Turnditch and District Playgroup

Turnditch Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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206894 Unique Reference Number 07 December 2007 Inspection date Geraldine Barford Inspector

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Crompton Inglefield Village Hall, Ashbourne Road, Turnditch, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 2LL

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E-mail

The Trustees of Turnditch 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 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?

Turnditch and District Playgroup is a community playgroup which opened in 1970.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

It is accommodated in Crompton Inglefield Hall in Turnditch near Belper in Derbyshire. The playgroup offers child care to children from the local community. It provides sessional day care for up to 24 children aged from two to five years, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 09:00 - 13:00 , Thursday 12.15-3.15pm term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There is a large hall with all appropriate facilities including access to toilets, kitchen and storage space. They are currently caring for 23 children, of these 18 are in receipt of funding for early education

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The playgroup has five staff working on a part time basis, who all hold a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from the Local authority and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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's good health is promoted in the setting as there are effective hygiene procedures. For example it is a clean and tidy environment, staff follow appropriate hygiene procedures such as ensuring that food preparation areas in the kitchen are clean. Children are reminded to wash their hands before snack and after toileting. They are beginning to understand why they wash their hands as staff talk to the children about good hygiene at snack and lunch time.

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Helping children to be healthy

The risk of infection is suitably minimised and the good health of children maintained. Children have access to tissues to wipe their noses. They have paper towels in the toilets for hand drying, and they use liquid soap for hand washing. There is a clear sick child policy in place to exclude children who are ill or infectious. There is always a qualified first aider on duty during sessions. However, there is no written parental permission for the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment. As a result children's health may be compromised in the result of a serious accident.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular opportunities to be active and have physical exercise, which promotes development of their physical skills. They go out daily, even when the weather is cold or rainy, and have adequate space to move around freely. The outside play area is attractive and has a challenging fixed climbing and activity frame which allows children to climb, slide, jump and swing. Children ably negotiate their way around both indoor and outdoor areas.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children regularly use scissors and other small items such as pencils or crayons. They are developing some control when cutting out. They develop their knowledge and understanding of keeping healthy, for example, they try different fruits and talk about what clothes they need to wear when it is cold.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished. They enjoy a healthy snack, for example, bananas, apple, orange and raisins. They have a choice of milk or water to drink and there is a jug of water and beakers available if children request a drink.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a welcoming environment which helps them to feel secure and comfortable. The room is bright and attractive when they enter as there is lots of colourful child sized furniture. There is an adequate selection of toys and resources laid out for children to begin playing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is maintained as access to the premises is carefully restricted. For example, children's arrival and departure times are monitored and the entrance to the provision is kept secure to prevent unauthorised access. Staff take steps to minimise hazards as both inside and outside areas are visually checked each day to ensure safety. In addition, a bolted half door is used to prevent children's access to the kitchen. Fire safety precautions including a fire blanket, smoke detectors and extinguishers are in place, and staff practise emergency evacuations with the children to ensure they know what to do in the event of a fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The hall is made welcoming with displays of the children's work and posters on the walls and children have access to a suitable range of toys and equipment which meet safety standards.

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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 Children are able to move around freely and independently and access their preferred activities. When playing outside children benefit from a well resourced area, which enables them to engage in different physical activities in safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is safeguarded because there is a designated member of staff with current child protection training to ensure the group are aware of the correct procedures to follow should they have a concern. As a result, children are protected and kept safe from harm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children settle and become happy at the setting. They are confident and begin to play together. There are harmonious and warm relationships between the children and between staff and children. For example, children put their arms around each other and they are comfortable in approaching staff, for example, when they want a drink. The key worker system which is in place helps children to feel secure.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There is a calm atmosphere and children spend their time playing in small or larger groups with staff generally interacting and supporting them. However, there are times when some children seem unsure of what they should do next as some activities do not encourage the younger children to explore and experiment appropriately, for example, children lack direction when using construction kits or when choosing hats in role play. 'Birth to three matters' is not being fully implemented within the setting, and planning does not differentiate for younger children. This means that they do not always engage in purposeful play and their potential is not always maximised. Staff complete assessment sheets but they lack detail and are not currently used to plan for children's next steps.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are involved in a range of planned and spontaneous activities. For example free play, art and craft, mark making, hopscotch, role play, and the book corner. It is a varied session, and resources are changed regularly to provide variety. Children choose what they want to do during the session. They sometimes discuss what they are doing, and ask for help if they need it. Staff are caring and children generally enjoy themselves at the setting when they giggle and laugh together. They are developing independence when they access resources for themselves. However, children's independence is not fully promoted at some snack times as staff give out snack and pour out the drinks when there is a larger number of children attending.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage is satisfactory, with more experienced staff displaying a better understanding. Children make satisfactory progress. Some positive steps have been taken to develop the planning and assessment systems. For example there is a medium plan for the Foundation Stage which gives an overview of topics that will be covered over the term. Short term plans provide further details of activities for each week in the different areas of learning. There is a plan of the room indicating where each activity will take place and the resources to be used. However, the plans do not clearly identify the learning intentions of each of the activities and there is no detail regarding how the activities can be made appropriately challenging. As a result older and more able children are at times under stimulated.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use a range of suitable methods to support children's learning, such as modelling, and learning is consolidated through play. Large and small group activities are offered. Some staff

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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 make use of open ended questioning when joining in with play and generally staff interact well with children although on occasions staff give children attention but do not actually extend learning. Staff praise children which gives them encouragement and generally staff are effective at explaining how to do things, for example when playing hopscotch or during craft activities. Children usually concentrate well during activities. They work well together and happily co-operate with one another. Children develop a sense of self-worth when they take responsibility for tasks such as 'tidy up time' and when rolling up pieces of carpet together. They form good relationships with each other and play together well, interacting and negotiating with appropriate staff support. Most children are confident communicators, they are eager to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

speak during whole group activities and offer their own contributions. They are beginning to develop valuable self help skills. For example, they get their coats and put them on at the appropriate times and they put the work they want to take home in the basket with their name on it. However, at snack time children's independence is not promoted as they are not encouraged to pour their own drinks or help with the preparation of fruit.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Systems are in place to monitor children's progress but they do not identify children's next steps and are not used to inform planning. The systems are not fully completed as not all aspects of areas of learning are reported on and they do not identify children's starting points. Therefore opportunities to ensure children's future progress are not maximised.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Most children use language frequently. For example, they enjoy chatting on the pretend mobile phone. They communicate their needs when asking to join in with various activities. They talk to staff about what they did at the weekend. They enjoy listening to, and joining in with stories; they access books independently and know how they work. Some letters and print are seen around the room, however children are not being encouraged to hear the sounds in letters for example during stencil and other language activities. Children write in a diary in the role play area and have free use of a mark making and writing table to practice their skills. Children's mathematical skills are suitably promoted, although older and more able children are not always challenged appropriately. For example,they are given some opportunities to write numbers during numeracy activities. They count routinely and see printed numbers around the room

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as on the number line. They are beginning to calculate and problem solve when they count and compare the number of bricks in the towers that they build and during number songs. However, some songs only encourage counting up to the number five. This has the potential not to extend children's learning to bigger numbers. They use appropriate mathematical language when they describe shapes and patterns and compare the weight and size of the teddy bears.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy investigating living things when hamsters and rabbits are brought to the setting. They plant seeds and care for them as they grow. They design and make junk models using various materials. They are beginning to familiarise themselves with technology through playing with some everyday items such as a calculator and a remote control car. They have some opportunities to learn about the passage of time when staff tell them about what life was like before computers and that children used to get a satsuma in their stocking at Christmas and children remember and talk about things they have done away from the setting, for example 'when they drove through mud.' Children show curiosity about how things work when they construct with various sets and they learn about other beliefs through topics about other cultures. They consider their own community and environment when they listen to a fire fighter

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

or police officer who comes to talk to them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have access to an outdoor play area that provides opportunities to develop physically. They use a variety of large and small equipment and are given encouragement and support

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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 from staff to try new ideas. Children have some opportunities to explore different art media when they are decorating a Christmas star and using dried tea bags to flick paint onto paper.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Time and resources are suitably used to benefit children's learning, although some areas are under resourced, for example, the role play area which potentially limits the children's creativity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's individual needs are met to ensure they are fully included in the life of the setting. Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of the children who attend. There is a clear settling in policy, and parents are encouraged to visit and to stay with their child for a while, to help them to integrate fully.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children become aware of the wider society through a basic range of toys and resources including jigsaws, dolls, books and small world people from different cultures. The setting also celebrates different festivals such as Diwali, Christmas and the Chinese new year. As a result children develop an understanding of the wider world.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff have a positive attitude towards children with special needs. There is a member of staff who is designated as special needs co-ordinator and she is clear about her role. She demonstrates a secure understanding of the issues and how she would obtain additional advice from professionals if the need arose.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are beginning to understand appropriate behaviour. They sit calmly at story time and are encouraged to share and take turns for example at snack time and when using apparatus in the outside area. Children know the 'rules' for example they line up quietly when they are going out and they tidy away when they are asked. Staff are generally positive with the children and offer simple clear explanations when negative behaviour is displayed. A behaviour management policy is in place and methods used are effective and appropriate, which impacts satisfactorily on the children's well-being. Children receive lots of appropriate praise and encouragement which successfully promotes their self esteem. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have their individual needs sufficiently met by adults as they have a beneficial partnership with parents and carers. Children receive consistent and appropriate care. Parents get regular newsletters and staff talk to them at the beginning and end of the sessions. Parents value the setting and are pleased with how their children have developed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Informal discussions give parents some information about the nursery education and parents share their children's achievements as the setting sends completed work home on a regular basis. A newsletter is produced once a term and it gives week by week information of which letter sounds and numeracy areas the children will be learning about. There are twice yearly meetings with parents to inform them of their child's progress. However, there is limited information for parents about the Foundation Stage and how children progress along the stepping stones. Parents are not given specific ideas about how they can reinforce their children's learning at home.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children's care is sufficiently enhanced by the organisation of the group. Staff understand and follow the groups policies and procedures to support the successful running of the provision and promote children's health, safety and enjoyment. Suitable qualifications and experience of most staff mean that they have a sound understanding of the development and care of children.

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Organisation

The required documentation is maintained to promote the welfare of children attending the setting. The register for children shows attendance on a daily basis. A signing in and out book shows who is on the premises at all times. Children are cared for by adults who are vetted but recruitment and vetting procedures are underdeveloped. Some details are kept on file such as Criminal Records Bureau checks. However recruitment is done by informal interview and no records are kept on the procedures or other suitability checks undertaken. This potentially compromises children's safety. Satisfactory induction arrangements are in place for new staff and they are encouraged to access additional training. Information is shared during staff meetings and before and after each session.

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Organisation

Children are cared for by a friendly and sensitive staff, who are generally well deployed throughout the session and the low child to staff ratio means that children benefit from this by the additional support and attention they receive.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of funded nursery education is satisfactory. The manager of the setting is committed and has an appropriate vision for the setting. She has some ideas for improvement which have been discussed with the Early Years Development Officer to bring about positive improvements. However, there are no systems in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum which means that it is very difficult to identify any missed areas or any children who may be slipping behind in a specific area.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting was given recommendations to ensure that staff continue to access training and keep updated on new legislation and child protection issues and to consider providing more opportunities for children to develop their independent skills at snack time. The provision drew up an action plan regarding child protection and it has accessed training for two staff and passed the information they received on to all other staff. They have updated their child protection policy. This means that children's safety is safeguarded. Children have been given more opportunities to develop their independence at snack time by pouring their own drinks and by children taking the plates of fruit around to other children. However, this only tends to happen when the group is small and so there is a further recommendation to extend this.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the setting was given recommendations to develop additional opportunities for older and more able children to practice recording number and use of the written word in practical everyday activities; to continue to develop planning and assessment systems to ensure they provide an overview of children's development and achievements; to offer additional opportunities for parents to share and discuss their children's progress. There is a specific writing and numeracy activity table in the setting each day, where children have opportunities to write numbers in a range of activities and to write for a variety of purposes. Writing materials and a diary are also included in the role play area to give children

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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 further opportunities to record number or the written word. As a result children are making satisfactory progress in their literacy and numeracy.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Planning and assessment have been partly developed by the use of planning sheets which give information about the areas of learning and the planned activities. However, it is not clear what the learning intentions are, or how appropriate challenge can be provided in the activities. Assessment systems have been developed, however they are not fully informative therefore a further recommendation is raised.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The setting offers additional opportunities for parents to share and discuss their children's progress by the setting inviting parents for two 'open' days each year when they can discuss their children's progress.

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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.

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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 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • request permission from parents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment • develop a suitable range of activities for the younger children as explained in Birth to three matters • further develop systems to promote children's independence at snack time • develop systems that establish the suitability of newly appointed staff

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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): • develop planning systems to clearly identify the learning intentions of activities and provide appropriate challenge

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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 • ensure that assessment systems identify children's starting points and take into account all aspects of areas of learning • develop systems that monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum.

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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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