The Vine Playgroup

The Vine Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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500211 Unique Reference Number 27 February 2007 Inspection date Carole, Jean Bell Inspector

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St Chads Parish Church, Hazeldene Road, New Moston, Manchester, M40 3GL

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E-mail

Kath O`Hara Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of 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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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 good. 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Vine Playgroup first opened in 1987, and moved to its current premises in 1997. It operates from two rooms in the parish hall of St Chad's Church in the New Moston area of Manchester. A maximum of 25 children may attend the playgroup at any one time. The playgroup serves the needs of local families.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The playgroup is open term-time only, every weekday from 09.30 until 12.00 and from 12.30 until 15.00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 27 children aged two and three years on roll. Of these, nine children receive funding for nursery education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are five staff working with the children, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The playgroup receives support from an advisory teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean and hygienic setting. Staff pay good attention to ensure that consistent routines are applied for hand washing after using the toilet and before eating. This ensures that children learn simple, good hygiene practices. They are reminded to wash all the germs off their hands and staff explain that the jugs of milk and water have lids on to keep germs out.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished by healthy snacks of fresh and dried fruit and breadsticks and they are able to help themselves to drinks of water or milk. The children are able to choose when to have their snack. They sit together and chat with staff, who promote their good table manners, enjoying the social occasion. Staff contribute to children's understanding of healthy eating through topics, such as making vegetable soup, and explaining that milk helps to build strong bones. They help themselves to further drinks throughout the session from a small water cooler.

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Helping children to be healthy

Outdoor activity is positively promoted and the children enjoy daily physical activity outdoors whenever the weather permits. They have access to a large climbing frame with ladders, slides and a climbing ramp which offers them challenge to their physical skills. They also have use of balls, swings, balancing equipment, barrels to crawl through and a trampoline. They negotiate space well, running around and changing direction to avoid collisions. However, the surface of the outdoor play area is uneven and poses a hazard to children. Children are able to rest or be active as they need, promoting their physical well-being.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are kept safe in a well maintained and welcoming environment. Staff go to great lengths to provide a variety of cheerful displays of children's art work to brighten up the shared premises. This gives children a sense of pride in seeing their work displayed and admired. They benefit from having plenty of space to move around in safely, allowing them to explore their environment and take risks. They have access to a wide range of equipment which is good quality and meets the needs of the children attending.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept safe within the setting as a range of safety measures, such as radiator guards, finger guards on doors and risk assessments, is in place and external doors are locked when children are present. All fire safety precautions are in place, including emergency evacuation procedures. The evacuation procedures are practised regularly and recorded to highlight any potential problems. Children learn about road safety on their weekly walk to the library. They hold hands, stop at the kerb and look and listen for traffic. As a result, children are learning to keep themselves safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is further protected as staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures and their responsibility under the Children Act to keep children safe. Information on child protection is shared with parents to ensure that they understand that the staff's first responsibility is to the child. Parents complete forms to inform staff of existing injuries. Accidents are appropriately managed and parents are kept informed to facilitate continuity of care for children.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children arrive happily and are eager to chat to the staff and other children. They are relaxed in the secure, caring environment. They confidently join in group activities or choose their own play. The toys and resources are easily accessible allowing them to make independent decisions about their play and initiate their own learning. Children are making progress in all areas of development. They develop physically through indoor and outdoor play, intellectually through focused activities and socially through expectations of good behaviour and values, such as sharing and caring for their friends. Staff are skilled in differentiating activities to suit the developmental age of the child. For example, in a focused activity using red resources, older children spent time using a variety of mediums to produce a collage and younger children spent time experimenting with the glue, developing their senses. Staff recognise that children need

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to develop and explore rather than create an end product.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a sound knowledge of how children learn and make progress. They have a good understanding of the different frameworks to support children's learning and development. All staff use the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the early learning goals to plan and assess children's learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals because staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage. The planning systems are clear and detailed. They include observations which recognise children's individuality and identify their next steps in learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enter the playgroup with confidence and are learning self-help skills. They are able to carry out simple tasks such as hand washing, going to the toilet, finding and putting on their own coats and taking simple messages from one member of staff to another. Children respond well to the literacy rich setting where staff take every opportunity to extend their language skills by asking open ended questions. Many words are displayed throughout the setting and children enjoy their weekly visit to the library to choose books and listen to a story. Children extend their language skills during activities, for example, when playing in a tray of rice crispies they describe them as crisp and crunchy but soft and soggy when they have milk on at breakfast time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are beginning to recognise their own names and self register with name cards at snack time. They have lots of opportunities to make marks and become engrossed in the mark making area as they choose from a plentiful supply of resources. Children count spontaneously in play and when singing songs. They can count to ten and beyond by rote and are encouraged to recognise large numbers, such as 2 and 6 make 26 when put together. However, they are not encouraged to compare size and calculate. They develop good hand and eye coordination as they pour themselves drinks from jugs and the water dispenser and use scissors.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning about the community they live in and the wider world, allowing them to develop a sense of place. They enjoy their weekly walk to the library to choose books and listen to a story. Staff take the opportunity to point out the spring flowers growing and the leaf buds appearing on the trees, and take time to watch a worm wiggling along the path. Staff provide good opportunities for children to learn about other cultures. Children celebrate Chinese New Year with a well resourced role play area set out as a Chinese restaurant with chopsticks, bowls,

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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 menus and order pads. The area is decorated with posters and examples of Chinese writing. They have good access to information and communication technology and staff offer praise as they begin to master mouse skills by dropping pieces of puzzle into place and matching pairs of objects. The good accessibility of resources means that children have excellent opportunities to draw, paint, glue, stick and explore dough, sand and water.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are developing a good sense of the community they live in as they go out on walks in the area to local places of interest. They are aware of the wider world because staff provide them with a good range of resources that promote all aspects of diversity. They also provide stimulating activities which include celebrations from differing cultures, such as Chinese New Year and Christmas. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff have experience in meeting the needs of children with disabilities. They promote children's development by working with parents and outside agencies to provide special services.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are very well behaved and staff have high expectations of them. Staff act as good role models for the children, offering praise and support which increases children's self-esteem. Children are given gentle reminders to take turns and share. They also help to tidy up, pour their own drinks and put their hand up if they want to ask a question in circle time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents are provided with a prospectus which includes information on policies and procedures, early learning goals and the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Children have individual records of achievement and the children who are in receipt of nursery education funding have their achievements cross-referenced to stepping stone charts. This gives parents a clear picture of children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff share their observations with parents each half term and keep them updated with their child's progress. Parents are invited to add any observations they have made to the children's files. However, they are not provided with regular information regarding how to extend children's learning at home.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The happy atmosphere of the playgroup contributes to the children's confidence and independence skills. The staff work extremely well as a team, ensuring that children and parents experience consistency and continuity of care. Their commitment to further improvement is reflected in the programme for staff training and the process for self-evaluation and continuous assessment. This maintains the quality of care and learning for all children. Children benefit from the smooth running of the group and clear routines which make them feel secure.

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Organisation

Records detail the individual needs of each child and include relevant consents and contacts. Policies and procedures work in practice to promote children’s health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. These are regularly reviewed to promote the safety and well-being of the children.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education are good. All staff have appropriate childcare qualifications and a commitment to further training and self-evaluation. Staff have weekly planning and review meetings to ensure that they all understand the learning intentions

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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 of planned activities, and to update children's files. Good planning is in place which identifies children's next steps in their learning. The staff work closely with their local authority advisory teacher to monitor the effectiveness of the delivery of the nursery education curriculum.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group agreed to ensure that hot water was available for hand washing, provide healthier snacks for the children and make sure the heaters do not present a hazard to children. Temperature regulators have been fitted to the water supply and guards have been fitted on the radiators. Children have snacks of fresh and dried fruit and breadsticks, with drinks of milk or water. These improvements lead to a safer and healthier environment for the children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints 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 good. 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 good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that the surface of the outdoor play area does not pose a hazard to the children

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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): • increase the opportunities for children to extend their knowledge of calculations and size comparisons to fully experience the practical applications of numbers and size in play • extend the involvement of parents and carers in children's learning.

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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 set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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