CADWA Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 10/03/2005 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name CADWA Playgroup Setting Address Cadwa Hall Bowland Avenue Liverpool Merseyside L16 1JP

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Chelwood and District Welfare Association 521160

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name The Chelwood and District Welfare Association Address Cadwa Hall, Bowland Avenue Liverpool Merseyside L16 1JP

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public 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.

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Information about the setting

The Chelwood and District Welfare Association playgroup is managed by a voluntary committee. It opened more than thirty years ago and operates from the district hall. It does not have exclusive use of the hall so equipment and displays have to be taken out and put away each day. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. It is situated in the Childwall district of Liverpool. The setting offers sessional care mostly to those who live locally. It opens from 09.00 to 11.30 Monday to Friday in school term time only. It is registered to care for twenty five children. There are currently eighteen children aged between two and five years on roll and they attend for a variety of sessions. Eleven children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery has supported a few children identified as having special educational needs in the past. It currently supports some children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs four staff of whom three work with the children. They all have a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare partnership.

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The provision at Chelwood and District Welfare Association playgroup is of good quality where children make generally good progress overall towards the early learning goals. Children make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development and physical and creative development. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff encourage children to learn through play by setting out interesting things for them to play with and working alongside them. The room is set up everyday with different areas like sand, painting and role play for the children. They promote children's speaking and listening skills well as they engage them in conversation. Staff plan a wide range of topics which show close links to the Stepping Stones. They manage children's behaviour well, using praise frequently. They do not emphasise rhyming in stories enough and do not make best use of big books to hold the interest of the children. The day is well

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How effective is the nursery education?

organised and not a minute is wasted. Staff work quite well with the children who speak English as an additional language but are unable to take them to the next stage. Assessment procedures are generally good. Staff observe children often and note their progress. Records are kept, using the local authority profile, and these are discussed fully with parents. The leadership and management of the playgroup are generally good. The staff are an experienced and well qualified team. Policies and procedures are well known to all because they all helped write them. Management is unsure of the strengths and weaknesses of provision because there is little formal monitoring. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are very happy with the setting. Induction procedures are flexible enough to meet the needs of parents and children. Information on each child's abilities is shared both formally and informally.

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What is being done well?

• Most children are very confident because the staff encourage them to be independent and make choices during the session. • Staff set up stimulating activities for the children to choose from immediately on arrival. This helps children leave their parents smoothly because they want to join in the fun. The staff have a good understanding of the concept that children learn best through structured play. • Children's curiosity is encouraged well. Binoculars, magnifiers and magnets are used to explore resources like shells, insects and stones. • Children like to use the tape recorder like a karaoke system to sing through. They operate it carefully. • Children play well in the role play area. They act out home life and include

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 others who want to play. They enjoy using the puppet theatre and present traditional stories using the finger puppets. • The additional hall is used well for physical activities when the outdoor area is unavailable. Children run around and around in the space. They make good attempts to hit balls with bats and roll hoops, which they try to climb through as it is rolling.

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What needs to be improved?

• activities which promote children's understanding of rhyme and alliteration • children's knowledge of the language of comparing groups and the concepts of more and less than in practical situations • the use of diagrams, demonstrations and resources which would further support the learning of the language by children who speak English as an additional language • children's understanding of other faiths and cultures • the management's understanding of the strengths and areas for development of provision.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in addressing the four issues raised at the last inspection. The first asked the setting to develop the range and quality of role play activities and they have done this very well. New materials have been purchased and children frequently play with them. The second required the setting to establish their new planning system to ensure that six areas of learning are covered. The planning system is now well embedded. It offers children a good range of topics to meet their learning needs. Staff ensure, by checking carefully, that all the clusters from the six areas of learning are covered. The third involved the setting in introducing their proposed assessment system. This has been done well and staff are familiar with it. Children are assessed by observation and notes are kept which are eventually transferred on to their record. The final issue wanted the setting to use the information from the assessments of

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What has improved since the last inspection?

children's learning to prepare the next stages in their learning. This is being done satisfactorily. Key workers use their notes to help plan the next stages in their children's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children leave parents and carers confidently and join in the games their friends are playing. They know all the staff well and feel safe in the setting. Children are confident, independent and concentrate for lengthy periods at activities. They are starting to share resources and work co-operatively. Children take care of their own needs, like drinking water when they want to. They behave well with most understanding how to behave in a group. Some are sharing toys.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children communicate well in gestures and short phrases, with the most able using sentences to share their thoughts and ideas. They listen to adults and each other quite attentively and talk though their play, e.g. in the puppet theatre. Children are keen to share books. They hold them correctly and recall the main details but children know little about rhyming sounds. They practice 'mark making', mostly on worksheets, and use paper and pencil to make lists in the role play area.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy playing with the 'bears' and sort them by colours and by size expertly. They 'touch' count to at least five accurately and use numbers in their play quite frequently. Children quickly mentally count how many of them are left at 'home time' and know that when two more leave only two remain. This, and similar situations, are not developed by staff so that children have a good understanding of more and less than. Children name the basic flat shapes they see around the room.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children confidently use a good range of technology toys. They are aware of events from their recent past and confidently talk about them. Children are beginning to identify the features of life in the town and in the countryside through playing with carpet maps and from their farm visits. A good range of resources encourages children to be curious about the world around them. Children have a sound understanding of their own cultures but, in conversation, little idea of other faiths.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children show good team work when playing with the parachute and confidently move under and around it during games. They walk, run and jump freely in the large hall and play enthusiastically with hoops, bats and balls, improving their skills. They show good balance when walking on the 'can stilts'. Children use small tools, like scissors and glue spreaders, with improving accuracy. They hold pencils effectively and paint using bold strokes.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children play well in the role play and when using the puppet theatre. They act out home life or stories they have heard, like 'The 3 Billy Goats Gruff'. Children enjoy a wide range of art activities which are stimulated by good use of resources, e.g. they felt and tasted fruit before painting it. Children can choose to paint or draw every session. They sing quite well and are learning to play percussion instruments in different ways, e.g. quiet/loud or fast/slow.

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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

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

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• provide more activities which promote children's understanding of rhyme and alliteration • give children more opportunities to hear and use the language of comparison and more and less than in practical situations • employ more consistently diagrams, gestures and resources for all children but especially those who are learning English as an additional language • implement a formal system for monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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