St Lawrence Church Pre-School

Twenty places, a school-site setting and practical learning through play give St Lawrence Church Pre-School its character. Based inside Hillhouse C of E Primary School in Waltham Abbey, it combines a small whole-setting capacity with opportunities to explore, talk and become more independent. The capacity figure describes the pre-school as a whole, rather than the size of an individual group.

At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. Children attending then were aged two to four. The strongest examples were tangible: experimenting with ice, using storytelling props and practising everyday tasks such as dressing for outdoor play.

Term-time opening includes shorter windows on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with later closing on Tuesday and Thursday. That weekly rhythm is an important part of the choice here.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play giving children opportunities to practise language, movement and early mathematical ideas. It is the common foundation for early years provision. The useful question is how it becomes part of children's activities.

In December 2023, staff shaped activities around children's interests and their next learning steps. One experiment involved toy animals trapped in ice: children tried tools before using warm water to release them. This gave them a concrete problem to investigate, rather than simply a fact to remember. Water, dough and sand also featured in their play.

Book areas, storytelling props and songs supported conversation during that visit. Children heard words repeated and older children asked questions and described objects. Musical instruments accompanied singing, while icing biscuits gave children practice using their hands to mix ingredients. These were everyday materials put to educational use.

There were limits to the teaching. In December 2023, activities did not consistently stretch children's existing understanding, and mathematical experiences needed more attention to measurement and quantity. Counting and discussing shapes were already part of the day, but the next step was to broaden what children could explore through their play.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2023, outdoor play included bicycles and climbing apparatus, giving children opportunities to practise coordination and balance. A painted yellow stop sign marked a boundary for cycling, and a sand timer helped organise turns. Those physical details made expectations visible to children.

Creative experiences include Self Portraits and Mark Making and Construction. An Eid al-Fitr gallery also depicts children enjoying food prepared for the celebration. These examples connect children's own identities, creative expression and experiences of celebration; they do not imply a fixed timetable of events.

Relationships and Communication

A named key person forms part of each child's attendance record. The record-keeping arrangements also separate developmental information from personal files and restrict access to sensitive material. This gives families an identifiable practitioner alongside a defined approach to handling information about their child.

In December 2023, staff offered parents ideas for supporting learning at home and sought their views on the provision. Children also practised managing clothing and using the toilet independently. These small tasks matter alongside planned activities: they give children experience of doing things for themselves.

Home-learning support includes Tiny Happy People, the BBC resource for developing children's communication, and Online Safety, the NSPCC resource offering advice about children's safety online. Parents can use these alongside the pre-school's guidance, extending conversations and learning beyond attendance hours.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support, with staff identifying developmental concerns, arranging referrals and working with other professionals on targeted plans. The current team structure includes a SENDCo and an assistant, providing defined roles for discussing additional needs.

Staff also hold ELKLAN language-support qualifications. This is relevant experience for families whose children need help developing communication, although a qualification alone does not describe an individual child's support plan.

In December 2023, staff collected familiar words for children learning English as an additional language. Picture cards and visual schedules helped children express feelings and understand changes between activities. Children discussed happiness and sadness, bringing emotional language into ordinary routines.

The transfer policy provides for a key-person summary of development, additional languages and support needs, alongside parents' views. Families see the summary before it passes to the next setting or school. That creates a practical bridge between providers, carrying information about the child rather than leaving the receiving team to start afresh.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.45am to 11.45am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8.45am to 2.45pm on Tuesday and Thursday. Attendance is term-time only. The later closing on two days offers a different weekly rhythm from the shorter opening windows on the other days; these are opening hours rather than a promise of a particular booking arrangement.

The address is Hillhouse C of E Primary School, Ninefields, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 3EL. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Being based at the school does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process, separately from arranging pre-school attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, with a further 15 hours subject to eligibility. The setting operates during term time. Paid sessions are also offered, and current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation.

A separate voluntary monthly consumables contribution helps cover snack food, wipes and sun cream, including items outside early years funding; these items therefore sit outside the session fee. The contribution is voluntary, including for funded attendance. In December 2023, children had healthy snacks and parents were encouraged to supply healthy packed lunches.

The fees and opening hours information sets out the contribution and funded offer.

• The weekly rhythm. Term-time opening ends at 11.45am on three weekdays and 2.45pm on Tuesday and Thursday. Families need an arrangement that fits those different closing times and school holidays.
• Stretching learning. The December 2023 improvement priorities concerned extending children's understanding and using measurement and quantity more fully. On a visit, ask how staff now adapt activities for children ready for a greater challenge.
• Funding and contributions. The snack, wipes and sun-cream contribution is voluntary and separate from session fees. Request a written breakdown distinguishing funded attendance, paid sessions and that contribution.
• Moving to Reception. Sharing the school site does not secure a school place. Keep the local authority application separate from the pre-school decision.

St Lawrence suits families seeking term-time preschool provision whose routines fit shorter opening windows or the later Tuesday and Thursday closing. Its small overall capacity, creative activities and defined additional-needs roles give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The December 2023 examples show practical exploration and everyday independence, alongside teaching priorities that deserve attention. The decision turns on whether that approach and the weekly timetable fit the child and family, with Reception admission treated as a separate process.