Holy Trinity Playgroup

Stories, conversation and play dough give Holy Trinity Playgroup its clearest character: learning through ordinary activities that invite children to talk and take part. Based in Holy Trinity church hall in Horsham, it has capacity for 25 children. At its 25 February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with an improvement needed in how consistently staff involved every child in activities.

Children attending in February 2025 were aged 2 to 4. The strongest practical detail is the emphasis on independence, from managing belongings to choosing books, alongside opportunities for physical play indoors and outside. These are useful foundations for children preparing for their next stage of learning.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, its everyday expression in February 2025 included conversation, stories, creative activities and physical play. Children helped make play dough and discussed the ingredients, giving them something concrete to talk about while working alongside an adult.

Craft pancakes prompted discussion about shapes. This brought mathematical vocabulary into an activity children were already enjoying. Staff also encouraged children to explain their ideas and listen to one another. Participation mattered as much as the finished creation.

Books had a place beyond group story time. In February 2025, children could read independently or with friends, while a lending system extended story sharing into family life. A reading area gave them somewhere to choose this quieter activity. For parents who value books, that connection between playgroup and home is a useful part of the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2025, indoor ramps offered balancing practice, while the garden provided trikes and a slide. Water play included pouring coloured water and using water to paint a fence. These examples show different ways for children to move, explore materials and practise control, rather than relying on a single outdoor activity.

Preschool children also attended forest-school sessions at a nearby site in February 2025, adding outdoor learning beyond the playgroup garden. Visits to a local care home and links with the church extended experiences beyond the immediate setting. The outdoor sessions gave children a different place to learn and play.

Conversation was also part of emotional support in February 2025. Staff used stories to discuss how characters felt, helping children recognise feelings and consider how to manage them. Everyday encouragement supported toddlers with practical tasks such as hanging up coats, while older children took more responsibility for their belongings.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to be thoughtfully organised, including daily speaking groups and attention to securing children's funding entitlements. Those groups gave children opportunities to practise speaking and sharing ideas with others.

Family communication in February 2025 combined spoken updates with a contact book. Staff collected information about children's needs and family backgrounds, and a new starters board represented the families joining the setting. This linked knowledge from home with the activities and relationships children encountered at playgroup.

Holy Trinity Playgroup's address is 12 Rushams Road, Horsham, RH12 2NT. Its church-hall setting is central to its identity, while its capacity of 25 places describes the whole playgroup, rather than the number attending any individual activity.

In February 2025, opening was term-time only, Monday to Friday: 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Wednesday and Thursday. These were opening hours, so families comparing childcare arrangements should distinguish the length of the opening day from their child's booked attendance.

Government-funded childcare was offered in February 2025, and the setting received additional funding for disadvantaged children. This establishes funding participation at that time, rather than an entitlement for an individual family. Children also brought fruit for snack time in February 2025.

• Adult interaction. The February 2025 improvement priority concerned occasional missed opportunities to involve every child fully. During a visit, ask how staff include quieter children in conversations and activities.
• Term-time routine. February 2025 opening ended earlier on Wednesday and Thursday than on the other weekdays. Families needing a consistent afternoon finish should weigh that pattern against their working arrangements.
• Forest-school arrangements. Preschool children attended sessions away from the garden in February 2025. Ask how often these now run and how they fit into a child's attendance.

Holy Trinity Playgroup merits consideration for families seeking a church-hall playgroup with an emphasis on talk, books and practical independence. Its February 2025 provision combined creative play, garden activities and experiences beyond the setting. The term-time opening pattern suited families whose routines could accommodate different afternoon finishes. Consistent adult interaction is the key point to explore when visiting.