St Paul's Pre-School

Christian parish roots and practical independence give St Paul's Pre-School its character. Based at St. Pauls RC Church in Haywards Heath, it combines a Christian ethos with play shaped by children's interests and their experiences at home. The pre-school caters for children aged two to four and has capacity for 35 children in total.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The detail gives that judgement substance: children practised managing their belongings, staff used signing to support communication, and garden equipment offered opportunities to develop balance and climbing skills.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning and long-day sessions. That makes this a setting to consider around a school-term calendar, rather than year-round childcare.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, communication and everyday practical experiences contribute to their learning. Here, children's curiosity and existing experiences help shape what they do, giving staff a starting point in the child's own interests rather than treating everyone as beginning in the same place.

In September 2025, seasonal objects and autumn-themed dough gave children opportunities to handle materials, shape them and explore. These were practical experiences with several purposes: working fingers and hands, encouraging creativity and giving children something concrete to discuss. Staff joined the play rather than simply setting out an activity.

Language work was woven into these experiences. In September 2025, staff introduced vocabulary while children played, used questions to develop their thinking and supported understanding with signs and picture cards. Small-group activities included discovering a toy and learning words associated with it. For a child still building confidence in speaking or listening, that offered a manageable activity around a shared object.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2025, the garden contained beams, stepping stones and a climbing frame. Children could practise balancing and climbing, with encouragement from staff. Indoors, walking, hopping and moving on tiptoe brought movement into group activities too; less-confident children received help to participate.

The Christian ethos is an explicit part of the pre-school's identity, and it belongs to St. Paul’s Parish. Families choosing it should be comfortable with that religious foundation alongside its stated inclusive approach. It is a meaningful part of the choice, rather than merely an address beside a church.

Relationships were expressed through shared activities and familiar routines in September 2025. Staff played alongside children, while group singing incorporated signs for rainbow colours. Turn-taking, sharing and polite language were practised during activities, making consideration for others something children could rehearse in ordinary play.

Independence also had concrete tasks attached to it. In September 2025, children put away packed lunches and bottles, moved their names for attendance and practised selecting fruit and spreading butter on crackers. These small responsibilities linked self-care with preparation for starting school, rather than making school readiness solely about formal learning.

Communication with families included conversations at collection, email updates and termly meetings about progress and learning at home in September 2025. At that inspection, Ofsted identified two priorities: adapting communication so every parent could understand and access information, and making exploration of cultural differences a more consistent part of daily practice. Those qualifications matter alongside the positive picture of relationships.

Operation Encompass adds a specific support arrangement: it connects police with educational settings to enable early support for children who witness domestic abuse. Participation describes a mechanism for sharing support, rather than an assurance about any individual child's experience.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Presbytery, St. Pauls RC Church, Hazelgrove Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 3PQ. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 1.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; long-day sessions are another booking pattern.

Applications use an application form. The pre-school recommends a visit before applying, arranged through the Supervisor. This gives families a clear sequence for joining: visit, then application.

Funding and Paid Extras

The Free Entitlement Grant provides 15 hours from the term after a child's third birthday. The pre-school also accepts 30-hour funding (extended FE), subject to eligibility. Its term-time attendance model is relevant when fitting those hours around a family's working calendar.

• Term-time attendance. Morning sessions end at 1.30pm, and long-day sessions are also offered. At a visit, ask what hours the long-day booking covers and consider how term-time care fits your calendar.
• Accessible parent communication. September 2025 brought a requirement to adapt the way information reaches families. Parents who need a different communication format have a specific point to discuss.
• Culture and Christian ethos. Christian beliefs shape the pre-school's ethos, while September 2025 identified a need for more consistent exploration of cultural differences. Consider both elements when assessing the experience you want for your child.

St Paul's Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or a long-day pattern within a Christian parish setting. Its September 2025 examples give a concrete picture of learning: signs and picture cards for communication, garden equipment for movement and everyday tasks for independence. The communication and cultural-diversity priorities deserve attention, but the overall inspection judgement provides a clear starting point for the decision.