Ysgol Bryn Gwalia C.P.

St John's Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 400351 Inspection date 10/09/2009 Inspector Rachael Flesher

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Setting address St John's Church Hall, Bilton Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 3DP Telephone number 01423 506152 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

St John's Playgroup opened in 1977 and operates from one room with associated facilities in a church hall in Bilton, on the outskirts of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The provision is run by a management committee and serves the local community. The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of 24 children aged from two to five years at any one time. There are currently 31 children on roll aged from two to four years. The playgroup operates term-time only five mornings per week from 9.15am to 11.45am and two afternoons per week, from 12.30pm to 3pm. Friday morning sessions are for pre-school children only. There is a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four and currently support children with special educational needs and disabilities. There are six members of staff employed to work directly with the children, all of whom hold or are working towards appropriate qualifications. The setting is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The manager and staff work well together as a team, successfully promoting children's welfare, learning and development through recognising and supporting the uniqueness of each child. The manager has an ambitious vision for the setting and all staff are committed to continuous improvement and ensuring the best outcomes for children. Parents are generally well informed, very happy with the service and feel their children are safe, well cared for and making good progress. Some good partnerships have also been established with other professionals to ensure children are further supported, and inclusive practice is positively promoted. As a result, all children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 further develop systems for planning for children's individual interests, stages of development and identified next steps and sharing this information regularly with parents and others, to further enable them to support children's learning and development  further develop partnerships and information sharing systems with other providers where children also attend to ensure continuity in their care, learning and welfare and are supported during times of transition  further develop processes for evaluating all aspects of the practice and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 provision, setting appropriate targets for improvement, and monitoring the impact of any improvements made on the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Appropriate checks are carried out to ensure adults working with the children are suitable to do so. The premises are safe and secure and available space is well utilised. All the documentation, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are in place, implemented, regularly reviewed and shared with parents. Staff have good knowledge of their roles and responsibilities for safeguarding children and access appropriate training and information to ensure they are up to date. Good use is made of available resources, including staff and external services, to support and extend children's learning and development, particularly for children with additional needs. All staff are committed to professional development and access training provided by the local authority to improve their practice and provision. This ensures children are safeguarded, included, their needs met and their welfare

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the early years provision

The manager, staff and committee meet regularly to evaluate the practice and provision and secure improvements. The manager has begun to complete the Ofsted self-evaluation form and demonstrates a generally good understanding of the strengths and areas for development. The views of parents and children are meaningfully sought and the setting is also receptive to support, guidance and feedback from the local authority consultant and support officer. The manager has begun to use a development plan to record the areas identified for improvement and set targets accordingly. Recommendations set at the last inspection have been addressed and improvements made to date have had a positive impact on the outcomes for children. However, systems for internally monitoring this impact are limited.

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the early years provision

Generally effective channels of communication are in place between parents and the playgroup, in order to identify and support children's individual needs, promote their welfare and help them settle. Staff discuss children's progress with parents once a term, and share their observations and children's achievements through their learning and development files. However, opportunities for providing this information more regularly, to enable parents and others to further extend children's learning and development at home and in other settings, are limited. Some partnerships are in place with other providers and schools where children also attend, or will be making the transition to in the future. However, these are not yet fully developed to ensure continuity in children's care, learning and welfare.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled and participate eagerly and with enjoyment in a safe, welcoming and stimulating environment. Warm, caring relationships are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 established and children readily seek out staff for comfort and support. They are forming friendships with their peers and play cooperatively, taking turns and sharing and clearly enjoy each others company. Children are also content to play alone and are given space to become deeply involved in their play and learning. They are developing a good understanding and awareness of their local and wider community through the activities and resources provided and are learning to value and respect those who are different from themselves. Staff work exceptionally hard to develop children's self-esteem and independence. They encourage and support children to acquire the skills to do things for themselves and to take

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and outcomes for children

responsibility for small tasks. As a result, children are confident in the setting and know how to self register when they arrive, wash their hands after painting and before snack and use the toilet independently. At snack time a member of staff sits at the table with the children and supports them to prepare their own snack, pour their own drinks and clear their plates.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health and well-being is promoted well as staff and children adopt good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of infection. Children take care of their own personal care needs and have ample opportunities for fresh air and physical exercise. They are learning how to behave and adhere to the rules of the setting, in order to keep themselves safe. Opportunities are provided for children to take safe risks as they climb, jump, roll and balance on the large equipment in the indoor physical play area, and outdoors, with staff nearby to offer encouragement and provide support to develop their confidence. They use knives safely when cutting their apple for snack and are confident to use scissors to cut paper.

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and outcomes for children

Staff encourage children to make their own choices to lead and direct their play and learning and also provide adult-led activities to give focus to their learning. Resources are stored to ensure they are accessible to all and children can free flow between the indoors and outdoors, transporting resources with them as they go. The learning environment is well organised to ensure all children have opportunities to learn and develop across the six areas of learning. They enjoy role play, expressing themselves through the creative area, playing imaginatively with small world resources and exploring play dough, sand and water. Outdoors they practise their hand eye coordination skills as they play with balls and enjoy balancing on beams and taking their dolls for walks. Staff are skilful at supporting and extending children's play and learning as they play alongside them and use effective questioning and dialogue. They also know when not to intervene and

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and outcomes for children

allow children time and space to work things out for themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Systems for gathering key information from parents are effective in establishing what children know and can do, their likes and dislikes and things important to them at home. This information is used to help children settle and to plan for their individual needs and interests. Staff also regularly observe children and assess their stages of development and identify appropriate next steps. However, systems for using this information to plan for individual children and ensure all are receiving personally meaningful and challenging experiences, are not yet fully developed. Children's progress is closely monitored and tracked against the early learning goals, to ensure all are making good progress across the six areas of learning. The staff place great emphasis on identifying and supporting children with additional This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 needs and have very effective systems in place to ensure all children make good

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and outcomes for children

progress. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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