Westfield Community Playgroup

Westfield Community Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 303491 Inspection date 22/04/2010 Inspector Sheila O’Keeffe

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Setting address Westfield County Primary School, Clayton Crescent, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4TR Telephone number 01928 591685 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 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as 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: 0300 123 1231 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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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

Westfield Community Playgroup was registered in 1998. It is run by a voluntary committee and is situated in a single storey building within the grounds of Westfield Primary School in Runcorn, Cheshire. Children have access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. There is disabled access. The setting primarily serves families living in, and around, the local community. A maximum of 20 children aged under eight years may attend the setting at any one time. The setting currently takes children from two to five years. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 11.30am, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12.45pm to 3.15pm, term time only.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 36 children on roll who are within the early years age range, of these, 24 are in receipt of funding for early education. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff who work directly with the children, of these, five hold early years qualifications to level 3, including two with foundation degrees who are currently working towards Early Years Professional Status. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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 playgroup provides a warm, friendly and welcoming environment, where children feel fully included and have a good range of opportunities to learn through play. Children enjoy their activities immensely and are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Key workers observe the children well, record what they can do and effectively plan to support their development. The manager and her team have good vision and plans to develop the playgroup. They demonstrate a good capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the layout of the storeroom and general organisation for storage of resources to ensure they are quickly and easily accessible by staff  develop and formalise the self-evaluation process and include all stakeholders to clearly identify strengths and areas for development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Good recruitment and safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure children are safe and well protected. Visitors are monitored and sign in with identification checks at the front entrance. Clear policies and procedures promote children’s health, safety and enjoyment. Staff provide an inclusive environment where children respect each other and share equal opportunities. Staff are well deployed and work together as a team to offer children good care, support and encouragement. Children have a good range of age-appropriate play resources and a special, quiet area to relax and explore a wide range of books. The outside provision is securely fenced and well supervised. There are good opportunities for exploration in the woodland area in the school grounds. However, the organisation and storage of resources does not always ensure easy or safe access for staff.

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the early years provision

Staff are well qualified and are knowledgeable about the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are in the process of ongoing training and developing their expertise further to support the children’s learning. They observe and gather information to plan for children’s individual needs and to promote their development. The individual learning journeys show a good range of recording methods with photographs and comments. A range of activities gives the children a good variety of experiences across all areas of learning. Excellent information and transition methods are shared between the local schools’ Early Years Foundation Stage, and parents, to ensure children’s individual needs are met and extended.

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the early years provision

Outstanding partnerships with other early years professionals, agencies and the local schools are extremely well developed. As a result, expertise, training and advice sought, benefit the children and ensure their needs are well met, in particular, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Engagement and relationships with parents and carers are highly effective. Parents say how pleased they are with the playgroup and praise the staff for their care and attention. They comment on how happy their children are and how they bring books home to read. Self-evaluation takes place both informally and at meetings. However, it has yet to be a regular focus and include all stakeholders in identifying the strengths and areas for improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are made to feel very welcome and quickly settle to choosing their activities, including dressing up and playing with their friends. They are considerate and helpful towards each other. For example, children excitedly chat about being invited to a friend’s birthday party. Children are familiar and comfortable with the routines, as they access activities of their choice and wash their hands before a nutritious snack. They have excellent relationships with caring staff, who respond well to the requests of the children and join in enthusiastically with their chosen games; for example, children enjoy themselves outside, with support from staff on the climbing equipment and playing in the water area. Children develop awareness This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of the wider world and healthy living through choosing their own snacks, such as from a salad bar. The children are extremely engaged and enthusiastic; for

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and outcomes for children

example, when they get their ball into the basketball net and rush to record their shot on paper nearby.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, activities cover the six areas of learning well through the good range of choice available. Children can relax and read in the well stocked book area, develop their creative skills with dough and paint or play with a good range of toys and games. Regular opportunities are available to access computer programs which help to develop literacy, numeracy and mouse control skills. Outside play offers plenty of space to develop and enjoy physical skills and to use their imagination, such as using the climbing area as a den or for creative ball games. Some children showed their excitement about the caterpillars that had made their cocoons. They could describe the next butterfly stage of the process using good vocabulary. Staff encourage excellent behaviour, enabling the children to feel extremely confident, cooperate well and enjoy each others company. The playgroup assists the children’s progress towards the early learning goals, and

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and outcomes for children

develops their confidence and self-esteem through the interesting and fun range of play activities on offer. The children gain some awareness of our multicultural society through exploring the dressing up resources in role-play and looking at books that reflect a variety of cultures. During story time the children are able to sit, concentrate and are inquisitive and ask questions. They celebrate their friend’s birthday singing Happy Birthday. As a result children are acquiring good social skills and a foundation to prepare them for future learning. 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 1 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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