Buckden Preschool Playgroup

Buckden Pre-school Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 221840 Inspection date 02/12/2010 Inspector Veronica Sharpe

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Setting address The New Millennium Hall, Burberry Road, Buckden, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 5UY Telephone number 0794 167 1999 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Buckden Pre-school Playgroup opened in the late 1960's and is managed by a voluntary committee. The group operates from two rooms of a purpose built section of the Millennium village hall in Buckden, Cambridgeshire. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor area. The playgroup serves the local area. Buckden Pre-school Playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The group is able to accept up to 28 children aged between two and five years. There are currently 34 children on roll. The group accepts children who are eligible for early education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports a small number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9am to 1pm on Monday to Friday. And 1.15pm to 2.45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Six

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Description of the setting

staff work with the children. Over half of these have National Vocational Qualifications to level 2 or 3. The group is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy and settled because staff work well with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and enjoy a reasonable range of suitable snacks and drinks. Children make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals and benefit from well organised resources that meet their needs. Management and staff have not yet implemented an effective system to evaluate and reflect on the quality of provision. Most documentation is in place to promote the welfare of the children.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 display the certificate of registration (Documentation) 07/01/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 increase staff's knowledge and understanding of the areas of learning so they are more able to plan and provide challenging activities that are individually tailored to meet children's learning and development needs  review the routines of the sessions, particularly at snack times in order to increase children's opportunities to be independent and avoid unnecessary waiting times  implement an effective system that encourages reflective practice and self- evaluation in order to identify the setting's strengths and the priorities for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development that will improve the quality of the provision for all children  increase opportunities for children to express their imagination in art and craft using a wide range of media and materials

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the early years provision

Satisfactory recruitment procedures ensure staff who work with the children are safe and suitable to do so. Any adults within the setting who have not yet had checks taken up are supervised to keep children safe. Staff attend child protection training so they know how to respond in the event of allegations of child abuse. Procedures that follow the Local Safeguarding Board guidance are known and understood by staff and shared with parents. This helps to ensure children are kept safe from harm. Written risk assessments and daily checks ensure hazards are identified and minimised. Staff help children learn to keep themselves safe, for example, encouraging them to tidy some resources away before getting others out. All areas of the premises are clean and tidy and hygiene procedures are implemented consistently in order to avoid cross infection. Most required documentation is in place and policies and procedures are appropriately shared

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the early years provision

with parents. On the day of inspection the certificate of registration was not displayed. This is a breach of the requirements.

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the early years provision

The setting works well with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. Settling in visits give parents time to become familiar with the setting and enable children to feel safe and comfortable. Parents share in their children's learning and development through daily conversations with staff as well as adding their own observations to the star chart. Parents express their confidence in the quality of the care given to their children; they say they particularly like the warm and friendly nature of the provision and feel their children are safe and well cared for. The setting is building links with other providers, such as the local school to promote continuity of care. Children currently on roll with special educational needs and/or disabilities have appropriate systems in place to support them. Staff liaise with other agencies, such as specialist teachers in order to provide for their individual needs.

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the early years provision

Resources are plentiful and well organised; low level shelving and clear labelling ensure children can make independent choices. Staff deploy themselves effectively to ensure children receive suitable support, for example, helping them build with small construction sets. Generally the sessions are suitably organised to enable children to freely access resources. However, at times, the planned routines impact on the time available for purposeful learning, for example, the organisation of meal times leads to children waiting for periods of time to serve themselves with food and drink. Appropriate steps have been taken to address actions and recommendations made from previous visits. The manager and staff have completed an initial evaluation of the quality of the provision, which has led to a surfeit of action plans. As a result the plans lack focus, which means priorities for improvement are not effectively identified. Recent changes in key staff and

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the early years provision

committee members has led to some loss of skills and knowledge, which has impacted on their ability to ensure continuous improvement. However, new staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are attending essential training in order to improve their skills and the management team respond to advice from their local authority advisor. The new committee are enthusiastic and committed to their new roles and responsibilities; this ensures the setting has a satisfactory capacity to make improvements in the outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

A sound range of activities are provided for the children and resources are readily accessible, which enables children to make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are developing their knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework but as yet they lack confidence and do not always show clear links to the areas of learning in their observations and assessments.

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and outcomes for children

Adults are attentive and caring and promote a warm and friendly environment, which ensures children are happy and settled. Children clearly enjoy their time in the setting and settle easily to their activities. They behave well, sharing the resources and learning to take turns, for example, when playing matching games. Children move around the room with confidence and make independent choices about their play during times of free play. They are introduced to healthy lifestyles as they help to prepare and eat suitable foods. They show good levels of independence in their personal care and know they should wash their hands before eating. Children enjoy listening to stories and learn to handle books appropriately. They particularly enjoy dressing up, pretending to be firefighters, or princesses. Children become familiar with technology as they use simple programmes on a computer or use magnifiers to look at objects.

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and outcomes for children

Children have opportunities to explore various media, including play dough, water or sand. Although they have daily opportunities to use creative materials there is an over-reliance on adult-directed art and craft activities, which limits their ability to express themselves freely. Children learn about diversity through planned activities, such as finding out about each other's home and family. Resources reflect the wider world, for example, play food and dressing up clothes from other cultures and countries. Active songs and games including 'sticky kids' means children exercise and develop their sense of rhythm. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Certificate of Registration) 07/01/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Certificate of Registration) 07/01/2011

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