St Mary's Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/11/2003 Inspector Name Chris Gregson

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Mary's Playgroup Setting Address Burkitt Road Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 4JJ

p.1

REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of St Mary's Playgroup 1000832

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St Mary's Playgroup Address Burkitt Road Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 4JJ

p.1

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

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

St Mary's Pre-school opened in 1979. It operates from one room in Horsa's Hut at St Mary's County Primary School in Woodbridge. The pre-school serves the local and surrounding area. There are currently twenty-three children from two to under five years on roll. This includes five funded three year olds and six funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports a number of children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:15 until 11:45. Six part time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Three staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

St Mary's Playgroup provides a good standard of care for children. There are very good well-documented operational procedures in place. Effective use is made of the staff, space and resources and they are supported by the registered provider. Staff are working to update their training and attend short courses. They work effectively as a team creating a stable and happy environment. There are bright, colourful murals in the entrance and children use child-sized furniture and a good range of resources and activities. Staff having a good awareness of health and safety issues and childrens' allergies or dietary needs are recorded and met. Good hygiene is encouraged and staff know how to deal with an accident or comfort a child who becomes ill during the session. Staff know all the children and are skilled at supporting them and providing their individual needs. Staff have a good knowledge of child protection procedures and

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 parents are informed of their responsibilities. There is a key worker system in place and a good range of developmentally appropriate activities. Resources have positive images and children freely and confidently choose activities and are fully involved in imaginative play. They are secure in the daily routine and know that staff will respond to their needs. Staff are interested in the children, talk quietly to them, ask questions to make them think and allow them time to reply. Staff support any child with a specific need. They are very positive, supportive and skilfully manage children's behaviour. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents and children are made welcome by friendly staff helping children to settle. Parent's know what is going on through the

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

prospectus, newsletters and policies. Staff talk informally, before and after the sessions, so that parents are informed of their child's morning.

p.3

What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the provider agreed to provide an action plan for staff training: add times of arrival and departures for staff and children; make drinking water available; provide records to record permission to give required medication and record any given; provide written statement on behaviour management and include details of the regulator in the complaints procedure. There is now an action plan in place to ensure staff are qualified. The register has been adapted to show times children and staff are on the premises. Forms are in place for parents to provide permission for staff to administer and record any medication that needs to be given. Children can now see and ask for a drink of water at any time during the session. A good statement on behaviour management is available in the operational plan ensuring staff are consistent resulting in well behaved children. Ofsted's' details has been added to the complaints procedure to

p.3

What has improved since the last inspection?

inform parents of where they contact if they have concerns.

p.3

What is being done well?

• An excellent operational plan has been devised to inform the staff and committee of the procedures for the smooth running of the group and ensure the effective use is made of the staff, space and resources. • Staff know, respect and value all the children. Children's individual needs are being met and they are well cared for by positive, supportive staff. • Partnership with parents is very good and enables children to settle and feel secure in the pre-school. Parents are confident in the excellent care provided by the staff. • Resources reflect diversity and have positive images so that children develop an understanding and respect for all people from a range of backgrounds and with varying needs. • Staff know when to seek advice and information from parents and other

p.3

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 professionals and provide very good support for a child with a specific need. They attend training courses to update their knowledge and provide for the individual child.

p.3

What needs to be improved?

• written information in polices to reflect the good practice in the pre-school.

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 14 update the policies to reflect the excellent information in the operational plan and the very good practice in the pre-school.

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?

The provision of nursery education at St Mary's Playgroup is good. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of their learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff plan a variety of activities inside and outdoors. They encourage children to be independent and choose their own activities so that children are making very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Staff are good role models talking to and listening to the children and demonstrating respect for each other and the children. They provide interesting activities and colourful displays to aid children's learning. They adapt activities for the different abilities of the children. Staff observe and know the children. They record their progress in a daily book and transfer this to the child assessment records. However, this is not being fully used to inform the plans for the child's next steps.

p.5

How effective is the nursery education?

The leadership and management of the pre-school are good. The joint play leaders work very closely together and, with the staff, make a committed team who are supported by the chairperson and voluntary management committee. They have future plans to plant the garden area in summer and add to the information technology area in the near future. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are encouraged to join the committee and be part of the rota system. They fill in information about their child's development before they start so that staff can make the bridge between home and the playgroup. Plans are displayed on the notice board and a notice about the topic of the week is on the front door. There are plans to involve parents in the planning in future. Friendly, informative newsletters give details of the topics and news.

p.5

What is being done well?

• Staff are fully involved in the planning so that they all understand the six areas of learning and the intended learning of the activities. • Staff work very well together as a team and provide good support for each other and all the children. • Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good and children form good relationships and are very considerate towards each other. • Support for children with special needs is very good. All children are welcome and staff attend training to ensure the child's needs are met and they make progress in their learning.

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 • Partnership with parents is very good. This provides children with a secure environment to enable staff to build on what the child knows and promote their early learning in the pre-school.

p.5

What needs to be improved?

• children's access to a wider range of music • assessment records to inform planning of the next steps in the children's learning programme

p.6

What has improved since the last inspection?

The playgroup has made good progress in implementing the action plan drawn up to address the two points for consideration identified at the previous inspection resulting in good improvements being made to the educational programme. Plans show how children talk about past events during activities. Staff observe the children and make notes in a book every session and this information is then transferred to their records so that parents can see their children's progress.

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 Children are developing confidence and learning to concentrate at activities. They have very good relationships with the staff and each other. Staff encourage them to be independent and they choose their own activities, help tidy up, put their chair in the circle and pour their own drinks. Children share and take turns at board games. They have a developing sense of right and wrong and can talk about the pre-school rules. Children talk about their families and where they live.

p.7

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children communicate using signing and gestures and take turns to talk. They are learning to listen to each other and the staff. They use talk in imaginary situations using the telephone in the home corner. They hear the sounds of letters and competently sing the alphabet song. They correctly hold books and comics and enjoy hearing stories. They write using chalk, paint, pencil and crayons and see the written word has meaning through the displays. They are learning to write their names.

p.7

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children can count confidently up to ten and can recognise their age numeral. They add and take away in the action songs, playing with blocks and in Kim's game. Staff use good maths language such as 'more', 'less', 'heavy' and 'light'. Children are learning about shapes through threading wooden 3D cubes, weight when measuring out cake ingredients and can describe a car as being 'longer' when viewed in a mirror. They talk about and recreate simple patterns on boards.

p.7

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are curious about why things happen and how things work. They see ice melting, natural and man-made materials floating or sinking and have visits from hedgehogs and guinea pigs. They build with Duplo, bricks and use tape, glue and staples to join materials. They use keyboards, phones and tape recorders and staff plan to develop this further. Children talk about their homes and places they visit. Maps are used to see where spice comes from and where they live locally.

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 Children move confidently around the classroom and outside in the garden. They can kick balls, throw bean-bags, jump on the trampet, climb the ladder and slide down the climbing frame and ride bikes. They show an increasing awarewness of space around them. They know about healthy eating through activities and talk about cleaning their teeth before bed. They use a range of large and small equipment and handle a range of tools for cutting and modelling.

p.8

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children learn colours from a colour-of-the-week, using a range of painting, chalks and coloured papers. They enthusiastically join in action songs and tap with rhythms sticks. However, there are few opportunities to hear a range of music. Children are absorbed in imaginative play through dressing up and arts and crafts activities as seen in the very creative bonfire using excellent resources. They use their senses with mint play dough, listening to sound lotto and tasting and smelling fruit.

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 significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • introduce children to a wider range of music to enhance the already good provision • continue to develop and refine the assessment records to show how childrens' progress is identified and used to inform planning to move the child to the next step and reflect the existing good practice in the playgroup.

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