Our History

Our History

With Jill’s experience as a nursery nurse they set about opening the playgroup and in September 1966 Woodcote Playgroup opened its doors for the first time. Playgroup was popular from the start, welcoming children 3 years and above from Woodcote and the surrounding area to join.

The original founders stayed with the Playgroup for more the 10 years before deciding to move onto pastures new. Over the years there have been 10 leaders of the group, all committed to providing the very best pre-school setting for the children of the local area.

Woodcote Pre-school has always been situated in the village hall, originally only using the main hall, but in more recent years as the pre-school has expanded and the learning curriculum has changed, 2 rooms with a large outdoor area are now utilised.

Much has changed over the last 50 years. Playgroup has been governed by Social Services, Preschool Learning Alliance and in more recent years by OFSTED. The way the children learn, whilst still through play has become more structured with clear guidelines around how the children learn and how this learning is monitored.

Our Secure School Environment

• We are situated in the Woodcote Village Hall in the heart of the community.  At Pre-School  we believe that the health and safety of the children is of paramount importance.

• Our main area is located in the Pavilion room of the village hall overlooking the village green, which offers a light, bright and relaxed environment for playful and creative learning. An area of the village green immediately outside the Pre-school room is securely fenced off for our own use, allowing the children to easily free-flow indoors and outdoors choosing what activities they would like to do.

• The village playground is adjacent to the pre-school and the children regularly make use of this well-equipped area, as well as been taken on walks to explore the surrounding area. All outdoor activities are supervised at all times.
• We have access to a second room within the village hall, allowing us to separate the children into smaller groups, where appropriate, for more focused age specific learning.
• Our kitchen facility enables the children to enjoy cooking and baking on a weekly basis.
• Systems are in place for the safe arrival and departure of children. The arrival and departure times of adults – staff, volunteers and visitors – are recorded.
• Our security systems prevent unauthorised access to our premises and prevent children from leaving our premises unnoticed.