Poplar Pre-school

29/09/2026

Today, I was very pleased to visit Poplar Pre-School, a registered charity, and continue my support for the excellent work they do in Allington

It was great to learn more about some of their current projects, as well as hear about some of the challenges they have faced.

I was also pleased to welcome Maidstone Borough Council officers to the pre-school, where positive outcomes were agreed on how the Council can further support the staff and children.

Poplar Pre-School has served our community as a nursery for over 50 years, and the motivation and dedication of its staff, led by its new manager, Steph, was truly inspiring.

Having been born and raised locally, I will always do everything I can to support our education providers and the staff, children and parents who make them such important parts of our community.

If you have a local issue that you would like my help with, please do not hesitate to drop me a message.

24/08/2026

We've been getting preschool ready today to welcome our newbies and our existing children.

Part of the roof has been fixed and drains sorted as well as some plumbing issues.

A freshen up to our hedgehog and squirrel rooms and a new PC to top it off.

Thank you to everyone one of you that's helped make that happen with our fund raising events 😁😁😁

We couldn't do it without your support ❤️

20/08/2026

🎵 Is your child taking part in this year's Summer Reading Challenge: Read to the Beat at Kent Libraries?

By completing the Summer Reading Challenge at their local Kent Library, children can also enter our Summer Reading Challenge Prize Draw.

There are two age categories:

📚 Ages 4 to 7: win one of two £50 National Book Tokens

📚 Ages 8 to 11+: win one of two book bundles worth over £50

It's free to take part and a great way to encourage reading throughout the summer holidays.

Find your local Kent Library and get started today!

Terms and conditions apply. Parental permission is required. Children must complete the Summer Reading Challenge at their local Kent Library to enter the prize draw.

View the prize draw terms and conditions at kentlra.qrplanet.com/SRCPrizeDraw2026

17/07/2026

Under the shade of the poplar tree, a beautiful season of change we see.

We wave a final goodbye to Dee,
with thanks for years of happy memories.

Now Steph steps up to the lead our way, into a bright and brand new day!

To our leavers, off you go, to primary school to learn and grow.

To those enjoying the summer sun, we'll see you when the holidays are done.

And to the new friends joining our crew, in September, we cannot wait to meet you!

At Poplar Pre-School, our family stays full of love throughout our days.

So we wave goodbye to Andrea and Dee ###

17/07/2026

17/07/2026

The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge is returning to Kent Libraries from Saturday 4 July to Saturday 5 September. The Challenge invites children aged 4 to 11 to take part and enjoy reading for fun. And it’s completely free.

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read 6 books during the long summer break.

03/07/2026

Exciting news! We are part of the Community Matters token scheme at Waitrose 🙂 💚

Poplar Pre-School is a non-profit registered charity that has recently celebrated 50 years of educating Allington's children.

If you're shopping at Waitrose, we'd be so grateful if you could choose our pre-school.

Your token may seem small, but it can make a real difference to the experiences of our little learners.

Thank you for supporting our preschool and our community.

09/05/2026

Message to our families of children who will be starting Palace Wood School from September, from Palace Wood:

📣 Calling all new EYFS parents – September 2026 starters! 📣

You can now book to attend a friendly meet-up at Little Street in Maidstone, where your child can spend time with other new starters joining Palace Wood Primary School this September. It’s a great chance for children (and parents!) to begin forming friendships and feel more confident about starting school.

Please note that this is a relaxed social event — there will be no teaching staff present — just a welcoming space to meet others and get to know some familiar faces ahead of the new school year.

✨ Come along, say hello, and start your school journey together!

05/05/2026

Throughout the Spring Term we have been using the National Literacy Trust’s self reflection guide to explore our reading culture. We want all children to develop a life-long love of reading and are continually evaluating our practice to ensure we meet children at their individual level of development, matched to their current interests. We are pleased to share that we have received our first ‘Go All In’ certificate and have been busy updating some of our story bags, which the children are loving!