Capenhurst Grange School

The Drive Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 128487 Inspection date 19/05/2011 Inspector Lynn Palumbo

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Setting address Methodist Church Hall, The Drive, ILFORD, Essex, IG1 3PP

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Telephone number 07963804414 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

The Drive Playgroup opened in September 1974 and it is situated in a residential area in Ilford, in the London borough of Redbridge. It uses a large church hall for its premises, with adjoining facilities. There is a fully enclosed outside play area. The pre-school is open daily during school term times, offering morning sessions between 9am and 12pm and afternoon sessions between 1pm and 4pm. There are currently 87 children aged from two to under five years on roll. The pre-school receives funding for free early education for three and four-year-olds. The pre- school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school welcomes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language. A maximum of 40 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school employs ten members of staff. All the staff, including the manager,

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Description of the setting

have appropriate child care qualifications.

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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

The management and staff team successfully promote most aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework requirements within the suitable and inclusive environment. Children are making good progress in their learning and development and their individual needs are met well as a result of the good quality care they receive and the exceptional way the staff work with parents. Systems to monitor the effectiveness of the provision and to drive improvement are mostly successful. The management team demonstrate an accurate awareness of their strengths but have not identified the weakness in their documentation of risk assessments. Plans for other aspects for improvement are well targeted and likely to improve 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?

 ensure that the record of risk assessment identifies all aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and includes information on who conducted it, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident. (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) 30/06/2011

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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  improve further children's growing independence to ensure they do things for themselves, for example, enabling them to help themselves to drinks when playing outdoors.

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the early years provision

Policies and procedures necessary to safeguard children's welfare are in place and implemented effectively by all staff. Vetting procedures ensure that all staff working with children are suitable to do so, and students and volunteers are closely monitored. Overall, documentation relating to children's individual needs and care routines is well maintained. Parental permissions are in place for outings and medication, and for staff to seek emergency medical treatment and advice for children. Staff are vigilant in their supervision and carry out regular risk assessments to keep children safe. The record of risk assessment however is not sufficiently detailed to show potential hazards in all areas used by the children and action required to minimise them. This is a breach of a requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Risk assessments for each type of outing take place and suitable measures taken to promote children's safety but these are not

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the early years provision

Staff are well qualified and work effectively together as a team. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities and have a very strong commitment to continual professional development. Designated staff are responsible for first aid and fire safety. The manager has a good understanding of the setting's strengths and weaknesses and during the inspection she demonstrated use of rigorous monitoring to consistently drive to sustain improvements, thus the outcomes for children are continuously improving. In addition the recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been addressed. The team also build upon the support and guidance they receive from their local early years development worker, for example, with regard to assessment processes.

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the early years provision

Resources are well deployed and arranged in a child friendly environment; this enables children to make good overall progress in their learning and development. Staff promote inclusion well, for example, by planning activities to promote use of positive images of cultural diversity. This helps to give children and all families a strong sense of belonging and of being valued.

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the early years provision

The special educational needs officer actively promotes equality of opportunity. She works with parents and other agencies to provide consistency of care and to meet the individual needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are from diverse backgrounds and give support for children who have English as an additional language. The manager has established effective links with other childcare and education providers who provide care to some of the children attending. This ensures that children's needs are met and there is continuity in their learning.

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the early years provision

Staff engagement with parents is excellent. The key person system is effective and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parents know who to go to if they have a concern. Consistent and inclusive systems of communication with all parents result in very strong partnerships and engagement. The manager ensures important information, such as up to date policies, procedures and details about children's learning are available to parents on a variety of notice boards. In addition, parents attend parent consultation meetings to view their children's profile records and in this way information about their children's learning and development is shared. The manager invites parents to be fully involved in their children's learning, for example, they help children to learn about topics on health and diversity.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have created a very warm and welcoming environment and effectively organise the play area to provide a good range of toys and activities according to children's ages and stages of development. The outdoor area is attractively designed so all children can engage in a balance of activities. Staff ensure that resources are always accessible and this supports children to make their own choices and promotes their independence and self-esteem. During activities, staff stimulate children's thinking effectively by asking a good range of questions to support their learning. For example, during storytime, children predict the story line and use numeracy skills; staff ask questions about various quantities and children add and subtract. This helps children to develop their problem solving, numeracy and reasoning skills. Staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plan purposeful play, with a balance of adult-led and

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and outcomes for children

child-initiated activities. An effective key person system ensures there are efficient methods for observation and assessment and that staff can identify the next steps in the majority of children's learning. The setting has a good procedure for the use of starting points to plan for children. As a result, most children's individual learning needs are well supported because staff have a good understanding of them.

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and outcomes for children

Children have very good opportunities to develop their creative skills, as they arrange resources to make shakers, paint pictures and stick materials with glue. They also enjoy dressing in hats and glasses as they continue their play, for example, role playing in the play house. Children develop their emergent writing through the use of a variety of resources, understanding that symbols and words carry meaning. Children visit a range of recreational areas within the community, for example, the farm, and nature trails. This helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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and outcomes for children

Staff support children to use a wide range of equipment and tools safely, for example, when rolling and shaping malleable materials, using scissors and cutting foods during cooking activities. Children learn how to keep themselves safe from harm by participating in regular fire evacuation practices and listen to staff talk about how to stay safe on outings and this is reinforced with mobile road safety equipment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff have established good systems to help children adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, children select a choice of fruits during snack time. Drinking water is available within the main nursery hall and children ask for drinks if they become thirsty when outdoors, but they cannot access them easily for themselves when playing outdoors. A dental nurse visits the children to talk about the importance of cleaning teeth and the detrimental effects of sugary foods. All children develop

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and outcomes for children

their independence in their self care skills generally well, as they put on aprons before painting, select their own resources, and they wash and dry their hands before snack times. Children make a positive contribution to the setting by helping staff to tidy up at the end of the session and they show care and consideration of others as they play along side other children. Children share toys and equipment and they display appropriate behaviour, which is consistently praised by the key workers. Children are developing skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being well for example in their use of information and communication technology. Children's understanding of diversity is enhanced as they celebrate festivals and special events throughout the year. All children are encouraged to access all toys and resources regardless of their gender. This ensures that children learn to value aspects of their own lives and the diverse society in which they live.

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and outcomes for children

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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