Playdays Pre-School, new Cio

A community hall that changes its layout daily, a purpose built sensory room and a garden give Playdays its character. Based at Plymstock Community Centre in Plymouth, this charity pre-school combines shared indoor space with a purpose built sensory room and outdoor play. The physical variety matters: imaginative play, cooking and baking need not occupy the same arrangement every day.

At its 26 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Playdays Good and found safeguarding effective. The setting has 35 places in total. Its age descriptions span 18 months to four years, although the joining threshold needs clarification for younger children, as explained below.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning, afternoon and all-day sessions alongside Breakfast Club and Lunch Club. The short Monday opening window is an important practical distinction.

Learning and Activities

The main hall provides flexible space for activities. Its layout changes daily, with imaginative real-world play, cooking and baking among the experiences offered. A purpose built sensory room adds another kind of space, while the outside play area and garden extend the day beyond the hall.

EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: in April 2022, small-group activities supported communication, while preparation for school emphasised independence in self-care. It is the common early-years foundation, rather than an additional branded programme. Tapestry Online Learning Journals connect that learning with home through posts about children's experiences and progress.

In April 2022, children combined self-directed play with adult-led activities in small groups. A Colour Monster story inspired potion-making: children cut up leaves and petals, compared their dimensions and handled water and glitter. The activity brought imaginative play, mathematical vocabulary and hand control into the same experience. It also exposed the main improvement point: staff missed opportunities to help children test ideas of their own and develop ways to solve problems.

Outdoor and Community Life

Community involvement has a concrete setting here. In April 2022, children joined adults who met at the community centre for an Easter Bonnet event. That encounter gave them opportunities to converse with people beyond their usual pre-school group and learn about other local lives. It was an example of community contact, rather than a separate enrichment club.

Children also had a council in April 2022 through which they could propose activities. This gave their preferences a place in planning. The garden and outside play area remain part of the current physical offer; the daily-changing hall supplies a different kind of flexibility indoors.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has an assigned Key Worker, giving parents a first contact for questions about their child's time at Playdays. Families can remain with their child during initial settling sessions. Joining includes two free settling sessions, so the move into pre-school has a defined starting point rather than relying solely on the first ordinary booking.

Tapestry Online Learning Journals make communication two-way. Parents can respond to pre-school posts and contribute experiences from home, with access through an app or a web login. Additional family logins allow other relatives to follow the child's learning too. The practical benefit is continuity: home experiences can enter the conversation alongside activities at Playdays.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs Coordinator role and links with support agencies across Plymouth provide routes for discussing additional needs. At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that individual support plans, professional collaboration and additional staff time funded for children's needs helped support their learning. That is a dated assessment of practice, alongside the current arrangements for raising concerns with staff.

In April 2022, shared books helped children discuss emotions, relate characters' feelings to their own experiences and think about kindness. Current collection procedures require an agreed password when another adult collects a child, together with advance notification; staff seek parental confirmation if there is doubt. These are practical arrangements, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Playdays operates at 6 Memory Lane, Plymouth, PL9 9GH, within Plymstock Community Centre. It opens during term time, from 8am to 1pm on Monday and from 8am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday. Contact routes are telephone and email.

Morning Session runs from 9am to noon; Afternoon Session runs from noon to 3pm. All Day Session is 8am to 3pm, with Breakfast Club from 8am to 9am and Lunch Club from noon to 1pm. Opening until 4pm on most weekdays should therefore be distinguished from the named all-day booking, which ends at 3pm.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted through Me2 funding - means tested, 3&4 year old funding - universal, and the 30 hours funded childcare offer. The first two descriptions cover up to 15 hours, with the relevant age-based entitlement beginning in the term after the child's second or third birthday respectively. Funding participation does not itself establish a family's eligibility.

Private sessions are also sold. A registration charge applies on joining and comes with a book bag, uniform t-shirt and drink bottle kept at Playdays; further uniform items can be purchased. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the admissions, fees and funding page explains the session structure.

Morning and afternoon session prices include their snacks, Breakfast Club includes breakfast, and families supply a packed lunch for Lunch Club. The allergy policy uses a daily check of the allergy register by the person handling food, with information shared among staff.

Getting There and Moving On

The Community Centre car park is shared with other users and can become busy around the start and finish of sessions. That makes supervision between the car and building a practical consideration.

School preparation includes visiting Foundation Stage teachers and passing relevant information to primary staff. An end-of-year celebration for leavers and their families marks the transition. These arrangements help introduce children to the next stage; attendance does not guarantee a school place, and families still use the local authority admissions process for state schools.

• Joining below two. The general age description begins at 18 months, while the admissions threshold is the second birthday. These conflict; families seeking an earlier start should establish which applies before arranging their child's settling sessions.
• Monday and later afternoons. Monday closes at 1pm, and the All Day Session ends at 3pm despite the later Tuesday-to-Friday opening window. Ask how the desired weekly pattern fits those boundaries.
• Children's own ideas. In April 2022, staff needed to give children more opportunities to experiment and work through problems independently. During a visit, ask how practitioners now extend play while leaving decisions with the child.
• Allergy arrangements. Packed lunches come from home, alongside food supplied for snacks and breakfast. Families managing allergies should confirm current handling arrangements and how these apply across both sources of food.

Playdays suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those considering its all-day pattern with breakfast and lunch arrangements. Its strongest tangible attractions are the adaptable community hall, sensory room and garden, supported by a named Key Worker and two-way learning journal. The April 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference. Younger starting ages and the different Monday hours deserve careful attention before choosing an attendance pattern.