Eckington Under Fives

Eckington Under Fives Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 205317 Inspection date 09/03/2011 Inspector Valerie Fane

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Setting address The Recreation Centre, Pershore Road, Eckington, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 3AP Telephone number 01386 751692 or 07946 882120 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

Eckington Under Fives is a committee run group that was registered in 1998. It operates from the sports paviliion in the village of Eckington near Pershore in Worcestershire. The group is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The group opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.15am until 3pm on Monday and from 9.15am to 12.15pm on Tuesday to Friday. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The group is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 16 children, all of whom may be on the Early Years Register, may attend the group at any one time. There are currently 22 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The group provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

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Description of the setting

The group employs five members of child care staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications, three at Level 3 and two staff are working towards Level 3. The group receives support from the local authority.

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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 settle well in this friendly village group and develop close relationships with staff and with each other. Their individual welfare needs are met well because staff work closely with their parents and put inclusion at the centre of their practice. Children make good progress in their learning and enjoy play both indoors and outside, improving free-flow access to outside is part of the current development plan. The committee work closely with the staff and children have benefited greatly from many improvements since the last inspection. All required documentation is in place, but is not always kept up-to-date, and all policies are effective in practice to support good outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 keep a record of the risk assessment that includes when it was carried out, any action taken and the date of reviews (Documentation) 23/03/2011

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further?

 provide parents with the complaints procedure and information that includes details for contacting Ofsted (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 23/03/2011

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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  extend the opportunities for children to play outside.

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the early years provision

Children are protected because all staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding issues. They are aware of the possible signs of abuse and know what to do if they were to have concerns about a child in their care. Robust employment procedures are in place and Criminal Records Bureau checks are completed promptly for new staff to confirm that they are suitable to work with young children.

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the early years provision

Children receive care in safe and secure premises and staff carry out and record daily safety checks. An overall risk assessment is in place but this is not signed and dated and is not consistently reviewed annually, which is a breach of the welfare requirements. Children are safeguarded because parents have access to information about how to make a complaint through the complaints policy and a poster on the notice board. However, the complaints policy does not include contact details for Ofsted and staff are not aware that the telephone number on the poster is out of date. Therefore, parents potentially do not have information for contacting Ofsted, which is a breach of the welfare requirements. All other documentation is in place and is effective in practice.

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the early years provision

Children thrive because they are treated as individuals and staff develop close relationships with them and their families. Children with English as an additional language flourish because staff encourage parents to come into the group and share the child's home foods and customs with the children. Children are well placed to continue their learning at home because the day's activities are displayed in the entrance so parents are fully aware of what they have been doing at each session. They receive detailed information about individual children's learning through conversations with their key member of staff, parents' evenings and regular opportunities to see children's learning journeys. Children who attend other early years settings enjoy good continuity of care because staff have strong links in place with other groups and share information to support their learning and development. There are currently no children attending who have special

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the early years provision

educational needs and/or disabilities, but the staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow to obtain external support for children when it is needed.

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the early years provision

The committee work closely with managers and staff to support good continuous improvement and together they have a clear vision to continue to improve and develop the group. All the recommendations made at the last inspection have been met and in particular children now benefit from the care and support of a well- qualified group of staff. Many other improvements have been made, including a move to a new building on the same site and the addition of a visual timetable to support all children, especially those with limited speech and language. The managers are constantly evaluating their practice and looking for ways to develop different areas. Plans for the future include improvements to the outside area to improve children's access to the outdoor classroom at all times and in any weather. Children use good resources, including toys, that reflect our wider society. They This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

see pictures of people from different cultures on equipment, such as, the room dividers. They benefit from the commitment of all staff to attend training either to gain qualifications or to update their practice. They learn about sustainability because they are encouraged to compost the waste from their snacks in the group's wormery.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle quickly in this friendly, village group because an effective key person system is in place and they build close relationships with staff and with other children. They behave well because staff are good role models and set clear boundaries for their behaviour. They are independent, enthusiastic learners and confidently choose different toys during the free play session. They are secure with the staff and develop further awareness of their personal safety during activities, such as, a visit from the crossing patrol lady.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress. Staff have a secure knowledge of how to plan and provide interesting play opportunities to support their learning. They observe and assess each child's progress and identify their next steps so that they have a good knowledge of each child's particular learning priorities. These are discussed at regular staff meetings to ensure that all staff are aware. Each week, children's newly identified needs are recorded on a list to be incorporated into the planning for the following week. As a result, planning is very effectively meeting children's learning needs and supporting their development of good skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children contribute their own ideas to the planning. For example, they ask to act out 'We're going on a bear hunt'. They excitedly join in the repetitive words of the story, gaining awareness of rhyming and alliteration. They develop their creativity as they pretend to push through the swishy swashy grass and squelch through the mud. Later in the morning they go outside and develop problem solving and construction skills as they help to build a den for the bear and act the story again. They enjoy a wide range of activities outside each day. They develop physical skills as they ride bikes and older children enjoy the challenge of trying to ride a scooter or using the hopscotch game. They balance on planks as part of the bear hunt activity and staff provide appropriate support to younger or less able children as necessary. They have good opportunities for mark making, including an easel with pens and chalks to use on the playground or on the walls. Indoors children enjoy

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and outcomes for children

structured activities, such as, a number game. Staff skilfully involve children of different ages. Younger children count the number of objects, such as, a bunch of three bananas, and older children begin to recognise the corresponding numeral. They develop memory skills and awareness of ordering because staff hide one of the objects and children work out which object is missing and which number it represented.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to develop awareness of healthy lifestyles. They spend regular periods of time outside and they bring fruit from home to eat at snack time. They develop self-help skills and awareness of the written word as they go to their own named container to fetch their fruit. They begin to understand This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the purpose of recycling as they talk to staff about the reasons for composting the remains of the fruit afterwards. They extend their knowledge of healthy foods through activities such as preparing baked apples for a treat at snack time.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn that others are less fortunate than themselves and become involved in their local community as they take part in fundraising activities, such as, a charity coffee morning at the village church. They discover the wider world through celebrations for festivals, such as, Chinese New Year when they cook and eat noodles using chopsticks and dress up in Chinese costumes. 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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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

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 23/03/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 make Ofsted's address available to parents (Providing information to parents) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register). 23/03/2011

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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 compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) 23/03/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Providing information to parents). 23/03/2011

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