Sedgeberrow Playgroup

Sedgeberrow Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Sedgeberrow Playgroup

Unique Reference Number 205261 Inspection date 23 May 2006 Inspector Valerie Fane

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Sedgeberrow Playgroup

Setting Address The Betteridge Rooms, Main Street, Sedgebarrow, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 7UE Telephone number 07890833153

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E-mail

Registered person Sedgeberrow Playgroup Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Sedgeberrow Playgroup is a committee-run group that was registered in 1988. It operates from the Betteridge Rooms attached to Sedgeberrow C of E First School. The playgroup serves the village of Sedgeberrow and the surrounding area. The nursery is open from 09:00 to 11:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with a lunch club from 11:30 to 13:00 on Monday and Tuesday during school term times. There are currently 25 children on roll. Of these 14 children receive

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with special educational needs.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Three staff work with the children. Two have appropriate Level 3 qualifications. The nursery receives support from a mentor teacher from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children develop their understanding of good hygiene routines as they become increasingly independent in their use of the toilet and hand washing facilities. They are protected from cross infection because the playgroup has a clear policy not to accept children who are unwell, and this is included in the parent handbook. They receive good care in the event of an accident because staff have current first aid certificates and keep detailed records of any accidents that occur; ensuring that these are signed by parents. Children learn about the principles of healthy eating because they have snacks of milk and either fruit or plain biscuits each morning. Their learning is reinforced and they are encouraged to try different foods through various topics. For example, when looking at colours they use fruit or vegetables of the relevant colour for printing and then taste the fruit at snack time. When looking at nursery rhymes, such as 'Little

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Helping children to be healthy

Miss Muffett', they make spider buns using bread rolls, carrot sticks for legs and tomatoes for eyes and children who do not normally eat sandwiches eat the roll with enthusiasm. Children bring a lunch box from home if they are staying to lunch club and parents are encouraged to ensure that food is stored correctly by supplying an ice pack. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. They play outside for part of each morning and also have a physical activity available indoors throughout the morning. They develop climbing skills on the indoor climbing frame and staff provide appropriate support for younger or less able children when necessary. Outside they use a wide range of wheeled toys that provides appropriate challenge to children of all ages and abilities. They improve their control of their bodies as they learn to steer bikes around the parking cones. They occasionally enjoy the challenges provided by

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Helping children to be healthy

the school adventure playground where they develop further climbing and balancing skills on a wide range of equipment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children receive care in a safe and secure environment where risks are identified and minimised. Staff keep a brief written risk assessment but they have a very responsible attitude to children's safety and are continually assessing the risks in different situations as they work. Children are secure at the beginning and end of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 each session because a member of staff stands on the door until all children have arrived and then ensures that it is securely locked. If they are to be collected by someone different at the end of the morning, their parent completes a permission slip to that effect. Children learn to keep themselves safe in the playgroup. They know that they must open the doors and windows of the play house carefully in case another child is behind them. They know that they must walk carefully near the sand tray because the sand makes the floor slippery. Children make connections between safety at home and at playgroup: when they are role playing they know that the hot iron would burn the baby. Children learn how to respond in an emergency because they practise the evacuation procedures each half term, but staff do not meet the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

requirements of the Fire Officer because they do not keep a written record of the practices. This compromises children's safety. Children use a good range of high quality equipment that is maintained in good condition and is regularly updated. They self-select from the range put out by staff each morning and they know that they can ask for different toys from the big storage cupboards. Smaller toys such as play dough tools are stored in a low-level drawer unit and children help themselves to these as required. Children's well-being is safeguarded because staff have a clear understanding of child protection issues and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. Children begin to understand how to protect themselves as they develop confidence to speak up for themselves and also learn about the dangers of talking to strangers or going in their cars.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children generally come into playgroup enthusiastically and settle well. They develop good relationships with staff and talk confidently to them. The younger children benefit from an interesting range of activities linked to the 'Birth to three matters' framework that provides them with a wide range of learning experiences. They enjoy handling the new play dough and explore its texture and smell as they add lavender essence. They improve their hand control as they use a range of different tools to manipulate the play dough, with support from staff to use the more complicated tools. They enjoy looking at books on their own or with an adult and listening to group stories in the comfortable and attractively presented book corner. They develop imagination and creativity as they experiment with marble painting and take part in sustained role play in the home corner. Nursery Education

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children benefit from the interesting range of planned activities that covers all aspects of the six areas of learning and the excellent input that they receive from the knowledgeable and experienced staff. Staff make good use of questioning and spontaneous learning opportunities and provide appropriate challenges to enable all children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. The progress of the older children is recorded on the school transfer documents and staff make continuous informal observations of their learning

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 and development. They are in the process of devising an assessment and recording system for the younger children in the Foundation Stage and the two-year-olds. Staff evaluate planned activities and use the evaluations to inform future planning. Children at times show sustained concentration and involvement in activities. They help a member of staff to make a new batch of play dough. They use their sense of sight and touch to explore the ingredients and describe them using adjectives such as 'soggy'. They count the number of cups of flour and develop their hand control as they pour the flour carefully into the cup and then into the saucepan and help to mix in the water. While they wait for the play dough to cook they experiment with mark making in the flour spilt on the table; drawing interesting patterns. They explore the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

texture of the warm play dough, knead it thoroughly and self-select tools from the drawers to use. They make models with hair and staff help them to extend their mathematical vocabulary by asking which model has long hair and which has short hair. Children develop their awareness of modern technology as they take photographs with the digital camera and print them out. They take photographs of each other with a visiting rabbit and take them home to share with their parents. They begin to understand the purpose of writing as they make other sets of pictures into a big book and label it 'We can make houses'. They mount pictures of the models of different village buildings that they have designed and made. Children develop their social skills as they learn to take turns with different activities and to share ideas at circle time. They develop some degree of independence as they take off and put on clothes

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

but they have few opportunities to develop self-help skills through everyday routines such as snack time. Children enjoy experimenting with musical instruments. They extend their vocabulary as staff help them to recall the names of the different instruments such as xylophone and maracas and explore the different sounds they make. The older children begin to understand the link between written music and sounds as they pick out a tune on the xylophone from the music book using the colour coding to help them 'read' the music.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children become aware of our wider society because they play with a selection of toys such as dolls, books and musical instruments to support their awareness. They learn about other cultures as they celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year through cooking rice and noodles. Children behave very well in the playgroup. They learn to think about the consequences of their actions as staff ask them what would happen if they beat the drumstick on the glass door. The older children have learnt to be considerate of the younger ones in their play. Children respond to gentle reminders of the rules of the group, the firm boundaries and the clear expectations of their behaviour. Staff reinforce children's good behaviour through well-deserved praise, for example at circle time they praise children who have been particularly helpful when

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Helping children make a positive contribution

tidying up the toys. The playgroup has a clear behaviour policy and staff only use

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 physical restraint when a child is at risk of hurting themselves or others, but they do not keep a written record of any such occasions. This compromises children's care. Children's care is enhanced because staff develop very good relationships with their parents and get to know children and their families well. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's care because they are invited to help out in the playgroup on a parents' rota and they are encouraged to join the parents' committee that is responsible for the running of the playgroup. Parents are aware of the playgroup's complaints procedure but staff do not maintain a log of any complaints that are made against the group. Children with particular needs receive good care because staff work closely with parents and seek their permission to obtain help from outside

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Helping children make a positive contribution

agencies, such as speech therapists. Staff follow the code of practice for children with special educational needs and use advice from the agencies to support their individual education plans for these children. The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is satisfactory. Children gain some benefit because parents receive a brief outline of the six areas of learning in the foundation stage and verbal information about their child's progress. However, children do not benefit from parental involvement in their learning at home because staff do not provide detailed information about what children are doing in playgroup or ideas for parents to follow up at home with their child.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children settle happily in the well-organised group where they quickly become familiar with the daily routines. Their welfare is safeguarded in some respects because staff obtain all required information and consents from their parents before they attend the playgroup. The manager is also aware of the requirement to notify Ofsted of significant event or changes. The playgroup is run by a management committee of parents. Although all members of the current committee have undergone current Criminal Records Bureau checks, they have not completed the appropriate forms to enable Ofsted to assess their suitability for their positions. Consequently children's welfare is not fully protected. Leadership and management is satisfactory. The manager works closely with a long-standing colleague and another member of staff appointed recently to provide adequate staffing for the younger children in the group. They work together extremely

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Organisation

well as a team and the children benefit greatly from their expertise, experience and commitment to attend regular training to update and improve their practice. The manager has a clear vision for the provision of the nursery education and is constantly looking for new ways to extend the opportunities that they provide for the children in their care. However, the committee are not fully aware of their responsibility to monitor the quality of the nursery education provided by the group. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the playgroup was required to devise or update various policies and procedures and to maintain a list of staff and committee member details. It was recommended to carry out a risk assessment of the premises, maintain space ratios at all times and ensure that all committee members are suitably vetted. With regard to nursery education the playgroup was recommended to develop planning, assessment and evaluation of activities and develop the information given to parents about the Foundation Stage and about their child's progress. Children are safeguarded because all required policies and procedures are now in place and are made known to parents through the playgroup welcome booklet. Space ratios are maintained because the group uses the entrance lobby for messy play such as the water tray to provide additional space. Risk assessments for the premises and outdoor areas are now in place, but do not have a review date

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Improvements since the last inspection

included. The committee members all hold Criminal Records Bureau checks but they have not been made known to Ofsted for us to complete suitability checks so a further recommendation has been set. Children benefit from their parents' involvement in their learning because parents now receive an outline of the six areas of learning and information about how their child's progress is monitored and recorded and they receive regular informal updates about their progress. However, they receive limited additional information so a further recommendation has been set.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that Ofsted is informed of all new committee members and that they submit to the required vetting procedures • improve children's safety by complying with the requirements of the Fire Officer to maintain written records of fire practices • maintain a log of any complaints made • record any occasions when staff have to use physical restraint and obtain the signature of the child's parent or carer to confirm that they have been notified.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve opportunities for children to develop self-help skills through daily routines • ensure that the committee is fully aware of its responsibility to monitor the quality of the nursery education provided by the staff • provide information for parents about ways they can be involved at home in their child's nursery education.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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