Pastures New Playgroup

General information

Pastures New Playgroup is at the heart of Hathern village and has been running for over 36 years. We have a friendly team of qualified practitioners with over 70 years combined childcare experience.

We were rated by OFSTED in March 2015 as an OUTSTANDING early years setting in all areas. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and we provide an informal learning environment where children feel safe to explore, experiment and have fun; we combine traditional values with an up to date and interesting curriculum.

We work in partnership with both children and parents, which we think is crucial to create learning journeys to support each child’s development and our sessions are child-centred.

Based in the community centre attached to Hathern Primary School we have strong links with the school, which we regularly visit especially in the last term before joining school. Our aim is to make a smoother transition into school and less stressful for parents. Children make lifelong friendships generally moving to school with the same friends since playgroup.

As well as our inside space we also have a fantastic garden and play area for the children to explore and discover. We are great believers in children getting as much outside time as possible. They love playing in the mud kitchen and helping in our allotment, just two of our many fun activities available to them outside.

We can provide government funded early years education for 3-5yr olds and government funding for eligible 2yr olds. But also offer affordable paid childcare for those not eligible.

As a parent you are also welcome to join our committee where you can learn about how our playgroup runs, get involved in how we develop the playgroup for children and parents plus meeting both staff and other parents.