Childhood is a precious time, play is a fun and valuable way to encourage a child’s all round development.
We meet (during term time) Mondays to Fridays from 9.30am to 12.00 midday – with additional lunch club until 12.45pm. For more information or to book an appointment to come and see us click here
See the Play Zone’s latest Ofsted report click this link here
About The Play Zone …
Our aim as a pre-school playgroup
To provide young children with a safe and stimulating play environment where they can grow and develop in preparation for school.
What is Play Zone all about?
During sessions we encourage the children to learn through play by providing varied activities e.g. free play, snack time or group time on the carpet. We set out the room to encourage all round development through toys and equipment such as sit and ride toys, table top games and crafts, book corner, puzzles, Large construction toys, and a home corner.
What happens during the sessions?
Sessions start at 9.30am, when children arrive they are free to play or join in regular craft activities with staff. We provide a drink and a snack later in the session which is also a time when we can sit together as a group and share our “news”. We will often talk about the weather, talk about our holidays and pets, any thing that the children want to chat about. Then after some more play its time for songs on the carpet. Children are then collected by their parents/carers at 12 noon.
What about the staff?
we have a good staff ratio always at least 1 adult to every 5 children giving plenty of opportunity for children to get one to one help with tasks or reading in the book corner. Children enjoy having an adult play along side them encouraging new ideas, developing language and making learning fun. We all have a variety of training, qualifications and experiences. All the staff members are parents and from that, we have a wealth of experiences that can never be learnt in the classroom. Many parents agree that you can’t learn to be a parent in the classroom, but the most important requirement for all staff at playgroup is that we love and enjoy working with children
Will Play Zone help my child prepare for school?
We encourage the children to learn to be social and polite, showing good manners and courtesy to each other, taking turns and sharing. There are many aspects to a child’s development in preparation for school, playgroup is not all about “how many paintings did you do today?” Children will learn to read and write at school, it is our aim to help them to be ready to learn these skills when they go, not to teach them already.
When can my child start?
Children can start Play Zone from the age of 2 years; children aged 3 or 4 are entitled to free places. We have a waiting list and we offer places on a first come first served basis, not date of birth. We can also offer nappy changing so there is no need to wait till your child is out of nappies. We believe in equal opportunities to all children regardless of ability or ethnic origin.
Play Zone welcomes Children with special needs, we have disabled facilities and trained staff. We are also sensitive to children who suffer with allergies and we are very aware of the growing need to offer all children special individual care.