Hunsworth Community Playgroup

Hunsworth Community Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Hunsworth Community Playgroup

Unique Reference Number 311381 Inspection date 10 October 2005 Inspector Annette Stanger

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Hunsworth Community Playgroup

Setting Address Hunsworth Community Centre, Green Lane, Hunsworth, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 4DZ Telephone number 01274 861885

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E-mail

Registered person Hunsworth Community Playgroup Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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 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?

Hunsworth Community Playgroup opened in 1981 and is a registered charity managed by a voluntary committee. It is situated in Hunsworth, on the outskirts of Cleckheaton, in West Yorkshire and operates from the Hunsworth Community Centre. The children have access to a spacious open plan room, suitable toilet facilities and an outdoor play area. A maximum of 25 children may attend the playgroup at any one time. The playgroup

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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 is open for four morning sessions each week and one afternoon session, during local school term times. Morning sessions take place every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 09.30 until 12.00. The afternoon session is on Monday from 13.00 until 15.30. There are currently 32 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 14 children receive funding for nursery education. The playgroup has systems in place to support children with special needs. The playgroup employs three members of staff and a relief worker. All of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. Staff receive support from Bradford local authority which includes visits from an advisory teacher. The playgroup is also a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy as they are cared for in a clean and hygienically maintained environment. They are helped to understand the importance of good personal hygiene through daily routines and gentle reminders from staff. They use pump soap and paper towels to wash and dry their hands after using the toilet and before snack times. This prevents the spread of infection and keeps children healthy. There are good arrangements in place to care for children who become ill and these are adhered to effectively in practice. Staff ensure children are made comfortable whilst waiting to be collected by their parents, acting in the child’s best interest and significantly reducing the risk of cross infection. Most staff are trained in administering first aid and pay good attention to updating this knowledge to protect children’s health. Staff actively seek information regarding children's health and dietary needs and

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Helping children to be healthy

individual requirements are respected. Children are well nourished and enjoy nutritionally balanced snacks, which include fresh fruit. Staff are successful in promoting children’s awareness of a healthy diet as they help them understand why some foods are healthy and others are not. They regularly discuss the importance of being healthy through planned activities and topics and this is clearly successful in raising their awareness of healthy practices and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Children take part in regular physical play which helps them to make good progress in their physical development. They tackle the indoor climbing frame and slide with confidence and gusto. Their co-ordination and balancing skills are developing well and they show good control over their bodies. Children also show a good awareness of what happens to their bodies when they are physically active. For example, they talk about the effects of exercise, feeling tired as they feel their heart beat faster.

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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 secure environment where staff identify and minimise

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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 most risks effectively. There are good security systems in place to ensure children cannot leave the premises unsupervised and there can be no unauthorised access to children. The space is well organised to create a child-friendly environment. This means that children can explore and access play opportunities while being appropriately supervised. Staff are vigilant and a high ratio of adults to children along with effective deployment ensures children are well cared for. Children independently select play opportunities from a broad range of toys and resources that are safe and of good quality. Staff are constantly alert to teaching children how to keep themselves safe. For example, by raising their awareness of road safety and reminding children not to rock on their chairs as they might fall off.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children also learn about fire safety through practising regular fire drills with staff. This raises their awareness of danger and encourages them to take some responsibility for their own wellbeing. Staff have a good understanding of how to safeguard children to protect their welfare. A good number of staff hold a first aid qualification and a sound understanding is held of their roles and responsibilities within the local Area Child Protection Committee procedures. These measures contribute to keeping children safe and mean they can act appropriately and in the child's best interest.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are confident and display high levels of self-esteem, which is largely due to the actions of the staff, who evidently know the children well. They are consistently good role models for children, praise them regularly, listen to what children are saying and clearly value their contributions. Children approach staff freely and interaction is effective. As a result, children develop warm relationships with staff and converse easily. Children enter the setting confidently and quickly settle into the familiar routine. Independence is successfully promoted and children use their initiative and select their own resources and play experiences. Children are very proud of their achievements and seek out staff to share their joy. All children eagerly participate in activities and are clearly motivated to learn. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress towards

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the early learning goals because staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage. The planning systems clearly identify learning intentions in interesting and stimulating activities. Staff use effective questioning techniques to successfully stimulate children's thinking and extend their knowledge. The staff's clear knowledge of individual children enables appropriate challenges to be incorporated into the curriculum as needed. Children are highly involved in activities of their own choosing, such as construction, imaginative and creative activities. Children are confident in their interactions with

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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 staff and their peers. They enjoy books and handle them correctly showing an increasing awareness that print carries meaning. They talk with enthusiasm about what they are doing and what they are going to do. They are confident speakers with a wide vocabulary; many children clearly know some letter sounds and are developing good early writing skills. Children count confidently and show increasing skill in using and recognising number in their play. For example, counting the number of children during registration time and correctly identifying numbers on the weighing scales. Children have a good awareness of shape as they match and identify differently shaped blocks. However, opportunities to learn about simple number problems are less frequent. Children show interest in discovering how things work and regularly talk about what is

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

seen and what is happening. Children construct with a purpose in mind and describe their creations in detail. An example of this involves a child carefully and thoughtfully designing a house with a garage, windows, and doors. Another makes a ‘wiggly worm’ explaining he wants it to roll so decides to add wheels to serve this purpose. Children competently use a wide range of tools which require hand-eye co-ordination. Children demonstrate good skill and control when moulding and manipulating play dough into cakes and worms. They have access to a good range of media and materials which are well-presented to promote independence and free expression in their creations. Children are imaginative in their play as they collectively arrange chairs to make a train and travel to Skipton for a cup of tea.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children feel a sense of belonging in the setting due to the very warm welcome they receive from staff and the positive interaction that is constantly provided. They are happy and content because they are able to make choices in their play and independently access equipment. Children become aware of wider society through a good range of toys and resources and activities that promote a positive view of diversity. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children’s behaviour is very good. They work harmoniously together as they link up with their peers and cooperate effectively. They are learning to successfully resolve issues themselves and learn to take responsibility for their own behaviour. For example, as they help to make the playgroup rules. Positive strategies are used to manage children's behaviour and staff set clear boundaries, which they consistently

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Helping children make a positive contribution

apply. This effective behaviour management means that children have a good understanding of agreed codes of behaviour and are settled and secure in the playgroup. Partnership with parents is good. Parents have clear information about the setting and the policies and procedures. The parent notice board and regular newsletters inform them of planning and recent activities. However, regular accessibility of children’s progress files requires further improvement. Staff actively encourage parents to come into the setting by operating a parents' rota and many parents take

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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 up this opportunity. Parents confirm that staff are approachable and accommodating which helps to ensure children are settled and secure.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The well-organised and welcoming environment contributes to children's good levels of independence and actively increases their confidence. The activities are attractively presented and effective deployment of staff allows children to initiate their own play and learning. All of the required documentation is in place and policies and procedures are successfully adhered to in practice. Recruitment and vetting procedures ensure children are well protected and cared for by staff with good knowledge and understanding of child development. However, these procedures do not include an appraisal system to ascertain continued suitability. The leadership and management of the playgroup is good. There is an extremely high level of commitment from staff and very successful working relationships. All staff have a high regard for the wellbeing of children and ensure that policies and procedures work well in practice. The playgroup is proactive in identifying their own

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Organisation

areas for development and regularly seeks advice and support from the local authority. This demonstrates a strong willingness to continually improve and has a positive impact on the care, learning and play provided. Regular staff meetings are held, which allows all staff to be involved in the planning and evaluating of activities. This means that all staff are aware of the general learning intentions of the activities. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the playgroup were asked to improve some of the policies and procedures and communication relating to informing Ofsted of changes. The playgroup have now extended their child protection policy to include procedures to follow in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. The registration system has also been developed and now clearly shows staff attendance. The playgroup have also improved communication and have informed Ofsted of recent changes to the committee. These all contribute to keeping children safe on the premises. At the last nursery education inspection the playgroup were asked to improve children’s understanding of right and wrong and to develop the range of strategies to help foster children’s good behaviour. There has been clear improvement and children have a very good understanding of right and wrong and behave well. Staff use positive strategies to manage children’s behaviour and they respond well to

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Improvements since the last inspection

regular praise and encouragement. They were also asked to increase opportunities for children to use large equipment which they have successfully addressed, ensuring all children have regular access to such equipment. The last recommendation has been partly addressed. It was to introduce a suitable staff appraisal system to help identify individual staff training needs. Although a system

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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 has been introduced to identify individual training needs, there is still no formal appraisal system in place. This means there is no dedicated time to review individual performance and practice and assess staff’s continued suitability.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. 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): • introduce an appraisal system to review individual performance and practice and assess staff’s continued suitability.

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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 have frequent opportunities to learn about simple number problems in their everyday activities • ensure all parent's have regular access to their child's progress file.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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