Playtime PreSchool
Early Years Education for Children aged 9 months - 4 years
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays:
Morning Session: 08.30 - 11.30 (snack provided)
Afternoon Session: 11.30 -14.30 (including lunchtime - packed lunches to be provided by parent/carers)
All Day Session: 08.30 - 4.30 (including lunchtime - packed lunches to be provided by parent/carers)
For children aged 3+
Extended sessions Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 14.30- 17.00 or 14.30-18.00 (snack provided)
Holiday Club sessions during school holidays Tuesday and Thursdays:
Start session at: 08.00, 09.00 or 13.00
Finish session at: 13.00, 17.00 or 18.00
(including morning and afternoon snack, lunchtime @ 12.00 - packed lunches to be provided by parent/carers)
We have a highly qualified and experienced, friendly, caring team of early years practitioners. Our high ratio of staff to children allows us to work closely with all children during their free play, teaching children individually and in small groups.
We have two mixed-age preschool rooms during term time, one with a maximum of 15 children aged 0-2 years old and one with a maximum of 26 children aged 2-4 years old. The rooms are staffed by 4-6 staff, following statutory qualification and Adult: Child ratio statutory requirements (EYFS).
These are;
1 adult for 3 babies/toddlers age 9 months-2 years;
1 adult for 4, 2-year-old children, government statutory requirement is: 1:5, (we may at times work 1:5 if required temporarily during a session);
and 1 adult for 8, 3 or 4-year-old children, (government statutory requirement: 1:13, as we have 2 qualified Early Years Teachers).
In age-mixed play, the more sophisticated behaviour of older children serves as role models for younger children, who also typically receive more emotional support from older children than from those of their own age.
Age-mixed play also permits older children to learn by teaching and to practice nurturance and leadership, and they are often inspired by the imagination and creativity of their younger playmates—Peter Gray, American Journal of Play.
XtraTime After School Club
After School Club for Children aged 3 to 11 years
We open Monday to Friday, 15.00-18.00.
Sessions can be booked for any time, but will have a booking charge of 2 hours or 3 hours.
We collect children from Poringland Primary and Nursery, but can accept children from other schools in the area if they can be brought to us.
At our XtraTime sessions we offer free flow play for children aged 3 (please see note 1 below) to 11 years. This includes a wide range of activities, incorporating cookery, craft, gardening, board games, reading, imaginary play, construction, sports, computers and much more. During their time at XtraTime, children choose activities that suit them best.
There is a homework table, a sofa and a large screen TV for relaxing and watching movies.
Ad–hoc sessions are available once registered if you do not need a continuous care service.
We have 2 halls for inside play and snacks, one for the younger children up to year 2 and the other for the year 3 to 6 children.
We have access to a large, fully fenced, secure outdoor area (including a gardening area), in which the children are encouraged to learn about the outdoor environment and enjoy the freedom of outdoor play.
Although we take children from age 3, they would usually already be attending our Preschool, have attended Preschool previously or be coming with an older sibling and therefore already have familiarity with the staff and setting. If none of these apply to you, please email or pop in to discuss with us.
TimeOut Holiday Club
Holiday fun for Children aged 3 to 11 years Old
We open Tuesdays and Thursdays during all school holidays except the Christmas break, offering:
Morning Sessions 09.00 -13.00
Afternoon Sessions 13.00 -17.00
All Day Sessions 09.00 - 17.00
We also offer a longer day where you can pay a small extra fee to start at 8 am, finish at 6 pm, or do both.
We offer focused activities and free play, inside and out.
Please see XtraTime (above) for the activities we do.
There is also a poster to view on our BLOG section before each school holiday and this will show the specific activities you can expect depending on the time of year, along with details of how to book your place and the cost of sessions.
Activities at XTRATIME After School Club & Time Out Holiday Club
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
At Playtime Preschool, as a registered childcare setting, we follow the EYFS. The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help
your child, and was developed with a number of early years experts and parents.
It sets out the legal welfare and learning and development requirements, assessments, and the expected levels that your child should reach by age 5.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Playtime Preschool
We follow the Department of Education’s, Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2025).
We work to ensure children are keen and eager learners that are ready to start school.
Each child is allocated a key person from the practitioner team and their learning and development is observed and next steps are planned on an individual basis.
You can discuss progress with your child’s key person at any time during the term time, please book a time with your key person or alternatively, we hold parents evenings with allocated slots.
Click below for more info.
The Learning
Environment at Playtime Preschool
Our environment enables children to develop their Characteristics of Effective Learning (EYFS) by:
Encouraging independence
Enabling children to learn at their own pace
Allowing each child to follow their own interests
Enabling each child to develop and use their social skills
Providing each child with the motivation to learn
Enabling children to take risks and make mistakes in a safe and secure environment
Providing each child with opportunities to practice newly acquired skills learnt from peers and their own initiatives
Giving children a secure environment to work through their emotions
Enabling each child to learn about the world around them, the local community and the wider environment
Empowering each child to learn through processes and not be concerned about the end product.
How do we teach and children learn at Playtime Preschool
We teach children by:
Communicating and modelling language
- Showing and Explaining
- Demonstrating
- Exploring ideas
- Encouraging
- Questioning
- Recalling
- Providing a narrative for what the children are doing
- Facilitating and setting challenges
Children learn by:
- Finding out and exploring
- Playing with what they know
- Being willing to 'have a go.'
- Being involved and concentrating
- Keeping on trying
- Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
- Having their own ideas
- Making links
- Choosing ways to do things
The EYFS Areas of Learning at Playtime Preschool
Communication & Language
Listening and Attention
Understanding
Speaking
Physical Development
Moving and Handling
Health and Self-care
Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Self-confidence and self-awareness
Managing feelings and behaviour
Making relationships
Literacy
Reading
Writing
