Cornerstones Pre-School

Makaton signs, a home visit from the key person and practical steps towards independence give Cornerstones Pre-School its character. Based at Pound Close Youth and Community Centre in Hoddesdon, it takes children from age 2 until they start Reception and has 40 places in total. The emphasis is on knowing each child and making communication accessible, rather than treating preparation for school as an exercise in sitting still.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Cornerstones Good overall and found safeguarding effective. There were clear strengths in relationships and individual support, alongside work to do on the consistency of teaching interactions and helping children handle disagreements during play.

This is a term-time setting, with opening hours running into the afternoon from Monday to Thursday and finishing earlier on Friday. Its practical appeal rests on that shorter-day rhythm, funded childcare and a detailed system for involving parents when children need additional support.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, relationships and independence through play and everyday routines. Here, its social side includes listening to instructions, considering other people’s feelings and learning to take turns. Those are useful foundations for joining a group, sharing materials and making friends.

Makaton signs support communication, with signs and symbols displayed around the setting and reference materials used to find words for individual children. A visual timetable combines children’s pictures with descriptions. Together, these give children ways to understand what is happening and express themselves beyond spoken language alone.

The weekly topic also connects stories, vocabulary and signing. In the week beginning 6 July 2026, Summer and the Seaside brought together the book You Can Swim Jim, words such as goggles and pretending, and signs for seaside objects and activities. Families were invited to contribute relevant books or objects. That is a concrete example of how a shared theme can link language work with something children recognise.

In April 2024, activities were adjusted within the same experience: some children practised the opening letters of their names in flour, while younger children explored its texture and talked about their marks. The material stayed the same; the task changed. This matters for a mixed developmental group, where children can participate together while working on different skills.

Outdoor and Community Life

A level outdoor area sits alongside a building with no stairs, double doors and resources positioned within children’s reach. Those physical arrangements matter for children using mobility equipment and for families bringing double buggies, as well as supporting children’s independent access to play materials.

In April 2024, physical play took place indoors and in a secure outdoor area, with children comparing their heart rates around exercise and discussing its effects on their bodies. Football sessions took place fortnightly, and a petting zoo visited regularly. These were practical opportunities to connect movement, conversation and new experiences, rather than learning only through adult-led group time.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who helps with settling, plans learning and supports parents with development at home. Before the child starts, a home visit involves the key person and another member of staff, while an All About Me sheet gathers information about the child’s needs. Familiarity begins before the first session.

For children needing additional support, the key person and SENCo develop an Action Plan, share it with staff and review progress with parents. Speech and language therapists, the local Children’s Centre and healthcare professionals can contribute strategies, which are then passed to the wider team. The benefit is a shared plan: support does not depend solely on one adult remembering an informal conversation.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that targeted support helped children make good progress, while identifying a need for more consistently purposeful staff interactions and better support for sharing resources and resolving conflict. Both sides matter when assessing the Good judgement: individual needs were recognised, but the quality of everyday teaching still needed greater consistency.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Operation Encompass is a national scheme through which police share information with educational settings after a child experiences domestic abuse. Trained safeguarding leads at Cornerstones use these confidential notifications to support children in their care. This describes a specific support mechanism, rather than a general promise about children’s safety.

Allergies are documented and communicated to staff. Medication records are reviewed with parents, and urgent medication is stored where adults can reach it quickly while children cannot; medical training is sought when a child needs an Epipen. These arrangements make the handling of individual health needs part of the support plan.

In April 2024, six childcare staff were employed, four with early years qualifications at level 3 or above. Children also practised independence through serving snacks and drinks and taking helper roles during group activities. These small responsibilities gave them opportunities to contribute to the day themselves.

Moving on is planned through contact with the receiving setting and an invitation for its staff to visit the child at Cornerstones. The key person discusses development and any additional-needs Action Plan, helping the next setting understand the child’s support before the move.

Sessions and Attendance

Cornerstones opens from 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 9am to 1pm on Friday. It operates during term time and closes for school holidays. Those hours suit families whose childcare needs fit a school-term calendar, but the holiday closure is a significant part of the arrangement.

Enquiries can be made by email or telephone, with telephone contact during term time. The address is Pound Close Youth and Community Centre, Stanstead Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 0PE.

Funding and Paid Extras

Cornerstones offers Working parent entitlement, Two Year Old Funding and Universal Funding. Its working-parent offer is 28 hours for eligible children from age 2; Universal Funding provides 15 hours from the term after a child turns 3. Eligibility conditions apply, and families using working-parent funding must obtain a code and apply in the term before their child is due to start.

Additional hours and attendance for children without funded entitlement are paid privately. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, while the funding and fees information explains the charge structure.

For snacks, families can make a voluntary contribution or send a named snack that follows the Healthy Eating Policy; families also supply a named bottle containing water. Funded entitlement excludes meals, nappies, additional hours and extra activities such as trips, so funded hours and these other items need to be kept separate when planning attendance costs.

• Teaching consistency. The April 2024 improvement priorities concerned staff interactions and helping children share resources and manage disagreements. On a visit, ask how coaching now supports these everyday moments.
• Term-time hours. Friday closes at 1pm, and school holidays are outside the opening calendar. Consider how those boundaries fit work and other care arrangements.
• A working-parent offer of 28 hours. Cornerstones takes children from age 2 and offers 28 funded hours under this entitlement. Ask how those hours would fit the attendance pattern you need.
• Individual health needs. Allergies are recorded and staff are informed, with arrangements for urgent medication. Families affected by allergies should confirm current snack and medication practice before joining.

Cornerstones suits families seeking term-time care from age 2 until Reception, with daytime opening that finishes earlier on Friday. Makaton, the key-person home visit and shared Action Plans give its approach practical substance, especially for parents who value close involvement in communication and additional support.

The Good judgement in April 2024 provides a positive inspection position with clear qualifications. The decision should turn on whether the hours fit family life and how the setting has addressed the consistency of interactions and support during shared play.