Shepley Preschool Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 05/05/2004 Inspector Name Barbara Ridgway

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Shepley Pre School Playgroup Setting Address The Portacabin, Firth Street Shepley Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD8 8DD

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Shepley Pre School Playgroup

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Shepley Pre School Playgroup Address The Portacabin, Firth Street Shepley Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD8 8DD

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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

Shepley Pre-school Playgroup opened in 1968. It serves the local area. The playgroup operates within a portacabin in the grounds of Shepley First School, near Huddersfield. The playroom is sectioned off to provide areas for a variety of activities. A kitchen, office, store room and toilets are available. There is an adjacent enclosed play area for outdoor activities. They are presently caring for 96 children. This includes 27 funded three-year-olds and 15 funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The playgroup supports children with special needs. The playgroup opens from 09:00 until 11:30, and 12:45 until 15:15 on Mondays to Fridays, during school term time. Wraparound care is provided from 11:30 until 12:45, and out of school care is provided from 07:30 until 08:55, and from 15:30 until 18:00 for school-aged children. There is also a playscheme that opens from 07:30 until 18:00 during school holidays for school-aged children.

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Information about the setting

The playgroup is managed by a voluntary committee of parents who employ a manager responsible for the day to day organisation. There are 11 staff members who work on a rota basis, five of whom hold a recognised level three early years qualification, and one who is working towards a level 3 qualification in playwork. One staff member holds a level 2 early years qualification and is working towards a level 3. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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How good is the Day Care?

Shepley Pre-school Playgroup and Out of School provides good quality care for children. A conscientious team of staff work well together to support the children and provide a secure and stimulating child-centred environment. An operational plan is in place, but does not indicate the differing needs of children. Strong emphasis is paid to health and safety issues, and attention is given to encouraging good hygiene

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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 practices with the children. Effective paperwork is in place to assess hazards, and this is reviewed regularly. Staff have a very good awareness of individual children's needs and ensure these are met, including children with special needs. There is a good policy for the management of children's behaviour. This is implemented and ensures consistency, and that praise is used to encourage positive behaviour. A wide range of toys, equipment and activities are provided for children to self-select, these offer appropriate challenge for a variety of abilities. An effective planning system is in place. However, planning for outdoor activities could be further developed. Children's development is evaluated and recorded in individual records.

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How good is the Day Care?

A good selection of resources and activities reflect positive images. Staff's participation and interaction with the children is excellent, and friendly relationships are maintained. Children are settled, confident and happy. Trusting partnerships are established with parents and carers. Information is exchanged verbally and through informative written records. Information about the setting and their policies and procedures are included in a welcome pack, and there are notice boards and newsletters. A supportive parent committee is actively involved in the management of the setting.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Issues raised at the last inspection have been addressed. An operational plan has been devised, and this is made available to parents. This is being further developed to include how the setting meets the needs of the various age groups of children that attend. The registers of attendance now include the times when the children, staff and visitors are on the premises. This gives a clear picture of persons on the premises for fire safety and indicates the staff ratio levels.

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What is being done well?

• The enthusiastic and conscientious staff team work well together and they are committed to the care and support of the children and their families. Trusting relationships with parents are established, and this contributes to the effective programme to settle children in. • The interaction and participation in the play is excellent and enhances all aspects of the children's development. • Individual children are all valued and high priority is given to ensuring that their needs are met, including children with special needs. • A wide variety of toys and activities is presented in a safe, child-centred environment where children are encouraged to self-select and make choices. • Planning is effective and ensures that all areas of learning are met. Evaluative observations on the children are recorded in their well-presented and informative individual records of achievement.

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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 operational plan, to include how the provision meets the differing needs of the various age groups of children attending • the planning for outdoor play.

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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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 2 Further develop the operational plan to indicate how the various age groups of children are provided for to ensure that their differing needs are met. 3 Further develop the planning for outdoor play.

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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?

Shepley Pre-school Playgroup provides a stimulating purposeful environment where children are happy, confident and well motivated and are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The setting is well organised with good quality resources, which are attractively presented, enabling children to be independent learners. Teaching is very good and staff have a good knowledge of the early learning goals and foundation stage, and this continues to be developed through teacher support. They plan an interesting, stimulating and broad range of activities for children's self-selection, covering all six areas of learning. The staff need to further develop systems to use children's observations and individual assessment records to evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery education and plan for the children's next step. Staff are enthusiastic and use the time and resources well to provide structure

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How effective is the nursery education?

to the sessions. Staff encourage children's independence and they provide a good role model for the children, resulting in children behaving well. Partnership with parents is very good. They are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning in a variety of ways. Parents are provided with good written and verbal information regarding the setting and their child's progress. Relationships are established through the keyworker system, parents' evenings, daily reports and children's records of achievement. Leadership and management is very good. The management and staff are committed to improving the service offered. Established relationships are in place and effective team work is apparent. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and are deployed effectively. Good systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery education within the setting.

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What is being done well?

• Staff work well as a team. They are well-organised and make good use of their time and resources to support the children's learning well. They have very good knowledge of the children as individuals, have developed warm and friendly relationships with them, and interact well to support their learning. • Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are very happy, confident and settled, and developing independence. Children are very interested and involved in their play and are excited to learn. • Children's early reading and writing skills are developing well. The children have access to a wide range of markmaking tools that encourage use, and many are forming recognisable shapes and letters. They participate

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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 enthusiastically during story time where the repetition of stories encourages children to learn the sequence of the story. • Children's creative development is very good. Children enjoy experimenting with sounds, interpreting, moving and dancing in response to different types of music. • Children have a good awareness of their bodies including moving in a variety of ways and also responding to personal needs such as drinks following being active. • Staff provide a positive role model for the children and have a high regard to promoting their positive behaviour through praise. This results in the children behaving well, respecting and showing concern for others.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities to link letters to sounds within the day to day activities • the further development of assessment and planning systems used to plan for the children's next stage of development.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made generally good progress since the last inspection They have improved the planning to ensure that all six areas of learning are fully covered, including differentiation for children with differing abilities. Each main topic within the medium term plan fully relates to all areas of learning to ensure that children receive opportunity to access their potential in all areas. They have further developed the recording systems for children's assessments, and children's individual records of achievement contain evaluative observations linked to the areas of learning. These need to be further developed to include what the children need to learn next with relation to the stepping stones, and this information to be used to inform the planning.

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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: Very Good Children are very happy, confident and settled. They are enthusiastic, motivated and enjoy their learning through play. They become very involved and interested in the activities. Children are very independent, they select resources, make their own choices and decisions. They have established very good relationships with each other and staff. They play well together, share and take turns and their behaviour is very good. The children show respect and concern for others within the group.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children use language well, especially during imaginative play and small group activities. They enjoy making marks and their early writing skills are developing well. Most children recognise their own name, some four year olds can write their name accurately. They handle books, listen well to stories, concentrate well and contribute enthusiastically. They relate and interact very well with others and are confident to speak. They do not always have opportunities to link letters to sounds.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are interested and enjoy activities that involve numbers. Most are beginning to count well with confidence and some are beginning to recognise numerals. There are opportunities to use mathematical ideas to solve problems, match shapes, and calculate through fun activities. Children are able to group and sort objects in many ways. Most four years olds count competently to ten and above.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are very interested in what they observe and are curious learners. They are developing a good understanding of their own culture and beliefs of others. They approach information technology equipment with enthusiasm, and help each other. There are opportunities to explore and investigate the natural world and how things work. Children are able to select resources freely to enable them to purposefully design, build, join, and assemble a selection of materials.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move with confidence in a variety of ways, they have a good understanding of space and show respect to others' need for space. They have a very good awareness of their personal needs, especially in relation to drinks after activity. They handle with skill and increasing control both large and small equipment and their hand eye co-ordination is developing well. Children construct with both large and small objects and enjoy exploring a good range of malleable materials.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children explore a very good range of media, texture in both two and three dimensional form. They respond well to experiences using all their senses. They have many opportunities to communicate their ideas, use their imagination to express themselves, particularly in role play. They enjoy songs and rhymes, exploring musical instruments and enthusiastically move to different types of music.

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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 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.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • Further extend the opportunities to link letters to sounds within the day to day activities. • Develop the assessment and planning systems used to plan for the children's next stage of development.

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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.

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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

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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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