Inspection Report - Caledon Playgroup, Caledon

Caledon Playgroup, Caledon

DE Ref No 5AB-0238

Inspection Report - June 2026

Caledon Playgroup is situated in Caledon Village and provides 23 part-time places for pre-school children in one morning session.
The playgroup’s vision prioritises the children’s wellbeing in a “nurturing and inclusive environment where every child is valued, supported and encouraged to thrive”.
There has been consultation with the management committee and parents to inform the playgroup’s development plan priorities. The agreed priorities focus on improving the children’s early language and communication skills and developing the home corner to support better the children’s imaginative play.
There are appropriate opportunities for staff professional learning, aligned to the identified priority areas. The staff share newly acquired strategies to provide consistent and impactful learning experiences for all of the children. Recent training in planning, observation and assessment in particular has had a significant and positive impact on the provision and the staff’s confidence.
Staff place a high value on the collegial and collaborative approach to working together, through which a culture of reflection and self-evaluation is well embedded.
There is a comprehensive and highly effective cyclical approach to planning, observation and assessment, which is impacting positively on the children’s learning and development.
Long- and medium- term planning is detailed and aligns well to all areas of the pre-school education curriculum. Planning for the use of resources and key language development are clear. Consequently, the staff model language consistently, reinforcing new words to the children. Staff interactions are responsive and purposeful with the children and support effectively the development of the children’s thinking and problem-solving skills.
The bright and attractive learning environment is thoughtfully arranged with stimulating, well-resourced play areas which promote and develop the children’s curiosity, independence and creativity. Recent improvements to the home corner have resulted in a more inviting space, and an increased range of natural resources supports sustained engagement in imaginative play.
Personal, Social and Emotional development is given appropriate priority by the staff and is impacting positively on the children’s wellbeing. Children are supported and encouraged to recognise, discuss and express their feelings through the effective use of emotion cards and feelings posters. They use the sensory room, both supported by staff and independently, to help manage their emotions. A small number of policies require updating to reflect better the policy guidance, including the intimate care policy.
The children are happy and have well-developed independence and social skills. They serve their own snack and tidy up efficiently. There are high levels of collaborative play, with children actively seeking to include one another during play.
There are planned and incidental opportunities to develop the children’s mathematical language. The children use prepositional language well to describe the the position of objects during sand play and show interest in early measuring activities using tools such as measuring tapes to compare the length of different objects.
The children’s artwork is proudly displayed on the ‘we learnt, we grew’ noticeboard. There is evident progress between the children’s self-portraits, drawn at the beginning of the year and those completed recently.
The children’s imagination is developed across a number of play areas where they have the opportunity to role-play. They order pizzas, cook meals, pack suitcases for holidays and build and drive their tractors to go to work. The children can explain their choices and preferences with confidence.
Opportunities for the development of children’s gross motor skills are currently limited, and provision for outdoor play is at an early stage of development. This aspect of provision requires further review and development to support progression in the children’s learning across the six areas of the pre-school education curriculum.
The staff support well the children’s language development. The children are encouraged by the staff to talk about books which are placed strategically across all areas of play. The children’s love of reading is further developed through the monthly visits to the mobile library and planned visits from staff at the local primary schools to read to the children and support their transitions. Consequently, the children speak excitedly about going to their new school.
The parents are actively engaged in the Department of Education’s ‘Getting Ready to Learn’ and the ‘Big Bedtime Read’. The parents’ evaluations of the programme are wholly positive, and the children’s enjoyment of books is visible in the photos shared by the parents. This has resulted in continuity and connection between home and the playgroup in developing the children’s love of books and reading.
The staff use stickers such as “I helped an adult” to reward the children’s positive behaviour, while also informing parents of their child’s achievements, encouraging recognition and supporting further discussion at home.
The support for children with special educational needs is developing well; the staff know the individual needs of each child, respond promptly, and adapt the provision appropriately. They work closely with parents to support them in accessing relevant services for their child, particularly when English is not the parent’s first language.
During the inspection, the children participated in their Graduation ceremony which was well attended by parents. The staff shared a short, personalised report for each child outlining their achievements and progress, which all of the parents collectively celebrated.
The playgroup has a strong commitment to community engagement and partnership working, providing rich learning opportunities for the children and their families. Participation in local events such as the Christmas tree celebrations and Caledon in Bloom flower show connects the children to their community and enhances their sense of belonging.
At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the school demonstrates that the arrangements for child protection do not align sufficiently to the current statutory guidance.
The actions to take this work forward include: the necessary child protection training (for some staff and members of the management committee) to be completed, as set out in the DE statutory guidance; and review and update the child protection policy so the procedures for recording child protection concerns and record keeping align to the current statutory guidance.
A child protection progress inspection will take place within six working weeks.

Next steps

The staff in Caledon Playgroup work effectively as a team. They have high expectations for the children and work collaboratively to ensure that every child is valued, supported and encouraged to thrive.

ETI will continue to work with Caledon Playgroup as it addresses the area for action identified by the staff, namely, to develop further the provision for outdoor play to support progression in the children’s learning across the pre-school education curriculum. There will be a six-week progress inspection for child protection.

Inspectors identified an aspect of highly effective practice from which others may learn. The aspect of practice which should be shared more widely is: the coherent and connected approach to the planning, observation and assessment cycle.