POSITIVE OFSTED AT BARROW PLAYGROUP
There has been a Pre-School Playgroup within the village for over 30 years. In more
recent years Playgroup has been held 5 mornings a week at the Methodist Church
Rooms and 2 mornings at the Humphrey Perkins Community Lounge.
Playgroup was started by a group of dedicated Mums and has
grown and adapted over the years to become a Registered Charity
run by a committee of volunteers. Playgroup provides care
for children from the age of two and a half to school age,
with sessions being run by a fantastic team of qualified and
experienced staff. The emphasis is on play and fun, especially
as for many of the children Playgroup is the first time they
have been left by their parents. The staff provides stimulating
activities, with children having the opportunity to choose
which activities they would like to participate in.
In order to meet the standards set by the Regulatory Body, OFSTED, a few changes
have been made over the last two years. These have included the introduction of a milk
bar, where children have a drink and snack with friends in a mini cafe. This is very
popular with the children and staff alike!
The committee made the difficult decision this year to close the sessions at Humphrey
Perkins and increase the numbers of places available at the Methodist Church Rooms.
We can now cater for up to 34 children with 6 members of staff. The amalgamation of
staff, children and resources proved to improve the quality of Playgroup and this was
confirmed in June following a positive OFSTED inspection. Well done and thank you
to staff, children and parents that helped to
make this happen. A particular thank you also to the Methodist Church. Their continued
and invaluable support has made a Playgroup in Barrow Upon Soar possible.
But what have the children been up to? Our eventful Summer Term included a topic on
growth. The children grew mini gardens and were visited by a new baby, ducklings and
French Hen chicks. A trip to Twycross Zoo in June was a great success, a good time had by
all. The annual Trike Ride again proved to be a brilliant fundraising event as children were
sponsored to trike/bike around Hall Orchard's playground. The money raised, which was matched by Lloyds TSB, will be
spent on a digital camera, books and further training for our staff.
This year Playgroup was awarded the Investors in People approval, acknowledging
the emphasis placed on staff training and developing our 11 staff.
Thank you to all who have supported Barrow Pre-School Playgroup over the years and we
are sure you will agree that Playgroup continues to provide good quality care for
pre-school children.
If you are interested in more information on Playgroup or would like to become involved,
please contact Julie McParland on 01509 412370.
THE AMAZING READING MAZE
Well over a hundred children have signed up for Barrow's Reading Maze this summer.
Summer. Thirty of them arrived on Thursday 24th July for a morning of fun and laughter
with children's author, Steve Skidmore.
Steve entertained the children with jokes, stories and readings from his books. His
message rang loud and clear: we are all writers in our own way. No-one should be
frightened of having a go. We don't have to limit ourselves to what our teachers direct us
to write.
Steve is now a full-time author but only three years ago, he was Head of Arts at Rawlins
Community College. He and his co-author, Steve Barlow have written many children's
books including the latest series about the Outernet. As children progress through each
Outernet story, they delve deeper into their own Internet connections as they are given
new passwords and commands.
The children were clearly captivated. Best Bits included 'the jokes'; 'especially the story
about the moss'; 'Steve reading from his books'; and 'I liked the unpleasant bits best'.
Judith Rodgers
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