Wymeswold Playgroup

Wymeswold Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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EY231720 Unique Reference Number 27 February 2008 Inspection date Angela Dyer Inspector

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Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, Loughborough, LE12 6TY

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E-mail

Wymeswold 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?

Wymeswold Playgroup is managed by a voluntary committee and was established in 1973. It operates from the Memorial Hall situated in the village centre of Wymeswold, Leicestershire. The group has access to the main hall, a small room, a small kitchen and toilet facilities. Children also have access to outdoor play facilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The playgroup is open Monday to Friday, during school term times, from 09:15 to 11:45 and on Thursdays provides a session from 09:15 to 13:00 for three and four-year-,olds which includes a lunch time club. There are currently 33 children from two to five years on roll. Of these 22 children receive funding for nursery education. The playgroup serves the local community and surrounding villages. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting is able to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting employs six members of staff, of whom over half hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority and is a member of 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 good. Children's good health and well-being is promoted as staff are aware of and respect children's individual dietary requirements. Snacks, which include fresh fruit and raw vegetables, are freshly prepared on site with high regard given to their nutritional value. Staff take responsibility for overseeing the 'snack bar' and encourage children to develop an awareness of healthy eating through lively discussions. Snack times are also used to extend children's knowledge and awareness of other countries and cultures, for example, children thoroughly enjoyed tasting breadsticks and pizza during their Italian themed week.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are able to access a stimulating outside play area throughout the session, where they benefit from fresh air and exercise. Whilst outside children enjoy a range of activities, including painting the wall with water, rolling hoops down the grassed bank and exploring the different textures of cooked and uncooked spaghetti. Children are also able to develop control of their bodies by riding on wheeled toys and enjoy the freedom that outside play provides. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the importance of exercise and also plan for physical play inside, providing opportunities for children to participate in music and movement sessions, balance on low-level beams and play with the large parachute.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about good health and hygiene through consistent routines and regular discussions with staff. Effective procedures are in place to minimise the possible spread of infections, including anti-bacterial spray being used to clean tables before snack time and children being provided with paper towels for hand drying. Staff have attended training to ensure they have a professional knowledge of current first aid practices and a first aid box is accessible to allow staff to deal with any minor accidents effectively. Accurate details of children’s medical needs are recorded and thorough recording systems ensure that parents are well informed of any accidents their child sustains whilst at the setting.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment. Prior to children arriving the hall is transformed into a child-friendly space by the staff team who prepare the room in advance, enabling children to settle quickly and engage in activities on arrival. Children are comfortable in the setting and move freely between the indoor and outside space, accessing a wide range of good quality resources. Activities are presented attractively in order to gain children's attention and resources are plentiful, enabling children to play together at the same activity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's well-being is safeguarded by the staff's knowledge of the child protection procedures and their understanding of their responsibilities to protect the children in their care. The children are cared for by staff who are vigilant and who demonstrate a clear knowledge of the known indicators of child abuse and the actions to take if they were concerned. However, the policy does not contain sufficient information in relation to the procedures that would be adopted in the event of an allegation against a member of staff, to ensure that all staff act appropriately to safeguard children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is enhanced by good security procedures to restrict access to the setting and prevent children from leaving the premises unaccompanied. Staff are deployed effectively and

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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 supervised at all times to ensure their safety. Whilst outside or in the bathroom area staff also carry hand held 'buzzers' with them to alert other staff of any incidents or request support. Children are beginning to develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe as they have regular opportunities to practise the fire drill to enhance their understanding of what to do in an emergency. Potential risks in relation to the environment and resources are identified through completed risk assessments which are effectively monitored and reviewed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy, settled and enter the setting confidently, benefiting from staff being extremely friendly and welcoming on arrival. Staff provide an exciting and stimulating environment that invites and encourages children to become engaged in the activities. Children access a wide variety of activities which staff thoughtfully plan and prepare, to support them to develop skills, knowledge and have fun. Staff make good use of quality resources and children enthusiastically participate in activities, including role play, painting and physical play. Children thoroughly enjoy role play, taking on different roles within their play, for example, putting on their goggles and using the pretend 'power tools' or pretending to be 'cows being taken to the milking shed'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff work well as a team and are enthusiastic and committed within their roles. They show obvious enjoyment in their work and demonstrate a very good knowledge and understanding of the children in their care. Staff interact positively with the children, involving themselves in their play and offering appropriate assistance to enhance children's learning and enjoyment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals. Staff follow the activity plans and have a clear understanding of what children are expected to learn. Activities are presented at a level which enables all children to participate, and staff challenge more able children to encourage them to progress further. Activities are regularly evaluated to monitor their effectiveness and staff plan times to revisit activities to consolidate children's learning. Staff record observations of children's progress, however, these are not yet sufficiently linked to children's assessment records to assist with future planning. Staff are fully aware of the minor flaws within their current assessment process and have devised a new format which they intend to introduce after the Easter break. Staff provide an inviting environment, both indoors and outdoors, for children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to play and learn in which, due to the successful free flow approach, provides opportunities for children to become independent in selecting their own activities. Staff have a calm approach to managing children's behaviour and children generally demonstrate a mature understanding of what is expected of them in terms of acceptable behaviour.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show an interest in counting and numbers during daily situations such as counting their friends at registration time. Children are gaining confidence in solving simple addition and subtraction problems during practical activities and are beginning to use mathematical vocabulary and language to describe position and size. Children also go on regular outings within the local community where they look for shapes and numbers within the environment. Whilst playing, children move with control and coordination, using bikes, bats and balls, and when balancing on the beams inside. Children also talk excitedly about their weekly visits from the dance teacher who encourages them to develop a further awareness of their bodies through

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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 music and movement. Children are able to use a range of small tools and equipment with ease, including threading very small beads onto strings to create necklaces.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children explore different materials, including paint, water and play dough. Role play is a popular activity and the area, which changes frequently to compliment the current theme, is well-utilised. During their play, children take on new roles and their imagination is fired by staff providing a wide range of stimuli. Children participate in music sessions and use musical instruments with confidence, understanding how to follow the 'conductors' lead in making the instruments louder or quieter. Children have opportunities to observe, question and explore their natural curiosity during activities such as planting flowers in the garden. Children also go on regular outings where they have opportunities to find out more about their environment and local community. Frequent opportunities are provided for children to design and make things with a variety of construction resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children form good relationships with staff and each other. They understand that they are part of a group and are able to share and take turns. Children communicate effectively, listening to staff and regularly initiating conversation. Through the effective use of registration time, circle times, puppets and the 'beat baby', children's social skills are encouraged. During registration time children are grouped according to their age and ability in order for staff to ask questions relevant to their understanding and extend their level of concentration and understanding. Children show an interest in books and access the book area where as well as books, comics are also available to stimulate children's interest in written text. Children have frequent opportunities to make marks and write for different purposes both in the mark-making area, outside and in the role play area.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued as individuals. Positive attitudes to others are encouraged as the children follow the example set by the staff team. Children have access to a suitable range of play resources and books that show positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability. Children also gain an understanding of different cultures as they learn about festivals, through food tasting, story telling and art activities. Staff and children at the setting recently celebrated Chinese New Year and an article depicting this from the local newspaper is proudly displayed. Staff have previous experience of caring for children with identified learning difficulties and disabilities and there are sound arrangements in place to meet children's individual needs. Staff also understand the importance of working collaboratively with parents and, where necessary, other agencies to support individual children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff have a calm and consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. Children are generally well behaved and are developing an understanding of the boundaries. Staff use behaviour cards to remind children of the basic rules within the setting and positively praise children for good behaviour. Stickers, detailing the child's behaviour or achievement, are also used to reward children, as a result, good behaviour is consistently recognised and celebrated by both staff, children and parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Children benefit from the open relationships between parents and staff. Parents are encouraged to become involved in the playgroup, both through the parent rota and fun activities. Parents are provided with frequent opportunities to discuss their child's progress with staff on an informal basis. Parents report that they are extremely happy with the setting and comment particularly on how settled their children are

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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 and how friendly and welcoming the staff are. Parents receive information about the setting via the information board and access to the settings policies. Parents are provided with information relating to the Foundation Stage and activities provided, and are encouraged to support their child's learning both at home and in the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from the friendliness and enthusiasm of all staff which in turn increases their feeling of security. Staff develop warm, positive relationships with the children in their care and take time to get to know them through talking to them and their families. Communication between staff is effective and they are committed to providing a good quality service to children and their parents. When planning the sessions staff take into consideration part-time children and the ages of the children in attendance, ensuring that the activities available are suitable and challenging.

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Organisation

Staff provide a well-organised and stimulating environment where space is used to its full potential to maximise children's play opportunities. Most required documentation, which contributes to promoting outcomes for children, is maintained to a professional standard. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that children are cared for by staff who are appropriately vetted and suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their roles effectively. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. The management is committed to ensuring that children progress and develop in a safe and stimulating environment. The manager has a clear vision for future practice and the management committee and staff are involved in monitoring and evaluating the service to identify strengths and weaknesses. Staff take advantage of the training opportunities offered in order to update and enhance their skills and knowledge. The manager also attends meetings with other settings to share good practices and values the advice and support provided from other professionals in the field. This ensures that the quality of care is maintained and improved as staff remain open and responsive to new ways of working. The setting have created strong links with the local school and often visit the school with the children. Staff also arrange termly meetings with the school staff to share information, to

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Organisation

promote consistency of care and ease the transition for children from playgroup to school. During the Thursday session, which is only available for older children, staff also introduce a lunch time period and the wearing of indoor shoes, to assist children with preparing for school and their expectations.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting was asked to improve documentation in relation to their content and availability to parents. They were also asked to ensure that the rooms are maintained to an adequate temperature, improve the strategies used by staff for managing behaviour and ensure that there is a named deputy in post. The setting has made significant improvements since the last inspection, the hall is now maintained to an appropriate temperature through the use of a thermostat and timer on the heating system, a named deputy is in post and recruitment processes are followed to ensure that staff have the appropriate skills and qualifications to do their job effectively. The operational plan is available in the main entrance area for parents to view, and documentation has been reviewed and amended to reflect the required changes and assist staff in ensuring consistency of practice. Staff use positive strategies

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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 manage children's behaviour which support children in understanding the boundaries and expectations of the setting.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the setting was asked to review the current systems of planning and assessment, consider different methods of organisation to help children to develop better listening skills and encourage greater independence. They were also asked to develop methods to promote positive behaviour and to increase children's understanding of right and wrong. The systems for planning and assessment have been improved to enable staff to plan for children's next steps in learning, although, staff have recognised that this is an area that they can continue to develop and further improvements are in the process of being introduced. Opportunities for children to be independent have been improved with the introduction of the 'snack bar' where children can make choices regarding when they have and what they have for snack and the flexibility allowed for children to choose if they wish to go outside or not and

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Improvements since the last inspection

select activities of their choice. Registration times have also been adapted to allow for children of different ages to be grouped separately, therefore, older children's listening skills are encouraged as staff are able to adapt the length and focus of the activity depending on the needs of the children. Children are being encouraged to understand the rules of the setting with the use of behaviour cards which depict the types of behaviour that are expected. Staff have a very positive attitude and consistently praise and reward children for good behaviour.

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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 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): • review the child protection policy to ensure it includes the correct procedures to be followed if an allegation were made against a member of 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):

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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 • continue to improve and implement the new systems for planning and assessment to ensure that they are informative and objective to assist in planning for children's future learning needs.

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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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