Kingskerswell Church of England Primary School

Busy Bees Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 113398 Inspection date 15/02/2011 Inspector ISP Inspection

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Setting address Southwick Methodist Church, Manor Hall Road, Southwick, Brighton, East Sussex, BN42 4NA Telephone number 01273 597747 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

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

Busy Bees Playgroup was registered in 1992. It operates from a hall at the Methodist church in Southwick, Brighton, East Sussex. The group have access to one large playroom room and toilet facilities. There is a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 26 children aged from two to the end of the early year's age group may attend at any one time. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions run from 9:00 to 11:45pm on Tuesday and Thursday and 9:00pm to 12:15pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Extended sessions are available from 12:15 to 2:45pm on a Tuesday and Thursday only.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 34 children on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and fours years old. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently six regular staff working with the children and one volunteer. All staff hold relevant early years qualifications. The playgroup receives support from the local authority early years mentor.

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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 are very happy and treated with respect in this welcoming environment. The staff are affectionate, caring and support children well in their learning and development. Generally, effective arrangements exist to ensure children's safety, health and well-being within the provision. The management team know the areas for improvement and the strengths of this setting, although systems for self evaluation are evolving. There is good capacity for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 maintain a record of safety aspects that need to be checked regularly and a record of when and by whom they have been checked (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) (Also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 09/03/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  review the deployment of toys and resources to ensure children can freely access a varied range to effectively support their learning and development  continue to develop systems to self-evaluate practice that include the parents views, and identify strengths and priorities for development that will enhance the quality of the provision for all children

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the early years provision

The setting is well organised and managed, and provides a safe and enjoyable environment for children to learn and develop. Children are safeguarded as staff undertake child protection training and are fully conversant with their duty to protect children. Systems are in place to ensure the premises remain secure and assessments are carried out to identify and minimise any risks to the children's safety. However, these do not cover all areas that need to be checked on a regular basis and records do not consistently show who carried out the risk assessment; this is a breach of a specific legal requirement. This does not affect the children's care as the staff team are vigilant in their supervision of the children to keep them safe at all times. All of the recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed to promote positive outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Recruitment and vetting procedures of staff are robust and ensure that adults working with children have the appropriate qualifications, skills and experience. Informal discussions and appraisals assess the staff's ongoing suitability and identify training needs. Opportunities for training ensure staff develop new skills, as well as keep up to date with changes. Effective staff deployment means that all children are well supervised and supported. There is a good range of toys and resources available throughout the playgroup. However the deployment of resources does not always enable children to freely select additional toys to fully extend their interests and to develop children's independence skills further.

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the early years provision

Children's self-esteem is promoted because staff always listen well to them and value their views and contributions. Overall, children benefit from a fully inclusive environment. For example, boys and girls and children with English as an additional language are provided with good opportunities to make equal progress in their learning and development. Good communication with parents means that staff are able to work well in partnership with them. Staff are meticulous in ensuring any new parents feel confident in leaving their child at the playgroup. The key worker spends time meeting with the parents and the settling in period is very flexible taking as long as the child needs. This develops an effective partnership and ensuring children's individual care and learning needs are fully discussed and provided for. Those parents spoken to at the inspection were highly complementary about the care provided and the staff team. The playgroup has

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the early years provision

effective systems in place to share information and support children's progression into school and other early year's provisions. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress and are supported in achieving because staff have a confident knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use clear procedures for assessing children, using this information to inform activity planning and ensure that children are offered appropriate support and activities that promote their individual development. Staff encourage children to explore and develop their own play, sensitively intervening to extend children's thinking and learning. This enables children to take an active role in their own learning and they are developing positive attitudes to this. Children are practising their early mark- making skills as they chalk and draw both in and outdoors. They are being creative as they use various fabrics to design and decorate Mother's day cards. Children are supported in gaining skills that will help them in the future, they learn about the uses of information and communication technology as they use the computer,

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and outcomes for children

competently choosing and completing programmes. Children gain knowledge about the relevance of healthy lifestyles as they participate in activities and discussions. For example, a project on care of their teeth was a great success as children experimented with plaster moulding kits to create denture plates. Staff extended this activity by creating a dentists surgery in the imaginative play area. Children have free-flow access to an outdoor play area where they go outside to run around in the fresh air and play with the toys and equipment provided. Boys have a fun time as they act out familiar roles from home using the play kitchen outdoors, cooking each other delicious food for the picnic they had prepared.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning to keep themselves safe as they tidy away toys and practise the fire drill. Other procedures help to protect children, for example, visitors are required to sign the record book on arrival and departure. Staff act as good role models, gently explaining to children the implications of their behaviour and encouraging them to work together to resolve issues. Children's understanding of diversity is developed as they access resources which give positive images. They celebrate a range of festivals; during Chinese New Year children sampled various traditional dishes such as prawn and rice crackers. Children created a wonderful display of aspects relating to the festival such as Chinese Lanterns. In addition, children are involved in a number of projects to support children less fortunate than themselves. For example, through fund raising events children and their families were able to contribute to providing schooling for children in an African

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and outcomes for children

settlement. This helps children to learn about each other and the world around them 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 3 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 2 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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