Wem Playmates is a committee run organisation, members of whom are parents.

When children start at Playmates, they have their own profile set up on Tapestry - their online learning journal. This enables their key person to record, track and monitor the child's progress and development. Parents also have a profile created so that they are able to view their child's learning journal and add pictures from home adventures.


This information is also shared with the Reception Teacher on their transition to school. We have close partnerships with the surrounding schools, enabling the children to transfer to school with confidence. Children will meet their Reception Teachers at Wem Playmates prior to going to school an also have visits to their new school with the support of the key person.

 

Here at Wem Playmates, we feel strongly about parent partnerships and so prior to a child starting with us, a member of management and the Room Leader will make a home visit to see the child in their home environment.

 

Children in the Lion's Den, are given the opportunity to have swimming lessons at Wem Swimming Pool every Monday. Here a qualified instruction teaches the children helped by a number of Playmates staff who are in the water with them. The children love these lessons and they are proving to be a great success.

 

Wem Playmates Nursery

apple icon

Healthy Eating

We provide a healthy snack for the children during their session. This can vary from fruit and breadsticks to crackers and cheese. We also provide the children with a healthy cooked lunch daily ensuring they have a well-balanced meal. We have found that by providing cooked meals it is very beneficial to the children and this can make their transition into school life at lunch time easier from having this experience. Any special dietary requirements are catered for if your child is dairy intolerant, has a nut or wheat allergy, or is vegetarian etc. The children also have access to fresh drinking water and milk throughout the session.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (2021) (EYFS) 

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school life. 

 

 The EYFS seeks to provide:

  • quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind
  • a secure foundation through planning for the learning and development of each individual child, and assessing and reviewing what they have learned regularly 
  • partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers 
  • equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported
wem playmates nursery classroom

There are seven areas of learning and development set out by the EYFS that shape our educational programme. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. 
 
These three prime areas are covered in our Crawling Caterpillars & Busy Beehive Rooms, these are: 
Communication and Language 
Physical Development 
Personal, Social and Emotional Development 
 
When the children move to the Penguin Paradise and Lion’s Den Rooms, we then include the other four areas which are: 
Literacy 
Mathematics 
Understanding the world 
Expressive arts and design 
 
Here at Wem Playmates, we use these areas to develop our weekly planning which is both challenging and enjoyable for the children and considers their individual needs, interests and stage of development. Each area or learning and development is a mixture of adult-led and child-initiated activity. 

swimming icon

Swimming

Children in the Lion's Den are given the opportunity to have swimming lessons. There is a qualified instructior on the side of the pool, and a number of Playmates staff give assistance to the children in the water. The children love these lessons and they are proving to be a great success.

Fees (Prices as of April 2025)

Crawling Caterpillars Prices

  • Morning 1 (8.00 - 13.00)

    £30.00

  • Morning 2 (9.00 - 13.00)

    £24.00

  • Afternoon 1 (13.00 - 16.00)

    £20.00

  • Afternoon 2 (13.00 - 17.00)

    £26.00

  • All day 1 (08.00 - 16.00)

    £46.00

  • All day 2 (9.00 - 16.00)

    £41.00

  • All day 3 (9.00 - 17.00)

    £46.00

  • Extended All-Day (8.00 - 17.00)

    £53.00

  • Extended All-Day (8.00 - 18.00)

    £59.00

  • Lunches

    £2.85

Busy Beehive, Penguin Paradise & Lion’s Den Prices

  • Morning 1 (8.00 - 13.00)

    £28.00

  • Morning 2 (9.00 - 13.00)

    £22.00

  • Afternoon 1 (13.00 - 16.00)

    £18.00

  • Afternoon 2 (13.00 - 17.00)

    £24.00

  • All-Day 1 (8.00 - 16.00)

    £43.00

  • All-Day 3 (9.00 - 16.00)

    £37.00

  • All-Day (9.00 – 17.00)

    £43.00

  • Extened All-day (8.00-17.00)

    £49.00

  • Exteneded All-day (8.00 - 18.00)

    £55.00

  • Lunches

    £2.85

Opening Times & Funding

 

Main morning session: 9.00 – 13.00 / Main afternoon session: 13.00 – 16.00 . Main All-Day: 9.00 – 16.00

  • Early starts available from 7.00 and late finishes available until 17.00
  • We are open for 49 weeks of the year
  • We are closed Bank Holidays, two weeks over the Christmas period in line with school holidays and for the last week of the Summer holidays.
  • 24U funding
  • 15 & 30 hours funding