St Mark's Church of England Infant School, Highcliffe

Tiggers Playgroup Balcombe Inspection report for early years provision

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113790 Unique Reference Number 01 May 2007 Inspection date Felicity Gaff Inspector

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Parish Rooms, Stockcroft Road, Balcombe, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6LH

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E-mail

Tiggers Playgroup 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Tiggers Playgroup, Balcombe opened in 2001. It is managed by a voluntary management committee made up of parents of children at the pre-school and operates from the parish rooms in Balcombe, West Sussex. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area. The setting is open on Mondays to Fridays from 09.15 to 12.00 during school term times. A maximum of 24 children aged from two to under five years may attend the setting at any one time and there are currently 38 children on roll. Of these, 30 children receive funding for nursery education. No children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language currently attend. Children are drawn from the local rural area. There are six permanent members of staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications and one other is working towards a recognised qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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 enjoy a clean and hygienic environment and staff follow good hygiene practices. Children begin to learn how to promote their own health as staff explain the reasons for everyday routines such as hand washing and wearing sun hats. Children enjoy nourishing snacks which are attractively displayed and presented; there are effective systems for ensuring any special dietary requirements are met. Staff maintain all the required documentation to support children's health. Children take pleasure in participating in a range of opportunities to develop their physical skills such as riding bikes, climbing, balancing and dancing. However, staff do not plan these activities to ensure they meet the different needs of older and younger children so that they are appropriately challenged.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children safety is promoted well; they are cared for in suitably decorated premises that provide a welcoming environment for children and parents. Staff ensure all parents are aware of security issues; for example, parents are punctilious about bolting the gate to ensure children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised. There are good procedures to monitor the safety of the premises and equipment, and children use good quality toys and play resources, which are well-maintained. Staff attend training to update their awareness of child protection issues. All the required policies and procedures to promote children's safety are in place and are mostly satisfactory. However, those for child protection and uncollected children do not provide sufficient up-to-date detail to provide comprehensive guidance to staff in safeguarding children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children feel secure at the setting where they are welcomed individually each day. Key workers work closely with parents to help new children settle confidently when they first attend. Children are relaxed and friendly, becoming engrossed in self-chosen activities such as sand and water play. They cooperate well with each other and with interested adults on group construction ventures. Children develop confidence and self-esteem because staff provide good support to help them achieve independence. For instance, a staff member offered encouragement and advice to a child struggling to hang a garment on a peg, enabling her to manage the task herself.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff provide an appropriate range of workshop areas to promote all areas of learning. There is suitable provision for children to develop their basic literacy and mathematical skills. They enjoy listening to stories and begin to recognise sounds and relate them to letters. They count confidently and learn to recognise numerals to 20 or more. They develop their creative, social, physical and mathematical skills as they work together to construct their own imaginative play resources. Staff plan a satisfactory range of first hand learning experiences to extend children's knowledge and understanding of the world. These include outings around the village and to nearby farms, and visits from members of the community such as fire fighters. However, they do not always consider how imaginative role play areas should be organised and equipped to provide rich, stimulating learning resources.

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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 Consequently, they are sometimes underused because children do not find them sufficiently attractive and interesting. Children have an acceptable range of opportunities to explore and experiment with a range of creative media and to develop their physical skills. However, there is little evidence to show how staff plan for children's progress in these areas of learning. Although staff make observations and record what children do and achieve they do not use this knowledge when planning future activities. As a result, the provision is sometimes repetitive and more able children are not always sufficiently challenged.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff work effectively with parents to ensure they understand and are able to meet children's individual needs. There are very good arrangements for parents and staff to discuss any learning difficulties and/or disabilities that children may have. This allows appropriate steps to be taken to ensure children are fully included. Parents receive clear information about the group before children first attend and liaise closely with their child's key worker both during and after admission. Parents are fully involved in the organisation of the group, with many acting as parent helpers or serving on the committee. The written procedures for responding to complaints are generally suitable but lack detail. Partnership with parents of funded children is good. Parents are actively encouraged to read and contribute to their children's developmental profiles, to create a rounded picture of their achievements. Children celebrate festivals from

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Helping children make a positive contribution

different traditions, such as Christmas and Chinese New Year, which helps them develop an awareness of and respect for ethnic and cultural diversity. Staff provide positive role models to help children learn how to behave, which is reflected in the way children behave towards each other. They become skilful in using words to explain their wishes and solve disagreements. They are considerate of each other and spontaneously comfort their friends when they are upset. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The committee has a clear understanding of its legal responsibilities and takes effective measures to provide good quality care for children overall. There are suitable policies and procedures in place to ensure newly appointed staff are suitable. All the documentation required to support their welfare is in place although occasionally lacks up-to-date detail. Children's personal details are stored discreetly to protect their privacy. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. There is planned provision to support children's development in all areas of learning, although the presentation and resources of some planned activities is basic. Planning systems do not use the knowledge staff have of children's attainments, in order to plan for the next steps in their learning, which adversely affects the progress they make.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider agreed to improve the systems for recording attendance. The security of the children has been improved as staff now routinely record the times of arrival and departure of children, staff and visitors. The provider agreed to improve the nursery education by developing literacy and mathematics and the use of assessments and evaluation. Staff have improved the provision for literacy and mathematics by planning activities that help children understand the links between sounds and letters, and providing opportunities for them

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Improvements since the last inspection

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 explore shape and space. However, although staff make assessments of what children do and achieve, they do not consistently use them to plan how they will adapt future activities to provide appropriate challenges for all the children, which limits the progress children make.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection 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. 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 satisfactory.

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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 all policies and procedures, including those for complaints, uncollected children and child protection, contain sufficient, up-to-date detail to provide effective guidance to staff, committee and parents

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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): • use observations and assessments of what children do and achieve to plan how activities can be adapted to provide suitable challenges for children of different ages and abilities in all areas of learning • improve the provision for imaginative role play to provide attractive, well-resourced areas that promote reading, writing and mathematical activities for meaningful purposes

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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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