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St. Mary's Pre-School

Ofsted: Good
(Sept 2024)
·
5.0(15 parent reviews) ·20 Denne Road, Horsham, RH12 1JF · West Sussex
Number of places
32 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Sept 2024
Local authority
West Sussex

About this day nursery

St. Mary's Pre-School, located in Horsham, West Sussex, was established in 2008 and provides a nurturing environment for children aged two to four years. The pre-school operates during term time, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on Friday.

The dedicated staff, which includes 14 professionals with 11 holding appropriate early years qualifications, are committed to fostering an atmosphere where children feel excited to learn and secure. They understand and cater to each child's unique personality and care needs, helping them build strong bonds with their key person.

This focus on individualised support ensures children develop good emotional well-being and respect for their peers. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to be engaging and motivating, with a strong emphasis on physical activity, both indoors and through their regular access to a garden and forest school area, ensuring children develop strong physical coordination and confidence.

The pre-school effectively uses additional funding to provide one-to-one support when needed, ensuring all children, including those with SEND, make good progress from their starting points.

What it's like

Children come into the pre-school excited to learn, with staff supporting those who are younger and less confident to settle by understanding their unique personalities and care needs. They benefit from kind and caring staff who provide reassurance, helping them develop strong bonds with their key person. This supports children in building good emotional well-being and respecting their peers. Staff create a curriculum that interests and motivates children to learn, offering opportunities for physical activity and effectively using additional funding to meet individual needs and improve outcomes for children, including those with SEND. This ensures all children, including those with SEND, make good progress from their starting points.

Supportive settling-inEngaging curriculumPhysical developmentDiversity and inclusionStrong parent partnerships

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)

Key facts

Opening hours

Term time: 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8.30am to 12.30pm on Friday

Term time / All Year

Term_time_only

Established

2008

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for St. Mary's Pre-School

Last inspected 16 September 2024

Overall effectiveness
Good

What it's like to attend

Children come into the pre-school excited to learn, with staff supporting those who are younger and less confident to settle by understanding their unique personalities and care needs. They benefit from kind and caring staff who provide reassurance, helping them develop strong bonds with their key person. This supports children in building good emotional well-being and respecting their peers. Staff create a curriculum that interests and motivates children to learn, offering opportunities for physical activity and effectively using additional funding to meet individual needs and improve outcomes for children, including those with SEND. This ensures all children, including those with SEND, make good progress from their starting points.

Inspector highlights

  • Children come into the pre-school excited to learn.
  • Staff support younger and less confident children to settle, understanding their unique personalities and care needs.
  • Children benefit from kind and caring staff who offer reassurance and help them develop strong bonds with their key person.
  • Staff create a curriculum that interests and motivates children to learn.
  • Opportunities for children to be physically active are supported well throughout the curriculum, including outdoor play where staff teach them how to sit on bicycles.
  • Leaders and staff are committed to diversity and inclusion, teaching children about various cultures, festivals, and religions.
  • Children share traditional costumes, national flags, and foods, celebrating their own cultural heritage and that of their friends.
  • Partnerships with parents are good, with parents speaking highly about leaders and staff and the high-quality care and support provided.

Areas to develop

  • 1Enhance staff understanding of the link between activities and next steps for individual children to focus teaching more precisely.
  • 2Enhance partnerships with parents to improve two-way information flow regarding children's learning and development and support parents to continue learning at home.
Inspection #10350984 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children, including those in receipt of additional funding and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points through effective use of funding for one-to-one support.

Outdoor space

Children benefit from a wide variety of opportunities to build on their physical skills, with regular access to the garden and forest school area. They also explore the local community, learning how to use saws to cut wood and developing good physical coordination skills.

Parent Reviews of St. Mary's Pre-School

5.0
(15)
Charlotte Cross-Cheung
5 months ago

So glad we found this preschool. Out daughter thrives here in the small close knit group. The teachers are so caring, she learns Spanish, has weekly forest school, music classes and FUN! Genuinely so impressed, I feel like we found a hidden gem

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Annabel Klempa
8 years ago

We have been absolutely delighted with St Mary's Preschool. Both my daughter and now my son have thrived at this setting and are so enthusiastic about it. The staff are warm and caring and offer a wide range of activities. The Forest School was a tremendous hit with my daughter and even though she has now moved onto primary school, she and my son still argue over 'who's St Mary's' it is, hers or his - surely a good sign!

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Rebecca Melliard
8 years ago

A wonderful, nurturing pre-school. The staff provide such loving care to all the children. The activities are always thoughtful and fun. The forest school is brilliant. Both my children have thrived here.

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Lucy Bathgate
8 years ago

I couldn’t be happier with this pre-school. The staff are so caring and nurturing, and they have been managing my son’s diabetes care amazingly well, with intensive monitoring and maintenance of his blood sugar levels to keep him within safe range, and great communication with me. This is no mean feat - they really are brilliant! This pre-school provides a fun and stimulating environment where the children feel really safe and cared for. All the staff make a real effort to get to know the children and tailor activities to their interests. Some of the highlights for my son so far have been learning Spanish, attending forest school and putting on puppet shows. Highly recommended.

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Laura Evans
8 years ago

My daughter has been attending this Preschool for around 6 months and we are extremely happy with everything that she does there. The staff are warm, friendly and clearly love their jobs, which means you know they are giving the children 100% care, attention and nurturing.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for St. Mary's Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: September 2009

  • September 2024Good
  • April 2015Good
  • November 2014Inadequate
  • September 2009Good

Frequently asked about St. Mary's Pre-School

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