All Saints Pre-school

A light-filled hall and a garden children can move into freely give All Saints Pre-school its character. Play leads the day here, with gardening, cooking and daily music providing concrete ways for children to explore, make choices and take part together. This is a Leyton pre-school for children aged two to four, based at All Saints Church Hall.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall, with Outstanding personal development, and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical thread is the connection between indoor play and outdoor exploration. Children can choose where to play rather than having their whole day organised around one space.

A charity committee involving parents, carers and church volunteers oversees the setting. Families can contribute to decisions as well as fundraising and social events, giving parental involvement a role beyond receiving updates.

The hall is large and bright, while free-flow access connects it with the garden. Child-centred play shapes the approach: children have choices about their activity and surroundings. For a child who prefers being outside, the garden is part of the learning space rather than simply a break from it.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, play gives children opportunities to practise language, explore materials and develop practical skills. Music and singing feature daily, while cooking introduces following instructions and working through a task. Gardening includes planting, weeding and mulching; older children can also handle some tools with supervision.

In November 2022, children explored coloured rice and used words about quantity while discussing shapes and colours. Painting linked to fireworks prompted conversations about patterns, and play dough gave children opportunities to shape models and explain their intentions. These were different routes into language, early mathematical ideas and using their hands with control.

Outdoors that November, the mud kitchen included herbs, and children investigated soil and seeds while talking about how plants grow. The physical materials gave those conversations something tangible to start from. Outside specialists also led storytelling, while staff used props alongside songs to encourage participation.

Celebrations in November 2022 helped children explore cultural differences and similarities. The useful emphasis was on learning about other people's lives and practising respectful responses, rather than simply marking an occasion.

A key worker system connects each child with staff working alongside their parent or carer. Settling also takes account of home language: staff speak Urdu and Hindi, have some understanding of Panjabi and Turkish, and invite families to share useful phrases when a child is not yet speaking English. Familiar words can make those first conversations easier.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that settling assessments informed individual learning, children made very good progress, and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities was excellent, involving families and professionals in individual plans. Those plans were reviewed, linking the adults supporting a child rather than leaving each to work separately.

Communication deserves closer attention. In November 2022, families received spoken updates, monthly newsletters and journals sent home each term, but the improvement action concerned giving parents more frequent detail about their child's learning and daily activities. General news and an individual account of the day serve different purposes; this was a specific weakness alongside the positive care findings.

During that same month, leaders connected families with local support services, and parents were invited to borough language programmes to continue language development at home. Staff also carried out daily checks for safety risks and undertook first-aid training. These are dated descriptions of practice, rather than a substitute for understanding the arrangements a child will experience now.

All Saints Pre-school's address is All Saints Church Hall, 49 Melbourne Road, London E10 7HF. The pre-school enquiry route is allsaintspreschoola@googlemail.com or 020 8928 9810, keeping childcare enquiries directed to the setting itself.

In November 2022, opening hours were 9am to 3.30pm on weekdays during term time. That timetable is a dated picture of the operating week and is relevant to families considering how pre-school fits around work and the school calendar.

At that time, the setting received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. This establishes its inspection-era participation in funded childcare; it should be read with that date attached.

• Daily learning updates. The November 2022 improvement action concerned more regular individual information. During a visit, ask how the key worker now shares what your child has tried, enjoyed and learned.
• Settling through language. Staff use home-language phrases to help children settle, and a play n stay session can be arranged through the pre-school. Use that session to discuss the words and routines that matter to your child.
• Term-time planning. The November 2022 timetable ran from 9am to 3.30pm on weekdays in term time. What attendance pattern, holiday arrangements and funded-hours terms would apply to your family now?

All Saints suits families drawn to play-led pre-school life, daily singing and practical activities, with free movement between a bright hall and garden. Its multilingual settling approach gives families another concrete reason to consider it. The November 2022 judgement provides a positive dated assessment, while the communication improvement action remains an important point to explore. The choice rests on both: a child's experience during the day and how clearly that experience is shared at home.