Poplar Pre-School, CIO

Squirrels and Hedgehogs are shared spaces rather than separate age stages at Poplar Pre-School, CIO. Children can normally move between both rooms and the outdoor area, choosing their play and companions. That freedom gives this purpose-built pre-school in Allington, Maidstone, a clear character: mixed-age play, children’s interests and room to make decisions.

At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, with strengths in relationships, independence and communication, alongside improvements needed in younger children’s participation and the challenge offered to the most able. Those two development points matter when judging how well mixed-age activities work for an individual child.

Poplar accepts children from 2¼ years until they start school and has 44 places in total. It is a charity governed by trustees, with parent volunteers helping to raise funds for equipment and toys. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance give families different ways to use the provision.

Rooms and Ages

Squirrels and Hedgehogs both accommodate children across the pre-school’s accepted ages, with the usual free-flow arrangement allowing movement between the rooms and outside. There is no fixed progression from a younger room to an older one here: the practical distinction is between the spaces children choose, rather than an age-based room allocation.

The purpose-built accommodation and outdoor area support that choice. For a child who enjoys moving between activities, the arrangement gives scope to follow an interest; for families considering mixed-age play, the important question is how adults adapt a shared activity for different developmental stages.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, encompassing communication, physical development, relationships and later foundations in literacy and mathematics. Poplar’s approach adds planning that responds to children’s emerging interests: staff adjust activities and resources as those interests develop, rather than relying solely on a predetermined sequence.

Daily activities using materials that children can manipulate target motor skills, with related skills revisited during the term. Stories feature in both morning and afternoon attendance, so children joining either part of the day have a storytelling opportunity. Morning stories include vocabulary selected in advance, giving adults specific new words to introduce through a shared book.

In December 2023, dough play involved discussing the shape and size of children’s creations, connecting hand movements with mathematical language. Shopping role play brought together conversation and list-making. These examples show how an ordinary play activity can carry several kinds of learning, rather than separating early writing, language and numbers into formal lessons.

Storytelling also moved outside that December: children searched for picture cards and used them to retell a familiar story. Older children found the cards quickly, leaving younger children with less opportunity to experience success. The same inspection-time account identified occasions when the most able children needed greater challenge. The activities were engaging, but participation and extension were not equally secure for everyone.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play forms part of the normal free-flow arrangement, and children are encouraged to play outside daily. Warm outdoor clothing therefore belongs in the everyday routine. The emphasis is on access to the outdoor area as part of play, rather than treating it as a separate occasional activity.

The Events Team consists of parents organising fundraising and activities for children, families and the wider community. Examples include the Easter Bunny Hunt, Christmas Fair and Football Fun Days; funds help buy play equipment and toys. This gives parents a practical role in supporting the pre-school beyond their own child’s attendance.

Family Celebration fundraising afternoons also form part of funded session time. The 2026/2027 calendar includes Christmas, Easter and Summer Picnic celebrations, with children accompanied by a parent or carer. That is a meaningful family participation expectation, especially for adults arranging work around a booked afternoon.

Relationships and Communication

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective settling arrangements, productive SEND support through work with parents and other agencies, and effective safeguarding. The settling work helped adults learn about individual children and establish relationships, giving families a substantive inspection finding to weigh alongside the practical attendance options.

Poplar uses The Key Person and Triangle of Trust approach, with an accompanying leaflet available in other languages. Both room teams have a room leader who is also a deputy manager. Designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles provide a further named structure of responsibility, although an organisational role alone is not an assurance about effectiveness.

Tapestry Online Learning Journal brings together photographs, video and written entries about children’s experiences and development. Parents can add their own comments and media, making the record a two-way exchange rather than simply a stream of updates. The journal is downloaded and shared when children leave, while the Tapestry memo system carries messages to parents and carers.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In December 2023, special educational needs coordinators worked with families and external agencies, supported detailed plans and arranged group work addressing developmental concerns. Speech and language groups were one example. That is a concrete support mechanism, rather than a general promise that every need can be met in the same way.

Everyday independence also featured that December: children practised putting on coats, while turn-taking games gave them opportunities to wait and share. Adults used characters’ facial expressions during stories to prompt discussion about feelings. These are useful foundations for managing relationships and expressing emotions alongside learning new vocabulary.

Afternoon attendance includes lunch, which parents supply as a packed meal; food cannot be heated, and Poplar’s lunch policy excludes nuts and certain sweet foods and drinks. Children can choose the order and quantity they eat, with leftovers returned in the lunchbox so families can see what was eaten.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to 12pm, and afternoon sessions from 12pm to 3pm. Children can also attend all day, from 9am to 3pm, when ready. The afternoon includes lunch, so an afternoon booking brings a packed-lunch responsibility as well as a different part of the daily routine.

Attendance follows a term-time calendar. The main intake is in September, with a smaller January intake, and applications for the following September begin on 1 December in the preceding academic year. Registering interest allows families to receive an email when the relevant application period starts; it is a separate step from completing an application.

The 2026/2027 application process includes a meet and greet after submission. An administration charge applies after a place is offered to secure it, with exceptions possible. Optional logo clothing is also sold, but uniform is not required: painting, making and outdoor play are reasons to choose clothes that can cope with mess.

Getting There

The address is Giddyhorn Lane Pavilion, Poplar Grove, Allington, Maidstone, ME16 0DE. The site is off Poplar Grove, near the A20 (London Road); enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01622 763638.

Funding and Paid Extras

Poplar offers paid sessions and funded childcare. Its funding and fees page covers Early Learning for 2 Year Olds, Universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, and Working Parents funding. The stated entitlements include up to 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds under the early-learning scheme, 15 Universal hours, and up to 30 hours under Working Parents funding, subject to eligibility.

Funded attendance sits within the term-time provision. Universal funding begins in the term after a child’s third birthday, and Poplar sends families a claim form when it is due. Parents provide packed lunches for afternoon attendance, including funded attendance.

Private fees are invoiced monthly and paid in advance, and remain payable when a child is absent. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen attendance pattern, taking account of the funded hours they can claim and any additional paid sessions.

• Mixed-age participation. In December 2023, younger children sometimes had fewer opportunities to succeed in shared activities, while the most able needed more challenge. At a visit, ask how the same activity is adjusted for both groups now.
• Family Celebration afternoons. These fundraising occasions take place within funded session time, and children need a parent or carer alongside them. Families should factor that participation into work and childcare arrangements.
• Lunch and allergies. Afternoon children bring their own lunch, and the lunch policy excludes nuts. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements before their child starts.
• Non-food supplies. When discussing the quotation, ask which personal care items families need to bring and whether any consumable charges apply to funded or paid attendance.

Poplar suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoons with lunch, or an all-day pattern within a term-time pre-school. Its strongest practical combination is shared-age rooms, freedom to move outdoors, daily storytelling and parent involvement through learning records and fundraising.

The December 2023 findings give relationships and support a sound basis for consideration, while identifying a precise reservation: shared activities need to work for younger children and stretch those ready for more. Families whose child sits at either end of that developmental range should make the adaptation of activities central to their decision.