Ravenshead Preschool Playgroup

Free play, a parent-led committee and connections with nearby schools give Ravenshead Preschool Playgroup its character. Children choose activities, families can help with sessions or jobs at home, and familiarisation visits introduce the next stage of education. This is a playgroup with practical ways for parents to participate, rather than simply a place to leave their child.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The present offer welcomes children aged two to five, with capacity for 26 children in total. It occupies space on the Ravenshead C of E Primary School site, beside the Key Stage 1 building.

The charity is managed by a committee made up mainly of parents and carers. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to use the playgroup, while the educational emphasis remains on children learning through their own activity choices alongside adult-led experiences.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early mathematics, literacy and creative activity. Ravenshead adds In the moment planning, an approach in which staff respond to children's emerging interests and recognise opportunities to teach as play develops. The practical question is what an adult adds to an activity a child has already chosen.

Free play occupies substantial parts of both morning and afternoon, with focused activities alongside it. Storytelling, movement, music and action songs feature in group time. Children therefore have opportunities to pursue their own ideas and to take part in shared activities, rather than following an entirely adult-directed timetable.

Planning gives communication and language a central role. Sensory play supports language development, while activities connect children's experiences with new learning. Art and design provide ways to express ideas, and topics change in response to children's interests.

In March 2023, counting was woven into getting ready to go outdoors and into rhythmic group activities. Staff introduced quantity and size language during play. Stories, songs, simple signs and repeated vocabulary supported communication, while children practised asking for help. These were everyday opportunities to use language and numbers, rather than separate lessons.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified two priorities: staff interactions needed to take children's learning further, and expectations about behaviour needed greater consistency. Some group activities lost children's attention because adults were unclear about what they wanted children to do. The balance between freedom and purposeful adult involvement is therefore a useful point to explore on a visit.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor area provides space and equipment for play during the day. In March 2023, children balanced on beams, jumped on trampolines, used bicycles, scooted and played on a slide; indoors, small tools were used to make holes in leaves. The activities involved both whole-body movement and more precise hand control. Outdoor play was more than a break between indoor activities.

Trips include local shops, parks and the library, connecting children's learning with familiar community places. Christmas, Chinese New Year and Diwali feature in celebrations. The playgroup also takes part, where possible, in Wellie Wednesday with Ravenshead C of E, a school activity whose participation depends on circumstances rather than a fixed weekly commitment from the playgroup.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who develops their individual learning programme and acts as the family's main contact. That gives parents a clear person to approach about their child's experience and creates a link between care and learning. Staff also handle signing children in and out, and children have individual trays for their belongings.

The team includes part-time practitioners, so families may encounter different staff on different days. The key-person arrangement matters within that pattern: parents have a named role to turn to even when the adults working in a session vary. Staff work together to maintain continuity of care.

Parent participation is practical. Families can help prepare snacks during sessions or undertake jobs at home, such as preparing materials or washing dressing-up clothes. The committee usually meets monthly and welcomes parent involvement. There are therefore routes into the playgroup's daily work and its management, with home tasks offering an alternative to helping during a session.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children do not need to be toilet trained before starting. Changing facilities and staff support are part of the offer, which removes that milestone as an entry requirement. One-to-one support can be accommodated where needed, and planning includes considering specialist help and involving other services when appropriate. These are specific support mechanisms, rather than a blanket promise about every child's needs.

In March 2023, staff helped children who needed support to settle and responded to upset during play with reassurance. Independence was practised through ordinary tasks, including managing tissues, using the toilet with help when necessary, and spreading butter at snack time. Small acts of self-care gave children opportunities to do more for themselves.

Children bring their own packed lunch; the afternoon booking includes supervision while they eat. Families need to pack manageable food and drink plus a small ice pack, because refrigerated storage cannot accommodate everyone's lunch box.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning bookings run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday. Afternoon bookings run from noon to 3.15pm on the same days and include supervised lunch. A full-day option is also offered. These are genuinely different attendance choices, allowing families to choose a shorter session or combine morning and afternoon provision.

In March 2023, the playgroup operated during term time. It also operates on inset days, a useful distinction for families whose routines follow school calendars. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form.

The playgroup aims to email invoices in the first week back each term, with payment due by the end of the first fortnight of each half term. Payment after the deadline may attract a late charge. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen booking pattern.

Getting There

The address is Ravenshead C of E Primary School, Swinton Rise, Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, NG15 9FS. The playgroup sits adjacent to the Key Stage 1 building, identifying its position within the school site.

Familiarisation trips to both schools in Ravenshead support children preparing to move on. Sharing a school site and taking part in transition activities do not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. The value here is preparation for a new setting, rather than an admissions advantage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours each week from the term after a child's third birthday until school starts, delivered over 38 weeks. Some children qualify for an additional 15 hours and need a valid 30-hour code; eligible two-year-olds can also access the two-year-old funding scheme. Eligibility conditions remain separate from the choice of attendance pattern.

Private sessions are offered alongside funded provision. Parents provide packed lunches, including for funded attendance, while supervision is included in the afternoon session. The distinction matters when comparing bookings: an included lunch session means supervised eating, rather than a meal prepared by the playgroup.

• Adult involvement in play. The March 2023 priorities concerned extending learning and making behaviour expectations consistent. During a trial session, ask how staff build on a child's chosen activity and keep group-time expectations clear.
• A shorter-session trial. No-obligation trial sessions allow a parent and child to take part together. Use one to explore how your child responds to the balance of free play and shared activities before choosing morning, afternoon or full-day attendance.
• The funded booking's practical costs. Packed lunches come from home, and afternoon supervision is included. For your proposed funded pattern, which snacks or non-food supplies would you need to pay for or bring?

Ravenshead suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those wanting a full day, with play-led learning and opportunities for parents to participate. Its key-person system, support with toileting and school familiarisation visits address practical concerns around starting preschool and moving on.

The March 2023 teaching priorities deserve attention alongside the Good judgement. A trial session offers a concrete way to explore adult involvement in play and the clarity of routines. For families comfortable providing packed lunches and interested in a committee-run playgroup, there is a clear offer to weigh.