Hucknall Pre-School Playgroup

Hucknall Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 253051 Inspection date 10/11/2011 Inspector Alison Putnar

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Setting address The Baptist Church, Watnall Road, Hucknall, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG15 7LD Telephone number 0115 9568387 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

Hucknall Pre-school Playgroup meet in the Watnall Road Baptist Church, which is situated in the town centre of Hucknall. They have use of two rooms with access to appropriate toilet facilities. Adjacent to the main playroom is a secure outdoor play area. The playgroup opened over 40 years ago and provides 30 places for children aged two to five years old. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are 64 children on roll, including, 29 children in receipt of funding.

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Description of the setting

Opening times are Monday, Tuesday and Friday 9am to 3pm and Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 12pm. A daily breakfast club operates from 8.15am to 9am and lunch club from 12pm to 12.30pm. The facility is managed by a committee, most of whom, are parents of children attending the playgroup. There are eight regular staff working with the children all hold a recognised childcare qualification. With supervisors qualified to level 4. One staff member has achieved an Early Years Foundation Degree. The group has membership of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and links with the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership for support and training opportunities.

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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 staff team work well together to create an inclusive environment where individuals are respected and valued. Children's care and learning needs are met well as the setting works closely with parents and some relevant professionals. Methods for assessing and planning for children's learning are established. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points. Space and resources are used creatively to provide a varied range of stimulating activities that help children learn whilst they play and explore. Children's welfare is protected through generally secure practices. Effective systems to accurately evaluate and improve practice are in place and result in a continually improving setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the two-way flow of information with parents and other settings the children attend, more frequently sharing next steps for individual's progress to enable all to work together to help children reach their full potential  update the record of risk assessment to include outings, which must be reviewed before embarking on each specific outing. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's safety and welfare is well maintained in the setting. Staff fully understand their responsibilities to safeguard children and capably describe procedures for working with relevant agencies to protect children from harm or neglect. A robust recruitment and vetting system ensures that staff are suitable to be working with children and hold appropriate qualifications for their role. Staff demonstrate a genuine commitment to developing their skills and knowledge for the benefit of the children through on-going training and through completing higher qualifications. Through working with other relevant professionals the setting seek and take on board advice to bring about further improvements. An accurate self-evaluation enables the setting to look at relevant areas for development to build on the good practice already in place. There is a strong sense of dedication and ability to make continuous improvement, this is evident through the children's

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the early years provision

enjoyment and increased learning opportunities gained when using the improved outdoor play area. Recommendations made at the last inspection have been fully addressed. Clear policies and procedures are effectively implemented to ensure the smooth day-to-day running. Risk assessments are conducted and include most activities, to minimise the likelihood of accidents and staff supervise children consistently. They use opportunities to help children consider safety issues, such as, using equipment, including, the slide or scissors safely to prevent accidents and injury to others.

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the early years provision

A welcoming child-friendly environment is provided. As children arrive they are able to access a range of activities set up by staff to help them settle quickly. They can also freely select some other activities of their choice, through using a photograph book, including, other toys and resources. Staff effectively ensure that all children are fully included in the setting. They show a genuine interest in the children taking time to listen and respond to them. They use their knowledge of children's interests, gained through observations or through 'all about me forms' completed by the parents, to plan activities that they know the children will enjoy. Methods of assessing and planning for children's progress are effective in helping children build on the skills they already have. The number of staff available each session ensures all the children are well supported. Those new to the group or individuals with special educational and/or disabilities, are given individual

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the early years provision

attention at times to better support their needs. Visual signs, symbols and sign language are used to aid communication and to help younger ones understand about the routines of the session. Good partnership working takes place. Staff work well with a range of relevant health and educational professionals to ensure that children with additional needs are supported promptly. The setting is beginning to establish stronger links with other settings the children attend to provide greater continuity in children's learning experiences, as this is not fully established it has yet to benefit the children fully. Key persons meet with reception teachers from local schools to support a smooth transition as children move on in their education. Opportunities are created for parents to be involved in making decisions for the provision, such as, being a committee member or via the suggestions box. Parents are suitably well informed about their children's progress

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the early years provision

through daily discussions and when periodically sharing development records. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Those parents spoken to during the inspection offered very positive feedback about the level of care and activities provided.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their play and make good progress in relation to their starting points through the thoughtfully planned play activities. Staff use children's interests to capture their attention and support their concentration skills. Effective methods of using favourite television and film characters as puppets and visual aids during discussion, story and singing times, encourage younger ones to share their ideas and talk about feelings. Children develop skills for the future as they play and explore. A group experiment was carried out using shaving foam, because of the textrure, to create marks and patterns with their fingers and brushes, this also develops early writing skills for the future. A range of craft activities are provided to support children's creativity and again encourage them to develop the skills and hand control when using single handed tools, including, scissors, crayons and glue

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and outcomes for children

sticks. Children build and construct with recyclable materials making objects to support themes and special events, such as, carnival masks or rockets for bonfire night. These activities also enable children to explore aspects of their own culture and beliefs and those of others. Older ones show developing mathematical skills as they take part in activities for counting and recognising numbers during smaller group activities. While younger ones sort colours and recreate patterns when playing with coloured pegs. Children benefit from large and small group activities enabling staff to pitch activities at different levels for the varying abilities, this is managed successfully on the whole, with most activities being relevant for the children accessing them. Staff are monitoring the current 'Rainbow' group activities to ensure all children's needs are catered for as the children now access this group at a younger age. The staff team recognise the importance of children's language

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and outcomes for children

as a foundation for other learning, as a result they engage in play with the children using their own language and questions to extend children's vocabulary and support longer sentence structures.

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and outcomes for children

Good relationships exist between staff and children and as a result children are confident to independently access activities and make choices in play. Children behave well and develop an awareness of expectations for behaviour through discussions with staff, helping them to operate safely in the setting. Pictures are displayed and used to remind younger ones of the need to share and take turns in the setting and good behaviour is rewarded through meaningful praise and stickers on the reward charts. They develop a sense of responsibility and care for their environment as they help to tidy and pack away toys after play. Children are encouraged to freely flow between indoor or outdoor play for a period of the session offering them greater choice. The outdoor area is used well to offer wider learning experiences. Here children can make marks on a larger scale chalking and painting with water on the fence. They develop their knowledge and understanding

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and outcomes for children

of the world when growing and caring for herbs and vegetables or creating bird food for the bird table. A group find the magnifying glasses to look closely at a caterpillar they have found. A good variety of resources are provided to help children develop large physical skills. These regular outdoor activities enable This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children to benefit from fresh air and exercise helping them to understand about healthy lifestyles. This is also supported through the settings provision of healthy snacks. Children develop good hygiene practices as they are reminded to wash their hands before snack time and after using the toilet. 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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