Awarded 'outstanding in all areas' by Ofsted
About Us
Amberley Playgroup is a thriving community Playgroup, that is situated in the village of Amberley, near Stroud (Gloucestershire).
Both our Playgroup sessions and our Toddler Tuesdays are run by friendly, professional and fully qualified staff, supported by a voluntary committee of parents, who are involved in the management of the group. The playgroup is registered with Ofsted, to provide care from the age of 2 years 6 months until they start school.
Meet Our Staff
Cathy Brown
Manager/Playleader
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Previously a Health Visitor, Cathy has worked at Amberley since 2007. She manages the day-to-day provision and does lots of admin behind the scenes! She is also the Designated Safeguarding Lead and a Key Person for Elephant Group. She has two grown up children.
Karan Hoskins
Joint Playleader
/Admissions Coordinator
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Karan is the longest serving member of staff, she’s been with us since 2002! She holds an NVQ Level 3 in Childcare, Learning and Development. Karan looks after the Lion Group and has 3 children.
Debbie Sugden
Early Years Teacher
Debbie complete her teacher training with us in 2023 and officially joined the team in September 2024. Debbie is a former Amberley parent, and has one child at school. Debbie is the Key Person for Parrot group. Debbie's passion is forest school and outdoor learning, something all the children at Amberley enjoy.​
Rachael Ruthers
​​Playgroup Assistant
Rachael joined us in February 2025, Rachael has many years experience working in early years settings, both Nurseries and more recently running her own child minding business. Her own children both attended playgroup here, and she regularly attended our toddler sessions through her work as a childminder. Rachael is the key person for Tiger group.
Andrea Glover
Playgroup Supply staff
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Our musical maestro has been with us since 2006 having previously worked as a Nanny/Nursery Nurse(NNEB) for many years including time at a nursery in London looking after royalty, the rich and famous! She loves art and craft and music. Andrea will be visiting us monthly for a music session.
The Playgroup employs staff who all hold advanced child care or teaching qualifications and have many years of experience in a wide range of settings.
Each session runs with a high staff to children ratio in excess of that required by legislation, to enable a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities to take place. The Playgroup staff follow the practice guidance of the Early Years Foundation Stage and comply with all statutory requirements regarding the children’s learning, development and welfare.
Our Setting
We are incredibly lucky with our setting in the Parish Rooms under the Church in Amberley, surrounded by National Trust common land.
The Parish Rooms Space
Our setting is spacious and well equipped for everything we do at Playgroup. We divide the space into specific areas to encourage familiarity, but with play areas that change each session, for variety.
Outdoor space
We are very lucky to have full access to Amberley Playground within our setting, with an array of play equipment, planting areas and a playhouse for role play. Features include a mud kitchen, two slides, a balance trail... all safely within an enclosed perimeter with shady areas if needed.