Barns Green Playgroup is a registered charity established in 1978 with the purpose of providing a playgroup setting in the village, and welcoming children from the surrounding areas.

Click here to see our latest Prospectus

We are members of the Preschool Learning Alliance, a national organisation which provides the playgroup with valuable guidance and support. We also receive support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

Playgroup is run by a voluntary committee of parents and staffed by a team of qualified and experienced supervisors and assistants.

We are regularly inspected by OFSTED and the latest inspection report is available on request, or visit http://www.ofsted.gov.uk

We operate from Barns Green Village Hall which has a beautiful setting, looking onto the village green with nearby country walks. Playgroup has its own garden which enables children to enjoy indoor and outdoor activities throughout the year.

During Itchingfield School term time we are open Monday-Friday from 9:15am - 12:15pm with an optional lunch club every day until 1pm.

 

Curriculum

We comply with Ofsted requirements to conform to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. We take into account each principle and area of development when planning, ensuring that we cater for the needs of every individual child. The EYFS is followed from birth to 5 years old and is based around 4 themes

 Each theme is linked to an important principle

A Unique Child - Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

 Positive Relationships - Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.

Enabling Environments - The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.

 

Learning and Development - Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally  important and inter-connected.

We have a different theme each 1/2 term and the entire list above is incorporated.

For more information on this please request a prospectus.

CLICK HERE to email the Playgroup.

Staff Profiles

Bev Liley (Supervisor) has a Diploma in Pre-school Practice Level 3 (including special needs), training in Child Protection, Paediatric First Aid and Food Hygiene. She has vast experience with children from 0-16 including child minding, cub pack helper for 2½ years and she ran a youth football team for 6 years. Bev’s 3 children have all attended Barns Green Playgroup, and she has been actively involved with the playgroup since 1993 and employed as a member of staff since 1997. Bev is the Child Protection and Behaviour Management Co-ordinator for playgroup.

Sharon Duke (Assistant) has worked at the Playgroup since 2001. She is the INCO (inclusion co-ordinator) and supervises sessions in Bev’s absence. Sharon holds the following qualifications – NVQ3 in Childcare, child protection, first aid and Foundation Stage Special Needs. Sharon has two children who have both attended Barns Green Play Group, during which time she was on the committee in a variety of roles including fundraising for the group.

Nikki Johnson (Assistant) has spent 15 years working as a care assistant, 10 years at Wellcross Grange and 5 years at Kingsmead Nursing Home. She has carried out voluntary work at Southwater Infant School, helping Reception and Year 1 children with their reading, art, crafts and other activities. Nikki has a Diploma in Pre-school Practice Level 3 and training in First Aid and Child Protection and is Playgroup's nominated person for Health & Safety. She has two children of her own.

Amanda Page (Assistant) was employed as bank staff in January 2007. She became a permanent member of the staffing team in January 2008. Amanda has had previous experience working with pre-school children doing voluntary work at a crèche. She has 3children of her own one of which attended playgroup when they moved to the area in 2006. During this time Amanda helped out at fund raising events for playgroup. She has a Diploma in Pre-School Practice Level 3, training in first aid and Child Protection and is Playgroup's nominated person for First Aid.

We have supplementary members of staff who can be called upon in the event of illness or emergency.

Premises & Equipment

Our Playgroup sessions are held in the Barns Green Village Hall. There is a spacious main hall with safety glass doors opening onto an enclosed patio and garden. We set up play items outside (e.g. sand/water play), and we have access to the village green for more sports activities. Each day we have an outdoor playtime giving the children at least one opportunity during every session to explore outside. We also make the most of the nearby woods, arboretum and local ponds. There are separate toilets for boys and girls, with pegs for the children’s coats. The main hall has a small kitchen attached. This is used by the staff to prepare refreshments and to bake things made by the children.

Playgroup has an extensive range of toys and educational aids, including larger pieces of equipment for a home corner (i.e. oven, sink etc. for role play), indoor climbing equipment, rope bridge, water and sand tray. We also have a varied range of dressing up clothes, a laptop, a book corner and all the usual smaller equipment for painting, drawing, creativity, manipulative play and cognitive development. The equipment available each day is monitored and rotated, so that all children have the opportunity to use the full range throughout the term, and to make sure that they have access to activities which they find interesting and enjoyable.

Technotots

Each Monday we have a company called Technotots who come along to playgroup. They run sessions to teach playgroup/nursery age children about computers. The children use laptop computers in small groups and they learn how to switch a computer on and off safely. They learn to operate programs which cover the six desirable learning outcomes including number and letter recognition, and it helps to develop their hand/eye co-ordination.

The charge per session is £2.50 per child which they provide for us a greatly reduced rate from their standard charge which is £5.00

Equal Opportunities Policy

In our Playgroup we aim to acknowledge and value each child’s stage of development, their ability, culture, religion, language and family group, giving the children the self confidence to progress in their development.

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