Belton Playgroup

Belton (Loughborough) Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 226194 Inspection date 12/05/2011 Inspector Tina Garner

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Setting address School Lane, Belton, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 9TU Telephone number 07514020720 / 07761836983 Email samantha.pass@virgin.net 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

Belton (Loughborough) Pre-School Playgroup is committee run. It opened in 1984 and operates from the village hall in Belton in North West Leicestershire. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area. The pre-school serves families from the surrounding district.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered to provide care for 36 children under the age of eight years, all of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently 49 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The playgroup is open Monday to Thursday from 9.15am until 12.15pm during term time only. They also operate a pre-school session on Mondays from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. There is a toast club from 9am until 9.15am for children whose parents need to leave children early. Children attend a variety of sessions. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs eight members of staff to work with the children, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting 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

Belton pre-school provides a safe and stimulating environment for children. The pre-school is committed to ensuring every child feels safe and secure which provides a firm basis for children to make good progress in their learning and development. Children's individual needs are met well as staff are proactive in ensuring they have a good knowledge of the differing needs of the children in their care. Strong relationships with parents and others support this effectively. The management team work closely together to ensure the ongoing improvement of the provision and have established good systems to support this to happen.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop parents' contribution to the Learning Journeys to support staff in assessing children's starting points and their ongoing development  ensure the good health of the children by taking necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection with regarding to the hand washing facilities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a safe, secure setting, where staff are deployed effectively to ensure children are well supervised. Bright, well-cared for play areas along with a good selection of interesting toys and resources, and a warm and welcoming staff team help to create an accessible, stimulating environment where children learn through play. The setting's clear practices, procedures and policies, which are regularly reviewed and clearly understood and implemented by the staff team, contribute to the safe and efficient management of the setting. This ensures that children are safeguarded and their needs are met. A comprehensive risk assessment supported by effective daily checking procedures, ensure that potential hazards are identified and minimised. The clear safeguarding policy, along with the staffs' good understanding of child protection procedures, results in children being fully protected. The staff team work well together, supporting each other to ensure

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the early years provision

consistency of care for individual children. They demonstrate a commitment to promoting positive outcomes for children by developing their own knowledge through ongoing training. The effective system of self-evaluation which also incorporates input from parents, ensures all aspects of the provision are monitored and evaluated, therefore supporting ongoing improvement.

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the early years provision

Staff have established positive relationships with parents, carers and other providers. A good level of information is gathered from parents at the outset to support children to settle in and to enable staff to respond well to their care needs. However, this information does not yet fully extend to include information relating to what children can do in relation to their learning and development which means that clear starting points for learning are not swiftly established. Parents have opportunities to share their children's progress records; they are actively encouraged to participate in pre-school activities, further promoting the link between home and pre-school. Each child is recognised for their uniqueness and staff encourage all children to learn to value differences and diversity, through activities and sharing information. Effective systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and children with English as an additional

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the early years provision

language, resulting in them making good progress. Strong relationships have been established with other providers, particularly the local school, to promote consistency and continuity of children's care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are motivated to learn and enter the pre-school with enthusiasm. Staff develop good relationships with the families and children so that they soon feel confident in the environment. Clear plans are in place to support children's learning. Staff observe each child regularly and use these observations to assess each child's progress towards the early learning goals. Daily key activities ensure that all aspects of the areas of learning are covered and staff evaluate these activities well to ensure they have met their intended purpose and whether they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are worth repeating. Children have good opportunities to consolidate their understanding and express their creativity through the continuous provision of a role play area and an art and craft table. Children soon recognise their names through finding their named trays on entering the provision. They develop their

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and outcomes for children

language and speech through, for example, joining in with rhymes and enjoying set story times.

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and outcomes for children

Children's independence is promoted well. They are able to make decisions about their play; the creation of learning zones supports this well because they know where to find toys and resources that they want to use and they are able to access them and tidy them away easily. Good levels of support from staff and effective use of questioning whilst children play encourages children's developing language skills. Children enjoy sitting quietly together in the sensory room where they look at books and discuss photographs of special occasions. They particularly enjoy painting and craft activities and have ample opportunities to explore textures and to produce their own individual creations.

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and outcomes for children

Warm and caring relationships with the staff help children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings. They learn about possible dangers and how to keep themselves safe through routines such as fire evacuation procedures. Generally good hygiene practices help children to develop an understanding regarding their own good health, although separate hand towels are not currently provided to ensure the risk of spreading infection is fully minimised. Children are offered well- balanced and healthy snacks, they learn about foods that are good for them as they make vegetable soup for the harvest festival celebrations and help themselves to slices of apple and banana during snack time. Children behave well; they receive high levels of attention and are engaged in interesting activities. During focused activities they learn to share, take turns and respect the needs of their peers. Staff provide good opportunities for children to explore and discover things

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and outcomes for children

for themselves, supporting the development of skills they will need for the future. 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: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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