ANNIVERSARY
Sidcup Baptist Church Playgroup, In south-east London, celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year. Here, they look back at how the group has changed over the years...
From left: Yvonne Parfait, Pat Ziems, Teresa Willmot and Rachael Wickington
Sidcup Baptist Church Playgroup opened its doors for the first time in September 1971. Since then, the team has been working to provide a safe and fun environment for children to learn and grow.
Since they opened, more than 100 different members of staff, committee members and volunteers have passed through the setting, with eight different leaders.
Here, we hear from the current leader, as well as three previous leaders, about how things have changed in the early years since they opened their doors in 1971…
"I believe the things implemented in this time have helped set the standard for the 30 years that have followed in terms of the diversity of learning."
Pat Zeims
Manger 1970s
I was manager of Sidcup Baptist Playgroup for four years in the late 1970s – a lot has changed since then! Things ran fairly smoothly, with few problems, even though we had 42 children through the door every morning. One of the highlights was a visit from the Mayor of Bexley, during which the children loved trying on his ‘necklace’ as they called it! There was of course no paperwork and a lot changed when Ofsted took over, but they were happy times and, in some ways, still the same as now.
Pamela Brown
Manager 1977-1989
When I first brought my daughter to playgroup in March 1977, she cried a lot so the group leader at the time asked if I would like to stay and help – which I did for two or three weeks and later they asked if I would like to continue working there. I very much enjoyed watching the children become more relaxed, mixing with other children, gaining confidence and building friendships with others. I loved them all. It was so much more enjoyable than working in an office!
Teresa Willmot
Manger 1989-1993
I took on the role of leader at a time when Bexley Council frowned upon a strict regime of teaching but encouraged a play-based curriculum. Although I was a trained primary school teacher, I felt inadequate to the task as the playgroup already had an excellent reputation and a long waiting list, so I spent time visiting other playgroups to gain information about best practice. As a result, the group changed dramatically with the introduction of a more varied learning experience including technology with a wood-working bench and physical activities. I believe the things implemented in this time have helped set the standard for the 30 years that have followed in terms of the diversity of learning.
Rachael Wickington
Manager, 1993-2002
I had been working at the group for nearly four years when I took over as the manager. Activities were planned to encourage children’s learning and development but without a national framework to work to. The foundation stage curriculum for three- to five-year-olds was introduced in 2002, which gave more structure to our activities so that we could help children progress towards desirable outcomes in the six areas of learning. This meant more formal planning of activities and record keeping of children’s progress. We didn’t want the formality of these to affect the ethos of the group which has, and always will be, learning through play.
Yvonne Parfett
Manager from 1991-present
I joined the playgroup in 1991 and took over as manager in September 2002. I have seen several changes to the Statutory Framework and accompanying documentation, produced by successive governments. Alongside these changes, we’ve seen the introduction of the key person role and we’ve changed the structure of the morning to give children longer periods of play. We used to take turns working in pairs to plan for each half term but now we all work together and plan on a fortnightly basis, which makes it easier to respond to children’s needs and interests.
Covid-19 and the resulting lockdown were of course a challenge, although I was able to keep in touch with parents and staff via email, WhatsApp and Zoom. Another challenge for me is fitting everything in and maintaining a good work/life balance – something I am continually working on!