St David's Hill Playgroup

St David's Hill Playgroup 41b Bonhay Road, EXETER, EX4 4BP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/11/2012 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The highly stimulating, busy but calm environment enables children to become active learners.  Staff give children's safety the highest priority, while enabling them to gain a very good understanding of how to manage risks and keep themselves safe.  Staff provide strong support for children learning English as an additional language and all children develop secure attachments and respect for each other.  The manager and deputy provide good role models and have effective systems for performance management.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although staff plan activities for children to link sounds and letters they do not always use child-initiated learning and routines to promote this further.  Staff do not always involve parents each time they identify children's next stages of development, in order to support learning at home fully.

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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 the children and staff in all rooms and in the outdoor area.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and carried out a joint observation.  The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the pre-school's self-evaluation and systems for monitoring quality.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at safeguarding information and sampled documentation including, the policies and procedures, and children's assessments.

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Information about the setting

St David's Pre-School opened in 1966 and registered at the current premises in 2011. It operates from a detached three-storey building of which the children have use of the first two floors. The first floor is accessed by stairs, although there are toilet facilities on both the first and second floor. There is a secure outside play area to the front of the building. It is within walking distance of Exeter St David's train station. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 4pm during term time. It also open before and after school from 8am to 9pm and from 4pm to 6pm as required. The setting also provides a holiday club from 9am to 4pm for four weeks of the summer holiday and one week at Easter. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 44 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The pre-school currently supports children who are learning English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are seven members of staff working with the children at various times of the week; of these, four have childcare qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2. Two staff are on trainee programmes. The pre-school provides free early education to children aged three and four years and some two-year-olds.

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

 extend the sharing of information with parents on children's next stages of development to fully support learning at home.

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

 develop staff awareness of using routines and impromptu situations for children to link sounds to letters and begin to use their phonic knowledge further to de-code words.

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who attend

Staff plan interesting, challenging experiences for children so that they make good progress in all areas of their development. Children develop good skills for their future learning and preparation for school. They think of solutions to problems because staff ask them for ideas, rather than just providing them. For example, when prompted, one child suggests using flour to prevent the dough sticking to the table. Staff ensure all children get an opportunity to speak. As a result, children demonstrate they are good communicators, listening to others and responding to their comments. Staff provide good role models for learning, demonstrating that they do not always know how to do things. This encourages children to show and talk about how to succeed. For example, a child shows a member of staff how to draw a horse, demonstrating one action at a time. Staff ask if they are doing it right so that children learn to think critically.

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who attend

The key person works well with parents to find out children's starting points and through regular ongoing observations understand each child's current development and how to help them progress. Parents can attend open days every six months, where they can see their child's development record and discuss their progress. Staff review children's next stages of development on a regular basis. However, they do not always share these each time with parents to enable them to support learning at home fully. Staff follow children's lead to promote their learning, so children show interest and excitement. For example, a child comments on their daddy reaching things high up. Through the member of staff's interaction they are eager to find out how high they can reach and who can reach the furthest. Children also come up with their own ideas to jump so they can reach further.

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who attend

Staff plan daily activities in small groups so that children link sounds with letters. However, they are less effective at using daily routines and children's play to enhance children's awareness. For example, staff encourage children to find their names and guess what words might say but do not encourage them to sound the letters or notice similarities. Children develop good imagination and creativity through access to a wide range of resources. They eagerly engage in role-play, acting out the familiar roles, such as going shopping and doing the ironing. They experiment with musical instruments. For example, a child bangs a drum with their hands and then a stick, hitting first the narrow end and then the wide end to listen to the difference. Children develop good physical skills using a range of tools and large equipment, such as joining crates together and balancing on them.

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

The highly successful key person system and homely environment provides a strong base for children to settle at the pre-school and become emotionally secure. Staff encourage children to play and make friends from all backgrounds, so that all children feel included. Consequently, children seek out others to share their experiences and build highly positive relationships. They are pleased to see each other and spontaneously say goodbye to those going home at lunchtime. Staff value the children's diverse backgrounds. They label activities in the languages of all children attending, and use sign and visual aids so that all children and parents feel confident in the pre-school. Children develop an excellent awareness of making a positive contribution. They take care of their own environment and help to raise funds for children who are ill or less fortunate.

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

The enabling environment is set out in learning areas, which children access daily, indoors and outdoors, in order to extend their play. They are motivated to use the book and role- play areas because they are inviting. Children are confident to select from the stimulating resources and carry out activities to their own satisfaction, thus they all become highly active learners. Staff provide just the right amount of support and encouragement for children to try different ways of doing things to enable them to succeed. Thus, children take pride in their achievements. Staff encourage children to be independent and manage age-appropriate tasks. They skilfully involve children in managing risks so they become aware of appropriate safety measures and gain an excellent understanding of safe practices. For example, they use a toy goose for children to tell her how to behave outdoors. They take it in turns to check the bolts on the gates are secure, and children

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

know to go up one set of steps and down the other, to prevent accidents. Children behave extremely well because staff encourage and praise positive behaviour.

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

Children have an exceptional awareness of the importance of good health and physical exercise. Staff engage them in conversations prompted by daily routines, such as why they wash their hands before eating. They sing songs during activities about caring for their teeth. Staff enhance children's knowledge by arranging visits from the oral hygienist. Children are able to help themselves to fresh drinking water and have daily outdoor experiences. Staff are sensitive to children's care needs and work closely with parents to enhance children's well-being and development, for example when toilet training. Through observation and discussion with parents, staff develop a settling-in and welfare plan to ensure they can meet children's individual needs extremely well.

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provision

The committee and pre-school staff work well together and in line with the new Early Years Foundation Stage framework have revised their operating procedures. The manager highly effectively deploys staff and there is a high adult to child ratio, which means children receive good supervision and support. All staff receive safeguarding training and effectively implement their policies and procedures. Staff give children's safety the highest priority and check daily to ensure safety equipment is in place and well maintained. Good recruitment and induction procedures help to ensure suitable staff understand their roles and responsibilities. All required documentation is in place and organised well to protect and promote children's welfare.

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provision

The management team display very good information around the learning areas to provide guidance for staff to help them extend children's learning. The manager has implemented a new system to have an overview of each child's achievements. This enables her to identify and support any gaps in learning. Consequently, children learning English as an additional language now have opportunities for small group work. The manager and staff use good systems of self-evaluation, which includes parents' and children's views, to identify their strengths and areas for development. For example, they are currently addressing how to manage children's free flow to the outdoor area. They also seek feedback from the local authority and outside agencies, and effectively implement their recommendations. This helps them to make continuous improvements. For example, they now have cosy areas so that children can play without intrusion from others. The manager

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provision

mentors staff and provides regular supervision to identify and plan for any development needs. The manager and deputy introduced peer on peer observations from training they attended. They now use these for staff to identify good practice and ways to improve.

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provision

Good partnerships with parents enable staff to meet children's individual needs very effectively. Parents comment on how much their children love coming to the pre-school because the key person settles their children very well. Good communication ensures staff and parents share regular information to support children's care and emotional development. Parents of children learning English as an additional language comment on how well their children are progressing. Staff are experienced in working in partnership with outside agencies and other providers to provide consistent care and learning, and support any additional needs.

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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 EY419777 Local authority Devon Inspection number 742197 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider St Davids Hill Playgroup Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01392425519

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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:

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Type of provision

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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