Performatots Pre-School Harrogate

Today is a big day for so many families 💛

For some, it’s filled with excitement — the school you hoped for, a place where your child will grow, learn, and begin a whole new chapter. Hold onto that joy, celebrate it, and take a moment to imagine all the friendships, confidence, and little milestones ahead, especially if you feel they are ready emotionally and personally to thrive in a big classroom environment.

For others, today may feel heavy. It might not have gone the way you hoped, and that’s hard. It’s okay to feel disappointed, frustrated, or uncertain about what comes next. You’re not alone in that feeling — and this moment doesn’t define your child’s future or their potential.

Whichever side of today you’re on, one thing remains true: what matters most isn’t just the name of the school, but the love, encouragement, and support your child gets every single day — from you.

Children thrive in many different places, in many different ways. There are still paths forward, options to explore, and opportunities that will unfold in time.

Be proud of how far your child has already come — and of yourself too. You’re doing an incredible job guiding them through it all.

If there are seeds of doubt in your mind about whether your child will survive or thrive at Primary School don’t forget that if your child was born after April 1st you do have the right to request deferral of your school place until next September.

At Performatots every year we have a school deferral summer-born baby cohort that champions early childhood education as a stepping stone to a life of success at big school. Instead of always being the littlest, your child will enter reception as one of the oldest children; more confident, curious, capable and creative.

Our reception cohort is led by our qualified early years/primary teachers so they’re in expert hands. If you’re wondering about this option for your little one in September, we’ll be sharing more on this soon.

For now, here’s to new beginnings, wherever they may start 🌱

Today we share some incredibly sad news with our school community. We are heartbroken to share that our much-loved teacher, Miss Nikki, has passed away.

So many of you will have had the pleasure of being cared for, and taught by Miss Nikki, who was a truly special part of our school.

She was calm, nurturing and endlessly kind; she had a wonderful way of making every child feel safe, valued for who they uniquely are - and understood as individuals. Her passion for children’s holistic learning and wellbeing shone through in everything she did. Through yoga, roleplay, storytelling, breathing techniques, dance and music, she helped so many of our children learn how to express themselves, regulate their emotions and find joy in movement and creativity.

Miss Nikki gave the most amazing hugs and was a truly beautiful and positive angel on earth. Her warmth, patience and gentle spirit touched the lives of so many children, families and colleagues. She brought light, laughter and care into our school every single day. We have so many wonderful memories to cherish of her and her zest for life was inspirational.

We feel so very lucky to have known her and to have shared in the kindness and dedication she brought to her work with children. Her legacy of love lives on in so many lives.

Miss Nikki will be deeply missed by everyone in our community, and our thoughts are with her children, family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

Rest peacefully, Miss Nikki, we know you'll be flying with the angels.

You will always be part of our school family.

xXx

At the end of last term, we were delighted to win another award for excellence! Best Early Years Education Provider 2025!

Our huge congratulations to all of the team, who put so much heart and passion into their roles and our school.

Helping children thrive and blossom as individuals is what we do best. Awards are a wonderful way of recognising that, but the real reward is seeing our pupils grow and develop every single day.

IS YOUR 3-5 YEAR OLD READY TO UNLEASH THEIR INNER STAR AND DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF PERFORMING ARTS? 🌟 ACTAcademy UK's new term of LITTLE STARS PERFORMING ARTS is just around the corner, starting on 31st January, and we can't wait to embark on a transformative journey of self-expression and growth with your little ones!

Over the course of 10 weeks, our nurturing and imaginative lessons will empower your child to shine in a variety of disciplines, including drama, acting, dance, movement, musicality, singing, and devising. They'll have the opportunity to explore their creativity, build new friendships, and develop essential skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.

By embracing this independent access opportunity, your child will not only develop their self-confidence and self-assurance but also learn valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. As they grow and thrive, they'll become more resilient, adaptable, and better equipped to take on new challenges.

With only 3 places remaining, secure your child's spot today using the link below and watch them blossom into a bright, shining star! 💫 Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to give your child the gift of performing arts - a gift that will keep on giving for years to come! 🎁

LITTLE STARS PERFORMING ARTS CLASS (Ages 3-5) January 2026 — ACTAcademy Stage School An exciting performing arts class for pre school children aged 3-5 at ACTAcademy.

🥁DRUM ROLL PLEASE……we’d just like to shout REALLY LOUD about our Deputy Head of Early Years - Miss Amy!

We were absolutely over the moon that she was nominated as Teacher of the Year, THEN so thrilled she was put through as a finalist….and THEN Saturday’s Mumbler Award Ceremony happened!!

♥️Against some very strong competition, Miss Amy won the HIGHLY COMMENDED award as Teacher of the Year 2025!♥️

🫶🏻We cannot tell you how proud we are to have had her here at Performatots, for the last 9 years. Miss Amy gives so much of her heart to her role and leads with professionalism and passion. She has every child’s best interests at the forefront of everything she does and upholds our exceptional standards for early education, every single day.

💡Children light up when she walks into a room and we know we can always find her conjuring up magical worlds, bringing a puppet to life, dancing, singing and bringing books to the role play stage! She’s messy play mad, often in a dressing up costume, loves a dough disco, probably has PVA and glitter in her hair most days and is utterly adored by so many little (and now big) children and families.

🥇 We are sure you’ll agree that Miss Amy fully deserved this accolade and here she is , looking beautiful, with our Principal.

CONGRATULATIONS MISS AMY!! 🤩

🎉What. A. Moment.🎉

🌟 We are absolutely thrilled to share that we’ve been crowned Mumblers Pre-School of the Year 2025! 🏆

As an Outstanding Ofsted setting and National Teaching Award winners, we’re so proud of the unique work we do every day—but this local award means something extra special. 💛 It celebrates our community, our pupils and families and our teaching team.

Our curriculum is ARTS-INSPIRED, because we know that creativity supercharges learning and has such positive impact on those that are lucky to attend our school. ✨

Children who paint, dance, design, role-play, sing, make music, tell stories, imagine and create aren’t just having fun—they’re developing abilities in problem-solving, communication, self-confidence, independence, resilience, creative thinking skills and a strong capability and self-belief across the whole curriculum.

When you create awe and wonder like we do, you create something awesome and wonderful!

This award is a celebration of every curious question that has led us on a brilliant learning journey, every “what if?” that has resulted in screams of delight, every messy masterpiece that has filled our hearts with pride and every moment of magic that lights up children's faces and their brain development.

To our amazing families and supporters: THANK YOU. 💕 Your belief in our ethos helps us continue to inspire little minds and create big futures.

To our dedicated, passionate and talented teaching team - THANK YOU for the incredible impact you have and the difference you make every day.

To all our little pupils past and present, from 20 months to 5 years...well, what can we say...

...you're the reason.

xx

Congratulations to Miss Mandy your fabulous, arty pumpkin got the most votes and you are this years staff team winner! You win a £30 Everyman Cinema voucher! What a talented team we have! Xx

🥰We want to extend our deepest gratitude to our families, especially our school leavers! You have been so generous and so thoughtful and we are truly blessed.

🤩 From the homemade gifts, hampers, chocolates, amazing cupcakes, unique treasures, wine, jam, flowers, vouchers, jewellery- and our full team Mama Doreen’s Afternoon Tea voucher-we are BLOWN AWAY!

🙏Your beautiful words were so heartfelt and brought us laughter and tears as we read them on our training day. It was so wonderful to know how much you had valued Performatots. It’s the best reward to know you have had such an impact on so many lives.

🫶🏻 We send your little ones off, with a lump in our throat, but bursting with pride and our hearts full with the knowledge that every single one will shine in their next chapter.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN. It’s a joy to be recognised for the job we do, the exceptional care we provide, the outstanding education we give, the advice and guidance we offer and the rich experiences and opportunities we ensure all our pupils receive.

☀️🕶️If we don’t see you at Summer School, have an awesome time, making memories!

Happy Summer everyone!