Playology beach school - an official u.k. first

beach school at Seaham Marina

In September 2020, Playology opened a beach school programme of education; consisting of full and sessional attendance options for children aged from 2 to 5, Monday to Friday during term time

Playology is officially the first OFSTED registered beach school; and we are proud to say that all regulations and requirements are fully met. We opened a register of interest, and already operate a waiting list. Priority of places will be given based on date of registration, and number of attendances required

The commitment to Playology Beach School will be long term; with one full term notice required for cancellation

You will have the choice of a minimum of two (8 hour) days

During this time, we will follow the Playology Philosophy in our approach to learning. Read more about the holistic benefits to creative playful learning and those of learning immersed in nature

Your child’s beach school days will include extras such as Spanish & yoga as well as nature-based beach school activities such as den building, rock pooling, authentic, huge-scale sand & water play, campfire cooking and many more rich, unique experiences

Read our latest OFSTED inspection report here

Playology beach school is perfect for…

Children who are at home with a new sibling or being cared for by relatives

Children who are currently/have previously attended Playology clubs and are already familiar with the space and teachers

Children who attend another part time preschool or other childcare and would benefit from a different learning environment, a child-led approach & enquiry led learning

Parents who are not ready to send their child to full-time nursery and would prefer to gradually introduce them to a group setting and educational experience

Parents who are flexi-schooling or home-schooling their child

Parents who would like nature-based, child-led education for their child

Further clarity

approach

As far as labelling our approach; it is a rich tapestry of ideas and beliefs drawn from worldwide leaders in early education, woven together to form the Playology Philosophy. From a practical perspective, our planning and delivery of teaching happens predominantly ‘in the moment’, and we have an unshakable play-based approach. We take a great deal of inspiration from Denmark and the Froebellian outdoor kindergartens with their nature-based approach to early childhood education and care. We are influenced by and draw inspiration from some of the values of Reggio Emilia preschools in northern Italy; in that we believe in child-centred and experiential learning. We value children as strong, capable, resilient and wise. We refer to children as “little and brave” and we believe that relationships drive learning when educators are warm and responsive to children. We work too with the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, which covers seven areas of learning and development from birth to five.

included

All sessions are fully inclusive of Playology outerwear use, all care, nappies, trips and outings, spanish and yoga. with their full day attendance, children will also have mid-session snacks and refreshments, as well as lunch included courtesy of flamingo café

payment

Payable as an equal monthly amount over 11 months (excluding August) for your convenience. Unfortunately we can not refund sick days or holidays

staff:child ratios

In order to provide the highest quality provision, and to ensure safety in this unique learning environment we operate with 1 adult to 4 children of all ages - which is higher than traditional settings, as this is not a traditional setting!

bento box

Your child’s meals will be freshly made at flamingo café and locally sourced, with plant-based options available, and provided by Flamingo Café. Your child will receive snacks for their session, and a nutritious lunch will also be provided. Any specific dietary requirements can be catered for.

places

There are 16 places, and places will be extremely limited as you can appreciate at this exclusive, nature-based preschool

waiting list

Places will be allocated by date of registration, with priority given to parents requesting higher weekly attendance. Siblings of children already attending will also take priority. Please also consider, there may be place availability for certain attendance patterns over others

faqs

 Do children need to be toilet trained before starting?

There is no expectation of children to be toilet trained before attending Playology.

Would it be possible to come and have a visit before we fully commit?

Absolutely. We plan to host ‘walkabout’ open days for parents, including a ‘meet the teacher talk’ & opportunities to attend The Fresh Air Club: Mini Division too.

Will you be able to accept funded childcare hours?

Yes, we are a registered provider and can support you to access this funding. Your funding will be deducted from your fees and invoiced accordingly. At the moment, 15 hours (universal) funding and 30 hours (extended) funding can be applied at Playology. Funded not free: all funded places incur a daily sustainability fee.

What is the plan for days when the weather is particularly bad?

We believe that there is no such thing as bad weather; only inappropriate clothing. That said, your child’s comfort and safety are our absolute priority and we have two beautiful spaces available on Seaham Marina site in which to retreat daily; the learning studio and the workspace. Both spaces are set up meticulously to meet the full requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We carry out dynamic risk assessments ‘in the moment’ and adjust our beach school activities accordingly; having shorter outdoor education sessions if it is deemed appropriate

Please feel free to use the beach school Enquiry form below with any further questions you might have, to register your interest or to plan the next stage of your child’s registration process. All parents registered will be invited along for a ‘walkabout’ including an Information Session at Playology in the near future, prior to registration and the commencement of the programme.

register your interest Here…

Please click this link to fill out this form

and we will be in touch with you to discuss joining the waiting list

Parents Info

Policies

Links to our Playology policies

Forms

Links to useful Beach School forms

why beach school?

Links to research and latest information on nature based pedagogy

meet our playologists

Hannah has the support of an entire team of passionate educators who work as leads on each site, read more about them below:

ELLEN AT PLAYOLOGY

Ellen is our Lead at Souter Lighthouse. Her background in fashion and keen interest in creativity & physical fitness make her a lot of fun for Beach Schoolers. Her buoyant and playful personality is something that naturally attracts young children, encouraging them to join in, take part & open up at beach school.

“The majority (and my best) memories from my childhood were outdoors. I was lucky to have an adventurous Grandad who would take us hiking and bike riding through the Cumbrian, Northumberland and Scottish countryside. The outdoors is special to me along with these memories of us, and I will forever carry his love of nature with me.

Seeing children engage in such meaningful experiences immersed in nature everyday, I have had the opportunity to observe just how important the benefits of play are, leading me to complete a range of CPD focusing on the power of play itself.

Being a Playologist allows me to apply my knowledge of child development to help support children, as well as encourage their resilience, creativity and self confidence. I am thankful to be able to join our beach schoolers on their adventures, whilst they learn about the world around them and also about who they are on the inside. This in effect has allowed me to learn more about who I am on the inside; about my passion and enthusiasm for early years. I have always had adoration for early years education and I am lucky enough to have this reinforced everyday.”

Kate At Playology

Kate is our Lead at Seaham Harbour Marina. Her charisma and energy are infectious at beach school. She is always engaging beach schoolers in dramatic play and encourages children to express themselves in creative ways.

“I have loved the outdoors for as long I can remember; from a young age my parents and I travelled all over what my dad would call ‘England’s green and pleasant land’. The beach has a special place in my heart though, as I love the Sea; I find it calming and inspritaional. That is why I feel so honoured to be able to call this my job. Landing a job a Playology has been the best thing ever to happen to me. My love for working with children has taken me on an uplifting and educational journey before I found myself here. From travelling to Bali to teach English in schools to recently completing my teacher training and receiving Qualified Teacher Status. Playology is the embodiment of everything I love about education and children. Being a hands-on learner who is passionate about creativity, I can put all of my skills to excellent use at Playology to support the development of the wonderful children that we have the pleasure of working with. My enthusiasm for performing, creativity and expressive arts and design means I am always eager to support the children in expressing themselves through whatever they find comfortable and fitting. It is both an honour and a blessing to have the opportunity to observe these children trying new things, taking risks, and having these mindful, irreplaceable experiences in this amazing educational setting. I strive to ensure my work at beach school will have a positive impact on beach schooler’s lives and that they will leave us with the confidence and determination to achieve the very best in life.”

Rachel at Playology

Rachel is our senior Lead Playologist and is an experienced early years and primary school educator, holding Qualified Teacher Status and a Masters Degree in Education. Her warm, responsive teaching style, a strong knowledge of and respect for young child development is evident through the relationships she builds with the children at Playology.

“I enthusiastically believe in the importance of a child’s early years and have always been drawn to a career in early childhood education, where I wholeheartedly champion developmentally appropriate educational practice. We must embrace the fundamental and holistic rights of a child, and the Playology philosophy perfectly aligns with my own personal perspective of play and learning for young children. To me, care and education are inseparable. Ensuring children are physically, emotionally, and socially healthy, is the first step towards development and learning. Being patient, nurturing and respectful towards children has always come very naturally to me and allows me to build effective relationships with the children in my care. As a Senior Lead Playologist, I am keen to share all that I have learned with others to continue to improve the outcomes in young childhood.

Recently becoming a mother has only further enhanced my appreciation of the necessity of true play based, curiosity lead education, where imagination and creativity are nurtured. Being immersed in the natural world has a wonderful impact upon wellbeing for the children and playologists alike; I truly feel so lucky to be spending my days at the UK’s first OFSTED registered beach school and continuing my career within such a unique and innovative educational perspective.”