Playgroup

Our very popular Playgroup has been running since 1969, and for most of those years, it has been based in the Youth Hall at the Methodist Church,

The Playgroup operates from:

9.15 am until 12.15 pm

Monday to Friday

(term-time only).

We accept children from the age of 2½ years upwards,, many staying with us until they are ready to start in Reception Infants.

The Playgroup is registered with the Richmond Upon Thames Early Years Partnership to take 24 children per session.

Children normally attend 2 sessions a week, increasing to 3 sessions for some of the older children.

So, on average, there are 48 families using the Playgroup during any one week!

The children who attend our Group come from a variety of different cultures.

We have had families from:

Japan, Pakistan, Croatia, France, Turkey and China,

to name just a few!

We also welcome children with special educational needs.

The Playgroup also uses the outside areas of the Church:

On most days when the weather is dry, we are able to use the carpark as an outside play area.

Once it is cleared of cars, and securely locked, the children can play with wheeled toys, a trampoline, bats and balls, hoops, a slide, and many other toys.

On fine Summer days, the carpark becomes an extension of the Youth Hall for the whole of the playgroup session.

We set up various activities, including the sand tray, the water activity, painting easels and a quiet corner with books, so that children can play indoors or outdoors as they choose.

The location of the Playgroup is very convenient for most of our families. We are on a bus route, and the carpark is open at the beginning and end of sessions for the dropping off and picking up of children. Many of our families walk to the Playgroup after they have dropped older siblings at nearby Primary schools.

To find out more about our Playgroup, please read our Notice Board near the front door.