Holy Trinity Pre-School

A secure garden, separate rooms and occasional use of Knaphill Lower School’s environmental area give Holy Trinity Pre-School a recognisable character: play close to home, with connections beyond its own building. The Knaphill setting welcomes children from age two until they leave for school. It has 50 places in total, a whole-setting capacity rather than a room size.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with children making good progress and additional support sought for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Two improvement points temper that positive judgement: communication about key people and learning targets, and consistency in helping children understand their behaviour.

Morning sessions run during the working week, with extensions for lunch and further play on certain days.

Rooms and Ages

The Duck room takes two-year-olds, who remain there for the academic year before moving into the Frog room. Children starting nearer their third birthday, or later, begin in the Frog room instead. This makes the route through the setting depend on both starting age and the academic calendar, rather than simply moving children on at their next birthday.

The building is on one level, with disabled access, toilet facilities and baby-changing facilities. Separate secure rooms and an enclosed garden provide indoor and outdoor spaces for the nursery day. Those physical arrangements matter for families weighing accessibility alongside the play offer.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children develop language, movement and social skills alongside early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding their surroundings. Activities and themes bring those areas into play throughout the year. This is the shared early-years foundation, rather than an additional programme unique to Holy Trinity.

Development Matters, the non-statutory guidance used to shape weekly targets for each key person’s children, connects that broad framework to individual learning. The practical emphasis is on what a particular child needs to practise next.

In June 2023, younger children explored paint and different textures, while animal dominoes and sand-and-water activities introduced mathematical ideas. These examples show learning through handling, comparing and talking. Conversations at mealtimes also gave older children opportunities to explain their preferences and discuss healthy food.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2023, outdoor play included den-building, aiming balls through elevated hoops and combining leaves with dried petals to make potions. Movement and experimentation shared the same space. Children could practise physical skills while also investigating materials.

The pre-school describes close links with Knaphill Lower School, including occasional access to its environmental area. That extends the outdoor offer beyond the garden, while preserving the distinction between an occasional visit and a regular weekly activity.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has an allocated key person who works closely with them, although other practitioners also spend time with them during sessions. This gives families a particular practitioner associated with their child’s care, alongside contact with the wider team.

In June 2023, home visits helped staff learn about family circumstances, dietary restrictions and familiar words for routines in a child’s home language. The value was practical: staff could use information from home when helping children settle. Parents also contributed through sharing celebrations and preparing food associated with their cultures.

Communication in June 2023 included an online app, weekly emails and termly meetings about children’s development. However, the June 2023 inspection identified uneven communication about children’s key people and learning targets, alongside inconsistent responses to behaviour that did not always help children explore their feelings or understand the effect of their actions. These were specific improvement priorities, rather than reasons to dismiss the whole care offer.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children with SEND can have a familiarisation period suited to their needs, with parents staying initially where helpful. A SENCo role forms part of the team structure. Together, these are concrete arrangements for discussing support and managing the beginning of attendance.

In June 2023, children with SEND spent time getting to know new practitioners with help from familiar staff. Independence also developed through ordinary tasks: younger children practised managing tissues and shoes, while older children washed their hands, prepared fruit and helped with drinks. These small responsibilities made self-care part of the nursery day.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting is at Holy Trinity Church, Chobham Road, Knaphill, Woking, GU21 2SX. The basic morning session runs from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday, following a calendar close to school terms. On certain days, children can stay longer for lunch and additional play. This creates a choice between a morning attendance pattern and a longer session incorporating lunch.

Invoices arrive near the beginning of each term and are payable within two weeks. Staged payments can be considered for financial hardship when agreed beforehand. Withdrawing a child requires a full half term’s notice or the corresponding fees, except when leaving in July at the academic year’s end; absences for illness or holidays remain chargeable.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by emailing info@holytrinitypre-school.com. The contact information identifies the Knaphill setting separately from Brookwood, so families should specify Knaphill when making arrangements.

Funding and Paid Extras

Holy Trinity offers 30 hours of funded childcare alongside paid attendance. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Wednesday morning music and movement for children in the Frog room is separately charged, falls outside Free Early Education funding and can be declined, with an alternative arrangement made.

Parents supply packed lunches, a named drinks container containing only water and two pieces of fruit each week for shared snacks; water or milk and fruit are served during the session. The nursery’s no-nuts policy applies to food brought from home, so allergy-affected families should confirm current practice before attendance.

Moving on to School

Staff liaise with Reception teachers and nursery staff at local schools to help children make the transition. The pre-school’s described relationship with Knaphill Lower School does not guarantee a school place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Transition support and an admissions entitlement are separate matters.

• A morning-led timetable. The core pattern is 9am to noon, with lunch and extra play on certain days. For families needing a longer session, which days and collection times would form the proposed booking?
• Communication after June 2023. Parents were not consistently clear about key people or learning targets. During a visit, ask how those details are now shared and how families can discuss progress between meetings.
• Responses to behaviour. The June 2023 improvement priority concerned consistency and helping children understand feelings and consequences. Ask how practitioners respond when play becomes unsafe or children disagree.
• Food from home. Packed lunches and shared fruit contributions make parents part of the food arrangements. Families managing allergies should confirm how the no-nuts policy works in practice.

Holy Trinity suits families seeking either mornings on a calendar close to school terms or mornings extended through lunch and further play on selected days. Its secure garden, room progression and school-transition links give it a clear practical shape.

The June 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by concrete improvement priorities around parent communication and behaviour. For a family whose timetable fits the sessions, the key decision is how those arrangements work together for their own child, especially during settling and the move between rooms.