Medbourne Playgroup

Medbourne Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 226442 Inspection date 12/01/2012 Inspector Karen Cooper

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Setting address Medbourne Village Hall, Main Street, Medbourne, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 8DT Telephone number 01536 770 421 Email sam.hall9@btinternet.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.

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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

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

Medbourne Playgroup opened in 1982. It operates from a village hall in Medbourne. There is a fully enclosed outdoor area available for play. The setting serves the local area and surrounding villages.

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Description of the setting

The setting is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the school term. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 24 children aged between two and a half years and five years may attend at any one time. There are currently 21 children on the roll. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory part of the Childcare register. It is in receipt of funding for early education places. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are five members of staff who work with the children. Of these, one is a qualified teacher, one member of staff holds a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)at Level five, two members of staff hold an NVQ at Level three and one member of staff is unqualified. The setting 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

Children are happy and settled and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging within this welcoming environment. They make good progress as they take part in interesting activities that cover all aspects of their learning and development. Documentation is maintained appropriately and policies and procedures are mostly effective. The diversity of individual children is valued and respected. Positive relationships are in place with parents and other early years practitioners, to help provide consistency of care for children. Systems for self-evaluation are effective and the staff demonstrates a strong capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve hand washing arrangements to ensure that necessary steps are taken to prevent the spread of cross-contamination  improve the recording of children's hours of attendance to show the exact times of arrival and departure. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The staff demonstrate a clear understanding of child protection procedures and know how to implement them to safeguard the children in their care. They have attended safeguarding training to keep their knowledge updated. Daily visual checks and clearly written risk assessments are undertaken to enhance children's safety while in the setting and on all outings. Children are valued and the staff manage their behaviour in a way that is appropriate to each child's age and stage of development. Children access a wide variety of resources and space is well- organised to provide a stimulating environment. Staff plan a range of activities to encourage children to develop skills and learn through play. They make sure children are not bored or frustrated, but are busy and contented. Staff are well- deployed to ensure children are supervised at all times and effective vetting procedures make certain all staff are suitable to work with the children. They

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the early years provision

organise children into small key worker groups which enables them to build effective relationships and to get to know individual children well.

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the early years provision

The management team leads by example and as a result, a very low turnover of staff is maintained, resulting in the majority of the staff working in the setting for many years. The staff work well together to promote children's care and learning and demonstrate a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvements. They have implemented an effective self-evaluation system to identify where changes are required and are responsive to suggestions from parents and information gained in staff meetings, which also feed into the process.

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the early years provision

Children's individual needs are known and met because the staff recognises the value of working in partnership with parents and others. Thank you cards and letters shown at inspection include lots of positive comments. For example, parents praise the staff's friendly and caring nature and the fact that their children are happy to attend the setting. Parents are provided with a full range of policies and procedures which are mostly thorough, although, some lack minor detail, such as, the record of children's hours of attendance. Staff make time to talk to parents at the end of the session and children's learning journals, newsletters, coffee mornings and fund raising events, are used to aid communication between the setting and home. The setting are fully aware of the importance of sharing information when children leave to attend other settings and have established positive links with the local schools.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, settled and have established good relationships with each other and staff. They are valued and the staff help them to feel good about themselves by frequently providing support, praise and encouragement. This helps build children's self-esteem. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities as children are given time to develop their play. The staff clearly demonstrates that they know the children well. They take positive steps to find out This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 what interests each child and how much they know. They observe the children as they play and record what they can do. The information gained is used effectively to plan further for children's development across all areas of learning. Children's Learning Journals are well-presented and show meaningful observations. Samples of children's work and photographs are available for parents to view, to ensure

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and outcomes for children

they are fully informed of their children's developing progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children are inquisitive and eager to learn. They happily play both independently and with the staff. They enjoy group time when they listen to familiar stories and staff are skilled in talking to the children, responding well to them and listening to their ideas. They ensure children are engaged in the activities and ask them questions that extend their experiences and learning. For example, when planting seeds, children are encouraged to predict the colour of the flowers. Children are provided with plenty of opportunities to develop their early writing and reading skills and have access to a variety of books, crayons, chalks and magic slates. They are gaining a good understanding of the world through play and this helps them to develop skills for the future. For example, information technology is available to promote computer skills and most children are competent at using the mouse to navigate the cursor around the screen. They love using their imagination in role

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and outcomes for children

play and enjoy dressing up in various nurse and doctors outfits. They respond excitedly to a wide range of creative activities, such as, painting, playdough, cooking and singing. Children show increasing skill in recognising and using numbers to support their play. For example, they confidently count bricks during construction play, the small plastic animals and farm vehicles and each other as they line up. Children learn about the importance of fresh air and physical exercise as good attention is given to their physical development. They enjoy being outside and confidently explore in a rural and well supervised environment. They happily rake up the dried up leaves and great fun is had building dens from fallen twigs. Children climb trees with confidence and enjoy using the open space to ride wheeled toys and develop their physical skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about keeping themselves safe through the discussions and activities provided. They regularly join in fire evacuation practises to ensure that they know what to do in an emergency and when on walks around the local community, they learn how to cross the road safely. Through daily routines, children are encouraged to follow good hygiene practices. However, the current system for washing hands is not sufficient to ensure the risk of cross- contamination is reduced. There are good arrangements in place to care for children who are ill and all staff are trained in administering first aid. Children develop a good understanding of healthy eating. They are provided with a variety of nutritious snacks and fresh drinking water is readily available for them to independently access. Snack times are relaxed, social occasions when children and staff sit together around the table to enjoy their food and each other's company.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are fully aware of each child's individual dietary needs and ensures these are met. 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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