Wollaton Park Preschool

Wollaton Park Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 254678 Inspection date 15/02/2011 Inspector Lynn Dent

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Setting address Kingswood Church Hall, Lambourne Drive, Nottingham, NG8 1GR Telephone number 07960 547 131 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

Wollaton Park Pre-School Playgroup is managed by a voluntary committee. It opened in 1969 and operates from three rooms within Kingswood Methodist Church in Wollaton, Nottingham. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 30 children at any one time. There are currently 50 children aged from two-and-a- half to under five years on roll. The setting provides care for children from the local area. The playgroup is open each weekday from 9am to 12noon during school term time only. There is a lunch club provided on Monday and Wednesday until 12.45pm.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The setting is in receipt of nursery education funding. The committee employs ten staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications and three hold qualified teacher status. The playgroup 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are settled in the well-resourced setting where staff effectively engage them in a wide range of stimulating activities and experiences. All children are making good progress in their learning and development because their individual needs are recognised and effectively met through positive working relationships with parents and other professionals. The outdoor play area is used efficiently to extend children's learning in different ways. Most required documentation is in place and risk assessments are generally detailed. The suitability of the staff is checked when they are first employed. Effective systems to evaluate and improve practice are secure and result in a continually improving setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain information about who has parental responsibility for each child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 08/03/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 formalise the staff appraisal systems to include procedures to ensure that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 staff continue to be suitable to work with children  ensure the record of risk assessments covers anything with which a child may come into contact with, particularly with regards to details for specific outings.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded because the management and staff understand how to record and report concerns to the appropriate authorities. Children play in a welcoming and safe environment because staff carry out safety checks each day. A generic risk assessment is in place for outings with brief details for some visits. However, these are not specific to each outing undertaken or detailed enough to show action taken to avert dangers. Consequently, it is unclear how these are managed. Robust recruitment and checking procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with children when they are first employed. However, the appraisal system is less robust and does not include procedures to update information about the ongoing suitability of staff. Consequently, children's welfare may not be fully protected. Volunteers are always supervised, ensuring that children are kept safe from those who have not undergone the relevant checks.

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the early years provision

Clear written polices are reviewed and updated to underpin the welfare, learning and development of the children. Most records about the children are in place. However, details of who has parental responsibility for the child are not in place. Consequently, this is unclear. The learning environment is effectively organised to allow children to move around different activities and to free-flow to the outdoor play area. Both the indoor and outdoor play areas are stimulating and well resourced to support all the areas of learning. Activities are set out to entice children to play and initiate their own experiences. They can also access activities planned by the staff. The management and staff use a range of methods to self- evaluate their effectiveness and outcomes are monitored through regular action plans leading to clear identification of targets for further improvement.

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the early years provision

Excellent relationships with parents benefit the children. Parents are supplied with detailed information about the playgroup at induction. They have access to an extensive range of information at the setting. Daily discussions and the sharing of detailed observations about their children keep them fully informed of their child's progress and their learning priorities. All parents are positively encouraged to add their own comments and share information about the children's learning from home. The playgroup is proactive in providing activities for parents to extend their children's learning at home. Good partnership working with other agencies and providers ensures that inclusive practice and consistency is promoted well for all children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to adopt safe and responsible practices because staff gently remind them about safe handling of scissors and needles during craft activities. Children have a very good understanding of healthy lifestyles because staff promote this during everyday routines and talk about the benefits of exercise during physical activities. Staff take effective steps to prevent the spread of infection through routine cleaning and implement clear procedures when children are ill.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe, settled and happy because staff provide well for their individual needs, engaging them in interesting activities. For example, at story time, children are split into groups enabling the younger ones to be supported and the older ones to be challenged through different activities. Children have ample time to make choices about what to do and to develop their play using the wide range of resources available. Staff are inventive with resources enabling children to learn in a fun way. For example, a table display for the rhyme 'Five fat sausages' includes a frying pan, plastic sausages, the relevant numbers and the words to the rhyme with pictures. Consequently, children can act out the rhyme using the resources available making it more meaningful.

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and outcomes for children

Staff plan and provide a range of stimulating experiences for the children. They spend time observing the children, recording their progress and identifying their next steps. These are used to further plan developmentally appropriate activities. Consequently, all children are making good progress in their learning and development. Staff interact with children well and can explain how activities help them learn. For example, a threading activity develops children's physical skills, their ability to make patterns, count and use colours as they make chains with pasta and other materials. Effective use is made of the outdoor play area. Children are able to write on chalk boards, read books, engage in imaginative play, feed the birds and experiment with various pipes and balls.

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and outcomes for children

Children use their language well to explain that certain bricks are sticking together because they have magnets inside them. They benefits from visits in the local community, such as the bakery and hairdresser, to support their role play. They also have visitors to the setting such as the police, fire service and a lady who helped them learn numbers in French and taste foods from France. Consequently, children develop a good understanding of the local community and the wider world. All children feel valued because their home language and differences are positively promoted. Staff are positive role models for good behaviour. Consequently, children play happily with their friends. They have good self-esteem because they receive praise. 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 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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