Community KidsOfsted inspection, 25 Sept 2007

Community Kids Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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EY236403 Unique Reference Number 25 September 2007 Inspection date Mary Daniel Inspector

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Higher Backway, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0DP Setting Address

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E-mail

The Trustees of Community Kids Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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?

Community Kids Playgroup has been registered for approximately 30 years. It operates from a purpose built building situated next to Bruton Primary School, in the town of Bruton. Children have use of a main play room, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play at the side of the premises. This community run group is registered to care for a maximum of 26 children aged from two to under eight years, and there are currently 27 on roll. The playgroup are in receipt of Government funding to provide nursery education and there are currently 23 funded children on register.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 09:00 - 12:00 and on Tuesday and Thursday from 09:00 to 15:00, term time only. After school care is also provided from 15:30 - 18:00. The group operate under a board of trustees and a committee. There are four staff members who are employed who have all completed appropriate training in child care and early years education. The group is supported by 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 satisfactory. Children are supported well in developing a suitable awareness of healthy eating. For example, they talk about foods that are good for them and know some drinks have sugar in, which will make their teeth rot. They have snacks of French toast with cheese, raw carrots, cucumber sticks and segments of orange. This helps them enjoy nutritious foods. Children have drinks at snack time of juice or milk. They regularly have cups of water from an easily accessible water dispenser. This enables them to maintain suitable fluid levels. Children have varied opportunities for physical play. For instance, they hop, jump and make themselves small to music. They join with their friends to put their arms and legs 'in and out' to the 'Okey, Cokey', and laugh as they 'shake them all about' and then run into the middle of the circle together. Children talk about how they feel after doing exercise and know they are hot, tired and thirsty and so will

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Helping children to be healthy

need a drink. This helps children learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies and how to keep themselves healthy and fit. Children climb and slide on the indoor climbing frame and play outside on the ride on bikes and tractors. This gives them some opportunities to have fun in the fresh air, but some everyday physical play sessions do not fully challenge children's large muscle skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Overall, suitable hygiene routines are in place. Activity tables are wiped after use and floors are swept each night. Children are encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet and paper towels are provided, which helps to prevent cross contamination. However, although younger children wash their hands in the play room sink before snack time, they use a communal towel for drying. After school children do not always wash their hands before eating. Consequently, procedures in place to help prevent the spread of infection are not consistently followed. Children's health is satisfactorily supported through use of appropriate records. Accidents are clearly recorded and written permission is obtained for any necessary medication to be given. This helps to maintain continuity in children's care.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children's welfare is supported through some procedures in place. Staff have completed child protection training and have written information in place to support the management of any concern arising. The group have a relevant policy in place, which helps in protecting children in their care. However, there is no secure system in place for recruiting and checking all adults involved with the group. This impacts on some aspects of safeguarding children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play in a bright, inviting play room. Attractive posters are displayed and space is overall effectively managed to provide different areas of play for children to explore. A suitable range of age appropriate toys and resources, showing as well maintained, are available to support children's needs. For example, they sit on a colourful, child sized sofa with some comfy cushions to look through some books with their friends. Younger children push their dolls around in small buggies and older ones have fun playing on a pool table. A variety of board games are provided for older children to play with their friends after school. This encourages children's imagination, co-ordination and social skills well. Some safety prevention is in place, such as radiator guards, a smoke alarm and a fire blanket. Fire drills are regularly completed and logged and wires are tucked out of reach. This helps to minimise accidents. Daily visual risk assessments

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

are completed, but not formalised to support the monitoring of any possible issues. For example,

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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 younger children climb and slide happily on a large indoor climbing frame, but this is sometimes sited near to an activity table, and at times is not carefully supervised. Visitors attendance is not always recorded. This impacts on aspects of children's safety.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enter the group happily and settle to play at the activity tables. They move around confidently to find their friends and choose from the toys and resources put out for them. Children chat easily to the staff and respond readily to their friendly humour and caring approach. Children show interest as they sort out their puzzles or fit the colourful shapes onto the correct peg. They enjoy sifting through the sand to find a hidden shell or sit quietly to look through a favourite book. This helps them to feel content and at ease within the setting. Children are supported in joining in with the activities provided, but at times, such as before snack and lunch times, some begin to get restless as staff are involved in their practical duties. Children attending for the after school club choose their own games and activities. They draw and colour and play games, such as chess or draughts. They play pool with their friends and sit and chat excitedly

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

together when having their snack. This helps older children to relax after school and have time with their friends in a comfortable play environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff plan interesting activities, which are based around children's interests, such as favourite nursery rhymes or stories like 'the bear hunt'. Planning includes each season of the year and children collect some leaves for an autumn display. They explore colours as they make marble paint pictures of their leaves, and use apple halves to make red, yellow and green prints. Weekly topic sheets are formed covering a particular area of learning. For example, physical development, where children learn about healthy living. They look at foods that are good for them and discover the effects of exercising. They start to co-ordinate their body movements and develop a sense of space as they dance around to some music. This helps children in keeping themselves healthy and fit. Children enjoy their imaginative play and happily push their dolls around in small buggies and dress up as a 'princess' or

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

'superman' in their game. They pretend to go shopping and buy some 'food' from a friend who uses a toy cash register to be the 'shopkeeper'. This gives them opportunities to act out familiar experiences and become aware of simple technology in their play. Some children are using clear pencil control and begin to form recognisable shapes and figures as they 'write' their own 'shopping lists'. As a result, they are encouraged in developing their early mark making skills. However, children are not often challenged to write for a purpose within their general play and they cannot easily access a range of creative materials to fully support their spontaneous ideas. Children's imagination is promoted in group activities where they sit on chairs in a line and have fun on a 'sleigh ride' in the 'air', or on a 'train ride' to the 'seaside'. This helps them in exploring their creative expression in play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children become familiar with numbers and some can count well in sequence. They hear numbers in some songs and rhymes they sing, but opportunities are missed to extend their mathematical understanding within everyday routine activities. For example, at snack time when they hand out cups to their friends, but do not count how many are needed or find out if they have enough. They match the written number cards together in a game, but their awareness of number shapes is not always reinforced within other activities. Children develop their small muscle skills as they squeeze and roll out the play dough to make their models. They design a birthday cake using cutters and scissors and are willing to share out the dough with their friends. Children are happy to join in with singing and dancing games and they shake, bang and rattle the musical instruments with enthusiasm. Children help to make a weather display and pretend

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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 to be the wind and rain, making 'weather noises'. This encourages children's imagination and their understanding of what happens around them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are supported in developing their hand eye co-ordination as they start using the mouse to operate a simple computer program. They build and design a train track or make models with the large building blocks and tools. Children discover their natural world as they talk about birds and animals that live in colder climates and they look at the different parts of flowers. They explore different objects and artefacts, such as, wool, natural sponge, wood, glass, shells and money. They use describing words like cold, smooth, crunchy, soft and slippery. This encourages children's use of language well. Children enjoy their group activities and readily respond with a 'good morning' to their name at register time. They start to recognise their name and those of their friends as they find their named chair and coat hook. This helps them with their early reading skills, although their awareness of other familiar words is not so well

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

promoted within the everyday play areas. Staff support children well through effective questioning, helping them to think for themselves and ask questions. They form suitable learning objectives for focussed activities, but some everyday play experiences are not effectively planned to ensure all children are suitably challenged in their play. Staff make observations on children's progress and discuss this on a daily basis. This supports them in planning interesting topical activities. However, children's assessment folders are not clearly linked with the planning and are not always reflecting how they actually achieve their development across the stepping stones of the Foundation Stage of learning. At times, this impacts on the effectiveness of the activities provided in helping children develop their existing skills and abilities, and some play experiences lack sufficient challenges.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are given a warm greeting on arrival. They see their names on their coat hooks and go to find their named chair at the activity tables. As a result, they are well supported in developing a sense of belonging within the group. Children's particular needs are satisfactorily monitored in liaison with parents and any other professionals involved. This helps to enable children to be included within all activities. Staff act as good role models and they talk quietly to the children, giving explanations as to why some behaviour is unacceptable. This effectively supports children in developing their own sense of right and wrong and helps them recognise the importance of sharing. Children talk about feelings and what is nice and not nice to do. They know it is wrong to hit or hurt someone. Consequently, children generally behave well and play happily together. Children's individual needs are respected and overall are recorded

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Helping children make a positive contribution

on their registration form. For example, their dietary and medical needs are noted, although their religion and first language are not. Children learn about some other ways of living as they play with toys and resources showing multicultural images, such as in books, puzzles and posters. This helps them understand about some differences within their world.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents are provided with a welcome pack, which includes information on the group's policies and procedures. Regular liaison is maintained through daily discussion or newsletters and notices. Relevant parental permissions are obtained, such as for use of sun cream, medical treatment or taking photos. This helps to provide continuity in children's care. Parents receive information on the planned weekly topics and become involved in bringing in items for the interest table, for instance, autumn leaves. Parents are provided with half-termly reports on children's progress and have opportunities to look through, and discuss their child's assessment folders with staff. This supports them in sharing in their child's

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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 learning, but overall, observations recorded do not effectively show how children achieve their progress towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn about some other cultures as they celebrate different festivals, such as Diwali, Chinese new year and harvest. They willingly help to tidy up their toys and staff praise them frequently for helping or being kind. This helps children develop their self-esteem. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Some registration regulations are not effectively monitored to ensure consistent implementation. Overall, the required group policies are in place and are being reviewed. This helps to support the general daily practices. However, Ofsted is not kept informed of all significant events, such as a change in chairperson and committee. Suitable recruitment procedures have not been put in place, following the notified changes to the groups registration systems. This impacts on some aspects of children's welfare. The provider does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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Organisation

Suitable daily routines are maintained, which help children feel secure. For example, they know on arrival they go to sit at an activity table until the register has been called. This helps children settle happily. Staff are experienced and overall, the daily session runs smoothly. However, there are some parts of the day where staff deployment is not so effectively managed to ensure all children are suitably occupied. Documentation, such as children's records, are stored securely in a lockable filing cabinet. For instance, any accidents are recorded on individual forms and filed in children's folders. This shows clear regard to confidentiality in record keeping.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. Staff appraisals are completed and training needs identified. Staff work well as a team and know their individual responsibilities. They discuss issues arising on a daily basis, which helps to identify areas to develop. However, systems of monitoring issues arising and the groups ongoing aims for improvement, are not fully effective in identifying and supporting all aspects of the provision.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection of care, recommendations were made relating to recording children's attendance and obtaining required written permissions from parents. Children's attendance is marked on a register and overall, times of any who arrive late or leave early are recorded. This helps to monitor children's security, but actual times of attendance for all children are not consistently noted. For example, with the after school club children. This impacts on some aspects of their safety. Written permission is now obtained from parents relating to any necessary emergency medical treatment required for their child. This helps to promote children's ongoing continuity.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection of nursery education, key issues were made relating to making more effective links with planning, observations and profiles and to extend the information available to parents on their children's development. Parents are now provided with a welcome pack, which includes some written information on the six areas of learning. They also receive a termly report on their child's progress, on which they can also make comments. Consequently, some procedures are in place to encourage parents to share in their child's development. Planning of activities has been reviewed and topical activities provided cover each area of children's

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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 learning. However, planning still does not link effectively with the observation system to ensure activities are clearly based on children's existing skills and abilities. As a result, some activities are not sufficiently challenging for children.

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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 any complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain some 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure that effective recruitment procedures are implemented, and that Ofsted is kept informed of any significant events and changes within the group. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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): • continue to develop the links between planning and assessment systems to support staff in providing suitably challenging activities, which are based on children's existing skills and abilities • make more use of everyday routine opportunities, such as snack time, to support and extend children's development in each area of their learning • develop clear systems of reviewing and monitoring the provision, with particular regard to recording observations, to clearly evidence children's achievements and effectively show their progress across the stepping stones.

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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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