William de Ferrers School

Christ Church Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 115343 Inspection date 28/09/2011 Inspector Elizabeth Mackey

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Setting address Christ Church Church Hall, Woodside Crescent, SIDCUP, Kent, DA15 7JJ Telephone number 0208 300 2913 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

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

Christ Church Playgroup was opened in 1977 and operates from a main hall, with access to a smaller room for small group activities, in Christ Church Church Hall. It is situated in Sidcup, Kent, in the London borough of Bexley. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 24 children aged from two years to under five years may attend at any one time, there are currently 27 children on roll.

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Description of the setting

The setting is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 12 noon for 38 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs six members of staff. Most staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting work closely with the Bexley Early Years Advisory Team.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The setting successfully promotes all aspects of children's welfare and development. Children are safe and extremely well cared for in a welcoming, inclusive environment. Effective partnerships with parents and outside agencies help to ensure children make excellent progress in their learning, given their age, abilities and starting points. The dedicated, established staff team work enthusiastically to maintain high standards and ensure the inclusion of all children. The team have a modest approach in their self-assessment and, overall, continually improve the setting through a process of reviewing practice, training and self-evaluation. The service continues to develop to improve the outcomes for children.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 developing the process for self-evaluation, to provide a more reflective account of the settings strengths and their impact on the service users.

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the early years provision

Strong leadership and robust safety systems are in place to protect children and support their well-being. Stringent safeguarding procedures and transparent This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 policies outline the setting's responsibility to protect children. The staff team attend child protection training and are confident in their knowledge, responsibility and procedures for reporting concerns. Most staff are qualified in childcare and all staff attend ongoing training to keep their knowledge up to date. The team work closely with the Local Authority Early Years Advisory Teacher and enthusiastically embrace training and development opportunities. Regular team meetings are held, where information and effective practice is shared.

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the early years provision

There are established safety procedures in place, which are reviewed periodically. The safety of children is a priority and potential risks are minimised through effective risk assessments, excellent deployment of staff, a high adult to child ratio and meticulous policies and procedures that are implemented by the staff team. All regulatory records are successfully maintained and stored confidentially. The planning and daily preparation of activities for the children is outstanding. Children's individual needs are met extremely well and their interests and ability are given careful consideration. Planning takes account of children's shared care, which helps to ensure that children receive a balanced programme of activities. Children enjoy an excellent range of resources and enjoy innovative activities which sustain their interest. There is always high quality interaction from staff who enthusiastically promote children's learning and enjoyment. Staff take care of the

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the early years provision

children with the utmost respect and they recognise the importance of respecting cultural diversity and meeting children's individual needs. They demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion.

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the early years provision

There are superior systems in place to promote partnerships with parents and other childcare providers. Information is shared and parents are involved in the daily life of the setting, for example, they support the children with bringing in things from home to support current theme. They also support the group on outings, locally and further afield. This has resulted in successful trips where a one to one adult child ratio has been achieved. Parents meet regularly with key workers to discuss their children's progress and the next steps in their development. In addition to the development files, staff and parents contribute to a book, which captures children's enjoyment and progress through photographs, comments and artwork. It is shared between the home and the setting. Parents comment they are very happy with the care their children receive, they say 'Staff are fantastic', 'They are very welcoming and work over and above' and 'Children

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the early years provision

The pre-school have made excellent progress since their last inspection. They are a cohesive staff team and morale is high. They are experienced, knowledgeable practitioners who share a positive attitude and have high aspirations for the children. All staff contribute to the self-evaluation and future planning. They have clear targets for ongoing development, however, they are reserved in recognising the setting's notable strengths. They have a diligent approach and demonstrate a commitment to maintaining excellent standards and a high level of ongoing improvement. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Many of the children are new to the setting and the staff team carefully monitor how they are settling in. Children are remarkably settled, demonstrating they feel comfortable and secure. They are happy and display high levels of engagement, as they enjoy the extensive range of activities available. This is enhanced by highly reflective staff deployment and high staff ratio to children. All staff contribute to the planning, which results in the implementation of an exceptionally well-planned curriculum. There is a personalised learning programme for every child and children are making extremely good progress in their learning. The setting is calm and very well organised, indoor and outdoor activities are planned to enable the children to make choices safely. There are excellent systems in place to enable children to learn about their own safety. For example, staff step back as children use tools carefully or challenge themselves on climbing equipment. This enables

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and outcomes for children

them to take measurable risks in a safe and secure environment. Children move from the indoor and outdoor environment independently. The range of resources is inviting, excites, and interests the children.

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and outcomes for children

There is a strong emphasis on children's personal, social and emotional development. Children enjoy good friendships and their behaviour is exemplary. They are helped to understand important social skills, for example, when they have finished their snack they put their cup and bowl in the basin. Children routinely practise very good hygiene routines and understand the importance of hand washing. There are excellent practices in place to encourage children to adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, they enjoy healthy snacks and through activity and discussion learn about the importance of healthy eating. Inspirational activities help children to understand the importance of growing food and healthy eating. They plant potatoes which they nurture, harvest, cook and then eat them for lunch.

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and outcomes for children

Children are highly confident communicators and openly express their needs and feelings to staff. Children learn to keep themselves safe, because the boundaries in place are carefully explained. Children are reminded of them, for example, not to run in the outdoor area. Children enjoy exploring and they use microscopes to seek out insects in the outdoor area. They excitedly call other children to see the insect they have found. Children creatively use their imagination and pretend they have found a hedgehog in their hunt for bugs. Staff join the children in their imaginary play. The children pretend they are on a train and become totally engrossed in their make believe. Staff skilfully extend it; they follow the children's lead as the game develops, adding further resources, and ideas. The successful organisation of space both inside and out enables children to access activities to promote their physical development throughout the session. The hall is sectioned

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and outcomes for children

to enable children to safely ride bikes, access a climbing frame and play group games with the parachute. Staff support the children exceptionally well. They skilfully provide opportunities for child-initiated play, knowing when to step back to supports children's independent learning. Observations of their progress are pertinent and used to inform planning. The tracking system in place carefully tracks children's progress towards the early learning goals and highlights individual This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 areas for the team to focus on.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy stories and books and story time is part of their daily routine. Children are confident communicators and clearly express their ideas. They have ample opportunities to make marks as they play, for example, making patterns in the foam, painting and drawing. Children access a wide variety of crafts and enjoy the freedom of accessing materials independently, for example, pens, junk, envelopes, sticky tape. Children are making excellent progress as they develop skills for the future. They practise their skills with familiar computer programmes, which offer appropriate challenge. They enjoy problem solving and proudly manipulate the mouse and access programmes independently. Children engage in a variety of activities that promotes their understanding of the world around them through a wide variety of themes that explore cultural and religious celebrations. They also visit places of interest, for example the aquarium. Children are actively

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and outcomes for children

busy throughout the session; they are flourishing in this highly impressive setting. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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