Godinton Playschool CIC

A hall rearranged for play and a garden behind it give Godinton Playschool CIC its character. This is a pack-away setting: equipment and learning spaces are reviewed as the hall is organised for children. Its own large, secure outdoor play area makes daily outdoor play part of the offer.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the playschool Good and found safeguarding effective. The improvement point concerned staff supervision and how clearly it identified individual professional development needs. That distinction matters: families have a positive overall judgement to weigh alongside a specific management priority.

Based at Godinton Village Hall in Ashford, the playschool has 30 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months. Half-day and full-day attendance follow a term-time calendar.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care, covering areas such as communication, physical development and early mathematics. Here, play, staff observations and planned activities are used together to identify children's next learning steps. Arts and crafts, science experiments, songs and messy play give children different ways to explore those areas.

The hall is divided into sections for learning. Its pack-away arrangement means resources can be changed and their level of challenge reconsidered; the practical question is how that layout works for a particular child.

Good Morning Circle Time brings children together to discuss the day, season and weather and look at the activities prepared for them. Later group games, stories and singing practise listening and taking turns. Free play runs alongside observations and adult-led activities, with opportunities to explore both the hall and garden. Children also help put resources away before lunch and towards the end of the day, giving them a role in the routine.

In November 2023, craft activities prompted sustained attention and conversations between children and staff. Songs included demonstrated actions, helping children participate while practising listening. These examples make the learning model tangible: conversation and movement accompanied play, rather than sitting apart from it.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area sits behind the hall and is used for everyday play. In November 2023, children watched for a squirrel and recorded sightings, while puddles prompted discussions about how they formed. These were small, immediate opportunities to investigate the natural world.

During that same month, gymnastics, yoga and an obstacle course added physical experiences to the day. Children practised warming up and noticed their heart rate, connecting movement with an understanding of their bodies. The emphasis was on taking part and learning through activity.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person with particular responsibility for their care. That gives families a clear relationship around their child's needs, while observations inform the activities and learning goals chosen for them. The approach links familiarity with planning, rather than treating care and learning as separate tasks.

In November 2023, staff shared ideas with parents for supporting learning at home. Bongo the Bear, a take-home companion whose adventures children recorded, supplied a concrete link between family life and playschool. A lending library also let children choose stories to borrow, extending access to books beyond the session.

Independence was practised through ordinary tasks that month: children managed coats and shoes and cleaned their faces after eating. The kindness tree displayed children's accounts of considerate actions by their friends. It gave kindness a visible place in the group, using examples children could recognise.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were supported well, with sign-language training helping staff support communication and children who had started without speech becoming confident communicators. This is a dated finding about practice and progress, rather than a blanket promise about any child's experience.

The current team includes SENCo responsibilities and designated safeguarding roles. These provide identified responsibilities for additional needs and safeguarding arrangements; they sit alongside the individual key-person relationship.

Snacks are supplied by the playschool, while families provide a packed lunch and drink for children staying for a full session. The playschool promotes healthy lunchbox choices and publishes a nut-free policy; milk and water are its provided drinks.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Godinton Village Hall, Loudon Way, Ashford TN23 3JJ. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email through the playschool's contact details.

Opening hours are 9am to 2pm, Monday to Friday. The Half Day runs from 9am to noon, while the Full Day continues from 9am to 2pm. The daily timetable also identifies morning and afternoon portions, with lunch between them.

Attendance is term-time only. Funding follows a 38-week calendar based on the KCC Calendar, and the playschool warns that its dates can differ from those of local schools. Families coordinating siblings therefore need to compare the actual calendars, rather than assume that all holidays align.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid sessions are offered. Funding includes Free For Two Funding, Working Parent Entitlement for 2yr olds, and the stated 15 Hours Funding and 30 Hours Funding for 3yrs & 4yrs. The working-parent offer for two-year-olds also lists 15 and 30 hours, with the stated maximum of 25 hours per week applying to the 30-hour offers.

Entitlement is delivered during the Half Day and Full Day session windows on the term-time calendar. That makes the attendance pattern as important as the entitlement itself: a 30-hour entitlement does not translate into 30 hours of attendance here.

There is no additional consumables charge, including within the funded-session terms. Packed lunches remain the family's responsibility, alongside the snacks supplied by the setting. Current prices come in the playschool's written quotation.

• The pack-away hall. Learning takes place in sections of a shared hall, with resources reconsidered as the environment is arranged. On a visit, ask how quieter activities and individual support work alongside busier play.
• Term-time hours and funding. Half Day and Full Day sessions finish at noon and 2pm respectively, and the 30-hour funding offers carry a maximum of 25 hours per week here. Match the session windows and holiday calendar to your family's care requirements.
• Staff development. In November 2023, supervision did not pinpoint individual development needs effectively enough. Ask how supervision now identifies and follows through on training priorities.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Families supply lunch for a full session, and the playschool publishes a nut-free policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements before joining.

Godinton's appeal lies in a shared hall and garden, a clear daily rhythm and practical links between home and playschool. The lending library, Bongo the Bear and kindness tree gave its November 2023 daily life recognisable detail, while the current key-person arrangement provides a defined relationship for families.

It suits families choosing between a morning-length Half Day and a Full Day ending at 2pm, with care organised around term time. The Good judgement is useful context, and the staff-development improvement point deserves a direct conversation. The decision turns on whether the pack-away environment, session windows and calendar fit the child and family.