Contact Details
- 0239 247 5909
- adminoffice@st-thomasmores.hants.sch.uk
St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School and Pre-School, Hooks Lane, Bedhampton, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 3DR
Pre-School
Welcome to our Pre-School
Pre-School Photos
We are a sessional teacher-led Pre-School offering high quality childcare.
We are situated in a classroom within the school with our own outdoor space.
We are open during term-time between 8.45am- 3.15pm.
We have a breakfast club (7.45am - 8.45am) and afterschool club (3.15pm - 5.45pm) available for children who are 3 and above.
We provide a range of different options for 15hrs and 30hrs Government Funding
We accept childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare
We offer a limited number of 32 places.
We welcome applications from children aged from 2 yrs and 9 months and above.
Complete an application form (available from the office or attached as a form at the bottom of this website page) in order to apply for your child’s place
Our hourly rate is a very competitive £6.00 per hour.
Please do give us a call 02392 475909 (option 3) or email psadmin@st-thomasmores.hants.sch.uk if you would like any further information
Our Pre-school Day
Play is at the heart of everything we do. Adults plan daily for stimulating and fun activities and carefully consider each child’s learning needs. The children have opportunities to work with their Keygroup daily and to come together as a large group. A significant amount of time is also allocated to Discovery time in which children take the lead in their learning through play. Adults follow the children’s lead and extend the children’s learning. We have forest school sessions termly with Mrs Green our forest school teacher from the main school.
The Pre-School is located on the school site within a classroom, next to the Reception classes.
We have our own outdoor play space which children can access freely from either building.
The Pre-School consists of a Pre-School class of 2-4 year olds.The Pre-School class provides 1:10 adult ratio for 3-4 year olds and 1:4 adult ratio for 2 year olds (maximum).
Key-Person:
We have a very effective Key-Person system. Each child is allocated a Key-Person who gets to know them and their family well. The Key-Person meets daily with their children and plans for their learning needs.
Our Principles:
We aim to offer a stimulating, rich learning environment.
We strongly value learning through play.
We value children’s ideas and opinions.
We put a strong emphasis on child-led learning.
We recognise that children learn through ‘doing’.
We promote team-work and collaboration
We support children to learn to resolve conflicts.
We always show care and nurture to all children.
We aim to build children’s confidence and self esteem
We develop children’s independence.
We encourage children to make their own choices
Tapestry:
We use an electronic system called Tapestry to record the children’s learning. This is regularly updated and shared with parents so that they can be involved in their child’s learning journey and progress in relation to the EYFS. Not every activity they do will be recorded, however there should be new entries most weeks - sometimes more sometimes less.
Bedhampton Nursing Home
We regularly enjoy visiting Bedhampton Nursing home to share stories, sing songs and have conversations with the residents. We work closely with the care home as it is important for us to share our love with people within our community. Our children enjoy walking to the Nursing home and they gain an understanding of how they can live out our school mission. We enjoy making the residents some pictures/cards and the residents tell us how much they appreciate seeing us.
Parent Reviews:
"I love the way you treat each child's needs individually" 2023
"I would highly recommend the Preschool. Staff are lovely and I feel like my daughter has learnt so much" 2023
"I feel my daughter has really progressed with her writing and number skills which will benefit her so much when she starts school in September" 2023
"Thank you for everything you have done! My daughter has had a fantastic time at the Pre-School and has developed so much since starting. She loves coming to Pre-School and has made some lovely friends. Thankyou!" 2022
"We recommend to all of our friends as we and our children absolutely love the Pre-School" 2022
Pre-School Team:
Sarah Hennessy
Qualifications/Training:
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree
Qualified Teacher Status
Early Years Teacher Status
Paediatric First Aid
Hello my name is Sarah and I am the Pre-School Teacher and Leader in our setting. I have worked at St Thomas More’s since 2018. I have over 6 years experience working with babies from 5months to 5 years and beyond. I attend regular training courses to ensure my knowledge and skills are up to date within the Early Years sector and bring this information back to share with my team. I am also the Area Lead for Portsmouth as part of the DfE's Early Years Covid Recovery Programme.
I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to be the Pre-School teacher at St Thomas More’s. I am proud of how my team work well together to ensure we have a safe, happy and enriching environment for all of our children to flourish and thrive in.
Emma Mitchell
Qualifications/Training:
BA (Hons) Study of Religion with Qualified Teacher Status
Pre-School SENCO
Pre-School DSL
Level 1 in Food Safety hygiene
Paediatric First Aid
Hello my name is Emma and I am a keyworker for the children and the Pre-School SENCO. I have worked at St Thomas More’s since 2016. I previously worked as a KS2 school teacher for 14 years before I came to St. Thomas More’s. I was so happy to come and be part of the Pre-School team as I always wanted to work in Early Years. I love seeing the progress the children make as they play in their safe and enriching environment in the Pre-School. I enjoy watching the children grow into independent learners and helping them prepare for school.
Deidre Fudge
Qualifications/Training:
NVQ 3 in Childcare and Development
Level 3 LSA
Pre-School Nurse Examination Board Diploma
Paediatric First Aid
Level 1 in Food Safety hygiene
Hello my name is Deidre and I am a keyworker for the children, I have worked at St Thomas More’s since 2020. I have previously worked as a manager for a day Pre-School for 11 years and I have worked as a nanny for a couple of families whilst raising my own children. Two years ago, I volunteered to help within the St. Thomas More’s setting and I completed my level 3 LSA. I was then fortunate enough to become a keyworker within the Pre-School, which I thoroughly enjoy. I use my past experiences to enhance their development and to provide a safe environment for children to learn.
Helen Dewey
Qualifications/Training:
CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce
Paediatric First Aid
Level 1 in Food Safety hygiene
Hello my name is Helen and I am a keyworker for the children, I have worked at St Thomas More’s since 2016. I enjoy supporting all the children in our setting and ensure they feel safe and happy. I engage with their interests and give the children the support they need to progress.
Jodie Cox
Qualifications/Training:
Level 3 Diploma in Children’s Learning and Development
Emergency First Aid at Work
Paediatric First Aid
Hello my name is Jodie and I am an Early Years assistant and a staff member of Tommy’s childcare. I have worked at St Thomas More’s since 2017. I am currently supporting children within our Pre-School on small group and 1:1 basis. I enjoy getting to know the children and their families and using this experience to ensure every child has their individual needs met.
Anne – Marie Hall
Qualifications/Training:
NVQ 3 Diploma in Business and Administration
NVQ 2 in Child Care Development
Level 1 in Food Safety hygiene
Paediatric First Aid
Hello my name is Anne-Marie and I have worked at St Thomas More's School since 2008. I am a Administrator for the Pre-School and a Finance Officer for the School. I have worked with children alongside my office roles for 16 years. I enjoy supporting children to settle in and work closely with all our families.
Wrap-around Care:
Pre-school children (over the age of three) are able to attend the school Breakfast Club (from 7.45am) & After School Club (until 5.45pm) at Tommy's Childcare in the school hall. Places are limited to maintain appropriate ratios.