All Saints Playgroup

All Saints Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY431306 Inspection date 06/02/2012 Inspector Helene Terry

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Setting address The Function Room, Spring Hall Mansion, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 0AQ Telephone number 07772 933 851 Email gailbroadbent@hotmail.co.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

All Saints Playgroup was registered in 2011 on the current site. It is managed by a voluntary committee and operates from a portacabin next to the athletics track in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The playgroup runs Monday to Friday between 9.30 am and 2.30 pm term time only. All children share access to an outdoor play area. A maximum of 30 children in the early years age range may attend the playgroup at any one time. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 24 children aged from two to four years on roll, of whom 12 receive funding for nursery education. The playgroup serves the local community and supports children who speak English as an additional language. Children attend for a variety of sessions throughout the week.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup employs four staff, of whom three have relevant early years qualifications. The manager is working towards a foundation degree in early years. The setting receives support from the local authority and is part of the local authority's quality assurance scheme.

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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 in this active environment where they are generally safe and well-supported by the staff who ensure that they are provided with a good range of play activities, as a result, overall children make good progress in their development. The individuality of children is recognised and managed very well and this is contributed by the supportive partnerships with parents and other agencies. Policies and procedures underpin the playgroup's practice generally well. However, procedures for informing parents about the medication administered to their children are not robust and have led to a welfare requirement not being met. Management has an accurate understanding of the playgroup's strengths and weaknesses and overall plans for the future are well targeted.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 develop procedures for ensuring parents are informed of when medication was administered to their child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 20/02/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that regular fire drills are carried out and details recorded in a fire log book This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop opportunities for children to practice their climbing skills  ensure that all staff make regular systematic observations of each child's achievements.

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the early years provision

Children are generally well protected because staff have a clear understanding about their safeguarding responsibilities towards children and procedures for reporting any concerns. Good recruitment and vetting procedures are in place for ensuring that adults working with the children are suitable to do so. All visitors to the premises are recorded to further safeguard children. Risk assessments of the premises and outdoor areas are thorough and ensure that the premises are safe for the children. There is a good range of documentation that is generally effective in underpinning the setting, including records of accidents and medication. However, there are no clear procedures for ensuring that parents have been informed of when medication was administered to their child. This does not meet the welfare requirements.

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the early years provision

The inclusive environment is organised well with resources accessible to children which helps them to be independent learners and follow their own interests. Resources and some posters reflect the diverse society in which children live to help them settle and feel welcome.

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the early years provision

Staff have positive relationships with parents which helps to ensure that each child's needs are met well. There are clear channels of communication, both verbally and in writing, which keep parents well informed of their children's well- being, learning and development. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their children's learning journeys, sharing information about children's interests and what they have done during the school holidays. This helps staff plan activities for future learning. Regular newsletters and the notice board keep parents informed of events in the playgroup. Some parents also take part in helping in the group as part of the rota system. Partnerships with other settings and agencies involved with the children are developing well. Information about children, with parents' consent, is shared on a regular basis to foster the development and well-being of children.

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the early years provision

The playgroup has good self-evaluation measures in place for identifying its strengths and areas for improvement. The staff are effective in monitoring and evaluating responses from parents and children and use this information to make changes to benefit the children. The playgroup is part of the local authority's quality assurance scheme and they act on advice and support offered readily to make improvements. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, settled and understand the routines of the day. They demonstrate good levels of independence and a willingness to tackle self-chosen and adult-led play. The playgroup is well presented and offers an overall stimulating environment for children. Well planned activities take into consideration the individual interests of children and offer new and interesting challenges across all areas of learning. Most staff use regular observations of the children to help in planning the next steps in learning. However, there are some inconsistencies in the regularity of the recording of these observations, which potentially gives rise to gaps in some children's learning. Children are constantly praised and their achievements valued. They proudly show off their reward stickers for remembering to choose a new book to take home to read with their parents and for using the toilet as part of their toilet training. Children are highly motivated and interested in

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and outcomes for children

the activities and resources available to them. They show good levels of concentration and play purposefully throughout the session. They enjoy helping staff make play dough, by filling the cups of flour to the top and then counting them into the bowl, as a result developing measuring and number skills. They choose the colour of the dough and learn that writing has meaning as the member of staff leading the activity reads and follows the recipe card. Children are developing good language skills, they delight in choosing and singing their favourite songs at circle time and some more able children are beginning to use talk in imaginary situations, such as, taking on the character role of a truck driver during small-world play.

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and outcomes for children

Literacy skills are also developing well. Children mark-make in many different situations, such as drawing patterns in the sand, using pens, pencils and crayons and some children are writing recognisable letters of the alphabet associated with their name. Staff use spontaneous events to introduce opportunities for learning, for example, during circle time children begin to compare the size of their feet and staff talk to children about who has the biggest and smallest. They are asked to predict who will have the biggest and a child replies 'a giraffe'.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to learn about the world around them. They enjoy going on bug hunts using the magnifying glasses and discover where magnets work. They use technology, such as the computer, printer and cameras to discover how things work. Children are developing a rich understanding about others and the wider world to foster their future tolerance of difference. All children, regardless of gender or ability, are included in events and the setting ensures children are surrounded by positive imagery of wider society and celebrate world festivals. Children are creative: they play with the musical instruments, use paint, make models and create their own representations of a spider's web using trickles of glue and glitter, with wonderful results.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to lead healthy lifestyles. They develop good hygiene practices and learn about healthy eating. Healthy fruit snacks and drinks are accessible to them at all times and parents provide a packed lunch for those children who stay for the afternoon. Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors as part of their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 healthy lifestyle. They challenge their physical ability as they ride the bikes, balance on cups and roll balls. However, they have limited opportunities to climb and swing. Children show they feel safe as they move around confidently both inside and out. They learn about road safety as part of their activities; however, they do not currently take part in regular fire drills to help them understand what to do in an emergency. 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 3 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 3 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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