Holy Cross Pre-School

A garden cottage for books, space for outdoor play and close connections with a neighbouring primary school give Holy Cross Pre-School its character. This Harlow setting combines play chosen by children with activities led by adults, making room both for individual interests and for learning to take part in a group.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the pre-school Good overall and found its safeguarding arrangements effective. The improvement priorities concerned participation in larger groups and keeping children interested during story sessions. Those are useful points to weigh alongside the outdoor experiences and practical independence described below.

Holy Cross welcomes children aged two to four and has 44 places in total. It occupies the grounds of Holy Cross Catholic Primary Academy, on Tracyes Road. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions run during term time, giving families different ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, including language, physical development and relationships. At Holy Cross, children choose activities and practise seeing a task through, while adults also organise group experiences. The balance matters: children have opportunities to pursue an idea of their own and to learn alongside others.

Observation feeds into planning. Practitioners use photographs, videos and what they see children doing to build records of development; parents contribute knowledge about interests and experiences at home. That gives the key person material from both sides of a child's life when deciding what to introduce next. It also makes communication more concrete than a general account of how a session went.

Rainbow Cottage, in the garden, is used for stories, reading and library time. Monday activities follow a three-week cycle covering physical education, books, and cooking or gardening. The rotation brings different experiences into the same attendance day rather than assigning one permanent activity to Mondays.

In July 2024, letters and sounds were explored with regular input from a specialist teacher. Train play introduced counting and positional language, while making picnic bunting involved cutting and sticking shapes. These were practical routes into early literacy, mathematics and control of small movements: ideas were attached to something children could handle, arrange or make.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large garden supports both activities directed by adults and play initiated by children. Outdoor experiences sit alongside indoor ones, rather than being treated simply as a break from learning. The garden offers space for movement as well as opportunities to investigate the natural world.

In July 2024, children examined insects among herbs and fruit bushes, using magnifying pots to look more closely. They also balanced on planks, used scooters and tricycles, and turned a wooden boat into an imaginary voyage. The contrast is appealing: careful observation and energetic movement both had a place in the outdoor day.

Practical independence was visible that July too. Children swapped footwear for muddy exploration, helped themselves to drinks from the classroom dispensers and dealt with handwashing. These small responsibilities gave them opportunities to do useful things for themselves, alongside the more imaginative play.

Relationships and Communication

A personal key person works with parents on each child's needs and interests, helps with settling and contributes to the child's development record. Staff agree the settling approach with families. This gives parents a continuing relationship through which to share changes at home and discuss how their child is getting on.

Parents can contribute to assessment and participate in activities, including volunteering or sharing their own interests. The records of achievement bring observations and family knowledge together, so conversations can centre on particular experiences and the next steps for the child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found good progress in communication and language, including for children learning English as an additional language, and described staff using home languages and working with parents and other professionals to support individual needs. The practical detail matters here: familiar language was used to help children communicate, rather than support being expressed only as a general intention.

The staff structure includes a special educational needs coordinator, an assistant supporting that role and designated safeguarding leads. These are identifiable responsibilities within the team. Parents seeking additional support can discuss their child's needs through the key person and the special educational needs role.

In July 2024, staff encouraged sharing, turn-taking and consideration for others, with clear behavioural boundaries. Children also had opportunities to attempt physical challenges with supervision. Care involved helping children manage relationships and try things, as well as attending to immediate needs.

Healthy snacks and drinks are offered; children attending for the full day bring a healthy packed lunch. Parents apply sun cream before attendance, making that item a family responsibility.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and full days from 9am to 3pm. The afternoon session therefore finishes later than the full-day pattern, a detail that matters when organising collection.

Attendance runs Monday to Friday across 38 weeks of the year. Holy Cross follows the Essex County Council calendar and the primary academy's inset days, and closes on bank holidays. This is a term-time arrangement, so families need their wider childcare plans to fit those closures.

The address is Tracyes Road, Harlow, Essex, CM18 6JJ, off Southern Way. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01279 306327; applications use an application form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Holy Cross offers 15 hours of funded childcare from the term after a child's second birthday until they attend primary school, with an extended entitlement bringing eligible attendance to 30 hours per week. Funding follows its term-time calendar. Eligibility determines which entitlement a family can use; the offer should not be read as a universal entitlement for every two-year-old.

Full-day children bring lunch, while snacks and drinks are offered during attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Moving on to School

The pre-school describes a close relationship with Holy Cross Catholic Primary Academy, whose grounds it shares. Attending the pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

In July 2024, transition work included teachers visiting the pre-school and staff accompanying children to play and story sessions at schools. This introduced children to people and experiences associated with the next stage, rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

• Participation in groups. In July 2024, some children missed turns when game rules became unclear, and story sessions did not consistently hold everyone's attention. During a visit, ask how larger activities now keep each child involved.
• Term-time coverage. The 38-week calendar follows school dates and inset closures. Morning, afternoon and full-day choices provide different session lengths, but families needing holiday childcare must plan around the calendar.
• Funding and extras. Funded hours and a parent-provided lunch are separate parts of the arrangement. Ask for a written quotation showing how your proposed attendance, snacks and any additional charges fit together.
• The primary-school connection. Sharing the academy's grounds can make the school relationship attractive, but it does not secure admission. Treat the Reception application as a separate decision and process.

Holy Cross suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a full day within the school-week calendar. Rainbow Cottage and the garden give the offer recognisable substance, while the key-person arrangement gives parents a continuing point of contact.

The July 2024 judgement provides a positive overall assessment, with a specific reservation about group activities. The strongest decision is therefore about fit: the attendance pattern, outdoor opportunities and school connection need to work for your child and your family calendar.