St Thomas' Pre-School, Romford sees Ofsted rating turnaround

St Thomas' Pre-School, in Church Road, was rated 'good' in all categories following an inspection on May 2 - a significant improvement on its previous 'inadequate' rating.

In its report, Ofsted praised the "strong bonds" between the staff, parents and children, which helps children "feel settled" and separate easily from their parents.

The education regulator said: "Children confidently approach the inspector to share their toys and ask questions.

"Practitioners know their key children well and what they want them to learn.

"They plan activities and experiences that promote children's curiosity and supports them to achieve their next steps in learning."

The pre-school has a nature garden where children can learn about insects and grow their own plants (Image: St Thomas' Pre-School)

In its first inspection after the pandemic, St Thomas' Pre-School was given the lowest rating of 'inadequate' by Ofsted across all areas.

Since then, Ofsted said the manager and her team have "worked hard" to turn around the pre-school's rating.

This includes implementing an effective curriculum, something that was picked up on as a key area for improvement before.

The report said: "The manager implements a curriculum that promotes all areas of learning and incorporates children's interests.

"Practitioners observe and assess children's progress, which enables them to identify and support children whose progress is not as expected."

The pre-school's ongoing development was also highlighted.

The report noted that the pre-school staff received support to gain qualifications, as well as having access to a "broad scope" of online training.

READ MORE: Parklands Primary School in Romford rated 'good' by Ofsted

It added: "This ensures that practitioners understand the curriculum to a good standard."

Parents "speak highly of the setting" according to Ofsted, and are kept informed of their children's progress "through daily feedback and a communication app".

Ofsted said the pre-school staff have 'worked hard' to turn around its rating (Image: St Thomas' Pre-School)

There were still, however, some areas for further improvement.

This included building on opportunities for children to "identify and talk about their feelings" to help them to "reflect, express and understand their actions and emotions".

St Thomas' was also encouraged to develop children's independence skills further during daily routines.

A spokesperson for the pre-school said: "We have got an amazing dedicated team of staff who work closely with parents to support children.

"Our staff have worked very hard to bring the setting up to the standard it is at for which we are grateful.  

"We would like to thank all the parents who have supported us throughout this time."