Poplars Group

Parent-led governance gives Poplars Group a clear character: this preschool operates within Water Leys Primary School, and parents help oversee its running through a voluntary Board of Trustees. For families who want a role beyond receiving updates, that creates a practical way to influence the setting's plans. The preschool cares for children aged two to four.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and identified speech and language work as a strength, with children making good progress. There were also two clear priorities: shorter waits for younger children at snack time and activities better matched to their individual interests and learning needs. Those findings give families specific points to explore rather than relying on the grade alone.

Morning, afternoon and preschool all-day sessions run during term time, alongside separate after-school and holiday provision. The distinction matters when planning care across the school year.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar Room serves children aged two to three, while Butterfly Room is for three- to four-year-olds. That age-based organisation gives parents a clear starting point for understanding their child's move through preschool.

Independence is part of the everyday offer. Children are encouraged to manage outdoor clothing and use the toilet themselves when ready; protective clothing is supplied for messy activities. Clothes that children can handle easily help them practise these skills rather than depend on an adult for each step.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning and care, combining communication, physical development and relationships with early literacy, mathematics, creativity and exploration of the world. Here, children choose activities and practise staying with them, alongside adult-led groups that introduce experiences and encourage cooperation. Choice and shared activity both have a place in the day.

In December 2022, language work included individual time with an adult and signs for everyday words such as milk and water. Stories also prompted conversation: children joined actions during familiar tales, while older children discussed books. Stick Man and Sam's Snowflake were among the stories enjoyed. These examples show how conversation could grow from something children were already interested in, rather than being confined to a separate language exercise.

The same month's observations included children investigating ice and water, tracing their names in the air and counting coloured pegs as they made patterns. These were concrete ways to connect language, early writing and number to play. However, activities near the end of sessions did not always hold younger children's attention; some wandered or ran around instead. The request for more carefully tailored learning deserves as much attention as the successful examples.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play includes activities chosen by children and those organised by adults. In December 2022, children practised balancing on beams, kicked a ball and drew with chalk outside. Encouragement to attempt the beams gave less confident children a manageable physical challenge.

The school setting is also tangible: in that month, children watched and waved to school children through the neighbouring playground fence. It is an everyday connection to school life, rather than an admissions advantage.

A key person works with each family on the child's needs, interests and settling. Learning Journey is the record of a child's experiences and development, built with contributions from parents as well as practitioners. Sharing an experience from home can therefore become part of the same picture as an activity at preschool.

Parents evenings, newsletters, questionnaires and informal conversations provide further routes for communication. In December 2022, staff also sent home words from Brown Bear and lent books to children receiving extra funding. That gave families something specific to use at home, linking conversations and reading across the two settings.

The team includes senior early years educators, apprentices, a lunchtime supervisor and a SENDCo role. Settling arrangements are agreed with parents, rather than presented as a single sequence for every child. For a child who needs additional support, the key-person relationship and SENDCo role are concrete starting points for discussing their needs.

Children can attend while wearing nappies, and staff support toilet training when the child is ready; parents supply spare nappies, wipes and clothes. Fruit, milk and healthy snacks are provided, and families are asked to share dietary requirements so these can be accommodated.

For illness, children must stay away until 48 hours have passed after sickness or diarrhoea symptoms end. Administering prescribed medicine involves speaking to staff and completing a medical form. These are practical arrangements to build into family routines.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, for 38 weeks aligned with Water Leys Primary School. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoon sessions run from 11.45am to 2.45pm. Preschool all-day care runs from 8.45am to 2.45pm. The opening window and the named session times are separate details, so families should plan around the pattern they book.

After School Club offers sessions from 3pm to 4.15pm or 3pm to 5.30pm, with staff collecting children from classrooms. Holiday Club accepts full- and part-time bookings for children aged two to eleven; its opening hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm, subject to bookings. These services extend the options beyond the preschool's term-time timetable.

Getting There

The address is Water Leys Primary School, Guilford Drive, Wigston, LE18 1HG. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0116 2573729, by email at info@poplarsgroup.co.uk or through the enquiry form.

Because Poplars operates on a school site, the Reception position matters: attending the preschool does not guarantee a school place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded sessions are offered for eligible two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds, including extended 30 hours funding where eligible. Delivery follows the preschool's term-time calendar. Early Years Pupil Premium can also be claimed for eligible three- and four-year-olds.

Private sessions are paid monthly in advance, and fees remain payable during absence. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Parents provide nappies and wipes; the preschool supplies protective clothing for messy play.

• Younger children's day. December 2022 findings highlighted prolonged snack waits and activities that sometimes lost younger children's interest. On a visit, ask how Caterpillar Room now organises snack service and the end of a session.
• The term-time timetable. Preschool runs for 38 weeks, while Holiday Club bookings are a separate arrangement subject to bookings. Work through the preschool and holiday patterns together when assessing a year of care.
• A voice in decisions. Parents can join the Board of Trustees, whose meetings take place termly, and attend the annual general meeting. This suits families interested in helping shape plans and fundraising as well as their own child's experience.

Poplars suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting the preschool all-day pattern. Its parent-led structure, key-person arrangements and shared Learning Journey give family involvement practical substance. The December 2022 strengths in language work sit alongside equally specific questions about younger children's routines. For parents weighing this setting, those details are more useful than the grade alone.