Tudor Cross Pre-School CIC

A community-centre setting, daily outdoor play and a learning journal shared through TAPESTRY give Tudor Cross Pre-School CIC a practical, family-facing character. Based in Waltham Abbey, it welcomes children from age two and has 28 places in total. Its scale is one useful consideration; the arrangements for settling, access and attendance are just as important.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good on 9 September 2022. That judgement came with two clear priorities: helping children understand turn-taking more consistently and improving staff coaching so activities stretch children's learning further.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and all-day patterns. That gives families a choice between shorter sessions and a day covering both sessions, while keeping care within the school-term calendar.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and interaction support skills such as communication, physical development and learning to get along with others. Tudor Cross also encourages independence through play, with preparation for later school life among its aims.

In September 2022, staff used children's interests to shape activities. A playhouse became a pretend restaurant, giving children a reason to talk, negotiate roles and serve one another. Cars and balls travelling down ramps brought counting and colour recognition into play. These were concrete starting points for learning, although staff did not consistently take activities beyond what children already knew.

Books had a prominent place in September 2022. Children could read in a comfortable book area or share stories outdoors, while a library near the entrance connected reading at pre-school with reading at home. Indoor and outdoor stages also gave children space to perform for their friends. The day included opportunities both to listen and to take the lead.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children use the outside area each day. Warm coats are needed for cold or wet weather, and sun hats for warmer days, so outdoor play is part of the routine rather than an occasional extra.

The outdoor area is level with the hall. In September 2022, changes to the garden supported ongoing outdoor access, giving children more opportunities for physical activity alongside their indoor play.

Relationships and Communication

Settling arrangements allow for a parent to remain briefly when a child is upset, with staff guiding the next step. Parents can request a phone call once their child has settled. That offers a concrete way to manage an anxious separation, rather than leaving a parent wondering how the session is going.

TAPESTRY gives families access to their child's learning journal. Staff are also available for conversations, though discussions at session boundaries may need to wait until children have been received or collected; a private appointment is the route for confidential matters. These are different channels for different needs: a journal for learning, a conversation for an immediate issue and an appointment for something sensitive.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support good, with additional resources and individual adult support helping children take part in learning. Those are dated findings, rather than an assurance about every child's present experience.

Current support arrangements include three trained SENCo staff, two of whom have completed the Inclusion Development Programme, a staff-training programme identified within the pre-school's inclusion arrangements. The team has experience supporting physical disabilities and allergies. Ramp access leads to the hall, but the child-sized toilets involve a step; the community centre's accessible toilet is reached through another hall. Those details matter when judging how a child's day would work in practice.

The child-protection arrangements follow the Southend, Essex & Thurrock (SET) Guidelines and include a designated person responsible for concerns. Collection arrangements record authorised adults; an alternative collector normally requires advance communication and a password, while parents or carers can authorise emergency collection by telephone. These are specific procedures, separate from the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Community Centre, 46 Crooked Mile, Waltham Abbey, Essex, EN9 1QD. Tudor Cross operates Monday to Friday during term time: morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from 12.05pm to 3.05pm, and all-day attendance from 9am to 3.05pm.

Application forms are obtained from the pre-school. Admission requires a birth certificate, an application form, at least two emergency contacts in addition to parents and details of authorised collectors. The admissions priority order starts with children already on the waiting list, followed by Social Services recommendations and children needing eligible funded sessions; siblings and local residence are also considered. This is a priority system, rather than a promise of a place.

Parents should report absences. More than two weeks away without an explanation can lead to the place being offered to another child, and fees for non-funded attendance remain payable during absence. For sickness or diarrhoea, the pre-school requires 48 symptom-free hours before return; its antibiotic policy requires children to remain at home until the course is complete.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 30-hour funding for eligible children, 15-hour Government funding from the term after a child's third birthday, and funding for eligible two-year-olds. Attendance is term-time. Children who do not qualify for two-year-old funding can attend through paid sessions; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Food and drinks are charged separately unless the child's funding code starts TYF, including on funded attendance, while all-day children bring a packed lunch and drink from home. Parents apply sun cream before attendance, so that consumable is supplied from home.

An initial registration charge also applies unless the funding code starts TYF. Payments are weekly, or in advance for monthly payment, and there is a charge for late collection. The fees and funding page sets out the payment structure.

Getting There

The pre-school uses the local community centre, with parking on site and ramp access to the hall. The level connection between the hall and outdoor area is useful for children whose mobility affects access to play.

• Term-time timetable. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance finish within the 9am to 3.05pm opening window. Families needing care through school holidays or later afternoons will need an attendance plan that accommodates that calendar.
• Learning and turn-taking. September 2022 priorities concerned consistent support for sharing activities and extending learning. At a visit, ask how staff now use turn-taking strategies and adapt an activity when a child has mastered its starting point.
• Access and individual support. The hall has ramp access, but children's toilets involve a step and the accessible toilet is through another hall. Discuss your child's support or allergy needs alongside those physical arrangements.
• Charges around funding. Food and drink and the initial registration charge have an exemption for funding codes starting TYF; all-day attendance also requires a packed lunch. The written quotation should distinguish your child's funded attendance, paid sessions and applicable extras.

Tudor Cross suits families seeking term-time preschool from age two, whether through morning sessions, afternoon sessions or attendance across the full pre-school day. Daily outdoor access, TAPESTRY learning journals and practical settling communication give parents clear features to weigh.

The September 2022 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, with specific improvement priorities rather than an unqualified endorsement. For families considering SEND support or mobility needs, the combination of trained SENCo staff and the community-centre layout deserves close attention. This is a setting to assess through the fit between its session structure, support arrangements and a child's everyday needs.