Woodlands Playgroup

Woodlands Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 306012 Inspection date 13/12/2011 Inspector Vivienne Dempsey

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Setting address Yarm Primary School, Spitalfields,YARM, Stockton-on-Tees, TS15 9HF Telephone number 01642 788066 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

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

Woodlands Playgroup is a committee run group and has been registered since 1992. It is located within the grounds of Yarm Primary school in the Yarm area of Stockton on Tees and serves the local and surrounding areas. The group operates from a portacabin single storey building with one large playroom, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The group has sole use of the premises.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered to provide full daycare for 20 children aged between two and five years old. There are currently 50 children on roll in the early years age range. The playgroup is opens five day a week, school term time only, from 9am to 3:30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

There are seven part-time members of staff working with the children, six of whom have suitable qualifications. One member of staff has a relevant teaching degree. The playgroup receives support from the local authority and the Playgroup Network.

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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

Staff provide a friendly, warm and welcoming environment for all children and their families. Children are happy and settled because staff have developed good relationships with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. Children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Systems for observation, assessment and planning are in place and planned activities and resources meet children's individual learning needs and interests very well. Staff are very keen to improve the service they provide. They work closely with the local authority advisor and other settings, and staff attend a wide range of training to develop their knowledge and skills. Good systems are in place to highlight the setting's strengths and priorities for development and parents and children are fully involved in the self-evaluation process.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further opportunities for children to develop their independance, for example helping to prepare snack and serving their own drinks.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded as staff have a good understanding of safeguarding issues and know who to contact with any concerns. A written procedure is also in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 place and includes the procedure to follow in the event of allegations being made against staff. An emergency evacuation procedure is in place and regular fire drills are undertaken, which helps to protect children's safety. A record is maintained and evaluated to ensure children are able to leave the premises quickly and safely. The staff have been suitably vetted and rigorous recruitment and induction procedures are in place. This protects children's welfare. Staff ensure all areas of the setting are clean and safe for children to play in freely. Daily checks and written risk assessments are in place, which further helps to protect children's safety. All staff have a current first aid certificate and permission to seek

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the early years provision

emergency treatment or advice is sought for all children. This enables staff to react quickly in the event of an emergency.

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the early years provision

Staff have developed good relationships with parents. A wide range of practical information is collected through the children's records at registration. A daily two- way sharing of information also keeps parents fully informed of their children's progress and ensures continuity of care. For example, daily exchange of information is shared, informing parents of activities children have been involved in. Parents have access to all policies and procedures, which informs them of the service provided. Good links have been developed with the local schools and a wide range of information is shared. For example, information regarding children's progress and well-being are shared regularly to ensure continuity and coherence.

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the early years provision

A good range of resources are freely available both indoors and out. These support children's learning and development very well. Children have independent access to activities and resources which enables them to make choices and decisions about what they do. A good range of resources are also available to promote children's awareness of differences and others, such as books, posters and small world figures. Staff also provide a wide range of opportunities for children to develop their understanding of different cultures, such as celebrating a wide range of festivals, dressing up in traditional costumes and tasting food from around the world. The setting does not currently care for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, they have a good understanding of systems they need to have in place to ensure children's individual needs are met. Staff attend a wide range of training to develop their knowledge and skills. They

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the early years provision

also work closely with other providers to enhance the service they provide. Staff use action plans and the Ofsted self-evaluation form effectively to drive continuous improvement. This ensures outcomes for children are fully promoted.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have good relationships with children in their care. They provide a clean and caring environment for children in which they feel safe and secure to learn. They provide a good range of resources and a varied range of experiences to meet the children's individual needs and interests. Staff have developed good systems for observation, assessment and planning. Observations of children's learning and development are recorded within children's observation files. Next steps in children's development are highlighted and these are used to plan activities to promote children's learning and development. Observations are linked to the six This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 areas and summative assessments show children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Warm and caring relationships with the staff help children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings. They learn about possible dangers and how to keep themselves safe through routines, such as fire evacuation procedures. Good hygiene practices across the provision help to minimise the risk of spreading infection. The setting has also gained a '5 Star' rating for food hygiene, further protecting children's welfare. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene habits, such as washing their hands before snacks and meals. They confidently talk about the importance of hand washing and state they 'need to get the germs off and keep them clean.' Fresh drinking water is freely available during the session and healthy snacks are also provided. This helps promote children's understanding of healthy foods, whilst helping to keep them hydrated and nourished. However, children are not always involved in preparing snacks or

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and outcomes for children

serving their own food or drinks. This does not fully promote children's independence.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very well behaved. This is encouraged by the staff who are positive role models and create a calm and positive environment by listening to and praising children. Children enjoy receiving stickers and lots of praise for good behaviour and hard work. They enjoy a wide range of craft activities and have great fun making Christmas decorations and calendars. Children confidently use a range of tools safely and with increasing control. For example, they carefully use a dustpan and brush to sweep up glitter and pieces of paper. Children enjoy using the large climbing frame, bikes and scoters in the outdoor area and recognise the changes to their bodies when they are active. This helps them to develop their physical skills and to understand the importance of physical activity for a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy using the chalk boards to make marks and draw pictures. They have great fun joining in with funny Christmas stories and keep 'underpants'

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and outcomes for children

on the Christmas tree just like the aliens. They show great delight as they join in with their favourite Christmas songs. This helps to develop their communication, language and literacy skills very well. 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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