Attending Sandbrook
Ages
We accept children from 2 years of age until they start school.
Funded Hours
All children receive 15 funded hours a week from the term after their 3rd birthday. If both parents work they may be entitled to 30 funded hours. If both parents work or are in receipt of certain government support, some 2 year olds may be entitled to 15 funded hours from the term after their 2nd birthday. Parents can use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare whilst claiming 15 or 30 hrs of childcare support. More info here.
Session Times
We run two sessions a day with a maximum of 22 children in each session.
The morning session is from 9am until midday and the afternoon session is from 1pm until 4pm. These can be bridged using the lunch club, making Sandbrook extremely flexible. For example your child could attend for four or five full days a week, could attend for two and a half days or for five mornings. There are lots of variations.
Lunch Club
Lunch Club runs from midday until 1pm. Children bring in their own healthy packed lunch.
Fees
Fees are £7.75 p/h for two year olds and £6 p/h for older children (from Sept 2024).
Staying Connected
Parents are regularly updated during each and every session their child attends at the Playgroup. Using the Famly app, photos and info on morning, lunch and afternoon activities are uploaded onto the secure site only the authorised guardians of the child will be able to access.
We also provide detailed progress reports on each child and work closely with parents on areas they feel their child may need additional support.
Special Educational Needs
Being an inclusive setting, we are proud of our reputation as a leader in outstanding provision for children with Special Educational Needs. With dedicated staff who are specifically trained to nurture our SEN children, we welcome families who might otherwise find it difficult to source suitable childcare arrangements.
Not only do we provide quality SEN care but we are on hand to help navigate these parents on their early years journey.
Community
Sandbrook Playgroup is not just for the children! We are proud to have built a strong community amongst our parents who are not only active socially but work together in support of Sandbrook through fundraising and volunteering.
From reading stories and face painting at the Summer party to helping maintain the Sandbrook vegetable patch, our parents are encouraged to get involved in the Playgroup when and where they can.
Extra Curricular Activities
Sandbrook offers not only its fantastic in-house provision but timetables weekly professional led activities including Little Soccer Stars football classes, Magic Box Story Telling and classical music exposure. We also invite companies including Wild Fangs Educational Encounters to host one-off sessions with our children. And a Sandbrook end-of-term party wouldn’t be complete without a visit from Mr Marvel!
Every day we organise outdoor fun be it a trip to a local park, library, or the wider community in general. On a yearly basis we take our children to the Little Angel Theatre company to experience live performing arts, and also enjoy a special summer term trip to Willows Farm.
