Playmates Pre-School

An all-weather sand house, books to borrow daily and monthly coffee mornings give Playmates Pre-School a character that reaches beyond its community-hall setting. Based at The Institute Hall in Horsham, it combines outdoor play with practical support for families: settling sessions shaped around the child, a keyworker and regular conversations about learning. The emphasis is on making preschool life familiar and manageable.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Playmates Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), were making good progress. There were also two clear improvement priorities: staff needed to take more opportunities to develop children's chosen play, and routines needed organising so that learning was interrupted less often.

Playmates accepts children from age two and has 32 places in total. Attendance options include morning and afternoon sessions, plus an all-day arrangement.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play helping children build skills and understanding. At Playmates, each child has a Learning Journey file containing photographs and examples of things they have made. Termly conversations with their keyworker connect those records with the next steps in learning, giving parents a way to discuss development rather than simply receive a collection of pictures.

The Book Exchange Scheme lets children borrow a different book each day through book-bag hire, refreshing reading at home. The hire charge is refundable when they leave if the bag comes back undamaged.

In April 2024, activities included observing caterpillars, learning words connected with their development and creating butterfly pictures. Colour mixing linked those interests with making something of their own. Children also had opportunities to explore number, connect letters with sounds and select books independently. These examples show how a single interest could lead into language, creativity and early literacy.

The same visit exposed a limit to that approach. During outdoor play, staff sometimes supervised children without using their curiosity to introduce a further question or problem. Story sessions were also disrupted when some children were taken away to prepare for collection. Both points matter: access to an activity and getting the full learning experience are different things.

Outdoor and Community Life

A climbing frame with a slide and climbing wall supports physical play. The enclosed, all-weather sand house, outside classroom, planting beds and bug hotel give children places to investigate and grow things.

Outings include the local park and shops, with parents joining visits to nearby woods. Annual celebrations include a Nativity, Sports Day, Christmas parties and parties for children leaving for school. Monthly coffee mornings are free for parents, creating a recurring opportunity to get to know other families.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions are adapted to the child and family. Blankets and dummies are welcomed, letting children keep a familiar comfort during the change from home to preschool.

Every child has a keyworker, and learning conversations take place each term. The Learning Journey file goes home when the child leaves, so the photographs and creations remain with the family. Email is also used for important messages, and parents are expected to keep emergency contact details up to date. Communication therefore includes both developmental conversations and the everyday information needed to care for a child safely.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that families were given time to settle children, staff helped children understand their feelings, and staff coordinated support with the local authority, teachers and speech and language therapists. The practical examples included comforting upset children and using stories, toys and conversation to explore emotions. These findings describe the care seen at that visit, alongside the current settling arrangements.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Playmates participates in the West Sussex SEND Under 5s support process, which brings early identification, planning and review together before children move on to school. Practitioners discuss developmental concerns with parents and put support plans in place; the SENCO coordinates monitoring and review with the adults involved. The process can include advice for the setting, referrals and planning for transition, with further assessment considered where appropriate.

All staff have first-aid training. For safeguarding concerns, the setting's procedure normally involves discussion with parents, with referral to the Integrated Front Door in West Sussex where needed; immediate risk can lead to contact before that discussion. This describes how concerns are handled, rather than replacing the dated safeguarding judgement.

Children who wear nappies bring nappies and wipes from home. Changes are recorded, routine changing takes place in both sessions, and wet or soiled children are changed promptly. Toilet training uses toilets fitted with child seats and steps, with spare clothing supplied by families. Ollie Helps Poo Go Home to Poo Land is a story used to support children finding bowel movements on the toilet difficult.

Healthy Teeth activities run through the year to introduce looking after teeth. Everyday independence also features at snack time: children are encouraged to pour their own drinks. Small routines provide opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Institute Hall, Crawley Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 4ET. Morning sessions run from 8.50am to 11.50am, and afternoon sessions from 11.50am to 2.50pm. Children can also stay all day, with collection required by 2.50pm. The hall is shared with other users after preschool finishes, making the collection deadline a practical constraint.

Attendance follows a term-time model. The dated September 2025 to September 2026 calendar specified 38 operating weeks in line with local schools; those calendar dates are now past. Registration is arranged by email or telephone, with calls taken during session times. Visits and enrolment paperwork are arranged through the same contact route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Playmates accepts private fees and funded childcare. Its funding options include two-year-old entitlement, working-parent entitlement for two-year-olds, universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, and working-parent entitlement of 30 hours. These sit alongside its term-time attendance model. The fees page sets out the payment arrangements; families obtain current prices in a written quotation from the nursery.

There is no registration charge. Invoices are issued half-termly, with weekly, monthly or half-termly payment arrangements supported. The refundable book-bag hire charge belongs to the reading scheme and depends on returning the bag undamaged; it is separate from the childcare payment arrangements.

Parents supply lunch and snacks for children attending, including those using funded hours, while milk is offered free at snack time and water is available. Packed lunches are kept without refrigeration and cannot be heated, and the lunch policy excludes nut-containing foods, so lunch choices need to suit those arrangements.

Non-food consumables are also a family responsibility: children needing changes bring nappies, wipes and spare clothes, whether their attendance is funded or privately paid. Named lunch boxes, snack boxes, bottles and changing bags help staff match each child's belongings and food correctly.

• Teaching during chosen play. In April 2024, staff missed some opportunities to develop children's interests, and collection routines interrupted stories. During a visit, ask how practitioners now extend outdoor play and protect activities near collection time.
• Collection and holidays. The afternoon session finishes at 2.50pm, and other groups use the hall afterwards. Families need a dependable collection arrangement and an attendance plan that fits term-time care.
• Food and allergies. Families provide lunch and snacks, and lunches cannot be refrigerated or reheated. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements, including the policy on nuts, before their child starts.
• Starting gently. Settling sessions are tailored and comfort items are welcomed. Use the joining conversation to agree how that will work for your child, including any SEND support plan or toileting needs.

Playmates suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or an all-day preschool arrangement, with collection by mid-afternoon. Its strongest practical attractions are the substantial outdoor resources, daily book borrowing and child-led settling arrangements. The SEND process gives families specific mechanisms for discussing and reviewing support.

The April 2024 teaching priorities deserve attention alongside the Good judgement. For parents who can work with term-time attendance, provide food and manage the collection deadline, this is a preschool with useful everyday detail and a clear basis for a focused visit.