Playmates Pre-school in Thatcham

About this day nursery

Playmates Pre-school, established in 1979 and now located in the Log Cabin within Whitelands Park School grounds, provides sessional care and education for children from two years old until they reach school age. As a registered charity, it operates under the Early Years Alliance's constitution and is regulated by Ofsted.

The pre-school has maintained a positive reputation within the local community, evidenced by its consistent full capacity and 'Good' rating from its last Ofsted inspection in 2017. A committee of parents, elected annually, oversees the pre-school's operations, including the employment of a dedicated team comprising a Manager and ten assistants.

This qualified staff is committed to fostering each child's potential through diverse learning opportunities tailored to individual interests and learning styles. The curriculum focuses on preparing children for school by developing key skills and encouraging a love for learning, while also promoting an understanding of respect, boundaries, and social confidence.

They emphasise the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum's prime areas (Communication and language, Physical, Personal Social & emotional) as foundational for the specific areas (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the world, Expressive arts and design). The pre-school prioritises providing a safe, developmentally appropriate, and stimulating environment to promote children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth, aiming to instil a lifelong desire to learn.

Our ethos

This nursery is committed to fostering each child's potential through diverse learning opportunities tailored to individual interests and learning styles, emphasising the EYFS curriculum's prime areas to prepare children for school. They aim to instil a lifelong desire to learn by providing a safe, developmentally appropriate, and stimulating environment that promotes children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth.

What it's like

Children confidently enter the pre-school and are quick to settle. Staff successfully put strategies into place to help those children who find it harder to separate from parents. Children happily engage in play and are safe and secure. They make friends and play well together.

Pricing & funding

Fees are charged per session for self-funded families. Sessions are offered in three-hour blocks.