Robert Bakewell Playgroup LimitedOfsted inspection, 13 Oct 2011

Robert Bakewell Playgroup Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY423120 Inspection date 13/10/2011 Inspector Dianne Sadler

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Setting address Barsby Drive, LOUGHBOROUGH, Leicestershire, LE11 5UJ

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Telephone number 01509 262777 Email pbplaygroup@yahoo.com 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. 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

Robert Bakewell Playgroup Ltd re-registered in 2010. It is privately owned and operates from a purpose built building within the grounds of Robert Bakewell Primary School. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 40 children aged from two to under eight years may attend at any one time. Opening times are each weekday from 8.30am to 11.30am and 12 noon to 3pm during term time only. Currently 68 children attend in total, all are within the early years age group.

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Description of the setting

The setting currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The setting employs 12 members of staff in total, of whom, 11 hold appropriate early years 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

Children settle very well in this fully inclusive setting. A dedicated staff team is highly committed in promoting children's safety and well-being and ensure children make good progress in their learning. Most procedures and well-written policies are in place and regularly reviewed and maintained. The setting demonstrates the ability to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 conduct a risk assessment and review it regularly, at least once a year or more frequently where the need arises (Suitable premises, environment and equipment). 24/10/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure assessment of children's learning is consistently based on observational evidence and identifies children's learning priorities towards all the early learning goals  improve the two-way flow of information between all other providers with specific regard to children's learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Good priority is given to promoting and protecting children's safety. Staff members have a strong understanding of child protection issues. They access training in this area and are confident about their responsibility to protect children from harm and neglect. Effective recruitment and vetting procedures include ongoing monitoring and annual appraisals which ensures all staff members continue to be suitable to work with children. The setting implements well-written policies which are regularly reviewed and clearly understood by the staff team. This contributes to the safe and efficient management of the setting. All aspects of the setting, including the outdoors, are subject to clear and concise risk assessments. However, the record of risk assessment has not been reviewed within a twelve month period. Despite this, all hazards continue to be identified and minimised which keeps children safe.

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the early years provision

Children's care, safety and welfare are very well promoted because the enthusiastic staff and management team have high expectations about securing improvement. The setting has developed very good systems for self-evaluation. All staff continually reflect on their practice. They discuss their opinions and views at team meetings and regularly agree changes to their practice. This ensures all outcomes for children are constantly improving. As part of the self-evaluation process, the views of parents are obtained through procedures, such as written questionnaires and daily verbal discussions. Recently, as a result of parents' views, children now change their shoes in their own individual playrooms when they arrive to ease congestion in the foyer.

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the early years provision

The setting embraces the role of parents. A good two-way flow of information between home and the setting is very well maintained. For instance, parents are well-informed of planned events through regular newsletters which enable them to contribute and support children's learning. In addition, parents attend regular open evenings where any concerns, ideas for improvement and children's achievements can be discussed with the key person within an informal environment. Parents are made very welcome at all times and particularly benefit from attending 'Play and Stay' sessions. At this time, they enjoy experiencing activities for themselves and are able to play with their own children. Parents comment very positively about the setting. They demonstrate complete satisfaction and are amazed how well their children settle and achieve. Effective partnership working with other agencies also ensures children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are very

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the early years provision

well supported to make good progress. However, communication with other early years providers, such as local childminders and nursery is not fully focused on children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The setting provides a fully inclusive environment for children and their families. All children are learning to value differences between themselves and others. For example, children are encouraged to bring photos into the setting from home and complete drawings of their families which are displayed in the playrooms. This reflects the diversity of families and children who attend the setting. All staff have a very good awareness of children's individual needs, routines and lifestyles which are recorded in the children's 'All about me' sheets and regularly reviewed. This This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ensures activities and experiences are planned according to children's individual interests. The setting organises the space available very well and children enjoy accessing interesting and colourful play areas both indoors and outdoors. Children are encouraged to make very good choices and decisions about their play by

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the early years provision

accessing a wide range of good quality resources which are stored and displayed very well within their easy reach. Children particularly benefit from a newly furnished sensory room. This is used for children to relax and chill-out. Children sit on sponge mats whilst accessing stimulating resources, such as bubbles in a tube, a CD player and enjoy the effects made from a disco ball and fairy lights. Their independence and self-esteem is promoted very well as they control images projected on the wall of different colours and shapes.

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and outcomes for children

Children are supported to make good progress in their learning and development. Systems to observe and assess children's learning have recently been reviewed and changed. Staff complete an early assessment review within the first week of children attending the setting. They continue to observe children's learning and record some of their findings using photos, text and examples of children's work. The information is used to assess children's learning recorded on a tracker sheet and filed in children's Learning Journeys. However, staff are not assessing children's learning towards all the early learning goals and assessment is not consistently based on observational evidence.

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and outcomes for children

Children particularly benefit from the provision of a wonderfully stimulating and continuous in and outdoor learning environment where all areas of learning are effectively promoted. This enables children to develop skills they need for their future success and become independent and active learners. Children have excellent opportunities to learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle. The setting recognises that some children learn more effectively outdoors and plan inviting activities for children to select and use to develop their play. For example, children thoroughly enjoy investigating natural materials, such as logs in the garden and use a net to make a den in which they hide. They benefit from participating in walks around the school grounds where they enjoy collecting and investigating items such as conkers and dried leaves which they display in their playrooms. They are learning about sustainability as they participate in growing a wide range of fruit

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and outcomes for children

and vegetables in the garden. These include, tomatoes, beetroot and lettuce which they water and watch grow, and then eat at snack time.

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and outcomes for children

Children also have good opportunities to learning how to keep themselves safe. Forest School practitioners visit the setting and encourage children to cook bread outdoors and safely use tools, such as hammers to build dens made of twigs. This develops their learning of shape, space and measure and enables them to take risks within a safe environment. Children also enjoy regular visits from other community groups, such as the fire service and a dog charity organisation. At this time they develop their confidence when learning to handle the animals safely and learn to respect and care for living things. They discuss animals they keep at home This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and plot the information on a graph. This develops their skills in numeracy and communication, language and literacy. 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 1 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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