Laleham Church Playgroup

A mud kitchen, a wooden play frame and a curriculum built around children's surroundings give Laleham Church Playgroup a recognisable character. Play sits alongside deliberate preparation for school, with younger Kittens and older Cats working towards different stages of independence. Its Christian ethos is explicit, too: Bible stories and choruses form part of the morning routine.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the playgroup Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), made good progress. That is a useful quality marker, but the detail matters more than the label. The current offer combines outdoor exploration, language development and structured activities, while the inspection raised questions about how effectively whole-group learning kept everyone involved.

There are 34 places in total at The Youth Centre in Laleham. The earliest starting age under the 2026 admissions policy is 2 years 3 months, with a term-based starting rule for children born between September and February. Opening hours are weekday mornings during term time.

Rooms and Ages

Kittens, the group for 2–3-year-olds, emphasises talking, movement and emotional development through stories, mark making and learning to play alongside others; Cats, for 3–4-year-olds, extends this into literacy, mathematics and increasingly independent personal care. These are learning groups rather than a promise of separate, fixed classrooms. The Main Hall and Small Hall are both used by the groups, with outdoor play woven into their morning.

The progression is practical. Younger children work towards communicating their needs, following straightforward instructions and beginning to manage clothing for toileting. Older children practise negotiating with friends and talking about feelings as well as making marks that resemble writing. These are aims for development, rather than guarantees that every child will reach the same point at the same time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play across communication, physical and emotional development, alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. Laleham adds a topic-based curriculum running over a two-year cycle. Around About Where We Live, for example, branches into weekly themes involving homes, transport, the airport and the river. Familiar surroundings become material for discussion and investigation.

Mat Time is a topic discussion in which Cats contribute experiences and questions, with the activity adapted for Kittens. Show and Tell lets children bring relevant objects from home. The value is the connection between something a child knows personally and the language needed to explain it to others.

For Cats, project time introduces short adult-led activities involving pencil and scissor control, patterns, counting and the relationship between letters and sounds. It is intended to prepare children for the kinds of directed learning they will encounter at school. Alongside this, storytelling includes factual books and poetry, and staff use children's interests to encourage engagement with books.

Exploration has tangible resources behind it. The mud kitchen supports imaginative play; frogspawn and stick insects give children living things to observe and care for. Science activities include investigating sinking and floating and making volcanoes. These experiences create reasons to ask questions, predict what might happen and describe changes.

In June 2022, children collaborated on outdoor bridges made from wooden planks and used school-uniform role play to practise writing, counting and sharing stories. However, some whole-group activities involved waiting that interrupted children's engagement. The improvement priorities were better organisation around children's differing needs and more purposeful observation of colleagues' teaching, so planned activities could be used more effectively.

Outdoor and Community Life

A garden and playground extend the learning space. Bikes, a trampoline, the wooden play frame and a see-saw bring different kinds of movement into the day, from climbing to balancing and cooperating with another child. The physical offer is more specific than simply having access to outdoors.

Visits to the local recreation ground and shop connect topics with the surrounding area. Mini-outings are short local walks, including opportunities to post letters, and parents can decline permission for these spontaneous trips. Occasional visitors discuss subjects such as fire safety, road safety and musical instruments. Frequency matters here: these are occasional visits, rather than a weekly programme.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a Keyperson to support settling. Pop-in sessions are arranged for September and January starters. September starters have a group session, while January starters have a session organised, preferably, on a day they will attend. Children can try activities and parents can speak with staff. This gives the settling process a concrete starting point.

A settling-in book contains photographs of staff and playgroup activities, with space for families to add pictures of home, relatives, pets and favourite toys. All about my child and One Page Profile forms supply information before the start date. Familiar images and individual information give staff something more useful than a name and date of birth when planning a child's first experiences.

Communication continues through a Spring-term parents evening, with an alternative meeting for families unable to attend. Learning Journey records are accessible to parents, and wellbeing observations are discussed through consultations. An invitation-only Facebook group shares activity photographs subject to parental permissions, while questions for staff use official communication channels.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

An Early Language Audit tool is completed when a child joins and updated at the end of each term. Alongside play observations and a termly tracker, it helps staff identify areas needing further attention and adjust the next steps in learning. This is a mechanism for recognising needs, rather than a blanket promise about outcomes.

SEND arrangements include a SENCO role and an Inclusion Support Plan, developed with parents and the child's keyperson. Plans cover goals and strategies for use at home and in the setting, with reviews at half-termly intervals. The policy provides for seeking funding where specialist equipment or individual support is needed, and for passing profiles and support plans to the next setting. Ramps, extra-wide doors and an adapted toilet cubicle are concrete access features.

Toilet training is not an entry requirement. Staff coordinate with families over toileting routines, and parents receive a notification when nappies or clothing have been changed. Parents supply any cream specifically for their child. This keeps care connected with the child's existing routine while supporting growing independence.

Parents provide packed lunches, while the playgroup supplies daily fruit, a plain biscuit and drinks. Its packed-lunch policy excludes nuts and nut-containing foods, pesto and rice, and asks families to report allergies and prepare foods to reduce choking risks.

Safeguarding arrangements include designated lead and deputy roles, recruitment checks and procedures for recording concerns. These are the arrangements in place; the dated judgement on their effectiveness belongs to the inspection above.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Youth Centre, The Broadway, Laleham, Staines, TW18 1RZ. The playgroup opens from 9am to midday, Monday to Friday, during term time, for up to 38 weeks a year. The morning timetable therefore needs to fit a family's wider childcare arrangements.

The 2026 admissions policy requires at least two weekly sessions for Kittens and three for Cats, unless exceptional circumstances apply. Five sessions are generally offered only from the term following a child's third birthday. Applications use the form accompanying the prospectus; enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form.

Admissions lists follow date of birth within academic-year groups. Once a list is full, waiting-list priority goes to looked-after or formerly looked-after children, then siblings, children whose parent is on the electoral roll of All Saints Church, Laleham, and finally application order. This is a durable admissions rule, rather than an indication of places currently free.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded Early Education for Two Year Olds (FEET) funding is accepted for eligible children, covering up to 15 hours weekly over 38 weeks. Funded Early Education entitlement (FEE) provides 15 hours per week for 38 weeks a year from the term after a child's third birthday. Eligible working families can claim up to 30 hours, with an eligibility code checked through Surrey Supporting Children Team and reconfirmed every three months. Entitlement should be distinguished from the playgroup's morning opening window.

Private sessions are charged where hours exceed the child's funded entitlement, including where some entitlement is used elsewhere. Current prices come in the playgroup's written quotation. An administration charge accompanies acceptance of an offered place; children offered a place once eligible for FEE are not asked for a deposit.

Invoices are normally half-termly, with weekly or monthly arrangements possible. Leaving requires half a term's notice, otherwise liability is for a full term's fees. Absence does not generate refunds or replacement days, while sessions missed because the playgroup closes or partially closes are refunded or not charged. These terms make the notice period worth factoring into any planned change of childcare.

• Morning attendance. Term-time opening ends at midday, and minimum attendance differs between Kittens and Cats. At a visit, discuss how the applicable pattern fits your child's starting term and your family routine.
• Christian daily life. Bible stories and choruses feature in the morning. Consider how this fits the religious experience you want for your child.
• Group learning. In June 2022, some children lost engagement during whole-group activities, and peer observation needed greater purpose. Ask how group activities are organised now for children with different attention spans.
• Food and personal care. Packed lunches come from home, the food policy restricts specified ingredients, and parents supply their child's cream. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and the arrangements for their child before starting.

Laleham suits families seeking term-time morning playgroup attendance, whether beginning with the younger group's minimum pattern or taking the older group's more frequent sessions. Its strongest practical attractions are the detailed settling process, topic-led exploration and identifiable outdoor resources. The Christian routine is an equally important part of the choice.

The June 2022 quality judgement provides a positive starting point, balanced by specific weaknesses in whole-group organisation and staff observation. For parents, the decisive combination is a morning schedule that works, a faith ethos they welcome and a clear account of how staff adapt group learning to their child.