Peterborough Pre-Schools
Working with children and families across the Peterborough area
We have a number of pre-schools that operate across Peterborough, as well as other services.
All our services aim to:
- Value each child as an individual with their own set of needs
- Provide a safe and welcoming environment, both indoors and outdoors
- Provide each child with a key person who is responsible for observing, assessing, recording and planning for that child’s development and learning
- Promote independence and build good levels of confidence and self-esteem
- Encourage good social skills and opportunities to work cooperatively with others
- Provide opportunities to develop good physical skills, using both gross and fine motor movements
- Encourage and support the development of communication skills
- Provide challenging and interesting activities that encourage taking some risks
- Work in partnership with parents and carers to achieve the best possible outcomes for their child
- Work in partnership with other professionals to offer additional support where needed
Click below to find details of your local Family Action Peterborough pre school or read more about our staff, how we access your child and the curriculum we work with.
Happy Days Pre School
News and updates
Family Action took over the management of Happy Days pre school on April 1st 2018 and are delighted to be working with the existing staff team to continue providing childcare to the local community. Happy Days has built strong links with the local WestRaven project which means our children benefit from regular outings to the community garden and café. 
Have you joined our Facebook group: Family Action: Peterborough Pre Schools?
Happy Days will be posting their most recent activities to this group.
Opening times
Monday to Friday 9.00am -12.00pm
Term time only
Contact us
Happy Days Pre School,
Stafford Hall Community Centre,
Wicken Way,
Westwood,
Peterborough,
PE1 4LD
Tel: 07731656601
Cygnets Pre School
News and Updates
Our Cygnets pre school was awarded “Outstanding” at its last inspection. This is the largest of our early years settings and offers a separate room for the two year old children, with their own outdoor space.
Look at these amazing aerial views taken by a local resident using a camera drone!
Have you joined our Facebook group: Family Action: Peterborough Pre Schools?
Cygnets will be posting their most recent activities to this group.
Opening Times
Term time only
8.40am -11.40 am morning session
11.40am -12.10pm [email protected]
12.10pm – 3.10pm afternoon session
Contact Us
Cygnets Pre School,
Hampton Children and Family Centre,
Hargate Way,
Hampton,
Peterborough
PE7 8BZ
Tel: 07821792438
Paston Fundays
News and Updates
Paston Fundays operates from a large space in the Honeyhill Children’s Centre, which includes lots of outdoor learning opportunities.
Have you joined our Facebook group: Family Action: Peterborough Pre Schools?
Paston Fundays will be posting their most recent activities to this group.
Opening Times
Term time only
08.45am-11.45am morning session
11.45am-12.15pm [email protected]
12.15pm-3.15pm afternoon session
Contact Us
Paston Fundays,
Honeyhill Children’s Centre,
Honeyhill,
Paston,
Peterborough,
PE4 7DH
Tel:07789691102
St. Michael's Ark
News and Updates
St Michael’s Ark operates from a purpose built building on the site of St Michael’s Church School.
Have you joined our Facebook group: Family Action: Peterborough Pre Schools?
St Michael’s Ark will be posting their most recent activities to this group.
Opening Times
Term time only
08.45am -11.45am morning session
[email protected] 11.45am -12.15pm
12.15pm -3.15pm afternoon session
Contact Us
St Michael’s Ark,
St Michael’s Church School,
Constantine Drive,
Cardea,
Peterborough,
PE2 8SZ
Tel: 01733 308493
Woodfield Park
News and Updates
Woodfield Park operates from a large space in the Charteris Centre and benefits from both an exciting outdoor space and surrounding parkland. The staff regularly use the local community to provide additional learning experiences.
Have you joined our Facebook group: Family Action: Peterborough Pre Schools?
Woodfield Park will be posting their most recent activities to this group.
Opening Times
Term time only
08.30am -11.30am morning session
11.30am -12.00pm [email protected]
12.00pm – 3.00pm afternoon session
Contact Us
Woodfield Park Pre School,
The Charteris Centre,
Normanton Road,
Peterborough,
PE1 4XE
Tel:07950683026
Birchtree Pre-School
News and Updates
Birchtree Pre School was taken over by Family Action in 2017 and we are delighted to be working with the existing staff team to create a lovely, new learning environment. This setting has excellent links with Dogsthorpe Infants School and regularly visits local community projects including the library and Olive Garden project. 
Opening Times
Term time only
08.30am -11.30pm morning session
11.30 am-12.00pm [email protected]
12.00pm -3.00pm afternoon session
Contact Us
Birchtree Pre School,
Dogsthorpe Methodist Church Hall,
Birchtree Avenue,
Dogsthorpe,
Peterborough,
PE1 4HP
Tel: 01733 896815
Our Staff
Our pre-schools are project managed by Family Action’s “Early Years Manager” in Peterborough. She holds Early Years Professional Status and is qualified to Level 6 in Early Years.
Each setting has a supervisor who is qualified to a minimum of Level 3 in Early Years, and they are responsible for the day-to-day running of their setting. They are supported in their role by qualified Early Years staff. 
The pre-schools adhere to the statutory requirements for staff:child ratios. This means that there will always be a minimum of 1 staff member per 4 children under the age of 3, and 1 staff member per 8 children aged 3 and over. Wherever possible we exceed the minimum requirements with our staffing levels.
Family Action has a supervision system in place that means that all staff receive regular meetings with their line manager. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss key children, safeguarding issues, health and safety, professional development and any other agenda items requested by the staff member.
Download our policies here.
Assessing and planning for your child
Throughout their time with us, your child’s development and learning will be observed by the staff and recorded in their personal learning journal. We will use photographs, video clips and written observations to inform our next step planning . Staff will share this information with parents/carers on a regular basis using the EY Log system and during face to face consultation meetings.
We make regular assessments of each child’s progress and use this information to ensure that all children are supported to move through the early learning goals. Assessments are used to encourage staff to reflect on the learning opportunities provided and to ensure our focus is always on improving and maintaining the quality of our childcare.
Curriculum
The provision for children’s learning and development is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
The EYFS promotes learning through play and by providing a range of interesting resources and activities that are appropriate to a child’s individual stage of learning and development. It supports a balance between activities that are led by adults and those chosen by the chid, according to their current interests. Our settings will support children in their learning and extend this, but will not ask a child to complete tasks that are beyond their individual stage of development. For example, a child who is not yet ready to make controlled pencil movements will not be asked to form letter shapes.
Our settings all encourage three main areas of development as being hugely important before other learning can successfully take place:
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication and language development
- Physical skills
In addition, our settings provide activities and resources to develop four other areas of learning and development:
- Mathematics
- Understanding of the world
- Expressive art and design
- Literacy
Download our full curriculum here.
Parent Information
Parents, carers, grandparents and other family members are all welcome to be involved in pre-school life. The staff recognise that you know your child better than anyone else does and we want to benefit from sharing your knowledge. Staff are always available to chat to you about your child, and family members will regularly be invited into the settings to join us for celebrations and special events.
Some children settle very quickly into pre-school, and others need a lot more time and support before they are happy to be left. You can help your child to settle quickly by:
- Not showing your own anxiety at leaving them…children are very quick to pick up on your feelings
- Bringing them into pre-school and helping them to hang up their coat and choose an activity
- Staying with them for a short while to play and then saying a “goodbye”. Reassure your child that you will be back very soon, but then leave quickly! Long goodbyes always prolong the tears
- Not leaving them for more than an hour each day until they are starting to settle. This reassures your child that you will return, and avoids the distress of them being one of the last to be collected
- Allowing them to bring a familiar object from home…but, please, no expensive toys. Remember that if your child does bring a toy with them, they will be expected to share it with friends
- Remembering as you walk home alone that your child’s tears probably stopped two minutes after you left pre-school…and that they are having fun! Children who see that their family are involved in pre-school events, and that they chat to staff, quickly feel that pre-school is part of their life.
