Time Childcare

Speech and language give Time Childcare a clear emphasis: preschool children have regular communication screening, while mixed-age play lets younger and older children learn alongside each other. This community charity operates from Poringland Village Hall, with Playtime Preschool for children aged two to four and separate after-school and holiday services. It has 32 places in total.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Time Childcare Good and found safeguarding effective, with children forming close relationships with staff and showing enthusiasm for learning. That judgement is dated. The improvement priorities were more thinking time after questions, fuller information for parents about daily activities, and parental involvement in decisions about early years pupil premium spending.

Preschool runs during term time, with morning, afternoon and all-day sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Learning and Activities

Playtime Preschool follows the EYFS, the framework covering children's learning, development and care: play supports communication, movement, relationships, early reading and mathematics. Each child's interests and observed development inform their next steps. Practitioners demonstrate activities, explain ideas and describe what children are doing, giving language a place within play rather than treating it as a separate exercise.

Children from two years old to those approaching school age play together. For families who prefer mixed-age learning, this is a central part of the offer: younger children share play with older children, while older children have opportunities to help their younger companions. Activities allow children to pursue interests, practise new skills and make choices about how to approach a task.

The Norwich opportunity area communication champion setting role adds a more specific communication emphasis. Regular preschool screening helps staff identify where speech and language need attention. This makes communication development a useful subject for progress discussions, especially for parents whose child is beginning to express more complex ideas.

In July 2022, children explored musical instruments before staff introduced changes in volume and pace. Counting also arose through play, including children counting bangles on their arms. These examples show the character of learning at that visit: familiar objects and children's own exploration provided starting points for adult teaching. Staff sometimes moved too quickly from a question to the next exchange, however, leaving children insufficient time to formulate an answer.

Outdoor and Community Life

A forest school approach, using outdoor exploration as a way to learn, shapes the outdoor area. Fundraising has supported tangible additions, including a mud kitchen, a perspex painting board and the secret garden bridge play structure. These give outdoor play different possibilities, from making and experimenting to imaginative movement.

XtraTime After School Club offers child-chosen activities after school, including gardening, cookery and construction. Its large hall accommodates creative play, while the small hall provides a quieter space for homework and reading; a sofa offers somewhere to relax. Time Out Holiday Club combines planned activities with free play indoors and outside. These are separate services for children aged three to eleven, rather than extensions of the preschool timetable.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated to each preschool child, observes their development and plans individual next steps. Parents can arrange a discussion during term time or use an allocated parents' evening appointment. That gives families a specific practitioner with whom to discuss their child's learning, rather than relying only on general updates.

Tapestry, the secure account system for preschool families, brings together photographs, messages, questionnaires, newsletters and policies. Email updates and Preschool Parent Evenings provide further opportunities for communication. The practical value is continuity: families can follow information between sessions and bring questions to a conversation with their key person.

In July 2022, children turned to staff for comfort and shared their play with them. Adults used calm reminders about sharing and taking turns, and recognised individual effort. Some parents nevertheless wanted more detail about their children's activities, making the content of day-to-day updates an important point to explore.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Family support involves health care professionals, Early help and family support, and Early childhood and family service. Its policies cover inclusion and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, alongside settling in and safeguarding. These are mechanisms for discussing an individual child's circumstances, rather than a blanket assurance about support.

In July 2022, hygiene teaching included managing personal care and understanding toothbrushing. The same visit identified a gap in parental participation in decisions about early years pupil premium spending. For an eligible family, the relevant question is how the proposed use of that funding connects with their child's needs.

The nursery describes a close working relationship with Poringland Primary School and Nursery that helps children who share care between the settings. Attendance does not guarantee a school place; families still use the local authority admissions process. The relationship concerns continuity and transition, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Playtime Preschool operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during term time. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am; afternoon sessions run from 11.30am to 2.30pm and include lunch; the all-day option runs from 8.30am to 2.30pm.

XtraTime After School Club opens Monday to Friday from 3pm to 6pm, for ages three to eleven. Bookings have a minimum charge covering one hour, followed by half-hour increments, and ad hoc bookings can be made after registration. Children are collected from Poringland Primary and Nursery; children from other schools can attend if brought to the setting.

Time Out Holiday Club runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays in school holidays, excluding Christmas. Its morning session is 9am to 1pm, afternoon session 1pm to 5pm, and all-day session 9am to 5pm. Separately paid extensions allow an 8am start, a 6pm finish, or both. Children do not have to attend Time Childcare's other services to use the holiday club, but a registration form is required.

Getting There

The address is Poringland Village Hall, The Street, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7RE. The hall stands opposite Budgens, beside the side road leading to Poringland Primary and Nursery School.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by email to admin@timechildcare.org.uk. The charity is fundraising for new premises because continued use of the hall is not a long-term option.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded preschool childcare is offered during term time. Funding for two-year-olds is available to some families, alongside 15 hours universal funding for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday and 30 hours funding for some families with children aged three or four; funding can be shared with another provider.

Private sessions are charged, with invoices emailed monthly and payment due within 14 days. Booked sessions remain payable during absence, illness or holidays unless four weeks' notice has been given. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; its fees and funding information explains the payment structure.

• A three-day preschool week. Preschool operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during term time, with both shorter sessions and an all-day option. Match those days to the care your family needs across the week.
• Communication and thinking time. July 2022 improvement priorities concerned children's response time, information for parents and involvement in pupil premium spending. During a visit, ask how practitioners now pause for answers and how families contribute to learning and funding decisions.
• The hall's longer-term future. Time Childcare is fundraising for premises because continued use of Poringland Village Hall is not a long-term option. Ask about the plans and what a future move would mean for your child's attendance.
• The complete session cost. Afternoon preschool sessions include lunch, and holiday hours can be extended for an extra charge. When discussing a written quotation, ask how meals and non-food consumables are handled on funded and private sessions.

Time Childcare suits families seeking mixed-age preschool play with a clear speech and language emphasis, whether they want morning or afternoon attendance or the all-day preschool session. Key-person planning and Tapestry give parents concrete routes into their child's learning. After-school collection and the separate holiday club may also matter to families with older children.

The decision rests on the fit of the three-day term-time preschool timetable, the longer-term premises plans and the communication improvements identified in July 2022. For families comfortable with that pattern, this is a community-based option with a recognisable emphasis on language, outdoor exploration and parent participation.