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Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if my child is unwell?
If your child is unwell and will not be attending, can you please let us know on 01903 767513 or message us on 07305 061428. In cases of sickness or diarrhoea we would ask that you keep your child at home until they have been free of symptoms for a minimum of 24 hours.
Children with conjunctivitis will not be allowed to attend if they are not receiving treatment, as the condition is highly contagious. Head lice can be a problem from time to time. If you find nits or lice in your child’s hair please let us know so that we can watch out for signs of it in other children (and staff!). We do have details for a mixture that can easily be made at home.
What if my child needs an inhaler, epi-pen or other medication?
If your child uses an inhaler or epi-pen, it needs to be put in a named bag and handed to a member of staff. We will also need a parental permission form to be completed in order to be able to administer any type of medication, including an inhaler, epi-pen or nappy cream. Where a child is taking a limited course of medication e.g. antibiotics, it would be expected that this will be administered by the parent at home, unless the child is with us all day.
What clothing should my child wear?
Children can access the outside area every day, regardless of the weather, so please ensure that their coats, hats etc, are marked with their names. Biro on the label will do – there’s no need for expensive nametags. We have many “messy” activities during our sessions, old clothes are best! We also have a climbing frame and other large pieces of equipment, so suitable shoes are essential. If your child wears earrings, studs are preferable, as they are less likely to catch on clothing if the children dress up.
There is a limited stock of Penhill Playgoup t-shirts, sweatshirts and legionnaire's hats for sale, including second hand ones. Please speak to a member of staff if you would like to look at these.
What if I neeed someone else to collect my child?
If someone other than the named person is to collect your child, let a member of staff know when you drop your son/daughter off or call us on 01903 767513 or message us on 07305 061428. We will not let your child go with someone we don’t know or are not expecting.
What if I am going to be late collecting my child?
If you know you’ll be late collecting, let us know as soon as you can on 01903 767513 or 07305 061428.
What happens if there is an emergency?
In the event of an emergency, our place of safety will be either the Empire Club in Penhill Road or St Michael and All Angels Church in South Street.
Do I have to pay when my child is absent?
Playgroup fees still have to be paid even if your child is away.
If you have any other questions, please ask one of the staff.
OFSTED Inspection Report
We are regularly inspected by OFSTED (The Office for Standards in Education) who judge how successful we have been in the quality of our provision in each area of learning, as well as our management and leadership. They do not assess individual children or their performance.
Penhill Playgroup had its last inspection in November 2018 and was rated as "good". Please click here to see a copy of the report.
Morning Timetable
9.00- 9.15
Self-registration, settling, circle time and discussion, including exchanges of news the weather, our topic, days of the week etc.
9.15– 11.20
Free flow play, inside and outside. During this part of the morning the children are encouraged to explore their surroundings under supervision, by choosing to participate in a wide range of stimulating activities, both inside and out. There is usually one adult led activity taking place, but staff supervise and support children's learning and development across the session, moving to the areas the children are actively engaging in in order to help scaffold their learning.
- Messy activities include painting, water play, glueing, playdough, chalking, crayoning and many creative projects. These activities often follow a theme for several sessions. Whilst every effort is made to protect your children’s clothes and aprons are provided, it would be appropriate if children come dressed in practical play clothes. Soft shoes, or slip ons, without buckles are preferred.
- We have a “home corner” with dressing up clothes, kitchenware, bedding etc. to give the children an opportunity for imaginative play. This role play area often has a theme as a shop, hopsital, house, post office etc, following the children's interests.
- The children are encouraged to use the book corner and there is time set by daily for songs, rhymes and stories. Books are also used throughout the setting, to support children's play and learning, so, for example, there may be cookery books in the role play cafe or books about buildings in the constuction area.
- We have a range of percussion instruments to play and encourage the children‘s sense of musical appreciation. The children are also able to use a cd player to play music they have selected during the morning.
- A drink of milk or water is available daily, along with a selection of fruit or raw vegetables at the snack bar, to which the children help themselves, under the supervision of an adult. We regularly encourage the chidlren to cut up their own fuit and vegetables, with adult support and encourage independent skills with the children buttering their own toast and/or crackers. On special occasions we may have cake or biscuits or try other foods related to themes we are looking at. Please ensure that we are advised if your child has special dietary needs or allergies. Drinking water is available throughout the session.
- We aim to spend time outside, whenever possible, enabling children to develop their gross motor skills through using a variety of physical equipment, including tricycles, trampoline, stepping stones and slide. Often there are messy outside activities involving water, paint, bubbles and mud. Aprons are provided, but please be aware that washable coats are preferred and please ensure that your child’s name is in his or her coat, hat, gloves, jumper etc.
11.25- 11.35
Tidy up time. The children are encouraged to help clear away by "Mr Tidy Up" our puppet.
11.35- 11.50
Whole group activities which may include stories, listening, rhymes, singing, ring games or the parachute. On some mornings, planned, focused group activities take place during this time too.
11.50– 12.00
Whole group birthday celebrations, as appropriate, goodbye song, collect belongings, get coat on.
12.00
Session ends. The children are asked to sit and wait on the mat for their parent/carer to collect them.
What goes on at Playgroup?
As your child progresses through the education system, you will hear much about the Early Years Foundation Stage, Early Learning Goals, Areas of Learning and Development, the National Curriculum, Key Stages and SATS. As a pre-school group, we are primarily concerned with the first three of these and hopefully this introduction will shed a glimmer of light onto what actually goes on at Penhill Playgroupin relation to them.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is about helping young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic wellbeing, through setting standards for learning, development and care that young children should experience outside their family home. These standards are about developing key skills such as listening, speaking, thinking, concentration, persistence and learning to work together and co-operate with other children.
Early Learning Goalsare the goals for learning for your children to reach by the end of their Reception year at school. They emphasise early communication, literacy, numeracy and the development of personal and social skills, and contribute to children's knowledge, understanding and skills in other areas.
Each child has an Early Years Foundation Stage Learning Journal, which is a folder of their work and progress, to which you are invited to contribute. In here, you will find details of your child’s progress and achievements in the seven areas of learning and development: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.
Here at Penhill Playgroup, we provide a wide range of stimulating activities and resources to satisfy curious minds and we encourage the children to explore and learn through play. Our planning ensures equality of opportunity, is flexible, builds on your child’s previous experiences and responds to your child’s unique needs and interests. All children, however, progress at different rates and individual achievement will vary.
