St Thomas' Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open a few years
A pre-school in Romford for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2022, with 30 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Havering
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Havering from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
RM4 1LDWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 2 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The manager and practitioners greet children with a warm and friendly welcome.
Practitioners establish strong bonds with parents and children. This helps children to feel settled and they separate from their parents with ease. Children are content and display self-assurance within the setting. For instance, children confidently approach the inspector to share their toys and ask questions. Practitioners interact and engage with children effectively. They build on children's interests, knowledge and skills. Children benefit from having positive role models to help them to enhance their social skills. Practitioners engage in respectful conversations and promote children's good behaviour and manners. Children develop close friendships and interact well with each other.
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. Practitioners work well with the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) to provide tailored support for children. They also work in partnership with parents and other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to ensure a consistent approach to children's development. As a result, children make progress from their starting points in learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on opportunities for children to identify and talk about their feelings to help them to reflect, express and understand their actions and emotions n support children further to develop their independence skills during daily routines.
- 2 May 2024Good
- 30 November 2023Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Thomas' Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.