Avenue Playgroup

Avenue Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY419401 Inspection date 27/09/2011 Inspector Tina Mason

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Setting address Avenue Baptist Church, Milton Road, WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA, Essex, SS0 7JX Telephone number 01702351190 Email avenueplaygroup@yahoo.co.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

Avenue Playgroup is owned by Avenue Baptist Church Committee and was registered in 2010. It operates from Avenue Baptist Church hall. The pre-school serves the local community. The pre-school 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 pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.25am until 12pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children may attend the pre-school at any one time all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 26 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. It 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 pre-school employs eight members of child care staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery 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

The enthusiastic pre-school practitioners recognise the uniqueness of each child that attends and work to ensure that children are nurtured in their care, learning and play. Generally good planning ensures children make good progress in their learning and development. Partnerships with parents and other settings ensure consistency in meeting children's individual needs, therefore providing an inclusive environment. Most systems and documentation in place are well organised. Staff evaluate the provision and have a clear vision of quality care and education, they strive for continuous improvement to benefit the children. However, parents and children are not fully involved in the self-evaluation process.

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further?

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

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further?

 maintain daily records of children's hours of attendance (Documentation) 27/10/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the observation and assessment system to ensure children's next This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 steps are regularly reviewed so progress is ongoing in all areas of learning  develop self-evaluation to include the views and thoughts of parents and children.

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the early years provision

Staff have a clear understanding of child protection procedures and knowledge of reporting concerns and dealing with allegations. This is supported through relevant documentation which is readily available and shared effectively to ensure all children are safeguarded. Children are very aware of their own and other's safety. For example, they share space and equipment effectively, are well behaved and are actively involved in taking care of their surroundings. Clear and detailed risk assessments are completed and records of the checks are well maintained. Robust recruitment and vetting systems in place ensure all people working with the children are suitable to do so. Children's daily arrival and departure times are not appropriately recorded. As a result, children's safety is compromised. Staff records show clear information regarding suitability, appraisals, training and qualifications. All staff are proactive in the implementation of their roles and daily responsibilities.

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the early years provision

For example, good use of initiative ensures all children are closely supported and supervised and are kept active and involved. Key persons are effectively assigned to individual children to ensure their needs are met and to monitor their development. Good relationships with parents are clearly established. All parents, carers, grandparents and siblings are clearly involved and well-informed through newsletters, parent meetings and daily feedback. Parents and carers can volunteer to help by sharing their expertise at purposeful sessions and are invited to many special events throughout the year. Initial information about the children is shared before the care commences. For example, contracts are signed and written consents are in place.

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the early years provision

The pre-school is well-resourced providing various activities and opportunities for the enjoyment of all children present. The good range of quality and durable equipment and the staff's pro-active approach to the use of resources from the local environment, ensures the sustainability of the pre-school. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the support systems available and the processes they follow as they care for children who speak English as an additional language. There are established and valuable relationships between the pre-school staff and other professionals. They work together well to ensure consistency and best practice, whilst caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In addition to this there are established links with local schools, which provides supported transition for the children entering full-time education. There is a clear vision and aspirations are shared at the pre-school. They intend to promote and

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the early years provision

extend ongoing opportunities for children's learning and are developing ways to further improve the quality of the provision. For example, currently the self- evaluation of the pre-school is being completed by the management team and staff, and they hope to include the valued opinions of parents and children as part of this self-evaluation process, this will provide a holistic view of the setting. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The staff team have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of child development. The overall system for the observation, assessment and planning for children's progress is secure throughout the pre-school. Well presented individual visual learning journals and developmental summaries record children's individual progress well. However, a small weakness in the overall process in how often the children's next steps of learning are used to inform the future planning is not fully supporting each child to their fullest potential. The clean and well-maintained pre-school is safe and clean with good security systems in place. Children benefit from the nutritious range of freshly prepared snacks, such as fruit slices, biscuits and sandwiches made by the children. Children are encouraged to develop the habits and behaviours appropriate to good learners as they share equipment, take turns and listen to others. They recognise their own

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and outcomes for children

needs and those of others as staff have effective and consistent systems for managing children's behaviour. Useful information regarding children's achievements is communicated effectively with parents through obtaining children's starting points and sharing daily news.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop confidence and show enthusiasm for the experiences on offer as the warm and welcoming environment allows them to select resources, join in adult-led activities or initiate their own play. They enjoy daily access, weather permitting, to the secure outdoor area. Here, they use space well as they negotiate around one another whilst riding bikes, throwing and catching balls and practice their balancing skills as they walk on stilts. Indoors they paint at the easels or select from a good range of creative media to draw or make collages to take home. In the book corner children choose books to read to their friends or help staff to turn the pages and predict what happens next. They use their imaginations well. Children enjoy playing with the pirate ships and boats, they then extend this activity by pretending to be pirates themselves in the garden area, and they play in their own imaginary pirate ship and dress up as pirates. Children count and

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and outcomes for children

compare as they make different shapes with a number toy. Bright colourful displays of children's creations add to their sense of belonging and promote their self-esteem. For example, the 'Wow' board displays different types of art work created by each child. Children are given opportunities to explore nature as they investigate the soil in the planting boxes and they smile and laugh with delight when they find baby snails and slugs. Consequently, children are developing well across all areas of learning through the rich experiences on offer. 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 3 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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