Kings Stanley Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/05/2003 Inspector Name Karen Elizabeth Screen

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Kings Stanley Playgroup Setting Address Kings Stanley Village Hall Marling Close Kings Stanley Glos GL10 3JA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Kings Stanley Playgroup - Village Hall site

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Kings Stanley Playgroup - Village Hall site Address Village Hall Marling Close,Kings Stanley Stonehouse GL10 3JA

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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

King's Stanley Playgroup meets in the village hall in King's Stanley, a village near Stonehouse in Gloucestershire. It is a community playgroup, managed by a voluntary committee of parents and is a registered charity. The modern village hall's facilities include an entrance hall with toilets including one with access for disabled children and adults, a committee room and the hall. The hall has a stage area, a store room, a kitchen and a side room. At the front of the building is a car park which leads on to playing fields and a children's play area. The playgroup is registered for 26 children aged from the beginning of the term in which their third birthday falls, to five years of age. It is open in term time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9.30 and 12 noon. The playgroup is in receipt of government funding for children aged three and four years old. There are 33 children on roll, of these five three-year-old and 19 four-year-old children

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Information about the setting

currently receive funding. The playgroup is a member of the Gloucestershire Playgroup and Toddler Association (PATA). There are three members of staff and a part-time voluntary worker. The playleader holds a Diploma in Nursery Nursing and the two assistants have attended the PATA course, Introduction to Basic Play. In addition all staff hold first aid and child protection certificates. The playgroup supports children with special needs and works in partnership with their parents and the Special Educational Needs Support Adviser. There are no children on roll who use English as a second language.

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How good is the Day Care?

King's Stanley Playgroup provides satisfactory care for children. The group have a 'can do' attitude towards including all children and strive to ensure their individual needs are met. The children are happy, keen to attend and form good relationships with the staff and other children. The group have effective procedures for appointing and vetting new staff and maintain high adult:child ratios.

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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 The group make effective use of their risk assessments. Good arrangements are in place for administering medicines and all staff are first aid trained. However the accident policy is rather vague and needs re-wording to be clear for parents. The group provides a range of healthy and nutritious snacks, however arrangements should be made for drinks to be available at all times. The group has a good child protection policy and staff are aware of the steps they should take if they have a concern. The playgroup supports children with special needs and works in partnership with their parents and the Special Educational Needs Support Adviser. However staff do not have sufficient knowledge of the Code of Practice (2002) for the Identification

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How good is the Day Care?

and Assessment of Special Educational Needs. Good behaviour is valued and encouraged. Staff have reasonable and realistic expectations of children's behaviour. They act as good role models and encourage the children to treat each other kindly. Further attention needs to be given to developing registration system and the procedure for lost children, meeting minimum qualification requirements, planning the curriculum and raising awareness of the equal opportunities policy. Parents feel involved, valued, able and welcome to contribute to their child's development through the playgroup. Information is shared and helps to foster good relationships with parents. Good relationships between children, staff and parents help the children to settle well. Most parents feel well informed about their child's achievements and progress.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group agreed to develop the child protection policy to include details of steps to be taken in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. This has been completed to a good standard.

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What is being done well?

• There are effective procedures for appointing and vetting new staff. They are found through advertising and through word of mouth. Candidates are interviewed by a panel of committee members and a PATA representative. Qualifications are checked and references followed up (standard 1). • The group maintain high staff ratios of one adult to five children (standard 2). • Children are happy and keen to attend. They make confident choices from the activities provided and are interested in and enjoy their play. They form good relationships with the staff, who know the children well and respond to their needs. Staff are friendly and approachable, they give reassurance, encouragement and appropriate praise (standard 3). • The group make effective use of their risk assessments and this year the chairperson has been carrying out unannounced risk assessments. Staff are very aware of fire safety requirements and are able to carry out their

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What is being done well?

responsibilities well. Fire instructions are displayed on a large and easy to read board. Drills are held regularly and recorded. The records are evaluative

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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 and used to plan the next fire drill and the procedures to be followed (standard 6). • The group have a 'can do' attitude towards including all children. Children are treated with equal concern and the needs of all children are met. All children have access to all toys and resources. The resources reflect positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability e.g. 'Jill The Farmer' book, black, white and Asian toy people; one in a wheelchair and another using a walking stick (standard 9).

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What needs to be improved?

• strategies to ensure the minimum qualifications are met (standard 2); • the procedure for lost or uncollected children; to keep the remaining children safe, but to prioritise searching for the lost child (standard 2); • the registration system for staff and children, to show times of a arrival and departure • (standard 2); • observations and records of what children do; to help plan the next steps in children's play and learning (standard 3); • opportunities for children to solve problems, such as working out how many plates are needed for snack time; and the provision of challenges for children who learn quickly (standard 3); • staff awareness of the equal opportunities policy which should be consistent with current legislation and guidance and shared with parents (standard 9).

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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 2 develop and implement an action plan detailing how 30/06/2003

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

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 at least half of all childcare staff will hold a level 2 qualification in childcare

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 2 further develop procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost or a parent failing to collect a child (standard 2) 2 further develop the registration system for staff and children, showing times of arrival and departure (standard 2) 3 devise a system for planning and implementing a suitable range of activities for children, which is appropriate for their stage of development and based on their individual needs (standard 3) 9 devise an equal opportunities policy that is consistent with current legislation and guidance. Ensure that this is understood and implemented by all staff and shared with parents (standard 9)

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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?

The provision is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals in communication language and literacy as well as mathematics has some significant weaknesses. Progress in personal, social and emotional development in generally good, as it is for the other three areas of learning. Teaching has some significant weaknesses. Staff have insufficient knowledge of aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum and the stepping stones that lead to the early learning goals. They have not had enough training to keep up with the latest developments. Information that was given to previous staff members has not been effectively passed on to the new leader. Plans are not sufficiently detailed. Greater clarity in planning the learning intended from activities is required so the needs of all children,especially those who learn quickly are fully met. Staff do not assess all

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How effective is the nursery education?

children against the stepping stones so they have too little knowledge of the children's learning on which to base the planning. The organisation of registration, story time and focused learning tasks is not very effective. Children often find it hard to listen attentively. However, staff are very effective in fostering children's personal social and emotional well being. They also extend children's general knowledge and provide suitable opportunities for physical and creative play. Leadership and management has significant weaknesses. The new leader has ensured the continued smooth running of the group despite the recent changes in staffing. The staff now recognise the need for change. The committee is offering support and the play leader is booked on a suitable Foundation Stage training course. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good with parents helping regularly in the group. The information given to parents is helpful overall but

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal and social development is well fostered. • Children feel secure and make confident choices from the activities provided. • Their knowledge of the world is being extended by a good variety of planned themes and parents and grandparents willingness to share their life experiences with the children.

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What needs to be improved?

• staff knowledge of the Foundation Stage Curriculum, especially the stepping stones; • staff's ability to plan effectively to ensure learning progresses well for all

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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 children, especially those who learn quickly; • the assessments done on each child, so that all six areas are covered for all children; • the organisation of focus activities and whole group sessions;

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There has been limited improvement since the last inspection. Progress on developing the planning is unsatisfactory, the planned learning is still too vague to meet the needs of all children. Assessment is still too limited as it only covers the final term that the four year olds attend. More opportunities to help children to learn to write their names have been successfully introduced. Children no longer interrupt in the large story times, but they are still not fully attentive due to the way things are currently organised. The group is too large for one member of staff to fully control at story time. The training obtained by one staff member on strategies for managing children has not been beneficial as it was not fully shared with the rest of the staff . Overall, three of the four issues raised at the last inspection are still problematic so these continue to form the basis of the key issues from 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 Progress in this area of learning is generally good. There are very good relationships in the setting both between the children and between the staff and children. Children trust staff and new ones settle quickly. Children share well and wait their turn for example, for a riding toy. They generally behave well and make choices confidently. However, due to the current arrangements for registration and story time they find it hard to sit and concentrate on what is said at these times.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses There are significant weaknesses in the progress in this area. There is plenty of opportunity for informal discussion amongst the children but there are not enough discussions with staff to fully extend children's language. Children do not sufficiently explain their thinking as they work and play.There are insufficient opportunities to learn the letter sounds. A good book loan scheme helps stimulate children's interest in books. There are plenty of opportunities for early play writing.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses There are significant weaknesses in the progress in this area. Children learn to count through a range of resources including some useful homemade ones; but there is not enough challenge in the counting for those who learn quickly, especially four-year-olds.There are too few opportunities for developing mathematical understanding in the general activities. Discussion is limited and children have too few chances to try solving simple mathematical problems. They know some shapes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Progress in this area is generally good. The topics covered ensure that children broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Themes about people and places include important information such as the 999 number for fire brigade. Parents and grandparents share information about their jobs and this makes it meaningful to the children. There are good opportunities for children to learn how materials such as rice change when they are cooked. Children use simple technology

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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 Progress in this area is generally good. Children move around confidently. They are able to climb and ride the bikes with skill. Their small muscles develop well and they can use a range of materials and equipment confidently. Their dexterity is good. They are aware of space and cooperate to share the small spaces, such as under the climbing frame and in the toy phone box. Outdoor experience is available in summer but indoor physical play is always available and is popular with the children.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Progress in this area is generally good. Children use a range of instruments to make music. They are good at singing. In both the role play and the small world play they are imaginative and busy inventing all sorts of scenarios which they sustain well. Younger children especially enjoy creating games with the toy trains. There are good opportunities to use their senses in the cooking activities organised. Painting, modelling and art work skills are limited by too much adult direction.

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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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Key Issues • improve staff's knowledge of the Foundation Stage Curriculum through extra training, ensure they know how to plan effectively for all children's needs including those who learn quickly; • develop assessments for all children for all six areas of learning and use these as a basis for planning; • improve the organisational arrangements and the support available to children in large group times such as registration and story time.

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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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