Soham Playgroup

Home visits, familiar objects and time to settle gave Soham Playgroup a personal starting point in April 2025. Children built up their attendance gradually, while staff used knowledge of their interests and abilities to plan learning from the outset. The emphasis was on helping children feel comfortable enough to take part.

Ofsted rated the playgroup Good on 24 April 2025 and judged safeguarding effective. It has capacity for 25 children; those attending at the inspection were aged two to four.

In April 2025, children practised independence through everyday tasks: finding belongings, dressing themselves and opening food packets. Choosing their own play gave them another opportunity to make decisions. These were practical steps towards managing more of the school day themselves.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the April 2025 activities included books, songs and rhymes, alongside conversations about pictures. Books were displayed for children to select, giving them a direct part in deciding what to read.

Outdoor choice mattered too. In April 2025, children could move between play inside and outside, with climbing, balancing and construction among the outdoor activities. Learning also included religions, cultural celebrations and differences between families, bringing children's own home experiences into discussion.

In April 2025, home visits helped staff get to know families before children started. Familiar possessions supported conversation and confidence, while gradual attendance gave relationships time to develop. Staff used consistent expectations and close interaction to help children manage their behaviour.

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children learning English as an additional language progressed quickly through staff conversation and clear repetition, and that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received extra help with school transition, including photograph books of their new surroundings.

Story sacks and chatter bags extended language activities into family life in April 2025. Staff also gave parents guidance for continuing learning at home. For school transition, visiting school staff met children and received information about their development, creating continuity between settings rather than leaving preparation to the final day.

The address is St. Andrews C of E Junior School, Sand Street, Soham, ELY, CB7 5AA.

In April 2025, opening hours were 8.45am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. That timetable made the playgroup relevant to families organising childcare around school terms. At the same date, it offered government-funded early education to eligible children.

• Teaching development. In April 2025, training needed a closer match to the areas where teaching could improve. This is a useful subject for discussion when weighing the educational offer.
• A gradual start. April 2025 settling arrangements combined home visits with increasing time at the setting. Families should consider how that approach fits their child's needs and their own commitments.
• Term-time planning. The April 2025 timetable covered weekdays during school terms. What attendance arrangements and funded-place terms would apply to your child now?

Soham Playgroup suits families who value a gradual introduction, practical independence and learning that continues at home. Its April 2025 term-time timetable is especially relevant to parents planning around school terms. The Good judgement supports that picture, balanced by a clear need to make staff training more precise.