Matlock Preschool Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/02/2005 Inspector Name Maggie Buckley

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Matlock Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address 205 Smedley Street Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3JD

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Matlock Pre-school Playgroup Association 512263

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Matlock Pre-school Playgroup Association Address 205 Smedley Street Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3JD

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ORGANISATION 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

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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.

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Information about the setting

Matlock Pre-school Playgroup opened in 1960. It operates from one room in a single storey building situated on a residential estate on the outskirts of Matlock, Derbyshire. A maximum of 12 children may attend the playgroup at any one time. The setting is open 10 sessions a week in term-time. Morning sessions run from 09:10 until 11:40 and afternoon sessions from 12:30 until 15:00. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 45 children aged from two to under five years on roll, of these 30 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local community and outlying areas. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs. The playgroup employs 6 staff, 3 of the staff all of whom are supervisors hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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How good is the Day Care?

Matlock Pre-school Playgroup provides satisfactory care for children. An active management committee supports the setting well. The premises are old, but staff have created an attractive and welcoming environment for children. Three supervisors manage the provision and this does lead to some inconsistencies. Staff deployment and the organisation of space and resources does not always encourage children to play independently and exercise choice. A range of toys, furniture and equipment is available ensuring children can rest, play and eat in comfort. Most of the required documentation is available but some lack detail, and are not shared effectively with parents. Staff pay attention to children's health and hygiene and every member of staff has up-to-date first aid training. A risk assessment is in place, but it is not regularly reviewed to meet the specific needs of the setting. A variety of snacks are offered

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How good is the Day Care?

often relating to the current topics which extends children's learning and experience. Children's individual needs are given consideration and good information is shared

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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 between home and the playgroup. Staffing ratios are increased at a number of sessions offering children more adult support and attention. Staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues is limited. Children are offered a wide variety of structured activities and a regular routine helps them settle and feel secure. Staff give the children lots of praise and they are encouraged to behave well, show good manners and help tidy up. Relationships with parents are very good. Information about the children is shared daily and this is complimented by a range of written information and regular opportunities for discussion.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection there were several actions relating to health, hygiene and documentation. Public liability insurance is now in place. Medicine and accident records and the complaints procedure have been reviewed and now contain all elements. The group has a written policy relating to the exclusion of sick children and have an incident book in place. Written parental permission is now sought for any outings off the premises. The back steps have been made safe for children with the use of netting to block gaps in the hand rails. A number of staff have undertaken food hygiene training. All issues have been fully addressed and further promote the safety and well-being of children in the setting.

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What is being done well?

• This is a well-established playgroup which is very well-regarded within the community. The premises are small but brightly decorated, warm and welcoming to children. A friendly atmosphere prevails. • There is a strong and supportive committee which is keen to assist and actively seeks support and advice to further develop the provision. • Relationships with parents are very good. Parents appreciate the small, friendly setting, the approachable and committed staff and the very effective communication between them and the setting. Established systems are in place for sharing information about the children and the service offered including children's individual folders, a termly newsletter and regular meetings.

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What needs to be improved?

• staff deployment and organisation of space and resources • consistency and communication between the lead staff • risk assessments • emergency consents • knowledge and understanding of child protection issues

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What needs to be improved?

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 • policies and documentation.

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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.

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 13 Develop staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues 28/02/2005

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 2 Improve staff deployment and organisation of space and resources in order to develop children's independent play. 2 Develop systems to improve consistency and communication between lead workers. 6 Implement a risk assessment that is relevant to the setting identifies risks and details actions taken to minimise any risks. 7 Extend documentation relating to the seeking of emergency advice or treatment to include a request for written permission from parents. 14 Review policies and procedures ensuring they contain all elements and are effectively shared with staff and parents.

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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

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How effective is the nursery education?

Matlock Pre-school Playgroup Nursery provision is of good quality overall and children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a planning process in place to enable children to work towards the early learning goals. However, inconsistent planning leads to the repetition of some stepping stones and fails to cover others. This results in children being insufficiently challenged in all areas of learning. Regular observations are undertaken of each child and recorded in their early years record, but this information is not used effectively to inform future planning. Staff interact with the children in a satisfactory manner, enabling generally good behaviour to be achieved. The leadership and management is generally good. A management committee of parents support the setting and are increasing their involvement to monitor the

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How effective is the nursery education?

effectiveness of the staff in delivering the Foundation Stage curriculum. The lack of a rigorous system to ensure that all staff are involved in the planning of activities means that not all staff are clear about the learning intentions for children. The setting makes good use of the support from the local authority and are committed to improvement. The partnership with parents is generally good. They are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning and receive good information to extend the learning at home. Parents are appreciative of their child's achievements and the information given regarding their child is mainly effective in informing them of their child's progress towards the early learning goals.

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What is being done well?

• Good systems are in place to ensure parents are well informed of the planned topics, thus encouraging them to play a part in their child's learning at home. • Children are very enthusiastic in physical play and particularly enjoy group activities where they can move freely. • Staff are committed to improvement and actively seek advice regarding the provision of nursery education, implementing development plans to move the setting forward. • Children have a good sense of time and place and are able to talk about past and present significant experiences in their lives.

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What needs to be improved?

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 planning system to ensure the learning intentions for children are clear; that more detail is included for focused activities and a system is implemented to ensure that all stepping stones will be covered sufficiently over time • the attention given to allowing children more independence in selecting and carrying out activities; improving their opportunities to recognise their own name and to show an interest in number problems • the attention given to increasing children's opportunities to show an interest in information and communication technology; to construct with large materials e.g. cartons, lengths of fabric, planks and to freely express their ideas, thoughts and feelings through art and design

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What needs to be improved?

• the children's early years records to sufficiently link the evidence to the assessment system to illustrate their progress through the stepping stones and the use of the assessments of children's learning, by all supervisors, to effectively inform the future planning for individual children's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Limited progress has been made since the last inspection. The three key issues related to planning and assessment and involving parents in children's learning and they have only been partially addressed. Parents are now provided with good information relating to the topics of learning and are actively encouraged to contribute their own observations of children's learning at home. This information is in the early stages of being used to inform children's progress records. Planning still fails to clearly identify the learning intentions of activities and does not show consistency and balance through the week. The assessment system also fails to clearly show children's progress towards the early learning goals and planning and assessment key issues remain for this inspection.

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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

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are happy to attend the setting and demonstrate a sense of belonging knowing where their bags and workbooks are. Some children display very caring attitudes to each other and have an awareness of the behavioural expectations in the group. Children are very independent in self care routines, such as hand washing and show pride in their achievements. However, children do not always demonstrate independence in selecting and carrying out activities and are too adult directed.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident speakers, developing good communication skills when describing their toy to other children at 'show and tell' time. They recognise opportunities to write for a purpose and ascribe meanings to marks in play, especially in role play. However, children have limited opportunities to recognise their name in the setting. Children have favourite books, handling them carefully and predicting what comes next in the story.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children show an interest in numbers and counting, with most four year olds counting competently to ten and three year olds attempting to count, although less reliably. Children are less confident in showing an interest in the number problems posed at registration time. Children reliably use positional, quantity and size language, in context in play, for example in the sand tray and small world animals. They regularly talk about the shapes of everyday objects such as play dough cutters.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children use their senses well, showing curiosity and investigating changes in baking activities. They deftly connect construction pieces together to build roads for their cars. Children show some interest in technology, although their opportunities to learn how to operate simple equipment are limited due to a lack of resources. They have a good sense of time and place and freely discuss events and places such as recent and forthcoming birthdays and holidays, and going to school.

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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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children demonstrate skill and control when using tools, such as pencils and scissors and are developing their hand-eye co-ordination. They use space effectively in movement sessions and move freely, jumping as gazelles and slithering as snakes. Children do not construct with large materials such as cartons, lengths of fabric or planks. They are developing awareness of healthy practices and are developing an understanding of why hand washing is important to stay healthy.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy exploring a good range of media such as sand, play dough and glue and are able to describe the textures they discover. They express themselves imaginatively in movement sessions, although too much adult direction limits opportunities for children to express themselves freely in art and design. Children respond appropriately to their senses, showing wonder at an illuminated globe and distaste at seaweed for snack time.

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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

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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

• develop the planning system to ensure the learning intentions for children are clear; that more detail is included for focused activities and a system is implemented to ensure that all stepping stones will be covered sufficiently over time • increase the attention given to allowing children more independence in selecting and carrying out activities; improving their opportunities to recognise their own name and to show an interest in number problems • improve the attention given to allowing children more opportunities to show an interest in information and communication technology; to construct with large materials e.g. cartons, lengths of fabric, planks and to freely express their ideas, thoughts and feelings through art and design • develop the children's early years records to sufficiently link the evidence to the assessment system to illustrate their progress through the stepping stones and the use of the assessments of children's learning, by all

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

supervisors, to effectively inform the future planning for individual children's 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 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

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

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

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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