Wells, All Saints Pre-School

A church annex, an enclosed outdoor space and access to a sensory room give Wells, All Saints Pre-School a clear physical identity. Based at All Saints’ Church in Woodford Green, it combines play-led learning with a key-carer system and practical support for children with additional needs. The emphasis is on helping children become more independent, with families involved in planning their care and learning.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good overall and found safeguarding effective. That judgement provides a useful starting point, while the detail beneath it matters more: ambitious vocabulary, activities shaped around children’s interests and an improvement point about explaining behaviour to younger children.

The pre-school offers care for children aged 2 to 5 and has 42 places in total. Funded morning, afternoon and full-day sessions give families several attendance patterns rather than a single daily timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, including children’s communication, physical development and relationships. Here, the curriculum follows children’s interests and uses everyday experiences to develop language, thinking and social skills. This gives practitioners a starting point in what a child already wants to explore, rather than requiring every activity to follow an adult’s chosen topic.

In July 2023, themes included dinosaurs, fairy tales, the seasons and life under the sea. A dinosaur activity introduced specialist vocabulary while children searched for buried bones. The connection between an absorbing activity and new words is useful: language becomes something children can use in their play, rather than a separate exercise.

During that same month, children practised recognising their names, distinguishing letter cases and connecting letters with initial sounds. Stories also involved joining in with rhymes and remembering what happened next. These were different routes into early literacy, combining looking, listening and speaking.

Star, the pre-school’s mascot bear, linked home and nursery experiences in July 2023. Children took the bear home and brought back photographs of their adventures to share. For a child who wants to talk about familiar people and places, that provides a concrete starting point for a conversation with the group.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area is compact, enclosed and designed for use in different weather. Children can choose outdoor play during their sessions, with activities planned outside as well as indoors. Weather-appropriate clothing therefore matters to the day, rather than being relevant only to an occasional outing.

A sensory room on the church premises adds another space beyond the main provision. The building is accessible to wheelchair users, and the outdoor surface is soft. These physical arrangements sit alongside adjustable furniture and activities at floor level, giving staff practical ways to adapt participation for children with mobility needs.

In July 2023, outdoor experiences included manipulating slime, using chalk and making paint prints together. Dinosaur play also developed into shared stories in a tent. The account shows how the same outdoor space could accommodate hand movements, mark-making and imaginative play; it was more than a break between indoor activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key carer allocated before starting, with a buddy able to take over when that person is absent. The key carer works with parents on an individual plan for care and learning and maintains developmental records. That gives families a regular contact while making continuity part of the arrangement.

Settling is gradual. Parents or another close adult are expected to remain for part of the first week, with separation increasing according to the child’s readiness. The pre-school may require a parent to stay if being left causes distress. For families, the practical consequence is clear: starting childcare may require adult time as well as a place in the weekly diary.

Communication includes informal conversations, appointments, home–setting books and progress reports at the end of each term. Parents can contribute to developmental records, which may include observations, photographs and examples of children’s work. The purpose is to build a picture that includes home life as well as what happens at pre-school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO coordinates individual outcomes plans, contact with outside professionals and termly discussions with families. Makaton signing, picture-based communication and visual timetables are among the tools used to support communication. These are concrete mechanisms for adapting participation, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCO used advice from professionals and parents to plan support, helping children work towards their individual targets. The current arrangements also include transition meetings, records passed on with parental permission and visits to the next setting. That gives receiving staff information about strategies already useful to the child.

The staffing policy specifies one adult for every four two-year-olds, better than the legal minimum of one to five for that age. This is an adult-to-child ratio, not a statement about group size. Current team roles include a designated safeguarding lead and deputy, a learning support assistant and coordinators for communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development.

Children do not need to be toilet trained to attend. Changing is handled by the key carer or buddy, and children have a named bag containing nappies or pull-ups and wipes. Parents provide sun protection cream for outdoor play.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is All Saints’ Church Annex, Inmans Row, Woodford Green, IG8 0NH. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email.

Monday to Friday, the funded morning session runs from 9am to 12pm, the afternoon from 12:30pm to 3:30pm, and the full-day session from 9am to 3pm.

Earlier starts and later collections depend on availability. Monday offers an 8:30am start and collection at 3:30pm or 4pm; Tuesday to Thursday offer starts at 8am or 8:30am and collection at 3:30pm or 4pm; Friday offers those same start choices with collection at 3:30pm. The day-by-day differences matter for a regular work schedule.

Attendance can be adapted to individual family needs where this preserves continuity for children. There is also a walking and collection service for local school nurseries, allowing care to be combined across settings. This is a practical care arrangement rather than an admissions relationship with a school.

The waiting list is ordered by birth date, with proximity to the setting and siblings already attending also potentially considered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded sessions are offered, with no additional consumables charge on funded hours. Children have a named bag containing nappies or pull-ups and changing wipes. Families provide outdoor sun protection cream.

Snacks are provided, and the food policy includes recording dietary requirements with parents and taking care to avoid nuts and nut products. It also discourages food swapping to protect children with allergies.

• Settling requires family time. A familiar adult is expected to stay for part of the first week, and separation follows the child’s readiness. During a visit, discuss how this would fit your child and your own commitments.
• Extensions vary by weekday. Friday’s latest collection is 3:30pm, while other days include a 4pm option, subject to availability. Match the proposed booking to your actual weekly routine.
• Explaining behaviour was an improvement point. In July 2023, staff did not consistently help younger children understand why some behaviour was unacceptable. Ask how coaching now helps practitioners explain rules and their effects on others.
• Food arrangements need an individual discussion. Dietary needs are recorded with families, and the food policy addresses nuts and food sharing. What are the current lunch arrangements, food charges and allergy procedures for your child’s sessions?

Wells, All Saints Pre-School suits families choosing morning or afternoon sessions as well as a funded full day, with conditional extensions for a longer routine. Its enclosed outdoor provision, sensory room access and detailed key-carer arrangements give parents concrete features to weigh.

The July 2023 Good judgement supports that picture, but the behaviour-teaching improvement point deserves attention alongside the strengths. For children who need a gradual start or individually planned support, the useful question is how the settling process and SENCO arrangements will work for them in practice.