URN 101655 · Inspected 2026-05-19 · Published 2026-07-01 · Inspector: Victoria Nicolson
Duke of Gloucester Playgroup Unique reference number (URN): 101655 Address: 29 Reg RLC, Duke of Gloucester Barracks, South Cernery, Cirencester, GL7 5RD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 12/05/1997 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Duke of Gloucester Barracks Playgroup Committee Inspection report: 19 May 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Safeguarding standards met The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Expected standard Needs attention Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders and staff prioritise the safety and welfare of all children. They implement procedures to ensure that the setting is safe and secure. Staff help children to learn to keep themselves safe as they go on outings. For instance, on their walks, they talk to children about road safety. Children generally demonstrate confidence in keeping themselves safe when they are out walking. They hold hands with their partners and show an awareness of any vehicles on their route. Children benefit from exploring their surroundings. For instance, they enjoy walks to their natural wooded area and to the pitch to take part in large-group physical games. Typically leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers to gather information about their children before they start attending the setting. This helps them to understand children's routines and care needs. Staff follow children's routines. They recognise when children are becoming tired or when they need a snack. Leaders and staff promote healthy lifestyles through planned activities where they learn about oral health and healthy eating. Children enjoy being physically active and benefit from fresh air and exercise. Staff implement clear daily routines to help children to develop positive hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before meals. In addition, leaders work in partnership with parents to ensure that the food provided supports children's health and wellbeing. Achievement Needs attention Weaknesses in how the curriculum is designed and the inconsistency in teaching mean that children's learning and progress are variable throughout the setting. Some children make progress in the learning and develop the skills they need for their next stage, including moving on to school. For instance, they confidently match numbers to quantities, displaying an understanding of mathematical concepts. However, this is not consistent. Some children, including those who face barriers to their learning, do not receive the support that they need. For instance, some children struggle with their communication and language skills. Although this is identified, children do not benefit from support put in place swiftly enough to reduce gaps in their learning. This impacts on children's engagement in learning. Despite these inconsistencies, children are polite, confident and friendly. Older children demonstrate positive behaviours, such as listening attentively and following instructions. They willingly take responsibility for tasks, such as tidying away resources and sitting appropriately during group activities. Younger children form secure attachments with staff, which support their sense of safety and wellbeing. They are beginning to build relationships with their peers, developing their social skills. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention The expectations for children's behaviour are not consistently understood or reinforced by all staff across the setting. As a result, children receive mixed messages about what is expected of them. This impacts on their ability to understand and manage their own behaviour effectively. Staff do not understand how to support and redirect children when there are incidents of poor behaviour. For example, they do not remind children of the boundaries or explain why certain behaviours are not acceptable. Consequently, children, including those who face barriers to their learning, do not receive the necessary support to recognise and regulate their feelings and follow instructions. At times, this impacts on younger children's engagement in learning. Children form secure and trusting relationships with their key person and the wider staff team. They demonstrate that they feel safe and emotionally supported in the setting. Younger children confidently seek help from staff with tasks, such as opening their drinks or using the bathroom. This shows that they rely on staff, who respond sensitively to their needs. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to offer flexibility where needed. This helps to ensure that children can access sessions consistently. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention The curriculum is not well designed to consider what children need to learn and extend their learning further. Currently, the curriculum focuses on routines and activities rather than what leaders and staff want children to learn. In addition to this, staff's interactions and teaching are inconsistent throughout the setting. Some staff understand what they want children to learn and engage well with children, inspiring them to engage in learning. Whereas, other staff do not have an accurate understanding of what children need to learn next or how they will go about supporting that learning. Leaders do not monitor how well staff implement the curriculum effectively, and this impacts children's education and experiences. Staff do not ensure that the curriculum is inclusive to all children. For instance, some children who face barriers to their learning do not have support or strategies to help them to make the progress of which they are capable. There has been a focus on promoting children's communication and language through a recent project leaders have taken part in. However, not all staff consistently implement these strategies. This means the support for children's language and communication development is variable. Inclusion Needs attention Leaders and staff identify when children have barriers to their learning, including special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders work with parents and carers and professionals to put plans in place with targets to promote some children's learning. However, this practice is not consistently applied across the setting. As a result, not all children benefit from well-coordinated or targeted support. For example, some children who experience difficulties in communicating their needs do not benefit from clear or consistent strategies from staff. This limits children's ability to fully engage in their learning and close gaps in their development. Leaders trust that staff provide appropriate support for children but do not ensure that this is being implemented. Furthermore, staff do not use information gathered from assessment reliably to inform timely discussions with parents. This reduces the effectiveness of early intervention. Leaders show a positive commitment to recognising and valuing diversity within the setting. They actively seek information from parents about their cultural backgrounds and celebrations. Staff use this information to plan activities and events that reflect and celebrate children's unique identities. This helps to promote inclusion and a sense of belonging. Leadership and governance Needs attention There have been recent changes to the leadership team within the setting. Leaders have identified key areas for development, including developing their curriculum. However, as these changes have been very recent, they have not yet started to make the necessary improvements. As a result, there is inconsistency in the quality of education that children receive. Furthermore, leaders do not use supervision and support effectively to improve the quality of teaching or to ensure that all staff consistently understand and implement procedures. Particularly in relation to supporting children who have barriers to their learning and in managing children's behaviour. This leads to children receiving inconsistent messages about what is expected of them and some children not receiving the targeted support that they need to learn. Staff say that they are well supported by leaders and have access to training. Although, this is not targeted to focus on making the improvements that are needed to raise the quality to be consistent throughout the setting. Children are happy and have secure relationships with the staff caring for them. Parents and carers report that they are happy with the care that their children receive. They feel that staff communicate with them well about their children's care and learning through regular meetings and daily updates. Parents say that the staff are caring and supportive to the needs of their families. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Children's experiences across the setting are inconsistent. Those children who face barriers to their learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not consistently receive the support they need to help them to make progress in their learning. While some children benefit from targeted help, this is not the case for all children. As a result, some children struggle to follow instructions and join in with activities. Furthermore, some staff are not confident or consistent in the procedures to follow. For instance, some staff do not support children to understand the expectations for their behaviour or to manage their feelings appropriately. At times, they give children mixed messages, and they struggle to implement boundaries. This confuses children and does not support them to understand what behaviour is expected of them. Despite these weaknesses, children arrive at the setting happy and confident. They separate from their parents and carers with ease and quickly settle into play. Staff are welcoming, nurturing and build secure attachments with children. They work closely with parents to ensure that children feel safe and emotionally supported. For instance, staff work with parents to make sure children are greeted by staff. Children have a bond with staff when they are struggling to settle. They enjoy taking part in events that include their families, such as visiting the cinema to celebrate special occasions. Children make some progress in their learning and enjoy exploring the environment. They settle into group games, such as playing with the parachute, and focus as they complete puzzles together. However, the activities planned by staff often lack the focus needed to Inspector: Victoria Nicolson About this setting inspire children's learning. As a result, children are not consistently supported to make the progress of which they are capable. Next steps To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date implement consistent strategies to manage children's behaviour in an appropriate way, to promote positive play and to set clear expectations 04/06/2026 strengthen the support in place for children with barriers to their learning to help them make better progress from their individual starting points 04/06/2026 provide effective supervision sessions and support for leaders and staff to raise the quality of education consistently throughout the setting 18/06/2026 develop and implement a broad curriculum that meets the needs of all children, taking account of their individual needs, interests and stages of development. 18/06/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke to managers, staff, parents and carers, children and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Unique reference number (URN): 101655 Address: 29 Reg RLC, Duke of Gloucester Barracks South Cernery Cirencester GL7 5RD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 12/05/1997 Registered person: Duke of Gloucester Barracks Playgroup Committee Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 17:30,Friday : 08:00 - 16:00 Local authority: Gloucestershire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 19 May 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 Total number of places 44 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. 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