Silverdale Playgroup

A mud kitchen, rope swings and a vegetable bed give Silverdale Playgroup a clear identity: practical play with room to move. Based at Silverdale Community Centre in Wilford, it has a large main hall for younger children. The emphasis is on children choosing, trying and doing things for themselves, with adults helping them build the social skills that make group life work.

At its 24 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the playgroup Good and found that children made good progress, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities was effective, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. That judgement came with two teaching priorities: sharper staff development and better use of questions during conversations with children. Both matter when weighing the strengths of the provision.

There are 35 places in total. In March 2023, children attending were aged two to four. Morning and afternoon sessions give families two different attendance patterns within a term-time setting.

Rooms and Ages

Cubs, for two- and three-year-olds, uses the large room; Lions, for three- and four-year-olds, uses the smaller preschool room.

Vehicles and train sets support small-world play; jigsaws, construction materials and writing resources offer table activities. The home corner can become a hospital, a hairdresser’s or a veterinary setting for acting out familiar situations. Book corners provide a quieter option.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care, including language, physical development and learning to manage feelings and relationships. Here, play and hands-on exploration put those areas into everyday use: children talk about what they are doing, experiment with materials and practise being part of a group.

The morning has a recognisable rhythm. Sharing time brings children together before they choose equipment and activities; later, key-worker time, stories, songs and rhymes provide another shared point in the session. This balance matters for a child who enjoys choosing independently but also needs help joining conversations and listening to others.

In March 2023, children sustained construction play beside their key person and used vehicles and the role-play area with staff. Older children also managed their coats and poured drinks for themselves. These were small, practical opportunities to make decisions and practise independence, rather than independence being treated only as preparation for school.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is used daily where possible. Its sand pit, climbing bars and rope swings provide physical play, while the mud kitchen and vegetable bed add opportunities to handle materials and explore growing things. Bikes, scooters, tractors and trailers can be used indoors and outdoors, so movement is part of the equipment offer as well as the garden.

In March 2023, outdoor play included running, swinging and children propelling one another in wheeled toys. The current clothing arrangements support outdoor use in changing weather: rain capes are supplied, and families provide wellington boots and warm winter clothing. Suitable footwear matters because climbing equipment is part of the playgroup’s everyday resources.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is assigned a key-worker on starting. A Learning Journey records their development and helps that adult plan what comes next; parents can request access and discuss progress with the key-worker. This gives families a named role to turn to and a continuing record of their child’s learning, rather than relying solely on brief conversations at collection.

In March 2023, staff and parents exchanged information about children, and children settled into activities after separating from their families. Adults supported disagreements by judging when to watch and when to step in, giving children opportunities to resolve difficulties themselves. That is a useful example of care and learning overlapping: an argument over play becomes a chance to practise speaking, waiting and considering another child.

Teaching conversations needed more care at that visit. Questions sometimes followed one another so rapidly that children stopped participating. Staff supervision also needed clearer attention to individual teaching skills and specific improvement targets. These findings are relevant to parents because an adult’s timing can determine whether a child has space to explain an idea or simply faces another question.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO role and a designated first aider, with paediatric first-aid training represented among staff. In March 2023, the playgroup worked with outside agencies to arrange early help for children needing additional support. The allocated key-worker provides a continuing point of contact for discussions about a child’s development.

Food arrangements are straightforward: daily snacks include fruit, vegetables and savoury options, with milk or water to drink, while families supply a packed lunch for Lunch Club. Families are asked to tell staff about food allergies so that their child’s needs can be discussed.

Health procedures give parents clear responsibilities. Following sickness or diarrhoea, children must stay away until at least 48 hours after the last episode. Minor accidents are entered in a first-aid log for parents to countersign, and emergency contact details are used if a child becomes ill or has a major accident. Keeping those numbers current is part of making the arrangements work.

Sun cream comes from home when families want staff to reapply it after lunch, together with written permission. Sun hats are supplied, although children may bring their own. Collection arrangements are also explicit: staff must be told when someone else will collect a child, and children are not released to an unannounced collector.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, followed by Lunch Club from noon to 12.30pm; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Lunch Club has a separate attendance charge; parents supply the food. Families using Lunch Club bring their child’s packed lunch.

Attendance follows the term calendar, with holiday breaks. For parents organising work around preschool, the distinction between term-time sessions and care throughout the year is consequential: the session pattern needs to fit alongside the family’s arrangements during holidays.

Getting There

The address is Silverdale Community Centre, The Downs, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7EB. Telephone enquiries can be made on 0115 982 5017, and the contact arrangements also include email and speaking to staff in person.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2023, the playgroup provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and Lunch Club have separate charges.

The autumn 2026 fee change applies to those three paid categories. Current prices come in the playgroup’s written quotation, allowing families to consider their chosen sessions and lunch arrangements together. Lunch is supplied by parents; sun cream for reapplication after lunch is also supplied by parents with written permission. Daily snacks and drinks form part of the care arrangements described above.

In March 2023, staff communicated regularly with local school teachers, who visited the playgroup to help children prepare for the next stage. This was transition work: familiar adults and communication between settings helped support the move to school.

• Teaching conversations. In March 2023, rapid questioning sometimes interrupted children’s participation, and staff development needed more precise teaching targets. On a visit, ask how adults now give children thinking time and how supervision develops those skills.
• Term-time session pattern. Morning and afternoon sessions sit on either side of a separately charged Lunch Club. Consider which pattern fits your working day and how you will cover holiday breaks.
• Food and outdoor preparation. Lunch Club requires a packed lunch, while outdoor play calls for suitable footwear and seasonal clothing. Allergy-affected families should confirm current snack and packed-lunch practice with staff.
• Support from the start. An allocated key-worker, a Learning Journey and a SENCO role provide useful points of contact. Ask how these arrangements would work together during your child’s first sessions, especially if additional support is needed.

Silverdale suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions during term time, with practical play, a substantial collection of equipment and regular opportunities to use the garden. The key-worker and Learning Journey arrangements give parents a clear route into discussions about development.

The March 2023 teaching priorities temper the Good judgement: appealing play resources and clear care procedures sit alongside concerns about adult questioning and staff development.