Prospectus

The directors as of 18/07/2019 are:

• Chelsey Baker (Manager)
• Tina Bourne (School Deputy Head) and Chair of Directors
• Claire Skinner (School Deputy Head) – oversees Health and Safety
• Richard Bourne – Secretary of the Board and oversees Finance
• Tracey Clarke – oversees Safeguarding

• Chelsey Baker (Manager)
• Emma Hayes (Deputy Manager) Health and Safety Office

To fulfil our status as a limited company with charitable status we need volunteer trustees to oversee the essential tasks that are done outside of the sessions – e.g. paying rent to the school, paying staff wages, fundraising and so on.

The trustees of the group are Chelsey Baker, Tina Bourne, and Mary Gulliver.

We are always looking for additional trustees so please feel free to enquire via phone or email.

When your child joins us, one of our team members will be assigned as your child’s ‘key worker’. This person is responsible for keeping records of your child’s progress and linking up with you to talk about your child's development, both at the Playgroup and home. 

We have an ‘open door’ policy at St. John’s Green Playgroup and you are welcome to stay and play and/or have a chat with your child’s key worker whenever you want. Please do not wait for an invitation!

At St. John’s Green Playgroup we plan activities and experiences which will ensure all children can develop through play and child-led activities both indoors and outdoors.

A brief outline of the week’s learning is in our weekly Newsletter and will be emailed to the parents/carers, along with any further notices.

Rich, deep-level learning, involves getting messy – painting, modelling with clay, mud, water, sand play and other sensory activities will be available daily. Please provide your child with clothes you don’t mind getting dirty! 

We have a large outside area which is used every day. Please provide your child with adequate outside play clothes, including waterproof trousers and wellies on wet days. 

We have brought the forest school approach to learning into the indoor and outdoor area at Playgroup, so the children can use the ropes to climb, hang and swing on. We also have a log circle for group times and story time activities. 

We are outside in all weathers to watch the seasons change all year round. We are a free-flow Playgroup, which means your child has access to the outside area for the majority of the session.

As part of our provision, we provide healthy snacks for your child. You must inform us of any dietary needs and/or allergies before your child starts at our Playgroup.

We are proud of our snack-time ethos. It is a time for social interaction, conversation, practising manners, learning how to use cutlery, and learning how to independently pour drinks and prepare food. We embrace all cultures and religions and we like to learn about the different foods, languages and ingredients from around the world. 

We work closely with all families and aim to ensure they all feel supported and cared for during their time with us. If you have any queries about our practice in this regard please raise them with a member of staff. We are always working to improve our practice and your comments will be appreciated. 

We work together with parents/carers to ensure all children have the opportunities they need to flourish and achieve their full potential. Chelsey Baker is our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), all staff and SENCO will work very closely together to ensure our children's needs are met. 

If your child has any additional needs we will work together with you and any external agencies, such as Speech and Language Therapists (SALT) to set a rich foundation to support your child's journey to develop and grow as an individual.

If your child has English as an additional language we will work with you to ensure your child’s home language is recognised and respected, along with expanding his/her understanding of English. We use hand gestures such as "Makaton" in our everyday practice to ensure all children can communicate effectively. 

If you have any concerns or complaints please see our Policies page or please speak to Chelsey Baker the Manager. If you need to make a complaint to Ofsted please ring 0300 123 1231. If you wish to read our complaints procedure please see our notice board in the classroom and the links on our Policies page.

We have a legal and moral duty to safeguard all the children in our care. This may mean we have to consult with outside agencies such as: Social Services, Safe-Guarding Officers and you the parent/carer if we have concerns over a child. It is our duty to adhere to our legal obligations and record any concerns we may have in our Safeguarding file. If you have any concerns over the safety of the children at Playgroup please talk to Chelsey Baker at the setting first alternatively you can call for advice on the Children and Families Community Hub at 03330 139 797.

You are welcome to read any of our policies and procedures which are kept at Playgroup, or please find the most relevant Policies linked on our Learn more page.

The playgroup is run independently from the school. We have a separate entrance – through the coloured gate to the left of the main school entrance. We hope you have found this prospectus a useful introduction to our playgroup and we hope you will become part of our community soon.