About The Role
Invitation to Tender: Delivery of Weekly Caregiver & Pre-School Play Sessions (Aged 0–4)
1. Introduction
St Luke’s invites tenders from suitably experienced playworkers, early-years practitioners, or organisations to deliver a trial programme of weekly play sessions for caregivers and children aged 0–4. The trial will be of 12 weeks duration and the provider will submit a written evaluation report within 4 weeks of the end of the trial.
The sessions will take place at St Luke’s on Wednesdays during term time from 10:00am to 12:00pm. The start date will be agreed with the successful provider.
2. Project Overview
The proposed programme is a weekly, drop-in play session designed to offer a welcoming, creative, and supportive environment for pre-school children and their caregivers.
The emphasis is on:
• High-quality, child-led play
• An inclusive and calm environment
• Supporting caregiver wellbeing through informal social connection
• Building relationships with local families and the wider community
This is a trial project, with the potential to continue or develop subject to formal review.
The Diocese of London is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults through the use of the Safer Recruitment practice guidance. This role is subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check.
The successful tenderer will be expected to:
• Plan and deliver weekly play sessions for children aged 0–4 and their caregivers
• Provide appropriate materials and activities that support open-ended, creative play
• Ensure sessions are inclusive, welcoming, and age-appropriate
• Manage set-up and set-down of the space
• Maintain appropriate safeguarding and health & safety standards
• Contribute to light administration related to session delivery
4. Staffing Model
The indicative staffing model is:
• Two playworkers per session for two sessions per month
• One playworker per session for the remaining two sessions per month
Tenderers may propose alternative staffing models where appropriate.
5. Community Outreach
The provider will be expected to undertake community outreach activities, which may include:
• Distributing leaflets to local schools, nurseries, libraries, and health centres
• Engaging with local early-years networks
• Promoting the sessions within the local community
6. Volunteers
St Luke’s anticipates recruiting one or two volunteers per session. The successful tenderer will be expected to:
• Work collaboratively with volunteers
• Support a rotating volunteer model
• Provide light guidance to volunteers during sessions
7. Budget and Fees
Tenderers are invited to submit a clear fee structure, including:
• Cost per session and/or per day
• What is included (delivery, preparation, administration, set-up/set-down, outreach)
8. Monitoring and Evaluation
As this is a trial, the provider will be expected to:
• Monitor attendance and engagement
• Gather informal feedback from caregivers
• Produce a short end-of-trial evaluation report
Selection Criteria
Tenders will be assessed based on the written submission including:
• Experience of applicants in setting up and running a play scheme
• Experience of working effectively with volunteers, caregivers and pre-school children
• Quality of approach to the project
• Understanding of early-years play
• Value for money
• Alignment with project aims and values and vision of St Luke’s Church
Equal Opportunities
The Diocese of London is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents our context and wider community. We are aware that those of Global Majority Heritage/United Kingdom Minority Ethnic (GMH/UKME) and disabled people are currently under-represented among our clergy and workforce, and we particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase this representation.