Sandbach Heath, St John's Playgroup

The Wendy House gives this playgroup a recognisable home: a permanent brick building on the St. John’s C.E. (aided) School site. Sandbach Heath, St John's Playgroup has 15 places in total across the setting. Parents can help at sessions and take part in committee management.

Ofsted rated the playgroup Good at its 19 May 2023 inspection. The educational detail from that period is memorable: a classroom worm tank made vegetable decay something children could investigate, while homemade books placed the children themselves in the stories. These are useful examples of learning built around things children can recognise and discuss, rather than abstract instruction.

Intake rules allow children to start from two years and six months in September, and two years and nine months in January; the leaving cut-off is four years and eleven months. Attendance is term-time, with full days, half days and a separately paid after-school extension.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework is the statutory foundation for learning across seven areas of development. Here, adult-guided activities combine with children's choices, giving them opportunities to follow interests and try experiences staff introduce.

Development Matters guides observations of children's interests and development. Parents contribute learning from home, helping staff plan what comes next.

For children aged three to four, early literacy emphasises listening and distinguishing sounds, rather than formal reading and writing. Small-group activities may use Letters and Sounds phase 1 games to practise those skills: school preparation begins with listening.

In May 2023, action songs helped children practise new vocabulary, and adults talked through what children were doing as they played. Books made by staff included photographs of the children as story characters. Reading therefore connected with their own lives, while everyday conversation gave language practice a purpose beyond answering an adult's question.

Physical learning had similarly concrete resources in May 2023. Children tackled an outdoor obstacle course, climbed on a beam and used scissors and dough for hand control. Larger movements and smaller hand movements both had a place. The classroom worm tank added another kind of investigation, allowing children to watch what happened as vegetables broke down.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor access is subject to suitable conditions. Local walks follow the weather and children's interests, bringing real places into their learning: the Co-Op on the Hill, farm animals and traffic beneath the motorway bridge on Reynold’s Lane. Occasional visits include the reception class and wooded area at St. John’ Primary School.

Walk-o-Dile is the safety harness used on group walks. All children must participate because staff cannot remain behind with a child. Longer outings involving transport require advance notification and separate permission, distinguishing them from everyday local exploration.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person allocated before starting, providing a family contact for care, learning and developmental records. This can change with the child's preference or staff working arrangements.

Settling is planned together. A familiar adult is expected to stay for most of the first week's sessions, potentially longer, increasing time apart as the child can cope. The policy rejects leaving children to cry to speed separation.

In May 2023, daily conversations, photographs and written updates helped parents extend learning at home. Current arrangements include an online WhatsApp learning journey with photographic consent. Parents can also help at sessions, share skills and join committee management.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified SEND support as a strength, with staff drawing on outside advice and working with parents on recommended strategies. Those are dated judgements; the current support arrangements provide the practical detail families can examine.

The SENCO, key person and parents assess needs, plan support, implement it and review its effect. Inclusion and Focused Plans set individual targets and strategies, reviewed approximately every six to eight weeks, sooner if needed.

Makaton signing and symbols help communicate feelings, actions, objects and names; photo books and symbol cards help children express interests. With parental permission, staff can seek Cheshire East SEN Team advice. Resources and layout adjustments can be discussed before admission. Furniture is movable, but entrances cannot accommodate ramps.

Staff hold degrees in Early Childhood Studies and Education Studies. Transition meetings support moving to school, with additional familiarisation visits and adjustments where appropriate for children with SEN.

The behaviour policy provides supported calming time and changes of activity, rather than exclusionary time-out. Staff and parents use observations to understand recurring difficulties and agree responses.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Wendy House, School Lane, Sandbach Heath, CW11 2LS. The playgroup operates Monday to Friday for 38 weeks a year, closing for term-time holidays. Its full-day pattern runs from 8.30am to 2.30pm; morning and afternoon half days run from 8.30am to 11.30am and 11.30am to 2.30pm respectively.

The optional paid after-school session runs from 2.30pm to 3.15pm, outside funded entitlement. Minimum attendance is six hours; shorter patterns require discussion with the manager.

Enquiries: 01270 761505 or sandbachheathplaygroup@btconnect.com. Waiting-list applications do not guarantee admission; older children receive session priority. Children turning three in spring or summer may not receive their full funded entitlement here immediately, with priority the following September.

Funding and Paid Extras

Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) includes 15 term-time hours for children from the term after their third birthday, and up to 30 hours where applicable. The playgroup also accepts two-year-old disadvantaged funded places. Funded attendance runs within the 8.30am to 2.30pm window; private hours and the after-school extension are charged separately. Current prices come in the playgroup's written quotation.

Families provide packed lunches, while snacks attract a separate voluntary contribution; parents can instead supply a fruit or vegetable snack, and families receiving Early Years Pupil Premium are not asked for the contribution. The playgroup has a published nut-free policy, including a restriction on peanut butter in food brought from home.

There is no consumables charge. Parents supply spare pull-up nappies, wipes, nappy cream, disposal bags and clothing when needed; the setting supplies sunscreen, with parental permission for application.

Private fees are payable in advance each term, and absence does not bring a refund or replacement session. A full term's written notice is required for leaving, transferring or stopping non-funded hours. These terms make the booked attendance pattern a financial commitment as well as a weekly routine.

Sharing the school site and visiting reception do not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process. The playgroup's transition activities can help children become familiar with school life, but they do not decide admission.

• Time for settling. The settling policy expects a familiar adult to stay for much of the first week's sessions, potentially longer. At a visit, discuss how this would work around your family's commitments and your child's experience of separation.
• Entrance access and outings. The entrances cannot accommodate ramps, and participation in local walks forms part of the attendance agreement. Families with mobility or sensory needs should discuss the actual route, access arrangements and adjustments during a visit.
• Teaching consistency. In May 2023, feedback to staff did not consistently help them develop their teaching further. The improvement action concerned stronger reflection and monitoring, making staff feedback and current practice useful topics for a visit.
• Your attendance commitment. Half days and full days sit alongside a minimum attendance requirement and a full term's written notice. Discuss how the proposed sessions, funded hours and paid extension fit together before accepting the written quotation.

This playgroup suits families seeking half-day preschool sessions or term-time full days, with an optional extension to 3.15pm. Parents can take a practical role through session help, learning records and committee life.

Local exploration, individual SEND planning and gradual settling give The Wendy House its character. The fit depends on term-time routines, time for settling, entrance access and children's participation in local walks.