Middleforth PlaygroupOfsted inspection, 15 Feb 2011

Middleforth Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY278271 Inspection date 15/02/2011 Inspector Lisa Patterson

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Setting address St Leonards Church Hall, Marshalls Brow, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 9HY Telephone number 07980 954 996 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

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

Middleforth Playgroup is a committee run organisation which has been operating for nearly 30 years. It operates from St Leonards Church Hall in Penwortham. Children have access to the large hall and smaller hall. There is an enclosed outdoor area. The nursery is open each weekday from 9.15am till 12.15pm during term time only.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 25 children at any one time, of whom none may be under two years old. There are currently 42 children from birth to under five years on roll.

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Description of the setting

There are five members of staff, four of whom work on a full time basis. All staff hold early years qualifications to at least Level 2. The nursery provides funded nursery education places for three and four-year-olds.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's welfare and learning are successfully promoted because staff have a good knowledge of each child's needs. They are safe and secure though some hazards have not been identified through the risk assessment. Partnerships with parents are effective. Information gained is well-used to ensure individual needs are supported. Partnerships with other settings are in their infancy. Children progress well. Regular self-evaluation by the manager and staff makes sure that priorities for development are identified and acted on. This results in provision that continues to succeed.

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further?

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

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further?

 use observations and assessment to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child, matching observations to the expectations of the early learning goals, liaising fully with other settings providing the Early Years Foundation Stage  update the risk assessment to make sure hazards, such as, the large rug, are minimised and fire exits are more easily accessible in an emergency.

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the early years provision

Children are well-safeguarded because staff have a thorough understanding of the indicators of abuse. There is a comprehensive policy document in place to support This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 staff and all relevant telephone numbers are recorded and easily accessible. Risk assessments are updated at least annually, though more often in the event of new equipment. The large circular rug presents a trip hazard and fire exits are not always easily accessible. This has not been identified on the risk assessment. All required documentation is in place and updated regularly.

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the early years provision

The setting is very self-reflective. Staff meetings are used to good effect in order to identify areas for development, both for individual children or for the setting as a whole. They have made great strides since the last inspection, the most recent development being the outdoor area. All previous recommendations have been appropriately addressed.

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the early years provision

Children self-select from a wide range of resources, including those which portray positive images of diversity. Resources are of good quality and monitored for wear and tear. Staff work hard prior to the children arriving to successfully transform the multi-use room into a cosy and comfortable play space. Limited display space is well-used to show children's work and this gives them a sense of belonging. Staff are well-deployed to ensure children are motivated by the activities and they work well as a team, though sometimes restrict the children's imagination.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are very effective. They receive a wealth of information prior to leaving their child for the first time. They are invited to make comments about their child's progress and interests, both formally and through the use of the 'wish tree'. They value the opportunity to attend as part of the rota and use this as an opportunity to find out more about the setting, which they can use to support learning at home. Parents say there is an open, friendly atmosphere and they feel that their views are valued. Partnerships with other settings providing the Early Years Foundation Stage are less well-developed, though the setting have approached the other settings.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy the activities on offer. The large room offers space for role play, painting, quiet story area, mark making, directed activities and various construction toys. They move freely from work station to work station and staff are always on hand to support them. They feel safe and secure in the setting and take responsibility for their safety. Staff give gentle reminders, such as, keeping their legs crossed, while listening to the story. They learn to be healthy through eating a good selection of nutritious snacks, including fruit and breadsticks with water or milk to drink. They sometimes eat produce from their own garden. Snack menus are displayed in words and pictures. They have lots of opportunities to be physically active. The recently refurbished outdoor area is used-well and children thoroughly enjoy pedalling bikes, using the hoola-hoops, balancing on the beams or sitting quietly at the mark making table.

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and outcomes for children

Each child has an individual learning journey which shows photographs and examples of activities. Next steps are identified though this is not consistent across This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the staff team and they are not always linked to planned activities. This means that learning objectives for planned activities are not always clear.

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and outcomes for children

Children make very good use of the well-maintained mark making area, using scissors, crayons, pencils and collage materials. They thoroughly enjoy listening to a story in the 'bear cave', joining in with the repeated phrases. They talk about what they are doing in the role play area, talking to each other in character. They measure ingredients as they bake their gingerbread men, talk about numbers and use mathematical language. They are learning to recognise shapes and colours through everyday activities, such as, finding a mat to sit on during circle time. They construct exciting towers with the larger blocks though sometimes younger children spoil the fun.

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and outcomes for children

The new outdoor area is well used to help children learn about looking after the world. The raised beds are very effective in growing a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, including strawberries, potatoes and rhubarb. Water from the water butt is used to water the plants and teaches children not to be wasteful. The computer area is available at every session though not always accessed because they are more interested in role playing with telephones and calculators. There is a wide range of activities supporting children's understanding of different cultures and traditions. Children love to join in with songs and rhymes and thoroughly enjoy getting into role as they retell a favourite story. There are lots of opportunities for children to use a range of media and materials to create a masterpiece and the painting area is well-used. 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 2 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 2

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Stage

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

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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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