Severn Beach Preschool

Severn Beach Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY432988 Inspection date 17/01/2012 Inspector Elaine Douglas

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Setting address Severn Beach Cp School, Ableton Lane, Severn Beach, BRISTOL, BS35 4PP Telephone number 01454632518 Email severnbeachprimary.school@southglos.gov.uk 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

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

Severn Beach Playgroup has been established for over 20 years and is run by a parents committee. It operates from a classroom within the Severn Beach County Primary School in Severn Beach, South Gloucestershire. Children have access to an enclosed secure outside play area. The playgroup opens from 8.45am to 11.45am, five days a week, term-time only.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 24 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 25 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or children who are learning English as an additional language. They employ three members of staff who work directly with the children; of these, two hold a level 4 early years qualification and one holds a level 3. The playgroup receives support from an early years teacher 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

The manager and staff effectively deploy resources and have a good awareness of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Most systems help to identify children's development needs. Consequently, all children make good progress towards the early learning goals in most areas of learning. Staff meet children's individual needs through good links with parents, outside agencies and other providers. Strong leadership supports staff in providing good outcomes for children. Systems of self-evaluation help to identify most actions for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 Develop the new system for monitoring children's development to better identify and plan for any gaps in each child's learning  extend self-evaluation to cover all areas of the provision in order to identify more accurately where systems, such as appraisals, need improvement.

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the early years provision

Staff attend regular training and access good documentation to provide guidance in safeguarding children. Consequently, they have a good awareness of child protection issues. Good risk assessments and daily checks ensure risks to children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are minimised, while supporting their independence. The management carries out good checks to ensure suitable staff are employed. A good range of written policies and procedures are effectively implemented, and shared with parents, to promote and protect children's welfare. All staff have a first aid qualification and good procedures help protect children's health. This includes action plans for children's specific medical requirements. All required documentation is in place.

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the early years provision

All staff are involved in evaluating the provision and most staff share a strong commitment to continuous improvement. The manager provides a good role model and is enthusiastic about children learning through play. She regularly introduces new processes to help improve outcomes for every child and provides support for staff when implementing changes. They use self-evaluation well to identify actions to bring about effective practice. Some gaps in evaluating the leadership and management mean not all staff receive regular appraisals. However, the small team work closely together and regularly attend training. The manager attends network meetings to keep up to date with changes and share good practice. She has attended training identified from an equal opportunities audit.

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the early years provision

The good deployment of resources both indoors and outdoors enables children to achieve their goals in learning. For example, children complete an alphabet puzzle, using a poster to help them. Staff provide good interaction sounding and signing the letters. Children of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included. The use of sign language and visual aids ensures equal opportunities. Good resources, such as dual language books, support children learning English as an additional language and promote a positive awareness of diversity. The playroom is rich with words, numbers, shapes and cultural images. Visitors from the local environment further promote children's learning. For example, the librarian comes in to read the children and to talk to them about using the library.

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the early years provision

The good partnership with parents ensures staff can meet children's individual learning and welfare needs. They seek parents' and children's views through questionnaires, giving them good opportunities to make suggestions for improvement. Staff provide parents with good information on how to share learning at home and the value of play. Parents receive good written and verbal information on their child's development and care. Each child's keyworker is responsible for maintaining records of development and sharing these with parents. Staff work effectively with outside agencies to support children with special educational needs. They actively seek to exchange information with other providers sharing the care of any children. Parents comment positively on how their children have gained confidence and enjoy attending the playgroup.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well and generally play harmoniously. They build good relationships, share and are kind towards each other. For example, one child excitedly joins another child playing instruments. They share the drums and sticks This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 so they have an equal amount. When they finish, they put them away and staff praise them for looking after the equipment. Several children play a matching game together; they know whose turn it is and who is to go next. Staff effectively support children in helping to look after the environment. They remind them to put the lid back on pens and the glue on the shelf. Children play with a range of small world toys, which provide positive images of people's differences.

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and outcomes for children

The small staff team work closely together to observe the children and plan for their next steps. The manager has recently introduced a new system to monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals more effectively. This now helps to identify any gaps in learning, although staff have not yet completed it for every child. Staff ask good, open-ended questions, encouraging children to solve problems and think critically. They make good use of child-initiated activities to promote learning. For example, one child sings a song about a spider and all the others join in. They all enjoy drawing a spider and display them on a web. Staff then plan for the children to make spiders from dough. They use equipment to hunt for them, listen to stories and move like a spider.

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and outcomes for children

Children are enthusiastic about their learning and are confident communicators. They secure their skills for the future through first-hand experiences. Staff enable children to be as independent as possible and to complete activities to their own satisfaction. For example, a cutting activity demonstrates a wide range of different abilities and each child is pleased with their achievement. The praise and encouragement from staff means children feel safe practising new skills, and have a positive approach to new experiences. They are encouraged to develop their emergent writing and older and more able children write recognisable letters in their names. Children access a wide range of books and enjoy group stories. Children access a wide range of creative resources and construct their own designs, developing their imagination.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a good awareness of keeping themselves safe and healthy. For example, while playing with small world toys, one child suggests standing on the bed. This leads to a conversation about safety. They learn to use climbing equipment safely and remove dressing up clothes first to minimise risks of falling. Children have free-flow access to the garden. They know to dress appropriately for the weather and access wet weather gear. This means they can use the outdoors all year and benefit from the changing natural environment. Children enjoy being active outside, participating in activities such as rolling hoops to each other. Children help themselves to regular drinks. They choose when to have their snack and choose from a nutritional range of foods. They wash their hands with soap and use paper towels to prevent cross contamination. 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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