Little Donnington Playgroup

Little Donnington Playgroup Donnington Primary School, Uffington Road, LONDON, NW10 3TL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2012 18/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is good

 Children are happy and confident in the interesting environment provided by the staff. They choose their own activities from the range provided. They enjoy good relationships with caring staff who have clear behavioural expectations. As a result, they make good progress with their learning  Staff provide children with access to a well-equipped outdoor area, which supports development well in all areas and enables them to socialise with older children  The playgroup staff work closely with parents and external agencies where necessary to meet the needs of all children  The playgroup staff have participated in a national literacy programme, which has benefited children's communication and language development, supporting good progress for all.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Systems for self-evaluation are not yet robust and do not take into account the views of all staff, parents and children  The appraisal system is in its infancy and has yet to have an impact on staff development  Staff do not support children's understanding of technology sufficiently well.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities inside and in the outdoor area  The inspector spoke to the manager and staff

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents who were spoken to on the day

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a representative sample of children's development records and a selection of other relevant paper work including planning and assessment documents.

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Information about the setting

Little Donnington Playgroup registered in 2008 and operates from Donnington Primary school in Willesden in the London borough of Brent. It is run by a voluntary committee. The playgroup is open each weekday from 9am to 12 noon, term time only. The playgroup employs three members of staff, of whom one holds a National Vocational Qualification at level 3 and one holds a similar qualification at level 2. Additionally, the playgroup has a volunteer member of staff. The playgroup is part of the early years unit within the school and shares the facilities used by the school including the outdoor play area. There are currently 20 children aged two to three years on roll. The playgroup currently supports children learning English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The playgroup receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three years.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 widen children's understanding of technology by drawing their attention to pieces of ICT apparatus they see or that they use with adult supervision

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop the monitoring of staff practice by implementing the planned appraisal system.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop further methods of self-evaluation to include a) the views of all staff, parents and children; and b) plans for improvement

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who attend

Experienced and caring staff provide children with a stimulating learning environment where activities are easily accessible. Staff plan a suitable balance of adult-led and child- chosen activities; these enable children to develop their understanding across the seven areas of learning well overall. Both the indoor and outdoor environments have clearly defined areas where children can choose from a range of age appropriate activities to support their learning, however, there are fewer resources to enable children to develop their understanding of technology effectively.

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who attend

The playgroup staff have taken part in a special literacy programme and have gained accreditation for its work in developing teaching strategies in this area. Children benefit from the staff's training and knowledge in communication and language development. Staff interact well with children; they ask thoughtful questions to test children's understanding of stories and join in play sensitively to encourage imaginative ideas. For example, staff play alongside children whilst making 'food' in the kitchen out of play dough. This interaction extends to the outside area, where staff engage in children's play equally successfully. This achievement is an improvement since the last inspection.

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who attend

Staff plan with the children's interests and needs in mind. They adjust their methods according to the needs of individuals to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those learning English as an additional language are catered for fully. Staff refer to the relevant document when planning and tracking progress over time through regular observations. This system informs their planning of children's future learning and, as a result, children make good progress overall according to their starting points in all areas.

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who attend

The children are active learners who enjoy exploring through play. They demonstrate clear enjoyment whilst participating in self-chosen activities and proudly share their accomplishments with staff. They use well developed language skills to communicate ideas; describing a spiral as a 'curly whirly shape' and immerse themselves in imaginary play, explaining that they are 'hiding from the green monster'.

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who attend

Children's personal, social and emotional development is fostered through the positive staff and child relationships. Children play well with their friends as well as comfortably with adults. They enjoy participating in creative printing activities that relate to festivals and discuss their understanding with staff. Children have an awareness of others; they learn about disabled people through looking at books, which they then discuss with staff. They learn about the cultures of others through celebrating festivals throughout the year, with families invited in to discuss their experiences. They are supported in their physical development through activities, such as rolling play dough, and trying out early writing skills with pens and pencils, which provide opportunities to develop a good pencil grip. Already some children show they prefer to write with one hand rather than the other.

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who attend

Children are provided with a wide range of instruments, both indoors and out to develop their musical interests. They enjoy using percussion instruments, enthusiastically experimenting with instruments to create sounds.

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who attend

Both the indoor and outdoor environment provides activities for children to extend their knowledge and understanding of mathematics; children demonstrate a good understanding of numbers for their age whilst identifying numerals one to six and when playing outdoors with a giant 'Connect Four', where children correctly worked out they needed 'two more' to complete the row. They take an interest in books and demonstrate pre-reading skills through handling books appropriately whilst in the reading corner. Due to the careful planning of appropriate activities, children's interest in learning grows which results in them being well prepared for the next steps in their learning.

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who attend

Parents are aware of whom to approach regarding their child's development or care needs. The 'open door' policy facilitates on-going dialogue to ensure that both parents and staff are fully aware of any needs the child may have. The playgroup works hard to ensure that parents of children who speak English as an additional language are able to engage with the staff and feel comfortable in contributing to their children's records. Joining forms have pictures to aid understanding and parents are encouraged to write about their children's weekend at home in their own languages. The playgroup then has these translated by other parents. This ensures that all parents are able to build positive partnerships with the playgroup.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children enjoy close relationships with the staff in the setting. They are confident to approach any member of staff to support them in their learning or care needs. The playgroup has systems in place to allocate children a 'key person', although has yet to place children with a specific 'key person' this term. This is because the staff take time to observe to which adults children form attachments. As the playgroup has a small number of children, this system works, with both children and parents clearly understanding who to approach if they have any needs. The 'open door' policy and flexibility for parents to stay to settle their children helps to curb anxiety in the early stages of attending the playgroup.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff skilfully steer children to behave well through the use of clear instructions and praise. Children respond well to these and show delight when staff compliment their work and behaviour, boosting their confidence. Clear routines are established and the children understand these; all children respond quickly and quietly to the 'tidy up and line up' song. These clear boundaries support children in their personal, social and emotional development.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The playgroup keeps children safe through a secure entry system. Signs at child height encourage children to walk, not run within the playgroup, and regular fire drills ensure that children are aware of the procedures to follow in the event of an emergency. Such events are remembered by children and staff question children to check that they fully understand the importance of fire drills.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children's understanding of healthy eating is promoted through the fresh fruit salad that they help prepare at snack time. Parents are encouraged to bring an item for the salad into the playgroup and are reminded that it is a 'healthy eating' playgroup. Children demonstrate awareness of good personal hygiene rules by asking to wash hands with soap and water prior to chopping up fruit. Children enjoy going outside in the fresh air, gaining a positive attitude to doing so, which will benefit them later in life.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Due to being housed within a school, children who transfer to this school are helped to have a seamless move into its nursery. They regularly play with the nursery and reception children and staff through shared activities, such as music. Children from the playgroup also move on to other local schools. The manager of the playgroup meets with staff from the main schools to which they send children, and staff from such schools are invited into the playgroup. As a result, children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

The playgroup has appropriate systems in place for safeguarding children's well-being; all necessary checks have been undertaken on both staff and volunteers. Staff are trained in safeguarding and are aware of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns. The playgroup has appropriately qualified paediatric first aiders. Risk assessments are undertaken for all areas that are used by the children. These actions show an improvement since the last inspection.

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provision

The staff have an understanding of the areas of learning and plan successfully to meet the needs of all children. Comprehensive systems for planning and observing children are in place which help staff plan for children's future learning. Since the last inspection, the playgroup has been working with their local authority advisor to develop evaluation systems. They have begun to evaluate their own practice; however, the system is not yet robust. This means that the playgroup does not currently have fully effective procedures in place to identify and plan for areas for improvement that involve the views of all staff, children and their parents. The manager of the playgroup has also put into place a system for appraising staff; however, this is in its infancy and therefore has yet to have an impact on helping staff improve their knowledge, understanding and practice still further, although they do undertake training.

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provision

The playgroup's open door policy enables the staff to talk daily to parents or carers, and share information about children. This policy fosters generally effective partnerships between parents and staff. The playgroup works closely with external agencies, such as speech and occupational therapists when appropriate. This liaison ensures that children's individual needs are catered for well. Parents are very happy with the service that the playgroup provides; they appreciate the well-established staff team and frequent opportunities to talk to staff if necessary. They feel that their children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY367310 Local authority Brent Inspection number 815547 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 20 Name of provider The Committee of Little Donnington Playgroup Date of previous inspection 18/06/2009 Telephone number 0208 451 0761

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply: Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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