St James' Church of England Primary School

Worth Park Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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113840 Unique Reference Number 04 March 2008 Inspection date Helen Penticost Inspector

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Christchurch Hall, Worth Park Avenue,Pound Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 3DE

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E-mail

Worth Park 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Worth Park Playgroup is a committee run playgroup. It first opened in 1973 and operates from a church hall in Pound Hill, Crawley and serves the surrounding areas. The group have access to a large hall and kitchen and toilet facilities. A maximum of 26 children may attend the playgroup at any one time. The playgroup is open from 09:30 until 12:00 Monday to Friday, during term time. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 39 children from three to under five years on roll. Of these 32 children receive funding for nursery education. The playgroup is able to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities and is also able to support children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The playschool employs six members of staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification.

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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’s individual health needs are monitored effectively by staff and individual dietary needs are discussed with parents, to ensure all children receive a diet, which is appropriate for their individual needs and well being. They help themselves to easily accessible drinking water throughout the day and enjoy fresh fruit at snack time. Children take part in food preparation and learn about healthy eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff support children well in their developing awareness of how to be tidy and clean. Consistent attention to hygiene and close adult guidance helps children gain a good understanding of cleanliness and the need for frequent hand-washing. However, the current arrangements for hand washing do not prevent the possible spread of infection. Children increase their independence and personal care successfully through consistent daily routines and support from the staffing team. Children who are infectious do not attend which helps to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. All staff hold current first aid certificates and all of the documentation required to support children's health is suitably maintained. This ensures that the staffing team can give appropriate care if there is an accident.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a range of age-appropriate and well-planned activities that enable them to explore and develop their physical skills. Children use resources well and develop confidence during a wide range of challenging indoor activities. Children are eager to try new experiences and are encouraged to test their own physical limits within a safe environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a well organised, spacious and welcoming hall environment. The premises are maintained in a suitable state of repair and staff carry out risk assessments, which helps to keep children safe. Space is used effectively inside to offer children ample room to move around freely and to select from a good selection of quality play materials and learning resources that are set out for them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Safety hazards within the playgroup have been minimised. Staff employ positive practices to help keep children safe and appropriate safety equipment is in place. For example, they maintain security well and ensure all visitors are checked and signed in. Children are kept safe whilst moving around the playgroup because the staffing team are well deployed and provide children with high levels of supervision. Children are able to take risks in safe surrounding, for example using scissors. Fire drills are practised regularly to help protect children in the event of a fire and an appropriate log is kept. Staff adopt clear procedures to help keep children safe when going on local outings.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff attend training to update their awareness of child protection issues and all of the required polices and procedures to promote children's safety are in place.

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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 are settled, happy and enter the setting with enthusiasm. They are eager to participate in the activities on offer and they play confidently in a busy environment. Staff are extremely welcoming, caring and supportive and provide children with plenty of praise and encouragement. Children are consistently encouraged to be inventive and create their own role-play experiences. The good quality adult-child interactions support children's language skills. Staff use questions successfully to challenge children’s thinking and help them develop their own ideas and imagination. Plenty of opportunities are provided for children to develop physical confidence, through a broad and imaginative programme of games and activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good knowledge an understanding of the Foundation Stage and therefore they are able to plan a suitable range of first hand experiences that support all areas of learning. An effective observation and assessment system is in place, which works well for staff and supports them in drawing up effective and meaningful plans, which are linked to each child's stage of development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children greet staff warmly on arrival and they walk in with their friends and settle quickly to a task. Children are becoming confident learners as they move between and join in the activities and they readily approach staff and ask them for help if needed. They show extended concentration and pleasure in many activities, for example drawing at the chalk easels and participating in water play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Opportunities are provided for mark making, including a well stocked resource area, which children make good use of. Children recognise and find their names at self registration and snack time. Children are given many opportunities to write their name which many can do with ease recognising all of the letters. Children benefit from the wide range of books in the extremely inviting and comfortable book corner, where books are stored at child level and are easy for them to access. Children enjoy stimulating stories either read with staff and two or three children, independently, with friends, or as a larger group. Children are able to communicate their thoughts and requirements in their own language, for example one child wanted a bag for her letter.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have the opportunity to count simple number operations and undertake simple calculation during planned activities, but they are not given these simple opportunities during everyday activities. Children thoroughly enjoy learning about floating and sinking during the planned activity well supported by staff. Children learn about their senses in themes, activities and stories. They learn about handling different textures as they participate in day to day activities, for example when creating collages from differing materials. Children have access to a range of resources to enable them to design and make things of their choice.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making good progress in relation to the stepping stones, towards the early learning goals in all of the six areas of learning. Children are working well within their limits and enjoy activities which are stimulating, imaginative and provide sufficient challenge for all children to develop an understanding of new ideas and their developing skills effectively. The good quality planning of the curriculum provides an interesting and varied programme for the children to enjoy.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children enjoy being at the setting and are encouraged to take a full part in the range of activities. Children become aware of their own needs and the needs of others. Children generally behave well; they play together and are polite to each other. Incidents of behaviour are quickly managed by the staffing team as they work closely with the children. Staff support children successfully in sharing and turn-taking. This fosters their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Staff are effective in supporting all children in their use and access to the varied play and learning resources. The setting provides a well organised range of resources and activities to support children's awareness of diversity and other cultures.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Information is provided for parents on the setting's early learning programme. The setting also works effectively with parents to support children's learning and achievement. Written information is provided for parents on their children's development and progress through the learning stages. The arrangement of arrival and departure times is organised well to enable information to be shared with parents informally and provide brief summaries of what children have done each day. Parents have the opportunity to meet formally, if they wish, to discuss their child's development and have daily access to their child's developmental record. Parents are uniformly praising of the care that their children receive and feel that they are welcomed into and supported by the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are comfortable and at ease within the playgroup because staff create a relaxed and welcoming environment. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that all staff working with children have been suitably vetted and checked. Staff deployment is effective and well organised to support children's learning and development. Sufficient staff are qualified and experienced and staff support each other well, however, the playgroups appraisal system is not currently in place. Children have fun and enjoy their play and learning, well supported by the good organisation of the setting. The play areas provide a broad and stimulating range of activities and learning opportunities for children. A varied range of play and learning resources supports children successfully in having fun and learning new skills. All necessary documentation and written records are kept up-to-date and well maintained, with a clearly written range of

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Organisation

guidance policies in place to ensure the setting is safely and efficiently managed. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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Organisation

The leadership and management within the setting is good. The supervisors leads staff effectively in providing a full and successful programme of learning activities. Staff are confident and demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of children's development stages. The setting's planned learning programme is also well organised and effectively includes all six areas of learning. Staff work well as a team to provide children with many rich learning opportunities that successfully promotes achievement. Staff carry out detailed written observations of children's activities and the evaluation of individual children's learning is clear and well organised. Staff work closely and share information on individual children's progress.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the playgroup were asked to develop and implement an action plan detailing how at least half of all childcare staff will hold a level two qualification in childcare

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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 and to ensure that all policies and procedures are updated to include requirements set out in the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care. Since then the setting have recruited qualified staff and are currently training another to level three and full policies and procedures portfolio in place and available at all times.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous Nursery Education inspection the playgroup were requested to improve the leadership and management to ensure the quality of education provided is properly evaluated and monitored, to plan and implement a programme of staff training to ensure all staff have a thorough understanding of the Foundation Stage of learning, the stepping stones and the early learning goals and to improve plans, assessments and record systems to show clearly what children are to do and learn, what they achieve, and what they need to do next. The two supervisors are fully committed to providing a quality education program and they are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and are constantly evolving. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage through training and the systems for assessment and planning clearly state the learning intention and staff understand why children are undertaking activities. The

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Improvements since the last inspection

plans are evaluated and also are flexible to take into account children's interests, child initiated play and also their individual, developmental needs.

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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 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 hand washing routines prevent the spread of infection • develop the system for staff appraisal

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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): • ensure that children are given the opportunity to undertake simple calculation during everyday activities.

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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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