Hexham Community Centre Playgroup

Hexham Community Centre Playgroup

Unique reference number (URN): 2848435 Address: Hexham - Tynedale Community Trust, Community Centre, Gilesgate, Hexham, NE46 3NP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/05/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Hexham and Tynedale Community Trust

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children typically achieve well across the 7 areas of learning and make progress from their individual starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They settle happily, develop positive relationships and show kindness towards others, helping friends, sharing resources and working cooperatively in play. For example, children strengthen their communication and language skills and imaginative play by taking on roles in the home corner, such as pretending to be the mummy or daddy, using talk to negotiate and extend their play, singing songs and sharing stories. Older children become more assured in their communication, chatting comfortably with each other and warmly with visitors. Children develop their understanding of the natural world through regular outdoor experiences, and seasonal community walks further support their environmental awareness in meaningful and engaging ways. For example, children learn about growth and seasonal

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Achievement Expected standard

celebrations by growing and harvesting their own pumpkins at the allotment for Halloween.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop early mathematical skills throughout the day, engaging in activities such as counting petals, exploring capacity in the water tray and pretending to sell ice creams. As they grow in confidence, older children extend this learning by using comparative language, discussing 'more' and 'less' and comparing quantities during hands-on activities such as manipulating different amounts of play dough.

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Achievement Expected standard

Parents are kept informed about their children's achievements through the setting's 'Passport' system, which records progress against individual targets and shares regular updates that help families understand how their children are developing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children enjoy coming to the setting and arrive happily, settling quickly into familiar routines. Leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour, and staff model positive interactions throughout the day. They support children to follow established routines, such as sharing play dough with friends before beginning an activity and encouraging turn-taking in the water tray. Children are eager to share their achievements with staff. For example, while pretending to make their own ice creams with different toppings, they proudly show what they have created and seek positive recognition for their efforts.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff support children to follow familiar routines. However, for some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), leaders could benefit from reviewing the strategies used to support transitions. Strengthening these approaches would help ensure all children understand their next job and are enabled to act independently.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The setting reinforces the importance of regular and punctual attendance with parents. This ensures that all children, including disadvantaged children, those with SEND, those known or previously known to children's social care and those who may face barriers to their learning or wellbeing, attend consistently and maintain strong engagement in their learning. Staff respond sensitively to children's emotional needs. When children become upset or have difficulty managing their emotions, staff offer comfort through gentle reassurance and cuddles, helping them to feel safe and regain calm.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a nurturing environment that supports children's confidence and independence. For example, children independently access the resources they need, such as aprons or cutters, to join in with activities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders actively support families to promote children's health and wellbeing. They encourage healthy eating through guidance on nutritious packed lunch choices. They strengthen physical development by ensuring all children take daily walks in the community, including visits to the allotment and park, alongside opportunities provided by external companies, such as yoga sessions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff act as key persons for their allocated children, ensuring their individual needs are best understood. They also work flexibly across the setting, supporting other children so that everyone benefits from consistent, nurturing relationships.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff supervise children appropriately during mealtimes, ensuring they remain calm, relaxed and socially engaged. They make thoughtful adaptations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring all children can participate comfortably and confidently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's emotional wellbeing is supported effectively. Morning routines include singing the familiar 'Good Morning' song, which helps children regulate, settle and feel ready for the day. Staff use restorative conversations to understand children's feelings and perspectives, helping them to resolve difficulties calmly and build positive relationships. These consistent, nurturing actions promote a sense of security and contribute to children's overall wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have the knowledge to reduce barriers to children's learning and make any adaptations needed to teaching and learning activities. They have made purposeful changes to the quality of the curriculum and teaching that children receive, ensuring the curriculum is shaped around the 7 areas of learning and linked to a range of engaging topics. Staff use children's play as a vehicle for learning, offering opportunities for exploration while also guiding children through purposeful adult-led experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Older children benefit from clear guidance and cooperative play. However, staff do not ensure the same consistency in their interactions with younger children to help strengthen early communication, social skills and secure learning so they receive high-quality support and no valuable opportunities are missed.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children are encouraged to try a variety of activities, and staff use individual targets to develop and extend learning within both planned sessions and spontaneous interactions. Staff ensure that physical development and children's wellbeing remain daily priorities. They support these through regular walks in the community, including visits to the allotment and park, which promote movement, resilience and a connection to the natural environment. These consistent opportunities enable children to revisit key concepts, build on what they already know, and make meaningful progress across the areas of learning. Leaders make regular checks to assess the progress children are making against their targets, using this information to refine practice further and remove any emerging barriers to learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff do not consistently support children to practise letter sounds correctly and use an effective pencil grip when they are ready, to extend their early literacy skills further. These inconsistencies can result in habits forming that may hinder early literacy skills when children begin school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are deeply committed to ensuring every child feels included, valued and understood. They work hand in hand with staff to recognise children's needs as early as possible and to put in place relevant support for the children. Staff follow children's progress closely and maintain gentle, regular communication with parents and with the professionals who help children to thrive, such as speech and language therapists. Leaders support families through early help meetings and through carefully planned transition meetings as children move on to school. This ensures families feel listened to, understood and well guided, and helps children feel confident, secure and ready for their next steps.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff are actively involved in deciding how early years pupil premium funding is used so that it best meets the needs of all children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, the team chose to invest early years pupil premium funding in high-quality story bags that children take home to share with their families. This strengthens children's language, communication and early literacy, enriches home–school relationships and ensures families feel closely connected to their child's learning journey.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff access appropriate training to ensure they can meet the needs of the children in their care. For example, some staff have completed autism training so they can offer sensitive, informed support to children who may need additional help.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Recent changes in leadership have brought a renewed sense of purpose, driven by a clear passion for the difference the setting can make in giving children the best start in life. Leaders recognise the importance of continual improvement and use regular reflection and evaluation time with staff to consider ways of strengthening practice. Leaders' commitment to building warm, trusting relationships with families enables children to feel secure, understood and ready to learn from the moment they arrive. Parents speak highly of staff and the opportunities that are provided for their children. They value the regular communication they receive and appreciate being kept informed about their children's progress and development. Parents feel confident that their children are well prepared for their next stage. This includes parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise staff development and wellbeing. They provide relevant training, encourage further qualifications and ensure staff feel supported and valued. For example, leaders are looking to further support staff's expertise by ensuring more staff access special educational needs and disabilities coordinator training to enhance inclusive practice across the setting. Staff describe the team as a close-knit family, characterised by strong mutual support and collaboration.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children arrive at the setting happy, confident and excited to learn. A strong sense of community is evident from the moment families step through the door. Positive, trusting relationships between staff and children help children feel safe, settled and ready to explore. Leaders greet families personally each day, taking time to check in with them and offer support where needed. This includes families of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known or previously known to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning or wellbeing. This ensures every child has a smooth and reassuring transition.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children engage well in planned play opportunities that reflect their interests and support their learning and development. They access meaningful learning both indoors and outdoors every day, becoming active members of the setting's community. Children show enthusiasm as they take part in shared experiences around the same theme, such as printing patterns in the dough or drawing a picture to put in the home basket, strengthening their sense of belonging.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children take great enjoyment in joining in with daily routines, such as tidying up, and these shared experiences help them grow in confidence and independence. Through these routines, children develop effective problem-solving skills and begin to build a secure understanding of early mathematical concepts.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

When children join the setting, leaders ensure parents understand the importance of regular attendance and the procedures to follow if their child cannot attend. Staff act promptly and appropriately when children are absent, following clear processes to check on their welfare and offer timely support to families where needed.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure high-quality interactions are embedded so that all children are deeply engaged in their learning.

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Address:

Hexham - Tynedale Community Trust Community Centre, Gilesgate Hexham NE46 3NP

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Hexham and Tynedale Community Trust

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

Leaders should ensure that strategies used to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are consistently used throughout the setting, such as supporting next steps. Leaders should review strategies used to support early literacy skills.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the provider, staff, parents and children during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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. This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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