Southery Playgroup

A single main room, free movement into an enclosed outdoor area and access to Southery Academy’s grounds give Southery Playgroup a clear identity. This is a village playgroup where children can choose materials for themselves, get muddy outdoors and retreat to a quieter space when they need a pause. The physical arrangement matters: indoor creativity and outdoor exploration belong to the same day.

Southery Playgroup has capacity for 16 children and accepts children aged two to five. Its building sits in Southery Academy’s playground, at The Annexe on Westgate Street. The small whole-setting capacity should be read as a total, rather than a promise about how many children will attend a particular session.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in communication with parents about learning gaps and in staff questioning. Those findings provide a balanced starting point: practical independence and engaging play were evident, but the way adults helped children develop their learning needed refinement.

Term-time attendance includes an all-day pattern and separate morning and afternoon sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Children share one main room rather than moving through a sequence of named age-band rooms. Creative spaces support messy play indoors, while an enclosed, all-weather outdoor area allows children to move between inside and outside. For families choosing between settings, this shared arrangement is an important part of the decision: the environment serves children across the playgroup’s accepted age range.

A quieter area gives children somewhere to pause or pursue imaginative play. Outdoors, the mud kitchen, sand pit and bug hotel provide different materials to investigate, with climbing apparatus adding physical challenge. Bikes can be used on the school playground, and children also have access to parts of the school grounds, including the garden.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children’s learning and development, including communication, physical skills and understanding the world through play. Here, picture-labelled boxes and resources within children’s reach allow them to choose activities independently. The practical benefit is immediate: selecting an activity is part of learning, rather than something an adult must always do for them.

Craft materials are accessible both outdoors and indoors. Recycled and natural materials give children scope to make their own creations, while spaces arranged for conversation support language and social development. Quiet activities include puzzles and stories, so the day offers alternatives to energetic or messy play. The curriculum page explains this organisation of resources and activities.

In May 2022, children investigated a water pump in the mud kitchen and handled spiders they discovered in the garden before caring for them in the bug hotel. These examples connect the outdoor equipment with actual exploration. They also show why the garden matters beyond providing space to run.

During that same month, a chalk roadway became an opportunity to talk about size, colour and numbers as children played with cars. Cutting with scissors and making marks offered practice in hand control and early writing. The improvement point was equally concrete: adults sometimes asked questions too quickly, leaving children insufficient thinking time before a response was expected.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry is the digital learning journal used to share observations, photographs and videos with families. It gives parents a view of experiences they have not seen themselves and another route for exchanging developmental information. Access can extend to relatives with permission, alongside parents, staff and the child’s key person.

In May 2022, information about key children was shared between staff so that another practitioner could support them when their key person was away. Verbal feedback, online communication, meetings, questionnaires and activities for home learning also connected parents with the playgroup. The concern was about timely action: staff did not always involve parents quickly enough when gaps in learning had been identified.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and safeguarding lead roles. Staff undergo regular training and Disclosure and Barring Service checks. These staffing arrangements sit alongside the dated safeguarding judgement.

In May 2022, children practised everyday independence by pouring drinks and changing clothes after wet play, with staff also supporting toilet training. A sensory area had been created for children receiving additional funding. Together, these examples describe both practical routines and an adaptation to the environment, rather than a general promise about support for every child.

Staff prepare fresh snacks each day and take dietary, medical, cultural and parental requirements into account. Parents are asked to apply long-lasting suncream when needed and send spare wellies for wet-weather play.

Sessions and Attendance

Attendance is term-time only, Monday to Friday. The all-day session runs from 8.55am to 2.55pm; mornings run from 8.55am to 11.55am, and afternoons from 12.10pm to 3.10pm. These are separate booking patterns, so a family seeking a shorter session has a different option from one choosing the all-day timetable.

Paid extensions allow an 8.45am start, or an 8.45am start combined with collection at 3.10pm instead of 2.55pm. The afternoon session already ends at 3.10pm, so the later collection extension relates to the all-day pattern. School holidays are outside the attendance calendar.

Getting There

The address is The Annexe, Westgate Street, Southery, Downham Market, PE38 0PA. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01366 377 117 or through the contact form; the stated aim is to answer emails within 21 working days.

Being on Southery Academy’s site does not guarantee a Reception place.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2022, the playgroup provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Paid early-start and later-collection extensions are part of the current session arrangements. Current prices come in a written quotation from the playgroup.

• Shared space across ages. Children aged two to five use one main room, with outdoor access and quieter areas. During a visit, ask how activities and quieter play are organised for younger and older children sharing that space.
• Learning conversations. The May 2022 improvement points concerned prompt work with parents on learning gaps and giving children time to answer questions. Ask how Tapestry observations lead to agreed next steps at home and in sessions.
• Term-time planning and costs. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions cover different needs, but school holidays sit outside the timetable. Request a written explanation of current funded-hour arrangements and the treatment of snacks, lunches and non-food consumables alongside any paid extensions.
• School-site expectations. Children have access to parts of the school grounds. Reception admission is separate from a place at the playgroup.

Southery Playgroup suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting its all-day pattern. Its appeal is concrete: a shared main room, accessible creative materials, a mud kitchen and use of school outdoor spaces make independent choice and active play central to the experience.

The Good judgement from May 2022 sits alongside clear improvement points about adult questioning and timely communication with parents. For families comfortable with the shared-age arrangement and term-time calendar, those are the most useful issues to weigh against the practical strengths of the setting.