Cromford Playgroup

Cromford Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 206753 Inspection date 19/10/2011 Inspector Janice Hughes

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Setting address Cromford Methodist Church Hall, Water Lane, Cromford, Derbyshire, DE4 3QH Telephone number 07905 937371 Email 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

Cromford Playgroup opened in 1990. It operates from rooms in the Cromford Methodist Church in the village of Cromford, Derbyshire. There is a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The playgroup serves the local area and surrounding villages. The setting opens five days a week during school term only. Sessions are from 9am to 12 noon from Tuesday to Friday and from 12 noon to 3pm on Mondays.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The playgroup is registered for 24 children and there are currently 24 children on roll. All of these children are in the early years age range. The nursery currently receives early education funding for three and four-year-olds. The playgroup employs two full-time and three part-time staff who work with the children and over half of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting currently supports children with educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The setting receives support from Derbyshire local authority and are members of the Pre-school Learning Alliance. The playgroup is managed by a parental committee, who delegate day-to-day responsibility to the staff.

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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

Strong relationships are formed with children, each other, parents and other professionals. The environment provides an inclusive practice that is mainly well organised, which helps children in the main to make good progress in their learning and development. Documentation is good and regularly reviewed and there are procedures to ensure the health and safety of the children. However, some are not accurately followed. The self-evaluation process is developing and has identified some good areas for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop existing procedures for hand-washing to promote good heath to prevent the spread of infection  develop procedures so that children have more control over their learning to keep their interest and develop their creativity, paying particular attention to snack routines  ensure that the planning systems use the children's observations and assessments to clearly show their learning priorities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The management and staff work effectively together to provide a warm and welcoming service for children and parents. They help protect children from harm and neglect as they have a strong knowledge of safeguarding procedures and a clear understanding of how to report any concerns. Good vetting and induction systems are in place to ensure all staff working with children are suitable to do so. Suitable procedures are in place for the arrival and collection of children and effective measures are taken to ensure the premises are secure. Comprehensive and detailed risk assessments are carried out for all areas used by children, the activities and any outings they undertake. These measures ensure children are kept safe.

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the early years provision

Regular staff meetings and appraisals provide valuable opportunities for staff to share good practice and to identify their training needs, which are prioritised by the management. Systems to identify areas for improvement are effective and a comprehensive self-evaluation is undertaken to enhance all areas of the provision. The management continually strives to ensure that the setting provides an inclusive service where all children and parents are welcome. Procedures are in place to ensure the premises and equipment are kept clean to minimise cross- infection. However, the children do not use running water to wash their hands after art and craft activities. They use a bowl of water in the hall which is not changed. This puts the children's health at risk as there is the possibility of cross- contamination.

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the early years provision

Staff are effectively deployed to support children during all activities and to ensure that supervision is consistently maintained. Very good procedures regarding the administration of medication protect children's welfare when they are ill. Accident and incident procedures are well managed, ensuring children's safe care at all times. Accurate records are maintained and regularly reviewed to ensure that safety measures comply with current regulations and guidelines.

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the early years provision

Parents are provided with high quality information about the Early Year's provision through written information and the parent information pack. Purposeful systems are in place to include parents in children's learning and development. When children start an initial discussion and assessment takes place to obtain information about their child's interests and ability in order to determine their 'starting points'. This provides a two-way parent involvement. The nursery has systems in place to liaise with the children's other Early Year Providers. For example, they have regular visits to the local primary school and pass on a written summary of each child's progress. The also liaise with other settings through network meetings and share information when attending training courses. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are mostly progressing well towards the early learning goals. This is mainly because the staff have a good understanding of how children learn and know when to get involved, listen or pose carefully framed questions to encourage children to talk about what they are doing. Children regularly make choices regarding their play and staff ensure that the environment is stimulating, attractive and accessible to all children so that the can learn independently. Resources are placed at a level where children can help themselves and make decisions about their play. However, there is no free access to the snacks provided and 'snack time' restricts children in their play. This stops children having control over their learning and decision making. Staff are effectively deployed to support children during all activities and to ensure that supervision is consistently maintained.

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and outcomes for children

Spontaneous observations enable staff to plan for children's interests and respond quickly to expand their learning. For instance, children playing in the building yard with the saws and hammers are encouraged to build a house out of the large blocks. This gives staff opportunities to talk about the dangers of building sites and the builder's equipment. There is a good balance between adult-led activities and free play. Staff observe and monitor children's achievements and plan experiences that help children's progress. These plans and assessments are consistently evaluated for individual children. Staff are able to mostly identify learning priorities for each child and planning systems are in place. However, they are not clear in identifying children's learning priorities. As a consequence, some children may not reach their full learning potential. Children are involved in discussions and activities

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and outcomes for children

about special events in their own lives and gain an awareness of beliefs and cultures outside their immediate experience. They celebrate festivals and find out about different countries, for example, writing Chinese letters.

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and outcomes for children

Opportunities for children to learn about a healthy lifestyle are good. Through discussions, topics and social interaction with staff, children have a secure understanding of the importance of being healthy. Children are provided with a healthy snacks, such as, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, apples, plums and pitta bread. Children's healthy lifestyle is fostered effectively through daily free access to outdoor play. They develop confidence and coordination when climbing up the slide and balancing on bars, this increases their physical development well. Children have a good understanding of hand-washing procedures and, when told it is snack time, they move to the bathroom spontaneously to wash their hands. Children's understanding of safety issues is further extended through stories and discussions and as they learn road safety and learn how to use scissors well.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident speakers and good listeners, and are keen to share experiences and enjoy listening to stories. For example, they enjoy participating in repeating rhymes and sounds from the alphabet box game. They enjoy books, accessing them independently, listening to and joining in stories. Good emphasis is placed on developing children's communication, language and literacy skills. Children are encouraged to show an interest in numbers and mathematical language. This is supported well as staff provide the skills needed for counting This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 through a range of interesting games, songs and everyday activities. Children know about the uses of everyday technology and most children learn how to operate computer equipment and use the CD player confidently. Staff manage children's behaviour well by creating an environment that sets, explains and

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and outcomes for children

maintains clear and consistent limits. 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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