St Laurence Pre School

A garden climbing frame, play-based French and a monthly visit to St Laurence Church give this Upminster preschool a recognisable character. St Laurence Pre School operates at Hurford Hall, behind Upminster Library, with indoor and outdoor space connected so children can move between them. It accepts children aged two to four and has 24 places in total. This is preschool provision rather than baby care.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 9 November 2021 and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. That is a dated judgement, so the detail matters alongside the headline: the visit recorded imaginative topic work and consistent routines, but also called for better support for younger children during group activities and broader learning about other communities.

The practical offer includes a term-time preschool day and longer wraparound patterns. Families can therefore choose between a preschool timetable and care extending into the early evening, rather than treating the opening window as the only attendance option.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and development: here, children explore through play, with planned topics giving activities a shared theme. French, Sign Language and Phonics are introduced through play alongside that framework. These additions bring language and early literacy into children's activities; they are not a substitute for the everyday learning programme.

Topics change weekly, with garden resources rearranged to connect with what children are exploring. That gives familiar equipment a different purpose as the subject changes. Rather than separating learning from play, the arrangement uses children's interests as a starting point.

In November 2021, an animal topic connected the book Dear Zoo with an imagined zoo, animal painting and mask-making. Children joined in with repeated story phrases. The example shows how a single subject can link listening, pretend play and creative work, rather than becoming an isolated group lesson.

Group activities deserve closer attention for the youngest children. In November 2021, much of the adult-led work brought children aged two to four together, and younger participants sometimes lost interest. The improvement point was to adapt activities to children's abilities and provide more help for younger children. For a family choosing care for a two-year-old, the balance between shared activities and age-appropriate support is more useful than the grade alone.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden contains a large climbing frame and a mud kitchen, alongside bikes, sand tables and water play. Connected indoor and outdoor space gives children a choice of where to pursue their play. The equipment supports different kinds of activity: climbing and cycling involve movement, while water, sand and the mud kitchen invite hands-on exploration.

St Laurence Church hosts the children on each month's last Monday for stories, singing and music. The regularity makes this a recurring part of preschool life rather than an occasional outing. In November 2021, church visits and religious celebrations were also part of the children's experience, although learning about communities beyond their own needed further development.

Past outings have included Barleylands Farm, the Stick Man Trail at South Weald Park and The Gruffalo walk at Thorndon Country Park. These are examples of places children have visited, rather than a fixed future trip calendar. They connect the preschool's activities with farm and park experiences beyond the hall and garden.

In November 2021, staff helped children put feelings into words after disagreements, and a bell followed by a tidying song marked the change from play to group time. These are practical examples of how adults supported relationships and made routines understandable. A predictable signal gives children something concrete to recognise when the day changes direction.

In November 2021, managers recognised the need to extend settling sessions for children returning after the pandemic. Staff also created opportunities for children who spoke another language at home to hear and use English. Both examples concern how the setting responded to individual starting points at that time; neither should be read as a promise about a particular child's progress today.

Communication in November 2021 included regular exchanges with families about preschool life. Current transition work includes annual visits from local schools to meet children due to join them in September. Meeting future school staff in a familiar setting provides a practical link between preschool and the next stage, without implying an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hurford Hall (St Laurence Church Hall), Corbets Tey Road, Upminster, RM14 2BB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The preschool session runs from 9am to 3pm during term time, accepts children aged two to four and requires attendance on at least two days.

Breakfast Club for Pre Schoolers runs from 7.30am to 9am. Full Wrap Around Care covers 7.30am to 6pm, while Part Wrap Around Care runs from 9am to 6pm. Additional preschool hours can be billed monthly. The annual preschool intake starts in September, with registered families contacted at the beginning of the year about that intake.

School-age services have a separate purpose. For children aged four to seven attending Upminster Infants School, Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 9am during term time, with an escort to school. After School Club runs from 3pm to 6pm for children aged four to seven, with collections only from Upminster Infants. Holiday Club accepts children aged three to seven from schools across the borough, running from 8am to 4pm during half-term, Easter and summer holidays on dates confirmed in advance. Craft or baking activities take place in the morning and afternoon.

Getting There

Hurford Hall sits behind Upminster Library, and Upminster Station is within a 10 minute walk. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07773 687179 or by email at info@stlaurencepreschool.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government funding is accepted, with 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements covered by the funding information. Preschool attendance is term-time, and private hours can supplement funded attendance. The preschool session carries no additional fees; children bring their own snack and packed lunch, including when using funding.

Food arrangements depend on the booking: wraparound packages include specified snacks and a home-cooked evening meal, with breakfast also included in the full package, but lunch comes from home; without a package, food items are charged separately. Holiday Club children bring lunch and both snacks from home.

Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation. The fees page distinguishes packages from separately priced services, making the chosen attendance pattern central to understanding the charge structure.

• Support for younger children. In November 2021, younger children sometimes disengaged during mixed-age group activities. At a visit, ask how shared activities now accommodate a two-year-old alongside older preschool children.
• Learning beyond the familiar. Broader understanding of other communities was a November 2021 improvement point. Ask how that learning complements the monthly St Laurence Church visit and weekly topics.
• Attendance and food. The term-time preschool session requires at least two days, while the longer packages have different food inclusions. Match the session and lunch arrangements to the pattern your family will actually use.
• Individual support. Children enter between two and four, and managers recognised the need to extend settling sessions in November 2021. Ask how settling and support for your child's particular needs would be planned.

St Laurence Pre School suits families seeking either a 9am-to-3pm term-time preschool pattern or a longer wraparound day beginning at 7.30am or 9am. Its garden equipment, play-based language activities and recurring church visits give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The Good judgement dates to November 2021. The strongest decision is therefore one that weighs the current activities and attendance options alongside the two substantive improvement points: support within mixed-age groups and learning about communities beyond children's own.