St Thomas of Canterbury pre-school is for 3 and 4 year old children. This purposeful environment provides a stepping stone into developing key skills that will make children confident learners in preparation for starting school. We value the importance of learning being exciting, new and innovative, creating opportunities for children that will inspire them to be lifelong learners.

We also offer 30 hours FEL Pre-School place for your child. The hours will be 9:00am – 3:00pm with an option to pay for an additional wrap around service. Please note that the wrap around service is subject to availability and not guaranteed.

The offer is subject to parents being able to present confirmation (DERN code) from HMRC that you are eligible (please see below) to the provision. The HMRC eligibility checker for parents applying for “30 hours” and tax free childcare is now live and can be found at https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/par/app/applynow

Eligibility for 30 Free Early Learning Hours

The additional 15 hours of free childcare is available for families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone-parent family), and each parent earns the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national minimum or living wage, and earns less than £100,000 a year.

Eligibility Thresholds

Age	Rate from April 2022	Hours on Average	Earnings per week
18-20	£6.83	16	£109.28
21-22	£9.18	16	£146.88
23+	£9.50	16	£152.00

Engaging Environment

Mud kitchen
The children have access to a range of areas where they can engage in activities through the support of an adult or through independent exploration. Children can investigate, paint, build and engage in imaginative play.

This continuous provision shared throughout our early years environment encourages children to become familiar with their surroundings from an early age and helps embed behavioural expectations within the setting.

Phonics and Number Learning

Indoor1 Phonics and number are taught through adult-led sessions. Children are given opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom to deepen their understanding of numbers and letters through exploration, investigation, and play. By the end of pre-school, through the use of Numberblocks and Read Write inc, we hope children will be secure in their knowledge of numbers to 5 and their initial sounds. We encourage children to mark-make using a variety of tools through sensory experiences.

Outdoor Learning

Climbing2
Children benefit from access to an outdoor learning environment which is zoned to reflect the areas of learning within the early years curriculum. The space includes a mud kitchen, role-play house, climbing frame, sandpit, water play area and much more.

The mud kitchen and separate playhouse promote imaginative and social development. The construction site, access to the school woodland, and large scale sand area develop large gross motor skills and cooperative play. The writing and number areas encourage children to explore what they have been learning inside through the great outdoors.

Healthy Eating & Independence

Outdoor2 In pre-school the children are encouraged to become independent learners and critical thinkers. This means we will explore and develop children’s own thoughts and interests, encouraging them to engage in both adult and child-led activities. We will observe the characteristics of the children’s learning and meet with parents/carers to develop appropriate next steps.In pre-school the children are encouraged to become independent learners and critical thinkers. This means we will explore and develop children’s own thoughts and interests, encouraging them to engage in both adult and child-led activities. We will observe the characteristics of the children’s learning and meet with parents/carers to develop appropriate next steps.

We also promote and encourage healthy eating and independence during our snack times. Children are provided with milk and fruit daily and are encouraged to bring a water bottle to drink throughout the day. Dinners can be ordered via Parentpay or children can bring a healthy packed lunch.

JOIN OUR PRE-SCHOOL

We would love to show you round our pre-school and this can be arranged by contacting the school office on 0114 274 5597 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..