St Paul's Christian Playgroup is open to any child between the ages of 2 and 5 years old, Regardless of their religion, ethnic background, gender or disability.

Our priority system is based on the following:

Due to the high numbers of children wishing to join St Paul’s Christian Playgroup, parents/carers are asked to be as flexible as they can in terms of number of sessions to be attended or the days of such sessions.

You are welcome to come and visit the Playgroup to establish if it is suitable for your child’s needs.  We are open during term time between Monday and Friday from 9.15am until 12.15pm. We recommend that you visit during the hours of 9.15am and 11am in order to see all the activities available. Please email or ring (during term time) for an appointment. 

Due to our usually long waiting list we do advise that you complete an application form in advance of requiring a place. You can download a copy of this form from our 'New Parent/Carer Info & Downloads' page.

As soon as a vacancy is available we will contact you to arrange a suitable date for a home visit. On acceptance of a place we will send you a letter confirming the days allocated to your child and details of their first visit to Playgroup.

Our enrolment pack will need to be completed and returned with your registration fee and proof of your child’s date of birth. All forms and other documentation that you are advised to read are provided within the 'New Parent/Carer Info & Downloads' page on this website.

A coffee morning is usually arranged by the Playgroup Manager prior to the settling-in period to welcome you to the group and to explain our policies and procedures in more detail. This is also a time for you to ask questions and meet other new parent/carers.

The settling-in period then follows, which is a time when your child can visit with their parent/carer and stay for a while in order to meet and become familiar with the Playgroup team, the other children and our routines etc whilst also having the comfort of their parent/carer close by. Hopefully, by the time your child formally starts at Playgroup they will be quite settled and feel confident within their new environment.

Fees remain chargeable for any child leaving the setting up to and including the last day of the term within which notice has been given. We ask for at least two weeks notice prior to your child leaving the setting.

On your child’s last day we will sing them a special goodbye song, present them with a goodbye card and offer their profile folder to take with them. We hope they will treasure these and remember fondly their time with us.

It is important that you provide us with details of their new school or nursery so that we can plan a smooth transition for your child.

We believe that children moving from Playgroup to school or another early year’s educator still deserve our very best care and attention. We therefore work closely with other local schools and nurseries to ensure that your child has a smooth transition to their new setting. We do this by arranging visits to their new school/nursery where, along with any other children moving to the same setting, they can meet their new teachers and have a chance to explore the resources and routines. We also try to arrange for their new teachers to visit our setting to read a story and get to know them in their familiar environment.

Your child’s Key Person will help your child to make a transition book with photographs showing their time at Playgroup and also one of their new school which can be used at home to help the child prepare for their move.

With your consent we will provide a written summary to their new school or nursery which will include details of your child’s interests and favourite activities and development to date which will help their new teachers plan effectively.

These strategies have worked well in the past in helping children to settle quickly and happily into their new schools and nurseries.