Playscheme

Information on our Ofsted registered playscheme

In this section

Welcome to our Playscheme!

Say goodbye to stress and hello to smiles as your child has the time of their life at our playscheme whilst developing their social skills, creating friends, playing games and learning new skills.

From screen time to sunshine at playscheme we are always coming up with new and exciting play opportunities and we love hearing the children’s ideas and suggestions too!

Our playscheme is Ofsted registered and playworkers undertake minimum basic training including First Aid and Safeguarding before they start work.

2026 dates

Our playscheme will be running during the summer holidays from Monday 27 July to Friday 21 August, 8.30am - 5pm at Yorke Mead Primary School for children in reception to year six.

Bookings will go live on Playwaze on Tuesday 26 May.

Cost

£30 per child, per day for Three Rivers residents
£35 per child, per day for non-residents

Please note: Cancelling your space on Playwaze will not automatically refund you. Please see our cancellation policy for more details.

Easter 2026 Playscheme Visitors

In Easter, we were joined by a host of wonderful guests including

Tennis by Sam - Learn and develop tennis skills
Mr Marvel - Magic show, Punch & Judy and balloon modelling
Saracens Cheerleading - Gymnastics , cheerleading and dance fun
Fire Brigade - A tour of the fire truck and equipment

Childcare vouchers

We use a number of childcare voucher schemes. If paying via childcare voucher, please specify this on your booking. Places are not confirmed until payment has been received. Please reference either the Ofsted registration number or our reference number stated below:

Busybees/Bravo Benefits – ref 130624
Care-4 – ref 67898299
Childcare Grant Payment Service – ref CCG9857759
Co-operative - ref 85100279
Computershare Voucher Services - 0008245512 (ref Three Rivers Playschemes)
Edenred – ref P20270818
Enjoy Benefits - ref 130624
Fair Care – ref TRDC0414
Fideliti – ref Three Rivers Playschemes, THR009C
Gemelli – TH3793
KiddiVouchers – ref Three Rivers Playschemes
My Family Care
Rascals – ref EY557676
RG Childcare – ref 62285990023
Sodexo – ref 171181

Tax-free childcare

Three Rivers District Council are now a registered provider with the Government tax-free childcare scheme.

For every £8 you pay into your online account, the government will add an extra £2 (up to £2,000 per child per year)

Parents can find out more and apply to the scheme online at childcarechoices.gov.uk

If paying via tax-free childcare scheme, please specify this on your booking. Places are not confirmed until payment has been received. The following documents are helpful guides to applying for the Tax-Free childcare scheme and making a payment through the scheme:

A typical day at playscheme

Our playscheme day runs from 8.30am – 5pm with registration from 8.30am – 9am.

Registration will take place with our site leader on arrival at the entrance to the site. Staff will then direct you to where you and your child will need to go.

Staff are easily identifiable, they will be wearing green t-shirts with the Three Rivers District Council logo on them and their ID badge. They are available if you wish to discuss anything with them. If you require a quiet room to do this, please raise this with the staff member at the time.

Your child will be allocated to a group, primarily on their age. Each group will have their own space and this is where they will start and end their day at playscheme. Throughout the day groups will be able to mix with each other. This means children will still get to play with friends and siblings from other groups.

The groups are typically arranged by school years (dependent on bookings) as follows

Green – reception and year one
Red – years two and three
Blue – years three and four
Yellow – years five and six

A typical day will be a mix of indoor and outdoor games and activities, sports, arts and crafts. There will also be the opportunity for groups to mix and play team games. Lunch will be taken together in the middle of the day.

The playscheme day ends at 5pm with collection from 4.30pm – 5pm. Please contact us on 01923 776611 if you are running late for registration or collection.

If your child remains on site after 5pm the parent/carer will be charged £30 for every 30 minutes they are late. This is the cost to the Council for providing two members of staff to remain on site with your child. Any additional costs incurred by the Council will be charged to the parent/ carer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age(s) is playscheme for?	Playscheme is for children currently in reception to year six.
My child is 4 and going into reception in September can they attend?	Unfortunately, no. They are too young to attend our playscheme.
I want to pay by childcare vouchers	Please visit our childcare vouchers page for more details
I want to pay using tax-free childcare	Please visit our tax-free childcare page for more details
I am going to be late for registration/collection	Please contact us if you are running late for registration or collection. You can contact the site on 07817035212. If your child remains on site after 5pm the parent/carer will be charged £30 for every 30 minutes they are late. This is the cost to the council for providing two members of staff to remain on site with your child. Any additional costs incurred by the council will be charged to the parent/carer.
I want to pick up my child early	This is fine. Please let the staff know on drop off that you will be arriving early to collect your child that day.
Can I park at the school?	Due to health and safety reasons, our Playscheme site has a strict ‘no parking on site’ policy. Please allow enough time to park considerately nearby and walk your child in. If the child or driver has a disability they can park on site. Please call the site phone to be let onsite.
Can my child be in the same group as their friends?	Groups will be allocated based on age. Where possible we will do our best to group children with their friends but cannot guarantee they will be with all of them together. In order for us to consider this request please list the names of friends who are attending by sending an email to leisure@threerivers.gov.uk including the dates your child is attending and the names of any friends attending. Please note: Teams will be allowed to mix throughout the day at playscheme so siblings and friends from different groups will be able to play together.
What should I pack?	To help us to keep you safe and our staff safe, children will need to bring the following: A plastic bag with a change of clothes (please make sure everything is named)* Named sun cream* Named sun hat Rain coat Named plastic lunch box, with an ice cooler to keep food cool in warm weather – please remember we have a NO NUT policy Named water bottle Medication (where needed) *these items will remain at playscheme for the whole week
What should I not pack?	We have a strict NO NUT policy at playscheme. Please also do not bring any of the following: Any personal items, including mobile phones, toys etc. Bikes and scooters will not be used during Playscheme
What if my child is unwell? Will I be refunded?	If your child is unwell and cannot attend playscheme please contact the office on 01923 776611. Refunds will only be given on medical grounds, supported by a letter from your Doctor; these will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will only be for sessions missed
My child requires 1-2-1 support	If your child requires 1-2-1 support please email leisure@threerivers.gov.uk or contact the office by telephone (01923 776611) before making a booking. We do our best to accommodate various needs and provide support where we can, subject to available staffing. If your child has been scheduled for 1-2-1 support (prior arrangements), please report to the site leader on arrival at playscheme. Staff will communicate with parents on a daily basis. If staff feel that they cannot meet a child’s needs through 1-2-1 support, the parent will be informed and a refund of unused dates will be issued.
I need to amend or cancel a booking	If you would like to change your booking to an alternative date (non-transferable between holidays), we will do our best to accommodate your request. Bookings cannot be changed between children or families. You can cancel your booking by logging in to your Playwaze online account. This will NOT give you a refund. Refunds will only be given on medical grounds, supported by a letter from the Doctor; these will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will only be for sessions missed.
What do I do if my child needs medication administered while at playscheme?	If this is a prescribed medication, you can report to the site leader at the sign in desk and you will fill out a permission to administer form. The medication will be kept in the staff room during the day. If your child requires any medication that is not prescribed during the day, you will need to make arrangements with the site leader to come to the gate at the time this is required. We cannot administer any medication that is not prescribed by a doctor.
How do I know what my child did in the day at playscheme?	You can find out all about what your child gets up to at playscheme by joining our new WhatsApp channel. We will provide updates and reminders as well as letting you know what we are up to during the day.
How do I contact the playscheme site during the day?	The site leader will have a site phone at all times during the day. The number is 07817035212.
How do I book a HAPpy space?	Your child’s school will provide you with a unique code for booking. These bookings are not through the Three Rivers District Council website. You can book here.
Do you provide food at playscheme?	The only children provided with hot food at lunch time are those who booked through HAPpy. Every other child needs a packed lunch and snacks for during the day. The children who are provided lunch will also need snacks for the morning and afternoon.

For more information and answers to other frequently asked questions then click on the document below.

Playscheme FAQs

Ofsted

Ofsted registers, regulates and inspects childcare for children aged from birth to 17 years. Our Playscheme provision is Ofsted registered. Our Ofsted reference number is 130624.

Yorke Mead Playscheme was inspected in August 2025 and rated MET.
This grading is different to the previous Outstanding, Good etc as it was identified that the proportionate amount of time spent in out of school’s clubs / holiday provision should be play and recreation based, which would no longer have to meet the same educational criteria as schools or nurseries. As a result, a new grading system for out of school clubs was introduced to be either “met” or “not met”.

You can read the fantastic report here - Yorke Mead Playscheme.

If you want to get in touch with Ofsted you can email them at enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. For more information about Ofsted and further details on how to contact them please click here.

HAPpy

Hertfordshire’s Holiday Activity and Food Programme (known locally as HAPpy) runs during the Spring, Summer and Winter holidays. HAPpy Camps provide a range of fun experiences, including physical activity, enrichment, a healthy meal and snacks for eligible children. These camps are for children who are registered to receive benefits-related free school meals. Your school will provide a booking code up to six weeks before the HAPpy camps open.

Book a HAPpy space

Children attending our playscheme though HAPpy will be given a hot meal at lunch time provided by Top Notch Catering.

Parent feedback summer 2025

“My son absolutely loves going to the summer playscheme and is always happy to go there. All the staff are so friendly and kind he loves the activities and I always feel happy to go to work knowing his safe and well looked after.”

“We had 2 children attend this week and they were incredibly happy. The young people supervising were so so impressive. My daughter is 8 and is a little shy, but the young girl (sorry I can't remember her name) and Matty / Matthew in particular, he was superb very kind and caring and she was really grateful he was keeping an eye out for her.”

“He is been enjoying all the activities so far. Every day he comes home tells us about it with huge excitement.”

“He loved that every morning as he arrived he got the warmest welcome from the Blues and everyone knew his name. Staff are kind and fun. He even said for week 2 his glad he’ll be going on time and won’t miss any of it. He enjoyed playing football on the field best, and dodgeball.”

“My daughter loves playscheme so much that she cried when her two weeks were up. She loves the enthusiasm of the staff and the variety of things to do on offer.”

“As I said before, as soon as we come at the morning happy people are greeting children and that’s very important. I’m the biggest fan of young people changing the world and your staff are definitely them!!”

“Fantastic staff, so helpful and accommodating. They looked after my daughter with special needs fantastically. I feel comfortable leaving her with them knowing that they can support her. My other daughter was nervous but came out beaming after and wanted to go back. It’s great that it’s localised and not too big. They knew plenty of people”

“I have 2 children aged 6 and 8 who both attended play scheme for 2 weeks (with one week off in between). They both had a great time at play scheme. I think the youth, energy and enthusiasm of the play leaders is fantastic. Despite our children attending Yorke Mead school, they were both very happy to go to play scheme there. Long may it continue!!”

Children's feedback - Easter 2026

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