St. Nicolas Playgroup, Taplow

Woodland mornings in Old Priory Gardens and Scarecrow nature gardening club take St. Nicolas Playgroup, Taplow beyond its village-centre base. Two main indoor play areas and an outdoor space beside the village green give children room for movement and exploration.

At its 5 October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the playgroup Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised a strong start to learning for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The important qualification concerned distractions during group activities and changes between activities. That matters for children who need help sustaining attention.

Based at The Reading Rooms, the playgroup has capacity for 36 children and provides care for ages two to four. A committee involving parents, carers and staff manages this charitable, non-profit organisation, with income put back into the service. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance fit a term-time model.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, movement, social skills, early literacy and mathematical understanding through their activities. Here, weekly topics also draw on individual interests shared through the key worker system. The framework is the common foundation; the playgroup's own curriculum adds specific steps towards practical independence, storytelling and emotional resilience.

Children practise independence by serving snacks and clearing away. Gardening progresses from soil preparation and sowing to plant care and harvesting. Puppets, imaginative play and inventing story endings develop language. Practical tasks give these curriculum goals a place in the child's day.

A morning combines circle time, independent exploration and a closing story, songs or show and tell. Children can use the outdoor area during their activity time. Enrichment includes cooking, music, multi-activity sports and yoga or mindfulness, depending on the day. The afternoon follows the same routine, giving children attending both sessions a familiar structure while the activities change.

In October 2023, children planted daffodil bulbs, explored mud and water, and transferred flower colours onto cloth using scissors and hammers. Resources were arranged for independent choice, linking physical skills, investigation and decision-making.

Outdoor and Community Life

Woodland Scarecrows is an outdoor learning session for Taplow children aged three and over, combining nature exploration with care for woodland and wildlife. It takes place in Old Priory Gardens on Tuesday and Friday mornings, from 9.30am to noon; Thursday sessions may be added in the summer term. Children register at playgroup before walking there with staff and return for collection or their afternoon session.

This public woodland has no boundary fences. Children learn play boundaries, explore natural materials, build dens and climb fallen trees under supervision. Sessions run in all weather except dangerous high winds. Families supply waterproof clothing, sturdy footwear and spare shoes, so outdoor participation needs preparation.

Scarecrow nature gardening club provides another connection with growing things, through activities at the allotment. Together, the woodland sessions and gardening give families two concrete ways that outdoor learning extends beyond the playgroup's adjacent outdoor area.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker meets the family before starting, and children meet their key person at a settling-in session. Comfort cards and post-settling reviews continue that contact, giving families a relationship that begins before regular attendance.

Blossom, an online learning journal, shares developmental photographs, observations and comments through an app with email alerts. Parents add photographs and comments from home, connecting home and playgroup learning. Information can also be shared with another setting the child attends.

In October 2023, staff gathered information from families when children joined and used it to plan individual care and learning. They also helped children resolve small disagreements, share resources and take turns. Health activities included discussing toothbrushing and practising with model teeth and toothbrushes, making personal care something children could explore directly.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined route through the key person, manager and special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). Initial strategies can be adjusted through assessment, planning, action and review; more complex needs can lead to an individual support plan and external referrals. Parents contribute to decisions throughout. Support is planned around each child's needs.

Support plans specify interventions, frequency, staff and resources, with parent-agreed reviews at least termly. Medical interventions can be included through a health care plan; additional local authority funding may be sought where ordinary funding is insufficient. Before admission, families and management discuss the child's needs and suitable arrangements.

Staff update their professional skills regularly, with safeguarding and paediatric first-aid responsibilities within the team. Blossom accident entries require parental acknowledgement, keeping families informed about incidents.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions run from 12.15pm to 3.15pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Children can stay all day on those longer days; Wednesday ends after the morning. An Early Drop Off session runs each weekday from 8.45am to 9.15am.

Attendance is term-time, across 38 weeks, and patterns can be adjusted around individual children and families. Ad hoc sessions can be requested by email. Families complete the necessary forms before the child's start date. The waiting list generally follows the order of applications, while also considering an existing sibling and whether the child will use their full funding entitlement here.

Getting There

The address is The Reading Rooms, Taplow Village Centre, Maidenhead, SL6 0EX, beside the village green. Enquiries go to manager@stnicolasplaygroup.co.uk or 07538 491936.

Children move on to local Reception classes, including St Nicolas Combined School, sometimes alongside friends from playgroup. This is a description of children's destinations, not an admissions advantage. Written parental consent is sought before development summaries are passed to the next setting or school, allowing information about learning and additional needs to accompany the child.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid sessions are both offered for children aged two, three and four. Funding is used during term time, with additional government-funded hours subject to eligibility. The policy also accepts 15 hours of two-year-old funding for qualifying families receiving additional government support. Working-parent codes require revalidation every three months; if a code becomes invalid, the affected sessions are charged privately.

Funding can cover sessions and early drop-offs within the child's entitlement, while hours beyond that allocation are charged. Current prices come in the playgroup's written quotation; the sessions and funding page explains the attendance and charge structure.

Snacks are supplied, while children staying all day bring a packed lunch from home. Food-related and non-food consumables have a separate discretionary contribution: families receiving low-income funding support are exempt, and declining payment does not affect entry or participation in activities.

Families can contribute only part of the consumables payment; those opting out altogether supply nappies and wipes themselves. A snack contribution is voluntary for families who do not pay the consumables contribution. Woodland Scarecrows carries a separate charge, so its cost belongs alongside attendance and consumables when considering the overall arrangement.

• Listening and changeovers. In October 2023, distractions during some group activities and transitions interrupted children's attention. On a visit, ask how these parts of the day are now organised, especially if your child finds busy group situations difficult.
• Woodland readiness. Old Priory Gardens has no boundary fences, and Woodland Scarecrows starts at age three. Discuss whether your child is ready to follow the outdoor boundaries and join supervised climbing, and consider the clothing required for different weather.
• Term-time fit. Wednesday provides a morning only, and attendance runs across 38 weeks. Match the actual session pattern to your family's working week and holiday arrangements before choosing it.
• Individual support before starting. Additional-needs admissions involve discussion with families and management about suitable provision. Use that conversation to agree the child's support, any external involvement and how the first support-plan review will work.

St. Nicolas Playgroup, Taplow suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon attendance or a combined day within a term-time preschool routine. Woodland Scarecrows and Scarecrow nature gardening club give its outdoor offer substance, while key-worker contact and Blossom connect families with children's learning.

The judgement needs its qualification: the October 2023 attention and changeover concern deserves a practical discussion. For children ready for woodland boundaries, and families whose schedules fit the shorter Wednesday and term-time calendar, this is a playgroup with clear educational activities and a strong community role.