Elm Park Baptist Church Playgroup

Elm Park Baptist Church Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY414518 Inspection date 16/02/2011 Inspector Amanda Allen

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Setting address Rosewood Avenue, Elm Park, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 5LD Telephone number 01708451567 Email epbcp@hotmail.co.uk 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

Elm Park Baptist Church Playgroup opened in 1967 and registered under new management in 2010. It operates from the Elm Park Baptist church hall situated in central Elm Park in the London Borough of Havering, which is a residential area close to local shops, public transport and community resources. The playgroup is registered to provide care for 26 children aged from two to under five years. The playgroup mainly provides for children in the local catchments and supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The setting is open from 9:10am to 12:30pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 9:10am to 11:40am then 12.00pm to 2.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday during term time. There are eight staff working directly with children in total, all but one of whom are appropriately qualified in early years and education.

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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, learning and development are promoted well. Children's individual needs are met to a high standard as staff are proactive in ensuring they have a good knowledge of the individual needs of the children in their care. Staff continually evaluate the activities and experiences that are on offer to the children, always seeking to improve their learning opportunities, working towards the best possible outcomes for children. Staff ensure that all children are supported to fully participate in the activities provided. Evaluation and reflective practice ensure the setting builds on the staff's professional development and that of the service it provides. Partnerships with parents and outside agencies is a key strength which ensures children's needs are fully met.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop currents systems for the observation and assessment of children, so that they all consistently include the next steps for development  improve hand washing routines so that children are not waiting for long periods of time and become restless and fidgety

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the early years provision

The playgroup has clear safeguarding children procedures in place and provides information to parents which is in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines. Children are kept safe and secure due to the vigilance of the staff and the regular risk assessments undertaken. The children have daily access to the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 outdoor play area, where staff closely supervise them to ensure their safety at all times. Staff have a very good understanding of the safeguarding children procedures and are clear about the action required to protect children should the need arise. Full fire drills are in place, recorded and regularly practised to ensure all children have a thorough understanding of what to do in an emergency. Staff work well together to maintain high staffing ratios. This enables children to move freely and to choose from the different activities provided indoors and out. Staff

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the early years provision

work hard to ensure the sessions run smoothly so children feel settled and confident in their routine. There are well organised systems in place to ensure all of the required records and documentation are available at all times and are kept safe and secure. This ensures that records are confidential. All developmental records are shared with the parents and the staff ensure all parents are kept up to date with any accidents and/or incidents. The setting has full policies and procedures in place which are available at all times for parents to view.

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the early years provision

Parents receive daily feedback with the staff about the children's day at the setting. Staff work extremely hard to make sure parents feel included and are kept well informed about their children's progress and welfare. A parents' notice board is available, which displays policies and curriculum planning for the children and selection of other relevant information. This ensures that parents are kept up to date with what is happening daily at the playgroup. The staff liaise closely with parents from the start through clear settling procedures and by asking them to provide information about their children's routines, likes and dislikes. Parents are constantly encouraged to be involved in their children's learning as they are informed daily about activities their children have undertaken and have unlimited access to observations and assessments of their children's progress. Partnerships with both parents and other settings are strong. Extremely positive steps have

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the early years provision

been taken to ensure that children can move on successfully to new settings as their key persons are involved heavily in settling them in at new schools. These steps contribute to great continuity of care for all children. All children are well supported to be able to join in all the activities. Plenty of pictorial images, warm staff and activities that are adapted for all individuals, encouraging all children to have a voice and give them access to take part in all activities on offer so that everyone is valued and included.

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the early years provision

The setting is fully committed to promoting inclusive practice and is aware of the importance of teaching the children about diversity. Children are taught about equality and diversity at a level that they are able to understand and learn from. They work together with parents and outside agencies to ensure the needs of the children are paramount and that they are progressing well with their development. The children enjoy learning about different festivals and celebrations from around the world. The staff and parents are involved in many activities to teach the children about Chinese New Year, Easter, Christmas, Diwali and other festivals.

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the early years provision

Staff make excellent use of the children's records and ask parents to come into the setting to talk to the children about the festivals and celebrations they carry out at home. This builds extremely effective bonds and children benefit greatly from this. The self-evaluation process is effective and includes all staff and parents' views. The manager and staff are able to clearly identify the setting's strengths and weaknesses and they work with the local early years team to maintain continuous This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 improvement of the provision. All staff attend regular training sessions which enables them to keep their knowledge of early years legislation up to date.

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and outcomes for children

The playgroup is a very warm and welcoming place for children to learn through play. The environment is bright and colourful and children enjoy helping to create the display boards around the room, for example, photographs of the children have been used to create a rules board and a board for the displays linking to the story of the week. Each area is full of interesting, stimulating equipment and resources that children can freely choose from. Children have a good mix of child- led and adult-initiated activities. Children have access to a good amount of resources which reflect diversity and equal opportunities. Their individual interests are known by the staff, who successfully support children in their play and extend their learning. Staff interaction with the children is enthusiastic and they use lots of challenging, open questions such as, 'how can we'?, 'what if'?, 'what can you see'? to help extend their learning and develop their language skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children attending the setting are clearly respected by staff. They seek the views of the children during activities about what they like to do and which resources they would like to play with. Planning for all children ensures that they are all able to progress with great success, given their ages, abilities and their starting points. Clear and concise planning ensures plans are adaptable to meet the individual needs of all of the children attending. Although, current hand washing routines are prolonged and therefore many of the children become restless and fidgety. Clear learning intentions for each of the activities are recorded and are evaluated to ensure the children enjoyed them and that they fulfilled the learning outcomes.

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and outcomes for children

The staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan and deliver an imaginative and exciting range of activities for the children that cover the six areas of learning. The children are allocated their own key person who undertakes observations of their achievements, which are recorded in children's individual files. The staff use a range of media to gather a clear picture of each child's individual needs. Staff use observations, photos and discussions with parents. Observations are detailed and are used to inform the planning of the continuous provision for the children, however, not all next steps are consistently recorded. As a result, there are missed opportunities to maximise learning potential for all children.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy using a range of craft materials which enhances their creative development both indoors and out. The outside area is well organised and enhances the children's development of their large and small muscle movements, as they use the range of well maintained play equipment. Trays filled with pasta and rice, a book area, lots of empty cardboard boxes and pictorial displays of the community environment. A good range of large equipment is also available such as, climbing frames, play houses, bikes and trikes enable children to use the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 outside space in a range of ways. The children's small muscle skills are greatly enhanced by the activities they have on offer around the setting both inside and out, across all six areas of learning. Children thoroughly enjoy cutting and rolling the modeling dough and looking at x-rays of mini beasts in the light box. Staff

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and outcomes for children

encourage children to explore their natural world, for example planting beans like in the story 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. Children are able to identify that the beans need 'water' and 'sun' to grow and that those that dry out 'don't have enough to drink. Children learn about different cultures as they enjoy celebrating different festivals, dressing up and reading a variety of books from around the world. They have access to many positive images of different cultures, religions and abilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a good understanding of healthy eating as they are encouraged to discuss the healthy foods on offer to them throughout the sessions. Children benefit from a healthy range of snacks during each session, which are adapted to meet all individual dietary needs. Children have a very secure awareness of their own safety. Staff use daily discussion and gentle reminders to encourage children to keep each other safe and as a result children move around the setting with confidence and have a great awareness of any strangers in the building. Children's behaviour is very good and they have developed warm, effective relationships with staff and other children. This contributes to their feelings of safety as they learn in a caring, environment that values their individual needs. 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 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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