Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/01/2004 Inspector Name Sara Bailey

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Pawlett Village Playgroup Setting Address Chapel Road Pawlett Bridgwater Somerset TA6 4SH

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Pawlett Village Playgroup Address Chapel Road Pawlett Bridgwater Somerset TA6 4SH

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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

Pawlett playgroup opened in 1992. It operates from one room within Pawlett Methodist Church hall, Pawlett, Somerset. It services the local area. There are currently 7 children from two and a half years to five years on roll. This includes four funded 3 year olds and two funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently has no children attending with special needs or who speak English as an additional language. The group opens four mornings a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9.30am until 12 noon. Five part time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 3. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Pawlett Playgroup provides satisfactory care for children. Over half the staff are qualified to NVQ level 3 with good adult to child ratios. However, staff are poorly organised and deployed with limited resources accessible to children meaning individual needs are not well met. There are gaps with documentation and policies need to be more accessible to parents and implemented fully by staff. The environment is not warm or welcoming and some safety aspects have been overlooked. However, the registered person is dedicated to improvement. Children have established routines to promote good hygiene but are not encouraged to be independent in hand washing or at snack time. They are being introduced to a variety of foods. A first aider is not present at all sessions. Staff have a satisfactory knowledge of child protection. Children have limited activities at each session but are thrilled when staff organise a

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How good is the Day Care?

craft activity. Most staff interact well with the children although difficult behaviour is

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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 sometimes ignored or handled with little confidence. Some staff have completed sign language training but this was not observed. Staff are working hard to encourage parents into the playgroup and making good links between playgroup and home with a book sharing scheme. Regular newsletters have been introduced to inform parents of current issues and about the Early Learning Goals.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection in January 2002, six actions were raised. One is no longer applicable as the group are sessional a named person for behaviour management is not required. The toilets have been refurbished so toilet facility hygiene has improved. An Equal Opportunities policy is now in place although it has not been implemented and three other actions require further work to be satisfactory, socket covers are still not made safe, staff details are still not on the premises and there are still limited play materials available to children.

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What is being done well?

• Over half the staff are qualified in Early Years to NVQ level 3. • Staff to child ratios are good.

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What needs to be improved?

• the operational plan to identify and improve organisation • the staff's behaviour management strategies and recording of all incidents • the implementation of the equal opportunities policy to ensure children's individual needs are met • the accessibility of policies and procedures to parents • the recording of staff working directly with children • a first aid qualified member of staff at each session • the environment needs to be warm and welcoming • the range and accessibility of toys and activities to children • the risk assessment and addressing of identified safety hazards.

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Outcome of the 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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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 9 ensure that children have an appropriate range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, the policy is shared with all parents and implemented by staff 01/03/2004

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

2 ensure a lost child policy is in place 12/02/2004 11 develop staff's awareness and understanding of effective ways to manage children's behaviour, taking into account their age and stage of development 01/03/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 8 ensure drinking water is readily available 2 develop an operational plan to include updated policies and procedures, induction, staff deployment and keyworker system 6 conduct a risk assessment on the premises identifying actions to be taken to minimize identified risks 7 develop and implement an action plan detailing how at least one member of staff with a current first aid certificate will be on the premises or on outings at any one time

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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?

Pawlett Village Playgroup offers acceptable nursery education and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. Teaching is generally good. Planning covers all six areas of learning and children are regularly assessed. However, children's assessments are not linked to planning and therefore insufficient challenges are set for children. Three members of staff have level 3 training but behaviour is managed inconsistently. Staff have established effective routines to encourage children to settle quickly and to encourage good hygiene practices but staff deployment and use of resources needs to be considered. Leadership and management is generally good. The main supervisor and chairperson are both very committed to improving the group. Appraisal systems have been implemented to encourage good practice and improve inconsistency

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How effective is the nursery education?

issues within a large staff team. Differences in how planning is implemented has also been highlighted as needing to be addressed. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are given comprehensive information about the setting and encouraged to be involved in their child's learning by taking their turn on the parents' rota and using the library book system. Steps are currently being taken to improve children's assessment records so that more formal methods of updating parents on their child's attainment can be achieved.

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What is being done well?

• Children have plenty of opportunities to learn about the natural world and the changes around them. • Children are given good opportunities to respond in a variety of ways by using their senses. • Children are motivated and eager to learn.

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What needs to be improved?

• behaviour management to ensure that strategies are in place and used consistently and effectively by staff • children's assessments need to be used to inform planning • evaluation of planning to ensure that activities, staff deployment and resources meet the needs of all children with appropriate challenges for more able children

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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 • mathematical activities to ensure that children are developing their skills and understanding through all activities and not just through a planned activity

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Pawlett Village Playgroup have made generally good improvement since the last inspection. Planning now includes all six areas of learning. Mathematics activities are planned on a daily basis but not always implemented. More opportunities are still needed for children to develop their mathematical skills and understanding through play. Children are now being assessed more regularly and a new system has been implemented to identify the stepping stones achieved. This is not yet being used effectively as it does not inform planning nor is it able to be used to clearly inform parents of their children's progress in all six areas of learning. Children are learning about patterns of sounds in words through participating in singing nursery rhymes and songs and through effective reading at story time and name recognition.

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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 separate easily from carers and are confident to express their views. However, children's behaviour towards each other is sometimes inappropriate and staff do not interact consistently when dealing with issues. Children are very eager to learn and highly motivated but are not given enough opportunities to increase their independence through routine events.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children listen and respond well when others speak and can follow simple instructions. They are given many opportunities to links sounds with letters and recognise their own names. Reading at home is encouraged through the home library system but books within the setting are not attractively displayed to encourage use. Mark making resources are available during the sessions but not always used by the children to develop their writing in play situations.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have a good grasp of shape, size and pattern and understand positional language. Maths activities are planned on a daily basis but are not always implemented. Children are not given enough opportunities to develop their mathematical skills and understanding through play or encouraged sufficiently by staff.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Staff are proactive in encouraging children's learning of their own and other cultures. They have been involved in celebrating Chinese, Indian and Muslim festivals. Children are encouraged to explore, investigate and construct regularly but resources for IT are limited and not always available for the children to use. Children notice changes in the environment according to the seasons and observe the passing of time.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to move confidently and with imagination using a variety of large and small equipment. They are confident to use tools with increasing control and practice hand eye co-ordination skills. Effective routines and activities ensure children are learning the importance of keeping healthy. Children demonstrate a good sense of space but more able children are not always sufficiently challenged.

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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: Generally Good Children are very confident at exploring texture, colour and form independently. They are keen to join in with rhymes and explore sounds. Their imagination is encouraged in role-play and dance especially but sometimes art activities are too prescribed. There are good opportunities for children to respond to what they see, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel through activities provided.

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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 systems for planning which are linked to children's assessments, and show how activities, staff deployment and resources are used to meet the needs of all children including more able children • develop behaviour management strategies and ensure these are consistently applied by all staff

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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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