Cashes Green Playgroup

Inspection of Cashes Green Playgroup Hillcrest Road, Cashes Green, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4NL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Staff demonstrate warmth, calmness and respect towards children, creating a nurturing and supportive environment. Children show they feel secure and engage confidently in activities. Staff interactions, such as using children's names, making eye contact and responding sensitively to their needs, build strong attachments and promote emotional well-being.

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The provision is good

Since their last inspection, leaders have maintained a clear and sustained focus on strengthening the curriculum intent alongside staff development. The curriculum is well structured, and staff confidently explain what children need to learn, why it matters and how they will teach it, showing strong understanding and ownership. Learning is carefully sequenced, with regular assessments used to track progress and inform teaching. This has been a key focus of leaders, the on-site school and local authority, with a positive improvement since the last inspection. Curriculum expectations and staff roles are clearly shared with families through newsletters and displays, building transparency and trust.

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The provision is good

Parents express high satisfaction with the provision, feeling well informed and keen to support learning at home. They value the practical topics covered and feel well supported by staff. Parents note clear improvements in the setting, with past concerns addressed and a more positive atmosphere now evident for both children and staff.

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need to do better?

n Staff consistently support speech by naming objects and using single words with younger children. Staff introduce new vocabulary, model key words and provide play-based support to develop children's speech. They use rich, descriptive language to enhance older children's expressive vocabulary. However, teaching quality varies across age groups, and some staff miss opportunities to extend learning through spontaneous moments. n Staff speak positively about their professional development since receiving support from the school and local authority. They actively engage in meetings focused on curriculum, language and children's progress, showing a stronger grasp of effective practice. The setting promotes reflective, consistent approaches, with a clear focus on well-being, professional growth and improving outcomes through strong leadership and teamwork. n The setting uses 'Golden Rules' to support behaviour management and shared

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need to do better?

responsibility. Children behave well. However, on occasion, staff tend to tell children not to do something without explaining why, and children receive mixed messages about behaviour expectations. This limits children's ability to learn self-regulation or understand the consequences of their actions.

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need to do better?

12 September 2025 n The setting supports transitions well, with close alignment to the attached school and a curriculum designed to foster school readiness. Engagement with the wider school community is meaningful and ongoing. Events like the Halloween disco create shared experiences that deepen family involvement and reinforce the setting's role as an integral part of the school. n Children enjoy regular access to the outdoor area, benefiting from fresh air and physical activity. However, the space lacks the purposeful and engaging learning seen indoors. Key areas, such as the mud pit, offer limited play value and require redevelopment. Although leaders have begun to plan improvements, the outdoor provision requires further development to spark curiosity and deepen learning. n Staff consistently foster independence by involving children in self-help tasks. Self-serve meals and the 'nose blowing station' build autonomy and practical

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need to do better?

skills. Calm, well-managed mealtimes reinforce healthy habits and social development. Care routines promote self-help and often extend learning. n Staff organise weekly sports and music sessions, which support children's physical development and communication skills. Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to progress their physical development. Children enjoy climbing, running and jumping in the fresh air. Fine motor skills are promoted through engaging activities like using tweezers, mark-making and constructing with loops or train tracks, which are well supported by attentive staff. n Staff broaden children's knowledge of the world around them and the community they live in. Initiatives like the 'Hide a Book' project around the village encourage shared literacy and links between home and school. Children attending more than one provision in the area are well supported through effective communication between settings. Staff attend meetings across

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need to do better?

provisions, and information is consistently shared, promoting continuity in care.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n support staff to make the most of teachable moments to extend children's learning n help children gain a deeper understanding of why rules are important by providing clear and consistent explanations n enhance the outdoor area to provide all children, particularly those who prefer to learn outdoors, with more varied and stimulating outdoor learning experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 101678 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10379218 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 36 Name of registered person Cashes Green Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07949 868 523 Date of previous inspection 21 November 2024

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Information about this early years setting

Cashes Green Playgroup registered in 1991. The playgroup operates from a building within Cashes Green Primary School in Stroud. The setting offers care from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only. There are eight members of staff who work with the children. Of these, one has a qualification at level 5, six staff members hold a relevant childcare qualification at level 3 and one holds a relevant childcare qualification at level 2. The setting offers government-funded places.

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Inspection activities

n The acting manager, committee member and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the setting and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity in the Rising 3's room with the acting manager. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

12 September 2025 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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