Ladybrook First School and Nursery

Lee Street Evangelical Church Play Group Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 122696 Inspection date 23/05/2011 Inspector Joanne Wade Barnett

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Setting address Lee Street Evangelical Church, Lee Street, Horley, Surrey, RH6 8ES Telephone number 01293 784294 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

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

Lee Street Evangelical Church Play Group has been registered since 1989. It is a privately owned group which operates from Lee Street Church in Horley, Surrey. The playgroup is open during term time only, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 9:15am to 1:00pm. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 24 children may attend the playgroup at any one time. There are currently 30 children aged from two and half to under five years on roll. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The playgroup provides funded early years education for three and four-year-olds.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup employs seven staff members, three including the manager, hold an appropriate early years qualification. Three members of staff are working towards an early years qualification. 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 arrive happily, eager to meet their friends. They make good progress in their learning and development towards the Early Learning Goals because staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Overall, planning meets the needs of all the children. The children are treated with respect and the positive relationship with the parents provides a secure, safe environment for children to fulfil their potential. Although, the system for parents to ensure they access their children's records regularly is limiting. The setting has recently undergone changes in the management structure and are in the process of carrying out a self-evaluation of the practice to identify strengths and areas to improve. All recommendations have been addressed from the previous inspection, reflecting the continuous improvement to promote good outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 lead and encourage a culture of reflective practice, self-evaluation and informed discussion to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  involve parents in practical ways to support their child's learning and development and gather their views on a regular basis regarding their children's progress . This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is given high priority by staff who have attended training and implement the policy effectively. They demonstrate a good understanding about keeping children safe and review the arrangements regularly to ensure all children's needs are being met. All staff have undergone checks to ensure their suitability to work with children and show firm commitment to supporting their safety. Risk assessments are carried out on a daily basis in all areas of the playgroup setting, both indoors and outdoors with any hazards identified and minimised. Children play in a safe environment and demonstrate an understanding of keeping themselves safe for example, children walk around furniture safely and remind others about not running in case they trip and fall.

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the early years provision

The setting places high importance on promoting equality and diversity and ensures all children are made to feel welcome. Children are able to develop an understanding about other cultures and diversity within the community through topic work and celebrating different festivals for example, Chinese New Year. Children have opportunities to taste different food, find countries on the map and partake in art and craft activities to support their understanding. Staff build up strong relationships with both the children and the families and have a good knowledge of each child's background and needs. This knowledge is used to seek additional support if necessary, from colleagues or interagency teams to ensure that each child gets the support they need. Resources are in good condition and suitable for the children's ages and stage of development. Resources are selected on a daily basis both by the staff and by the children from low level storage units

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the early years provision

to meet children's interests and to support their learning.

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the early years provision

The use of self-evaluation is evolving well. The group has recently started to gather information and considered some areas that need to be developed. These include arranging training for staff and extending the already well established garden by providing large chalk boards and other resources to ensure that children's needs are met. There is a strong staff team who are supported by the Elders of the church and they work together well. Staff have participated in a variety of training opportunities and use the knowledge and experience they gain to bring about improvements.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is valued for its importance and the playgroup show a strong commitment to keeping parents informed about the care their children are receiving at the setting. Parents have the opportunity to share their views through questionnaires and daily, verbal communication. They have positive views about the service they receive and they describe staff as 'friendly and approachable'. Parents complete a profile when their child starts at the setting, giving staff information about their child's likes and dislikes, encouraged to include photographs from home life to enable the children to have a sense of belonging. Policies, procedures and documentation, including regular newsletters are shared with the parents enabling them to have a good understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the playgroup. Staff extend their welcome to other settings that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

children attend and are well established with the local schools, who they encourage to visit in order to share information and make transitions easier for children when starting school. The management of the setting are active in seeking support from other agencies and share information with other providers to promote continuity of care and children's progress in learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive happily and confidently. They find their name to self-register with their parents and hang their coats on named pegs before finding an activity of their choice. They freely move around the hall, making decisions about activities, with many children playing cooperatively with their peers, showing good relationships. Children have the choice to play both inside and outside, with the majority of children choosing this option to use the equipment outside in the sunshine, enjoying the fresh air and developing large physical skills. They dig and plant sunflower seeds in the compost or play with the dinosaurs in the water tray. Children make play dough and find mini-beasts in the garden such as worms and spiders, learning about their environment through observation and touch. Children develop their knowledge about the manifests they find through art and craft activities, discussion and books thoroughly engaging their attention. Children use a

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and outcomes for children

range of construction materials to build, join and create structures whilst developing their problem solving skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about living a healthy lifestyle as they have daily opportunities to play in the garden. Children have access to drinking water at all times during the session and show their independence at snack time pouring their own drinks, either milk or water. All children bring in fruit for snack time and independently use the snack bar to help themselves to a range of healthy options, learning social skills and having small group discussions with staff. Hygiene routines are promoted with children understanding the importance of washing hands before eating and after using the toilet. They all use soap and paper towels, to prevent cross infection. Staff continue these good hygiene procedures and ensure all the tables are cleaned with antibacterial spray before children have snack and meal times. A sick child policy and health and safety policy are implemented effectively to promote children's well-being.

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and outcomes for children

All children are made to feel welcome in the playgroup, where equality and diversity are given high priority. Children gain a sense of belonging as they bring items in from home and are greeted by the friendly staff who value what children have to say. Staff build excellent relationships with the children and know their key children and their parents well. This supports children's welfare and ensures they make good progress in their development. Children behave very well and take turns sharing the toys with their peers. Many of the older children show good skills in large group play, involving each other in their imagination, acting out superheroes and monsters. Children learn to value each other and have opportunities to learn about each other's cultures and festivals from around the world through the use of resources, art and crafts, food tasting and stories. All This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

children are treated as individuals and with respect, supporting their self-esteem and confidence.

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and outcomes for children

Children have lovely opportunities to play outdoors and learn about growing plants from seeds or adding objects they have found to their nature table, developing their understanding of the world in which they live and what plants need to grow. The range of construction toys enables all children to build and join structures in different ways to create their favourite toys, such as racing cars and fire engines. They use the small world toys, some reflecting positive images of diversity, to develop their imagination with scenarios involving their favourite superheroes or situations from home. They use a wide variety of equipment such as balls, to practise their catching and balancing skills, while developing hand and eye coordination.

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and outcomes for children

Opportunities to make marks are offered daily. They use paint to create pictures and use sand trays and chalk in the garden to practise their writing skills. Children are beginning to develop their numeracy skills through practical counting during snack time, matching the number of cups to the children around the table. Children's numeracy skills and literacy skills are further promoted through small group work and various programmes on the computer. Children have use of other forms of information technology, such as cameras and programmable toys, to further support their development of skills 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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