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Sacred Heart Pre-School in Henley on Thames

Ofsted: Good
(Feb 2022)
·
4.7(19 parent reviews)
·Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School, Greys Hill, Henley on Thames, RG9 1SL · Oxfordshire
Number of places
24 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2022
Local authority
Oxfordshire

About this day nursery

Sacred Heart Pre-School, also known as Little Hearts, is a community-focused establishment situated in Henley-on-Thames. Dedicated to providing a nurturing environment, the preschool aims to offer emotional stability, intellectual stimulation, and loving care for every child.

The preschool prides itself on its experienced team, many of whom have been with the institution for over a decade. This committed staff delivers a child-centred and personalised curriculum within an inclusive and diverse setting.

Little Hearts operates during term-time, from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm, offering flexible session options including morning, lunch, and afternoon slots. As a registered charity managed by a committee of parent volunteers, the preschool strives to maintain affordable costs while delivering high-quality care and an optimal learning experience.

The institution welcomes families from all religious and cultural backgrounds, actively collaborating with parents and carers to help each child reach their full potential. Safeguarding is a paramount concern, with a robust approach to child protection, ensuring the well-being and safety of all children in their care.

Our ethos

Sacred Heart Pre-School prides itself on its experienced, committed staff who deliver a child-centred and personalised curriculum within an inclusive and diverse setting. They aim to provide intellectual stimulation and collaborate with parents to help each child reach their full potential. Their safeguarding approach is paramount, ensuring the well-being and safety of all children.

What it's like

Children thrive in this nurturing and welcoming pre-school, feeling safe and secure and developing close relationships with staff and peers. They follow routines well, understanding expectations for behaviour and enthusiastically engaging in a variety of planned activities based on their interests.

Charity-runExperienced staff teamChild-centred curriculumCommunity-focused

Pricing & funding

Fees are charged at an hourly rate based on the child's age, with different rates for children aged two-and-a-half to three, and those aged three. A minimum booking of two sessions per week is required. Government-funded hours are free for eligible children.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Minimum booking of two sessions per week.
  • Government-funded hours are free for eligible children.

Key facts

Session types

Morning session: 8.30am-11.30pm, Lunch session: 11.30am-12.30pm, Afternoon session: 12.30am-3.15pm, Flexible combination of session types

Opening hours

8.30am-3.15pm term-time only

Age range

2.5 to 4 years old

Term time / All Year

Term Time

Established

1977

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Sacred Heart Pre-School

Last inspected 4 February 2022 · Clare Perry

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children thrive in this nurturing and welcoming pre-school, feeling safe and secure and developing close relationships with staff and peers. They follow routines well, understanding expectations for behaviour and enthusiastically engaging in a variety of planned activities based on their interests.

Inspector highlights

  • Children thrive in a nurturing and welcoming pre-school.
  • Staff have high expectations for all children's development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and for those who speak English as an additional language.
  • The manager and committee work in partnership and are committed to providing good-quality care and education, having made successful improvements since the last inspection.
  • Staff implement specific plans for children with SEND and those in receipt of additional funding, working well with other professionals.
  • Children develop effective language and communication skills, with staff skilfully building on their vocabulary.

Areas to develop

  • 1support staff to recognise and use opportunities to challenge and extend children's knowledge and emerging interests, in order to maximise learning
  • 2extend staff's teaching practice to ensure children consistently benefit from quality learning experiences that support their good progress.
Inspection #10208815 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents say that they are happy with the pre-school.

They comment on the good progress children have made, especially with their speech and social skills.

Parents explain that staff communicate well with them.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff have high expectations for all children's development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff implement specific plans for children with SEND and those in receipt of additional funding, ensuring effective strategies are used and working well with other professionals.

Outdoor space

The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning.

Parent Reviews of Sacred Heart Pre-School

4.7
(19)
Trinidy Robb
2 months ago

Absolutely lovely preschool,my daughter had bad separation anxiety and was a struggle to get her into her old nursery,upon moving and finding this preschool she was settled within a week,she loves attending and loves all the staff here!staff are amazing with communication and helping with behaviour strategies.She is very much into her arts and crafts and staff make time to help her create the things she visions.She comes home happy and plans her next day at preschool.I would recommend little hearts to anyone looking for a friendly family environment preschool,who don’t just look after your children they actually invest time and form bonds with them and help them thrive.

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Deidre K
a year ago

Super little preschool with a big heart! My daughter loves going to preschool, and comes home talking about science experiments, singing new songs and sharing endless stories about what she got up to and what she learned. Veronika and her team are warm and nurturing and provide a wonderful learning environment. The days are structured but fun, and combine independent outdoor play with small group lessons. Communication between teachers and parents is excellent - they’re always around for an informal chat at drop off, but the weekly observations shared via the school app are detailed and insightful - which I find very helpful.

Read on Google
Victoria Watson
a year ago

Little Hearts Preschool offers a warm and welcoming environment for children, run by a dedicated team of staff who consistently go above and beyond to support both children and families. There is a strong emphasis on communication with parents at Little Hearts. Staff members regularly provide updates on children's progress and encourage family involvement, which helps to strengthen the bond between home and school. We all love being a part of this supportive and nurturing community in Henley. As well as focusing on academic readiness, the staff at Little Hearts prioritise social and emotional development through fun and engaging activities that teach essential life skills and emotional intelligence. All staff members are attentive to each child's well-being and address any concerns promptly. If you are looking for a brilliant preschool for your children in Henley, look no further! ✨

Read on Google
Jo Powis
a year ago

Such a wonderful pre-school. My two children went to a number of different pre-schools, all with great reputations, and Little Hearts is by far the best. It is such a nurturing environment. My daughter really came out of her shell and has built wonderful relationships with peers and the staff. The pre-school is doing a great job of preparing her for school but most importantly she's having lots of fun. There is a big focus on the outdoors and they have a very positive approach to food and nutrition.

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Charlotte Wolfe
a year ago

I’m so glad we found this preschool. Words can’t do justice to how many amazing things the children get to do - I’d encourage you to go onto the Facebook page and see the joy for yourself. Children learn through play - they do loads of art and have made their own paint, they frequently make food for snack time, they garden, they build independence and have free play where they can go inside and outside. They do balancing, climbing, dancing, scooting and bike riding. We recently celebrated international day where families brought in food from their cultures and countries. There are concerts. There’s too much to list! The teachers are absolutely fantastic. They’re so experienced and you can tell how much they respect and love the children. They really believe in and deliver top quality early years education. I could not be happier with their skills and ethics. My child was with me full time until he was 2.5 and he took to LH like a duck to water. He absolutely loves it. I’ll just add this last part in case anyone else is also having the same question - I almost dismissed it as I didn’t want a religious preschool but Little Hearts is independent from the school. I am so glad I phoned up and found that out. That said, we’ve found the environment on site so wonderful that we toured the school, found it to be really open minded with a brilliant educational philosophy and will be going there too - I’m glad I was open minded too!

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Sacred Heart Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: October 2006

  • March 2022Good
  • February 2022Good
  • May 2017Good
  • May 2017Good
  • January 2016Inadequate
  • December 2015Inadequate
  • February 2010Good
  • January 2010Good
  • October 2006Good

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