Old Fallings Playgroup

EYL413 V1_20090122 Ofsted National Business Unit St Ann’s Square Manchester M2 7LA Telephone: 08456 404040 Fax: 08456 40 40 49 Minicom: 0161 6188524 Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Web: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Old Fallings Playgroup United Reform Church Old Fallings Lane Low Hill Wolverhampton West Midlands WV10 8BY Our Reference 224931

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Outcome of monitoring visit for provision judged as inadequate

An Ofsted inspector, Linda Tomkins, carried out a monitoring visit of your provision on 29/06/2009. This visit follows on from your inspection where the provision was judged to be inadequate.

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Outcome of the visit

As a result of our inspection on 11/03/2009, we sent you a welfare requirements notice.

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Outcome of the visit

The welfare requirement notice required you to: update staff knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures; update the safeguarding policy and procedures to ensure they are in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance including procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse being made against a member of staff; demonstrate how at least one person with a current paediatric first aid certificate is on the premises at all times when children are present; maintain an effective and stringent system for demonstrating how adults looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so with regard to recruitment and selection processes and Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks; and to conduct a detailed risk assessment and review it regularly, identifying aspects of the environment to be checked on a regular basis and ensure that the record indicates these aspects and records when and by whom they have

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Outcome of the visit

You were also sent a further welfare requirement notice that required you to: develop an effective policy and procedures to ensure equality of opportunity and support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities; implement an effective key person system to ensure that the individual needs of all children are met; ensure that there is a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, delivered through indoor and outdoor play; demonstrate how planning provides experiences which are appropriate to each child's stage of development as they progress towards the early learning goals; demonstrate how sensitive observational assessment will be undertaken in order to plan to meet young children's individual needs; and to maintain records, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the setting and ensure that they are readily available for inspection.

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Outcome of the visit

In addition you were sent a notice to improve that required you to develop the partnership with all parents by sharing information and offering support for extending the learning at home.

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Outcome of the visit

Having considered all the evidence, the inspector is of the opinion that at this time the setting is making satisfactory improvement overall.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

The setting has made satisfactory progress towards the actions set out on the welfare requirement notices. For example, the local authority has delivered a training session on safeguarding children at the playgroup and the safeguarding children policy has been personalised to the playgroup and discussed by all staff. Telephone numbers to enable staff to report concerns have been obtained and are incorporated into the policy. Staff are able to show a satisfactory level of understanding of aspects of safeguarding children and follow the procedure in the event of a child arriving at the playgroup with an existing injury. The temporary management team are planning to introduce a 'body chart' system to help staff record the location of existing injuries.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

The playgroup manager is currently not attending the group. The local authority are supporting the group to make improvements. They have organised qualified staff from the nearby Children's Centre to work in the group to enable the existing staff team to make progress.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

The existing staff members' Criminal Record Bureau Check reference numbers and details are available for inspection and stored in a folder together with contact details. However the Children's centre staff Criminal Record Bureau Check reference numbers have not been obtained. Work is still required to ensure staff understand that all people who have regular contact with children in the playgroup must have checks and the numbers recorded.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

The inside and outside areas of the playgroup are checked daily by staff who have implemented a risk assessment system to ensure the safety of children. For example, entrance doors are locked and the identity of visitors is checked. However, during the monitoring visit on 01 May 2009 and 29 June 2009 a radiator guard was found to be touching a radiator. The Church authorities have decided that the repairs to the radiator guard are complex and therefore the radiator remains out of use to minimise dangers to children. The actions were not recorded accurately on the risk assessments and so staff are to undertake a review of the purpose of risk assessments and ensure all areas are safe. Currently part of the grassed outside area is not in use as a new fence has been ordered to ensure the area is secure.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

Children enjoy the new planning which incorporates a free-flow system. They excitedly choose activities both inside and out according to their own likes and dislikes and preferred method of learning. For example, outside in the sand-pit or inside dressing dolls and playing imaginatively with the train set. The new system has ensured there is a balance between adult and child led activities. Progress continues to be good.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

Planning of activities is clearly displayed for parents and staff. A table-top notice board displays children's photographs together with detail of their key workers. Parents now have newsletters and letters detailing changes to the staffing arrangements and information on types of activities. They are also encouraged to provide practical clothing for outside play and 'messy' activities. Children's individual progress files are now in use and observations record children's progress and attitude to learning. Staff and parent discuss the files and next step plans for their children. In this way parents are becoming more involved in their children's learning.

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Overall effectiveness of the improvement and outcomes for children

The monitoring visit made on 03 April 2009 showed that overall, measures taken to improve children's welfare and the leadership and management of the provision improved outcomes for children and were satisfactory. The second monitoring visit on 01 May 2009 showed playgroup has made satisfactory progress in addressing some of the points for improvement and was also making good progress in other areas. The third monitoring visit on 29 June 2009 continues to show some satisfactory progress but more areas show good progress. There is still work to be done such as a record of observations over time to show the progress of children's learning and to ensure progress is good overall. The playgroup has achieved the improvement with good support from the local authority. The next visit will be a monitoring visit.

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Next steps

Having considered all the evidence the inspector is of the opinion that at this time:

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Next steps

 The setting has made satisfactory progress in addressing the points for improvement. The next visit will be a further monitoring visit. I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your setting. If you have any further queries please contact us on the number at the top of this letter.

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