Riverside Playgroup

Riverside Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY427422 Inspection date 11/10/2011 Inspector Anne Barnsley

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Setting address Cordeaux School, North Holme Road, LOUTH, Lincolnshire, LN11 0HG Telephone number 07948466184 Email info@riversideplaygroup.org.uk Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

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

Riverside Playgroup is committee run and was most recently registered in 2011. It has been operating since 1980 from its previous location. It now operates from the Cordeaux School in Louth, Lincolnshire and has strong links with the school. The playgroup 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 playgroup opens Monday to Friday during school term times from 9am to 3.30pm and children can choose to stay for morning, afternoon or full day sessions. The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 24 children under eight years may attend the playgroup at any one time. There are currently 63 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The playgroup provides funded early education for two, three- and four-year-olds. The playgroup supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup employs six members of childcare staff; of these, three hold a qualification at level 3 and one member of staff holds a level 5. Two members of staff are working towards their level 5. The playgroup 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

This is a very warm and highly inclusive setting. Partnerships are excellent and children are fully valued as unique individuals. They make good progress in their learning and are settled and confident. Effective systems and guidance ensure children's safety and mostly promote positive all-round learning experiences. Self- evaluation is reflective and accurately targets priorities for future improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop children's learning and awareness further of how to keep their environment tidy during the session in addition to at the existing organised tidy-up time  implement a system for reviewing and monitoring the use of the learning environment and resources during the session to ensure that children use them to their maximum potential. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting children's safety. They have completed safeguarding training and are fully conversant with their duty to protect children and ensure their welfare. All policies and procedures are implemented consistently to ensure that all concerns are prioritised and dealt with effectively. These are always available parents in the entrance foyer to ensure they are fully aware of how the setting is organised and prioritises the protection of children. Staff are attentive to the needs of children and provide close supervision. Full risk assessments are in place and daily safety checks are completed to ensure the continued safety of children. Effective safety measures and security systems are in place and ensure that unauthorised persons have no access to the children. Recruitment procedures are robust and an effective training programme ensures that staff have the necessary qualifications and skills. All adults who have regular

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the early years provision

contact with children are appropriately vetted.

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the early years provision

The manager has high aspirations for quality through ongoing improvement. She is successful in inspiring the staff team to work towards sustaining ambitious targets and, as a result, staff share a vision for the setting and work extremely well as a team to achieve this. They place the promotion of equality of opportunity at the heart of their work and drive their aspirations consistently at all levels. The setting effectively promotes equality and diversity and tackles unfair discrimination. Staff are successful in taking steps to close identified gaps in children's achievements and they all have an exceptional knowledge of the needs of children who have special educational needs and work together as a team to ensure these are consistently met. Self-evaluation is reflective and this supports continuous improvements that staff, children and parents have been involved in developing and taking forward. Since the re-opening of the setting in these new premises a

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the early years provision

great deal of work has taken place at all levels. A clear, well-targeted development plan shows how future improvements are likely to further improve the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Excellent partnership working takes place to ensure that every child receives high levels of support at an early age. The setting is highly committed to working in partnership with others and takes the lead role in establishing effective working relationships. There are extremely well-established channels of communication between all partners involved with individual children, which successfully promotes their learning, development and welfare and aids their transition when they move on to other settings. Relationships with parents and carers are extremely positive and the well-established and highly inclusive procedures fully involve them in decision making on key maters affecting the setting. For example, their involvement in self-evaluation, committee meetings, stay and play sessions and contributing to their child's observation books on a regular basis to help plan around their next steps. Parents and carers are very well informed about all

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the early years provision

aspects of their own child's achievements and actively comment on this and the excellent information and guidance they are provided with to enable them to support their child at home across the different areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children all show an exceptional sense of security and belonging within the setting. They are extremely confident, settle well and develop excellent relationships at every level with adults and their peers. Children take the lead in their play and show high levels of confidence and self-esteem. They make their own choices about how they wish to spend their time and staff use their skills well to interact with children and cover the areas of learning through child-initiated play. All children are valued and engage in a wide range of activities and experiences, which help them to value diversity. Their behaviour is exemplary and they are highly receptive and helpful. For example, children respond extremely well to staff guidance and enjoy helping at snack time and when it is time to tidy away. However, staff do not always guide children sufficiently well during the session with taking care of their learning areas and putting things away when they have

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and outcomes for children

finished paying with them. Although children willingly do this when they are asked to at tidy-up time, the result of not being guided during the session, and the areas not being monitored as well as they could be by staff, results in the learning areas becoming cluttered. Consequently, children are not learning as well as they might about keeping their resources and environment safe and also not always using the areas to their maximum potential. In spite of this, the children are fully aware of the expectations that staff do explain to them and contribute extremely positively to the organisation of their day.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy in this setting and arrive eager to engage in play. They enjoy a broad range of activities that have either been planned by staff or initiated through their own choice. Resources are plentiful and set out well both indoors and outdoors. Children have free-flow to the all-weather outdoor area and most gravitate to the outdoors and use this area well for all types of learning. Boys particularly enjoy role play with the pushchairs and dolls; steering these around the outdoor area and up the ramp to the indoors. Many of them then enjoy bathing their dolls in the water tray before they take them on another walk around the environment. Children use books outdoors and mark mark with conventional crayons and pencils as well as using other resources such as rollers and water. Children enjoy dressing-up as brides; buying items from the shop, working out how much money they have and what bag they will use to carry their purse in.

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and outcomes for children

They spend long amounts of time playing with bubbles and chasing them as they float through the air. They compare who has made the biggest bubble and who has made the biggest or smallest play dough ball. Children are learning to count well and to recognise letters and the sounds they make. Some children can do this very well and are progressing with their mark making skills to form letters and numerals. Children mostly use computers well although at the moment there are a high percentage of new, very young children in attendance. They understand technology and make very good use of the CD player and the microphone and enjoy playing co-operatively with others singing and making funny sounds. Children greatly enjoy playing in the mud with nets, trowels, cars and dumper tucks with diggers. They become so engrossed in their play, digging holes, looking for worms and transporting the mud from one area or container to another. They

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 grow their own flowers, herbs and selection of vegetables and use real vegetables and fruit in their role play.

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and outcomes for children

Children show an excellent understanding of developing healthy lifestyles and how to care for their own personal needs. They are extremely well nourished as staff fully promote healthy eating in their setting. They provide parents with excellent guidance on preparing their child's lunch box so that it promotes their learning and understanding. Lots of conversations take place during meal times about what foods are good and what foods are not so good and children have a really good understanding of this. They have plenty to drink throughout the session and are provided with healthy supplementary snacks so that they do not become hungry. Many health professionals are invited to the setting to help children learn about being healthy and safe, such as the dentist, nurse, ambulance driver and the police. Children have excellent levels of exercise and fresh air. In addition to using of the outdoor area extensively, children are taken on walks around their

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and outcomes for children

community, to the park where they can play of large apparatus and for nature walks around the large playing field at the back of the setting. They develop their awareness of safety well through having well-established rules in the setting, participating in fire drills and learning about road safety. Children know that they are valued and as a result have established strong bonds of trust with the staff who care for them. Children in this setting make good progress in their learning and are successfully developing the skills they need for their 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 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 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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