Welcome to our Pre-School  

• 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. 

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 1:13 adult ratio for 3-4 year olds and 1:5 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 have been so impressed with both ****'s knowledge and interest in the last half term of phonics. She comes home regularly telling us the letters and sounds she has learnt. We think this is amazing and will give her a real head start to school in September. We really appreciate everything you do for the kids at pre school. You're all lovely people and I really feel like you care about not only Ettie but us as a family. Thank you lovely ladies :)" 2025

"I cannot praise this Pre-School enough! They have done so much to support my son since he started. He came to them not able to speak and now he’s come on leaps and bounds with so much support, he’s also able to tell me letters and sounds now. The staff are lovely and they all speak so lovely to my son, he really feels accepted and absolutely adores all the staff. I have never felt that I couldn’t go to them with an issue, they’re always willing to speak to me and help with any questions. They communicate great and have been so supportive with speech, potty training and anything in between! The school are very lucky to have the pre school as a part of it." 2025

"We feel all of the staff are friendly and approachable. They always allow us time to speak about any concerns or information we need to share with them. We find that we only hear about our child's progress during parent teacher meetings. It would be nice to receive more photos and updates on their progress. Our daughter is always well cared, and has said that she feels safe at preschool. She always comes out of preschool happy and enjoys telling us about her day. My daughter is starting school this year, we are not aware of any work preschool have done with her around starting school- this is not to say that they have not." 2025

"Staff are approachable in person or via email. My child always tells us something new he has learnt whether that’s new ball skills or new letters and sounds. Feedback is great during parent and key worker meets. My child loves coming into pre school which I take as him feeling safe and welcomed. My child will be starting school on September and he is more than ready to start from his learning, confidence and familiarity of the school itself." 2025

"I really do think that the pre-school team have provided the very best preparation for school. Our son has developed so much, for example on his number, letter and phonics skills." 2025

"Her language has come on hugely and more confident" 2025

"**** is super ready for school because of this and I strongly believe she achieve GLD with no problems" 2025

"My son has developed incredibly in such a short period, is needs, skills and interests are taken into account and having a teacher in the setting helps" 2025

"Great preparation towards full time education, instructed by a teacher." 2025

"I’ve definitely seen an increase in his love of numbers and letters." 2025

"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 / Early Years Leader

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 Early Years Leader. I oversee the Pre-School and work as a teacher in reception. 

I have worked at St Thomas More’s since 2018. I have over 7 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 have also been the Area Lead for Portsmouth as part of the DfE's Early Years Covid Recovery Programme. 

Rosie Sharley / Pre-School Manager

Qualifications/Training:

BEd (Hons) Primary Education 

Qualified Teacher Status 

Paediatric First Aid

Hello my name is Rosie and I am the Pre-School manager and a key worker within our setting. I joined the St Thomas More's Pre-School team after spending seven rewarding years as a Key Stage 1 teacher. Throughout my teaching career, I developed a passion for supporting children in their learning and development, which inspired me to pursue my ambition of working in Early Years. I am delighted to be part of the Pre-School team and enjoy supporting children as they learn and grow. As manager, I work closely with the team to ensure that our planning is engaging, purposeful and tailored to meet the individual needs and interests of every child in our setting. My aim is to create a nurturing, stimulating, and inclusive environment where children feel safe, happy, confident and inspired to achieve their full potential. 

Grace Blaney / Pre-School Deputy Manager 

Qualifications/Training:

BA (Hons) Childhood Studies with Therapeutic Play 

Paediatric First Aid

Level 2 in Food Safety hygiene

Hello, my name is Grace and I am the deputy manager and a key worker for the children. I came to St Thomas More's in February 2026 after completing my degree in June 2025. My degree is in Early Childhood Studies with Therapeutic Play and I thoroughly enjoy implementing this knowledge and therapeutic approach into my early years practice. My role as deputy manager is to work alongside the preschool team to implement planning and activities which engage, challenge and nurture the children's learning and holistic development. I am so excited to be part of the team at St Thomas More's, helping to support children in all areas and cultivating an environment of exploration, wonder and joy.

Emily Pinnell / Early Years Practitioner

Qualifications/Training:

BSc (Hons) Psychology 

PGCE Primary Education

Qualified Teacher Status

Hello my name is Emily and I am an Early Years Practitioner and a key worker for the children in pre- school. I have previously worked as a class teacher for 13 years across all age groups, especially enjoying KS1 and Early Years. My expertise lies in phonics and implementing the skills of early reading. I foster a child's love for sharing stories in my everyday practice. I enjoy supporting children's learning through play, especially messy sensory play! I am always a positive role model for the children to develop their skills of speaking and listening. 

Amy Reed / Early Years Practitioner 

Qualifications/Training:

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree

TQUK Level 3 Diploma for the children's workforce (Early Years Educator) (RQF) 

Paediatric First Aid

Level 2 in Food Safety hygiene

Hello my name is Amy and I am an Early Years Practitioner and a key worker for the children. I started here at St. Thomas Mores in March 2026 from a forest school setting. I have been working in Early years for 9 years and I have worked across many different early years settings and with ages from the age of 6 months to 5 years old. I enjoy being creative and creating exciting, stimulating activities for the children to enjoy throughout the day. I am excited about building upon these positive relationships with the children and the families of the children attending this setting. I look forward to meeting you! 

Anne – Marie Hall / Pre-School Administrator 

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 18 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 6.00pm) at Tommy's Childcare in the school hall.