Ysgol Reoledig Llanbedr

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 05/11/2004 Inspector Name Elizabeth Patricia Watton

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Egton Playgroup Setting Address Station Buildings Egton Bridge Whitby North Yorkshire YO21 1UX

p.1

REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.1

ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

p.2

Information about the setting

Egton Playgroup is a privately owned and run pre-school facility. It operates in a 4 roomed purpose built premises converted from the old Station Waiting Rooms at Egton Bridge Station. There is a covered outdoor play area and a garden. It serves mainly the parish of Egton and Grosmont. However children also attend from a much wider area if places are available. For older children the group is open 5 mornings per week from 9:00am to 12:00 noon, with younger children being included on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Up to 30 children may attend at any one time. The group offer funded nursery education places to those children of eligible age. They have the support of the local authority in respect of this. There are currently 17 children on roll of whom there are 5 funded 3-year-olds and 4 funded 4-year-olds. The group currently supports children with special needs but there are none who speak English as an additional language.

p.2

Information about the setting

The owner employs 7 staff of whom more than half have relevant qualifications and others are working towards a recognised qualification.

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

Egton Playgroup provides good care for children. There is a warm welcoming environment where children feel settled, happy and motivated. The staff are well supported in their professional development and the group are working well towards achieving the North Yorkshire quality kite-mark. The premises have been creatively converted for the purpose and a great deal of thought has been given to the excellent outdoor areas. This along with the good quality resources provides a highly stimulating environment for the children. Most aspects of the required documentation are in place; it is very well organised and presented. The child protection policy is not clear about how any allegations against staff would be handled and contact details for regulator are not easily accessed by parents.

p.2

How good is the Day 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 All reasonable measures are taken to ensure the children's health and safety particularly whilst using the outdoor area, but there is a limited degree of privacy for children using the toilet. The snacks are varied and usually very healthy; the children develop their self-help skills and a positive attitude to healthy eating. The children respond very well to the caring staff. They behave exceptionally well and develop very pleasant manners. The huge range of good quality resources and the children's easy access to them ensure that the children confidently develop their natural curiosity as learners. The adults are skilled in presenting the interesting activities so that children become competent independent learners. The staff know the children

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

and their families very well; individual needs are easily met and their personalities are appreciated and enjoyed. Children with special needs are welcomed and sensitively included in all activities. Relationships with parents are very good. There is clear information about the group and how the children spend their time. Parents are made to feel very welcome in the group and they share information freely as they collect their children.

p.3

What is being done well?

• The continuous programme of training and the membership to professional bodies encourages the qualified adults to update their skills and knowledge regularly and enables unqualified staff to gain recognised qualifications to complement their experience. This is of great benefit to the children in several ways. • The presentation of the premises and the range of resources are excellent; the children display high levels of interest and involvement in their play. • The free flow arrangement for using the outdoor areas enables the children to; confidently explore the range of activities in the covered area, become fully involved in the various role play opportunities, discover and observe nature in the garden and enjoy a sense of freedom in the wooded area. • The adults are skilled in using praise and encouragement to manage the children's behaviour; the children's self esteem is very high, they are confident relaxed and they behave very well.

p.3

What is being done well?

• The staff know the children in their care very well; they confidently talk about the children's preferences, their individual aptitudes and needs. This ensures a high level of personalised care. • Relationships with parents are very good; they are very pleased with most aspects of the playgroup but mention the excellent premises with daily access to the outdoors and the caring professional approach of the staff as being particularly good.

p.3

An aspect of outstanding practice:

The presentation of the premises and the wide range of resources provide a highly

p.3

An aspect of outstanding practice:

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 stimulating environment both indoors and out. The small rooms create a cosy atmosphere for the children; they particularly enjoy the well-equipped mezzanine home area and the broad range of creative materials. The daily use of the undercover area enables children to access the broad range of outdoor activities throughout the year. In addition to this the garden and the wooded area beyond provide inviting areas for exploration and discovery. The children's freedom to access all the open-ended learning opportunities has a significant impact on the children's attitudes, development and overall wellbeing.

p.3

What needs to be improved?

• children's privacy when using the toilets • documentation, in particular the policy statements on child protection and complaints.

p.4

CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

p.4

by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 3 Provide additional privacy for children using the toilets. 14 Further clarify how the group would handle any allegations made against staff and include the contact number for Ofsted in the complaints section of the parents' booklet.

p.4

by the time of the next 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.4

How effective is the nursery education?

Egton Playgroup provides a calm yet very stimulating environment where children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Teaching is very good. All the staff have a sound knowledge of the early learning goals and associated stepping stones and have good understanding of how children learn effectively through explorative play. The adults present the resources and activities invitingly and then skilfully scaffold the children's learning through conversational questioning. The resources for children to label their own work are not easily accessible. The attention paid to personal, social and emotional development ensures that the children become confident independent learners and behave very well. Children with special needs are sensitively included in all activities in a way that is appropriate to their needs. A great deal of thought has been given to the premises; they are particularly stimulating and provide a broad range of

p.5

How effective is the nursery education?

opportunities both indoors and out. The free-flow access to all the facilities ensures that personal development is maximised for all the children and that they have important time to consolidate their learning. The leadership and management of the group is very good. There is a shared ethos and commitment to providing the very best of play based early years education. The staff continue to develop their skills and knowledge of related issues and work well with the local authority. The group works very well with parents. Information about the curriculum and their child's development is available in written and verbal forms. The staff talk to the parents daily about the children's achievements, great and small. The parents booklet explains clearly how children learn through play and how the early learning goals are accommodated within this. Assessment folders give a more formalised view of the children's progress for parents.

p.5

What is being done well?

• The presentation of the facilities is excellent; the good quality resources are invitingly accessible and the interesting displays of children's work truly celebrate creativity and achievement. This ensures that the children remain extremely motivated throughout the morning. • The free-flow access to the outdoor environment, the wealth of opportunities provided there and the staff's own development plan to further develop the area have a significant impact on the children's progress in all areas of learning. • The sensitive and practical approach to behaviour management ensures that whilst the children are confident and motivated, they are easily able to sit and listen when required. This has a positive effect on all areas of learning and

p.5

What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 the inclusion of children with special needs. • The team's commitment to overall development is very good; all the adults continue to attend training to enhance their qualifications, they make good use of membership to early years professional bodies and they work with the local authority on possible areas for development. • Whilst the staff carefully plan purposeful activities they are also confident in taking the children's lead in their learning; they skilfully scaffold the children's learning by posing thought provoking questions whilst they construct and create, without disturbing their play.

p.5

What needs to be improved?

• the availability of resources and encouragement for children to label their own work

p.6

What has improved since the last inspection?

The improvements made since the last inspection have been very good. At the last inspection the group were asked to expand the range of samples of the children's work and the information for parents about the foundation stage. The group have introduced a photographic record of children work in all areas of learning. This also contributes to the parents understanding of their child's progress and how the early learning goals are addressed within the play-based activities. An additional paragraph has been added to the parents' booklet explaining briefly the six areas of learning.

p.6

What has improved 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.6

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are confident independent learners, motivated by the wealth of first hand experiences, the broad variety of experiences available and the skilful management of behaviour. The children persist for extended periods of time at an activity of their choosing and are pleased with the result of their work. They enjoy the company of others and work well together; they take turns with the minimum of support as they use the computer and chat to their friends as they wash their paint pots.

p.7

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The children speak increasingly clearly and use language to organise their thoughts and explain what they are doing. Imaginative use of a wide range of story-sacks enable children to develop a strong interest in books. The three-year-old children practise their pre-writing skills by painting, drawing and using the computer; the older children demonstrate their developing skills by taking orders for drinks at the café. They all find their own name cards but do not often label their own work.

p.7

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The range of interesting equipment and interactive displays enables children to develop their counting skills to a good level. The older and more able children confidently count to ten and beyond and many begin to recognise the associated numerals. The staff help the children to understand the concept of more and less using visual prompts relating to favourite number rhymes. The children enjoy working with shape and use mathematical language well to talk about what they are doing.

p.7

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good There are a wealth of opportunities for children to explore and investigate; they investigate how their home grown vegetables change when made into soup. The children choose from a wide range of materials and tools for their construction; they confidently rummage for the right piece of wood outside and bring it indoors to the tool bench to make a model. The children use the computer skilfully to support learning in all areas; carefully listening to the instructions and using the written prompts.

p.7

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.7

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children steer tricycles and tractors with increasing strength and control as they negotiate their way around the areas. The daily use of the covered outdoor area enables children to develop their climbing skills throughout the year. They increase their aim by scoring points as they throw bean bags from the bridge to the numbered targets below. The children develop their manipulative skills to a high level at the play dough table, the computer and in their threading activities.

p.8

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Inspired by the stimulating environment and a broad range of resources the children are truly creative. They use diverse colour, shape and texture in their art work; confidently mixing media for a desired effect. The opportunities for role play are excellent both indoors and out. The children develop their own story line, confidently including peers and adults in this. They sing a range of songs, happily join in with percussion instruments and find their favourite action songs on the computer.

p.8

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.8

OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no key issues to report, but consideration should be given to the following: • the availability of resources for children to label their own work and the encouragement for them to do so if appropriate.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.9

STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

p.10

STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

p.10

STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

p.10

STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

p.10

STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

p.10

STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

p.10

STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

p.10

STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

p.10

STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

p.10

NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

p.10

NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

p.10

STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

p.11

STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

p.11

STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

p.11

STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

p.11

STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.11