Castlemorton Caterpillars Pre-School

Castlemorton Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Castlemorton Playgroup

Unique Reference Number EY313316 Inspection date 13 March 2006 Inspector Valerie Fane

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Castlemorton Playgroup

Setting Address Church Road, Castlemorton, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6BG Telephone number 01684 833 282

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E-mail

Registered person The Governing Body of Castlemorton Primary School Type of inspection Childcare 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Castlemorton Playgroup, owned by Castlemorton Primary School Governing Body, opened in 2005. It operates from the school hall, the YR classroom and associated facilities within the primary school. There is a large playground for outdoor play and the group also has use of the Forest School area within the school grounds. Children attend from Castlemorton village and the surrounding area. There are currently 13 children on roll, aged from 2 years to under 5 years. Of these 9 children receive funding for nursery education. Younger children may attend with their parent or carer. The playgroup is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 11:30 in

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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 school term time. Support is available for children with special educational needs and children for whom English is an additional language. The playgroup employs three staff of whom two work with the children at any one time. One member of staff holds an appropriate Level 3 early years qualification and another is working towards a Level 2 qualification. The setting receives support from a mentor teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children become independent in their personal hygiene as they confidently use the school facilities. Staff supervise them at all times and remind them about the importance of flushing toilets and washing their hands. Children receive appropriate care in the event of an accident or illness because the supervisor has a current first aid qualification and additional support is available from trained first aid personnel within the school. Staff keep detailed records of any accidents that occur and these are signed by parents. Children are protected from cross infection because the playgroup has a clear policy excluding children who are unwell that is included as part of the contract signed by parents. Children develop a good understanding of the principles of healthy eating because they enjoy daily snacks that include both fresh and dried fruit as well as a plain biscuit. Their learning is reinforced through topics such as 'colours' because they look

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Helping children to be healthy

at the colours of different fruits and make a fruit salad to eat at snack time. Children understand the importance of fresh air and exercise because they have regular opportunities to play outside including one morning a week in the Forest School. They develop an awareness of space as they follow playground trails on their scooters and improve their balance and control as they ride the large wheeled toys that they share with the reception class. They improve their hand control as they bowl hoops across the playground and get good exercise as they run after them and try to catch them. Indoors they enjoy parachute games and develop climbing skills on the slide.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are generally cared for in a safe and secure environment where staff have assessed and minimised risks both indoors and outside. The playgroup has a clear health and safety policy and staff make very good use of risk assessments to highlight dangers and take appropriate action. Children have some opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe in the event of a fire when they join in the school fire practice, but children who do not attend on the particular day each term miss the chance to practice. Indoors children know that they must not touch the PE equipment stored in the corner of the hall and that it is not safe to run around in the hall. Outside

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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 they know that they must stay on the school playground and that they must go with staff to fetch equipment from the shed. Children use a range of high quality, well-maintained equipment both indoors and outside and are able to self-select from the toys put out by staff each day. They benefit from opportunities to share equipment with the school reception class. Children's well-being is safeguarded because staff have received recent training in child protection. They have a good knowledge of child protection issues and the correct procedures to follow if they had concerns about a child in their care. Children begin to understand how to protect themselves as they learn not to talk to strangers and to ask for help from an adult if they do not like another child's behaviour.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle well in the friendly playgroup environment and develop close relationships with staff and with each other. They are confident to select activities and quickly become engrossed in their play. They show sustained concentration as they play with the Duplo. They enjoy small world play with the Duplo zoo animals and then decide to build a tower with the bricks. They begin to work co-operatively as one child holds the base of the tower steady while another child adds more bricks. They respond to the challenge set by the staff to make it as tall as one of the children in the group. They develop their understanding of maths as they compare the height of the tower and the height of the child. Children gain a good understanding of the natural environment as they join with the school reception class to visit the on-site Forest School. For example, they collect sticks and tie them together with wool to make a triangle or they use leaves to make

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

a trail. They grow plants in the playgroup garden and enthusiastically observe how fast they are growing. They know that the plants will need water if there is no rain. They handle books with care in the book corner and enjoy looking at books on their own or listening to group stories. Children use different activities with enthusiasm because staff present them attractively and in different ways. They enjoy playing with farm animals in the sand and explore its texture as they let the sand run through their fingers. On other occasions they develop hand control as they make patterns in the sand with combs. Children benefit from an interesting range of planned activities that broadly covers the six areas of learning for the Foundation Stage. The activities are also linked to the 'Birth to three matters' framework for the younger children. However, staff make limited assessments of children's progress. They do not fully evaluate the activities or

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use the evaluations to inform future planning to meet the needs of individual children.

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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 The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents appreciate the small size of the group and the friendly atmosphere. Children benefit from the close relationships that are forming between staff and parents and the involvement of parents in their child's learning. Parents receive a newsletter each half term with information about the current topic and staff update this information via the school weekly newssheet. Children bring things in from home related to the current topic. This further strengthens their links between home and school. Children with special educational needs would be cared for well because staff would keep detailed records of the child's development and liaise closely with their parents. Staff would also receive support from the school's special needs co-ordinator.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have limited opportunities to learn about the wider world as they play with a small range of toys that represent other cultures and our wider society. They occasionally take part in planned activities to celebrate festivals. For example, they have a party at Christmas and make cards and shohars for Rosh Hashanah. They develop their identity within the local community as they meet other early years groups at activities such as a magic show at Christmas. Children behave very well at playgroup. They learn to share toys and to take turns and adults support their learning by encouraging them to seek help rather than to hit another child who is being annoying. They respond well to the good role models provided by staff and are keen to help with jobs such as tidying up at the end of the session.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are secure in the well-organised playgroup environment and are familiar with the daily routines. Staff make good use of the available space both indoors and outside to maximise play opportunities for the children. Children's welfare is safeguarded because all required policies and procedures are in place and parents provide the necessary information and consents for their child before they attend the group. The registered person is aware of the need to inform Ofsted of any changes to the playgroup and to check the suitability of new staff appointed. Children benefit from the knowledge and experience of the qualified manager. All staff have a regular performance management review and are able to access training to update their skills. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they

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Complaints 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 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve children's awareness of fire safety by extending the opportunities for all children to practise the emergency evacuation procedures regularly • develop the evaluations of planned activities and use these to inform future planning to meet individual children's needs • improve opportunities for children to develop their awareness of other cultures and diversity.

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The quality and standards of the care

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 care

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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