. Water play explored how much containers could hold, while balls travelling through chutes prompted counting and comparison. These examples show how ordinary play can introduce ideas about quantity, time and cause and effect.

The same February 2025 observations exposed the next step. A flower-potion activity could have developed into an investigation of flower parts and the daffodils children were growing, but that connection was missed. For parents, the useful distinction is between offering an engaging activity and helping children pursue the questions it raises.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area has a tarmac surface and a sun canopy, supporting play across different weather conditions. Children can choose their own outdoor activities or join adult-led ones. Space for movement matters alongside quieter indoor tasks; in February 2025, children ran around garden obstacles and used dough and creative materials to practise smaller hand movements.

Walkodile trips take children to local places of interest, with additional staffing supported by the preschool's voluntary activity contribution. The trips extend learning beyond the hall. In February 2025, community experiences included visits to the post office, fire station and church, alongside visits from the local priest.

Faith and cultural learning were also visible in February 2025 through Easter, Diwali and St. David's Day. The current activity charge structure supports an Annual Nativity performance, Sports Day and a Teddy Bear’s picnic in the summer term. These experiences bring performance, physical activity and shared celebrations into preschool life, although their funding depends on sufficient voluntary contributions.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2025, the key-person arrangement gave children who were settling focused attention from a familiar adult. Staff joined children's play and talked through what they were doing, including pretend play in the home corner. That offers a useful picture of care through interaction, rather than simply supervision from the edge of an activity.

Independence was practical. In February 2025, children handled clothing fastenings, washed their hands and helped themselves at snack time by preparing fruit, spreading crackers and pouring drinks. Such tasks give children small responsibilities they can practise repeatedly, with a purpose they understand.

Parents can participate in the preschool's organisation through its volunteer committee. Parents elect members at the Annual General Meeting, and the committee oversees finances, employment and policies. This is a specific route into the running of the setting for families who want that involvement.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND arrangements include liaison with an Area SENCO and outside professionals, visual prompts for routines and resources, and support for families whose children use English as a second language. An accessible building and toilets for people with disabilities address physical access as well as teaching support. These are concrete mechanisms to discuss against a child's individual needs.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that partnership work put continuing support in place before children moved to school, and that collaboration with parents helped children's progress. The value is continuity: support for the next stage was being arranged before the transition happened.

Staff have first-aid training, and the team includes a safeguarding officer role. Children can also have rest and quieter activities during sessions, allowing a pause from group play when they need it.

Families supply a packed lunch for every child, including those attending only in the morning. Snacks can be supplied by the preschool for a separate charge or brought from home under its healthy-eating guidelines; dietary needs and allergies are considered in the snack arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Canon Roche Centre, Laindon Road, Billericay, CM12 9LL. Opening hours are 9.15am to 2.45pm from Monday to Wednesday, with Friday opening from 9.15am to 12.15pm. Wednesday has optional extended hours from 2.45pm to 4.45pm. Morning-only sessions are also offered.

The interest form asks families to select two preferred days and identifies Friday as morning-only. That is a request for preferences, rather than a promise of a particular allocation. There is also a separate general-enquiry form, making it possible to distinguish an application for interest from another question about the setting.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded Early Years Entitlement is offered for eligible two-year-olds and for all three- and four-year-olds. The preschool also offers the 30 hours Extended Entitlement for Working Families Entitlement, but can deliver a maximum of 28.5 hours each week because of access to the premises. Families entitled to more funded hours therefore need to account for that delivery limit.

Funding must be requested when accepting a place; otherwise a claim for the child's first term may not be possible. Private paid hours are offered too, and payment arrangements include Tax Free Childcare and childcare vouchers. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

Packed lunches come from home. Preschool-provided snacks carry a separate charge, including a separate snack charge during Wednesday extended hours, or families can provide their own snacks in line with the healthy-eating rules. This distinction applies alongside funded attendance: entitlement does not turn every food item into an included extra.

For non-food materials, funding covers basic craft supplies and ordinary age-appropriate resources. Extra themed resources, special craft materials and nature-activity supplies are supported through a voluntary contribution, alongside trips and events. The invoice includes this discretionary activity charge according to attendance, but children are not excluded if families choose not to contribute. Activities may be cancelled if contributions do not cover their costs.

Getting There

The preschool uses the Canon Roche Hall behind The Most Holy Redeemer Church. Parking is immediately outside the building, which is useful to consider alongside its accessible entrance and toilet facilities.

• Extending children's thinking. February 2025 findings identified missed chances to deepen investigations. At a visit, ask how staff now turn an activity such as flower potions into further questions and exploration.
• Wednesday extension and funded hours. The optional later Wednesday finish adds flexibility, but the weekly funding delivery limit is 28.5 hours. Consider how that combination fits the hours your family needs.
• Voluntary activity funding. Children can participate without their family paying the contribution, but insufficient contributions can lead to cancellations. The extras should be understood alongside that condition.
• Individual care arrangements. Visual routines, professional liaison and dietary consideration provide useful starting points. Families with SEND or allergy requirements should discuss how these arrangements will work for their child and confirm current allergy practice.

Billericay Catholic Preschool suits families seeking morning-only attendance or preschool hours with an optional later Wednesday finish. Child-selected play, practical independence and community experiences give it a clear identity, while its welcome extends across faiths and to families with no religion.

The February 2025 development point deserves attention: interesting activities need to lead into deeper investigation. Balance that against the concrete care arrangements, outdoor space and opportunities for parent involvement. The funding-hours limit and contribution-dependent extras are the practical details most likely to shape a family's decision.