Tollerton Playgroup

Play, conversation and growing independence give Tollerton Playgroup its character: daily outdoor activities sit alongside stories, practical maths and opportunities for children to make their own choices. Based at Tollerton Primary School on Burnside Grove, it has 26 places in total. This is a village playgroup with a clear emphasis on preparing children to manage more for themselves.

At its 19 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the playgroup Good overall, with Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail matters more than the labels: children talked confidently, sought comfort from familiar adults and tackled practical tasks such as preparing snack food.

Morning and afternoon attendance runs during term time, with a separate Lunch Club between the sessions. That pattern makes the timetable an important part of the decision for families.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, combining activities children choose with activities led by adults. Tollerton's curriculum translates that into everyday experiences: talking about ideas and feelings, exploring books and using practical materials to investigate number, shape and measurement. Children have opportunities to play independently as well as alongside others.

Maths takes a hands-on form. Water, sand, pasta and dough provide materials for weighing, counting and comparing, while pretend cooking and hospital play bring mathematical language into imagined situations. These are useful connections: children can encounter number through something they are already interested in doing, rather than only through a separate adult-led task.

Books, songs and rhymes feature daily. The curriculum includes extra help with communication for children who find it difficult and for those learning English as an additional language. Art, dance, music and role play give children other ways to express ideas, with time to pursue their own interests rather than rush through a finished product.

In May 2022, story activities included recalling events through drawings and discussing what might happen next. Adults repeated useful vocabulary and paused for children to answer. That gives a concrete picture of how books were used: children were participating in the story, rather than simply listening to it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor activities happen daily, and the physical provision includes large climbing frames, balls and wheeled vehicles. Smaller equipment, including scissors and glue spreaders, supports hand control. The balance gives children opportunities to practise both whole-body movement and the smaller movements needed for making and creating.

In May 2022, children steered ride-on cars around the outdoor space, with adults helping them work out how to turn. Planting seeds brought another kind of practical learning: children cared for what they planted, handled soil and encountered language about how much containers could hold. Learning extended beyond a table indoors.

Family involvement also has a practical side. In May 2023, the Management Committee consisted of parents who usually met once a term to organise fundraising and publicity, and families were invited to vote at the Annual General Meeting to approve accounts and elect the committee. That offered parents a role in the running of the playgroup, alongside their relationship with staff about their child.

Settling can proceed with a parent close by. Families are encouraged to make visits before their child starts, and parents may remain with their child for as long as they consider appropriate. Younger children can also bring a familiar comfort object. Those arrangements give the move from home some flexibility, rather than requiring every child to separate in the same way.

Independence is part of the care approach as well as the curriculum. Comfortable clothing that children can manage themselves is encouraged, and removable items should carry their name. Aprons are provided for messy activities, but clothing still needs to tolerate play. The emphasis is on participation and practising everyday skills.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, but identified inconsistent sharing of children's learning information between staff and insufficient help for some children to settle into their chosen play, which limited the progress they could make. These are specific weaknesses to weigh alongside the Good judgement: knowing a child's next step is useful only if the adults supporting that child can act on it consistently.

During May 2022, children approached staff for reassurance, practised recognising emotions through pictures and mirrors, and worked on washing hands and wiping noses independently. Adults encouraged children to persist when cutting healthy snack foods. The practical care routines were also opportunities to learn.

Sessions and Attendance

Tollerton Playgroup is at Tollerton Primary School, Burnside Grove, Tollerton, Nottingham NG12 4ET. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0115 937 6908 or through the contact form.

Monday to Friday attendance follows two session windows: mornings from 8.45am to 11.45am and afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Lunch Club runs from 11.45am to 12.30pm and is charged separately. The playgroup operates during term time, so the timetable needs to fit the family's holiday arrangements as well as its ordinary week.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds through the Nursery Education Grant scheme. Paid sessions are also offered. Bills are issued each term, with payment possible monthly, weekly or half termly; families should obtain current prices in the playgroup's written quotation.

Getting There

There is no parking on site; the Air Hostess Pub on Burnside Grove provides a parking option. Drivers are asked to avoid obstructing neighbouring driveways or access, with parking monitored by police and traffic wardens.

The school-site address does not guarantee a Reception place at Tollerton Primary School. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process, treating the childcare decision and the school application as separate decisions.

• Support during chosen play. In May 2022, some children needed more help to engage, and staff did not consistently share learning priorities. On a visit, ask how adults now exchange next steps and help a child who moves between activities without settling.
• Term-time timetable. Morning and afternoon sessions operate Monday to Friday during term time. Families needing care during school holidays should weigh that pattern against their own working calendar.
• Lunch Club and funded costs. Lunch Club is separately charged, and funded early education is offered for eligible children. Ask for a written breakdown covering funded sessions, Lunch Club, food and non-food consumables, including what families need to bring.
• Settling and the journey. Parents can stay during settling, while parking is off site at the Air Hostess Pub. Use a pre-start visit to discuss separation at your child's pace and try the parking arrangement alongside the session timetable.

Tollerton Playgroup suits families seeking either morning or afternoon preschool attendance during term time, with Lunch Club as a separate option. Its play-based curriculum is concrete: practical maths, daily outdoor activity and regular books and conversation sit alongside opportunities to become more independent.

The Good judgement from May 2022 provides a positive inspection position, but the weaknesses in staff information-sharing and support during chosen play deserve attention. For parents, the deciding combination is the fit of the session timetable, the flexible settling arrangements and a clear explanation of how staff now keep each child's learning priorities connected.