Roehampton Gate School

Tytherington Pre- School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 136110 Inspection date 16/01/2012 Inspector Zahida Hatia

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Setting address Tytherington Village Hall, Itchington Road, Tytherington, WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE, Gloucestershire, GL12 8QE Telephone number 07553 811 803 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.

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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

Tytherington Pre-School Playgroup opened in 1996. It operates from the community hall in the village of Tytherington approximately two miles from Thornbury in South Gloucestershire. The group have an enclosed outside area.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is registered to care for a maximum of 24 children in the early years age at any one time. There are currently 26 children within the early years age range on roll. The playgroup receives funding for free early years education. Children come from within the village and surrounding areas. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is open on Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings, during term times, from 9.30am until 12 noon, with a lunch club until 1.00pm. On Tuesday and Thursday there is an extended session available until 2.30pm. There is a team of four staff, all are qualified at level 3 and above.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are provided with very high levels of care and make excellent progress in their learning and development. This is supported by a wide range of stimulating activities and resources which generally cover all areas of learning. Partnerships with parents and other providers are very well established to ensure that all children receive a consistent and outstanding service in which their individual needs are met. An excellent range of policies and procedures are in place and staff have a very good awareness of how these are used to support the safety and welfare of children. The playgroup is led by a motivated and very experienced management team who have an excellent understanding of how to use self- evaluation methods to drive improvements. Their capacity for improvement is excellent.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 enhancing the outside play area to extend children's physical development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are fully safeguarded at the playgroup. This is achieved through rigorous attention to child protection, safety, and robust vetting and recruitment procedures. Practices and procedures for referrals are clearly understood and staff are well placed to respond to any issues that may arise. Important information about children, such as collection arrangements, are gained from parents and notices around the playgroup highlight the role all adults play in keeping children protected and safe. Security arrangements are robust. Policies and everyday practices are highly successful in promoting children's welfare. To enhance children's safety further, all staff attend regular training in relation to safeguarding concerns. Risk assessments are routinely carried out, as are daily checks of the premises. Staff respond quickly to minimise any identified risks, so as to maintain a safe environment for the children.

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the early years provision

The premises are extremely well organised for both indoor and outdoor areas allowing all children to develop their independence as they flow between different activities. All children benefit from using the outdoor play area and in addition go on regular visits to the woodlands nearby and trips to the local community. The playgroup is extremely well resourced and visually stimulating, successfully supporting all children's learning and development. The resourceful deployment of staff means that each child's designated key person knows them extremely well and plans very effectively for their individual needs. As a result, all children are making excellent progress in their learning and development. Both managers and staff have an excellent awareness of how to use self-evaluation to drive improvements at the playgroup. This has helped them to devise an action plan to identify areas for development. Currently the playgroup is drawing up plans to

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the early years provision

improve the outside area to enhance children's physical development. Constant evaluation and staff appraisals help the playgroup to deliver very high standards of care to children. All of the team are qualified and training is very well supported at the setting, which means children are cared for by motivated and enthusiastic staff. This also demonstrates the setting's ongoing high commitment to ensure that staff development benefits children. All recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been positively addressed.

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the early years provision

Parents receive an excellent amount of information about the playgroup and their children's progress, which includes a very wide range of operational policies and procedures. An equality and diversity policy is also in place which shows how all children are included and supported. Partnerships with parents are exemplary. Parents are highly complimentary about the playgroup and highlight the extremely strong bond that exists between the setting and home as one of its key strengths, along with individual feedback about their child. Parents talk enthusiastically about the progress their children are making and are appreciative of the playgroup's caring and knowledgeable staff. Parents say they feel listened to and respected. Their views are sought regularly through informal conversations and formal evaluations. Parents are regularly updated about their children's progress through detailed reports and meetings, and receive ideas on how to extend this at home.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The setting is proactive in working with other early years providers such as childminders, nurseries and local schools ensuring that consistency in children's learning is effectively promoted. The transition to school is smooth for children because teachers are actively encouraged to visit children at the playgroup. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive very effective support due to extremely close partnerships with outside agencies, which significantly promote inclusive practice.

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and outcomes for children

Children's learning is promoted extremely well as staff have an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Regular observations show what children have achieved and the next steps in their learning are clearly identified. This enables planning to be differentiated to promote an individual learning journey for each child. Staff are very skilled at linking activities to ensure children have a continuous experience across all areas of learning. For example, recently the staff helped the children to make the dough for the bread and instead of baking it in the oven they took the dough with them to their woodland outing, whereby the staff built a fire and the children watched the bread being baked on an open flame. This is a very effective way of cementing their learning whilst ensuring they learn through having fun.

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and outcomes for children

Children make outstanding progress and show high levels of confidence and self- worth. They are happy and adventurous which is essential to their future success. Children gain much from the superb range of high-quality learning experiences and resources that spark their imaginations and curiosity. For example, children use small world toys such as diggers, trucks and lorries to move soil around, as they pretend to build roads and houses. This activity is transferable for both indoor and outdoor play. Children use reclaimed materials in their imaginative play, as they make things to take home. For example, a four-year-old child had spent a long time making a train by gluing boxes together. She tells an adult 'this is for my brother. He likes trains, but I have to use lots of glue to make it strong because he likes to take things apart'.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy free-flow play opportunities throughout the day. Indoors, children's choices are exceedingly well promoted and resources are easily accessible at child height. This encourages children to explore their environment. Many storage boxes are clearly labelled which helps children begin to link words with objects. Staff work very well to utilise a range of resources to promote children's literacy development. For example, children use laminated name labels to self register at the beginning of the session. They learn to recognise their name in written form and younger children learn to associate their name with a picture. The outdoor play area is very well planned to promote learning in all areas. Mark making is particularly well promoted, for example children use paintbrushes, water and chalks. Currently there is no large physical play apparatus outside, which reduces children's opportunities for outdoor physical play.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Hygiene is a priority at the playgroup as children learn why they wash their hands and why this is important. Children also have an excellent understanding of keeping themselves safe. For example, staff talk to the children about road safety because the playgroup regularly go to local amenities such the village shop to buy milk or walk to the woods. The setting has a strong commitment to ensuring children eat healthily. Activities, such as cooking at least once a week, help children to learn about healthy foods. All children bring an item of food from home each day to share with the rest of the group for snack times. The monitors each day help staff to set up the snack station which is open throughout the session, providing children with excellent opportunities to be independent. Children decide when they are hungry, what they would like to eat, pour their own drinks and tidy

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and outcomes for children

their plate and cup when they have finished.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have warm relationships with the children, who are feel secure in their care. Staff know the children very well as individuals, which enables them to plan activities which build on children's interests. Children behave extremely well because they know what is expected of them. Staff explain simple rules, such as sharing, and are patient and calm with children. This creates a very well organised environment within which they can thrive. Children are extremely confident and self-assured because they are given responsibilities, such as being a monitor, and they take pride in this. Children work extremely well together as they make collages for displays, using materials they have collected on trips, such as feathers and leaves. This also promotes their creative development. Overall, children are gaining excellent skills on which to base their future learning and development. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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