Hop Skip and Jump Preschool

Hop Skip and Jump Preschool is a term-time sessional setting for children aged two to five at East Croydon United Reform Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon. Ofsted judged it Good in October 2024, with effective safeguarding and Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership.

The clearest character comes from purposeful play. Children made stories around a doll’s house and developed coordination with wheeled toys and balls in the large hall. Staff linked familiar play to communication, early number and physical confidence. That gives this preschool a coherent educational character rather than a list of disconnected activities, with imagination, movement and persistence reinforcing one another across the session.

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the provision: practitioners use play, routines and observation to develop communication, physical skills, personal development, literacy and early mathematics rather than teaching a school-style timetable. In October 2024, regular assessment helped staff plan opportunities around children’s skills and interests.

Literacy and mathematics had tangible forms. Daily stories were extended through a lending library of story sacks for families, while counting candles on pretend dough cakes brought number into play. Nature walks and local outings supported physical development, and dough work strengthened hands and fingers for later writing. Children also played catch and aimed balls into buckets, linking energetic movement to hand-eye coordination. These observations matter because they show a day that balanced quieter language work with large-scale movement.

Children were happy, engaged and secure at the October 2024 inspection. Staff modelled calm behaviour, made expectations clear and helped children negotiate and share. Children could talk together while rearranging the doll’s house and creating their own small-world stories, so communication and cooperation grew through self-chosen play rather than adult-led drills. Snack time was social: adults sat with children, discussed healthy choices and reinforced handwashing.

Support for children with suspected delays or special educational needs was responsive at that visit. Staff monitored progress, sought resources and professional advice, and directed families towards outside support. Ofsted found the safeguarding arrangements effective in October 2024.

Parents told the inspector that staff were welcoming and that their children were progressing well. Leaders also supported families through workshops on cookery and the early years framework, giving parents practical ways to understand and extend learning at home.

The key-worker system supported transitions into the setting. The inspection identified one important weakness. Staff needed to gather fuller information from parents when a child starts, so the child’s existing development and interests can shape planning from the outset.

The preschool is at East Croydon United Reform Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP. It operates during term time and closes for school holidays. The register record gives weekday opening hours of 9.30am to 3.30pm and records full-day provision. Families therefore have a clear six-hour operating window across the working week, although the precise attendance agreement still matters for planning.

• Starting-point information. Ofsted asked the preschool to improve what it gathers from parents when children join. Families should discuss how interests, routines and development will be recorded before the first session. A richer starting picture would help practitioners make early activities more personally relevant.
• Attendance pattern. The setting is sessional and term-time only, while its opening window runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Families should establish the bookable pattern and whether it fits work and childcare arrangements.
• Food and day-to-day supplies. Snack-time practice featured positively in the inspection. Families should ask how snacks are arranged and what non-food consumables they need to provide. This matters for both daily packing and family budgeting.

Hop Skip and Jump Preschool’s strongest evidence is in its play: story sacks connect home and setting, number emerges naturally in dough play, and the hall gives children varied ways to move, imagine and cooperate. The October 2024 Good judgement supports that positive picture, while the weakness in gathering starting-point information is specific and relevant.

This setting best suits families seeking term-time preschool provision within a 9.30am to 3.30pm weekday window, whether they hope to arrange whole-window attendance or shorter sessions. This narrower, term-time model will appeal most where holiday cover is arranged separately.