Polegate Preschool Playgroup

Polegate Pre-School Playgroup 54 Windsor Way, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6QF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/01/2013 20/01/2009

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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 2

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This provision is good

 Children receive high levels of support, which helps them make rapid progress in relation to speech and language development.  Staff are very well deployed, resulting in high levels of unobtrusive support.  Staff are committed to ongoing training and the continual improvement of the setting.  Staff make good use of outings to effectively support children's learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The arrangements for supporting children's transition to school are not consistent for all children.  There are no cosy spaces to enable children to rest or sit and talk with friends.

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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 interviewed the manager and spoke to staff.  Documentation was sampled.  The inspector took into account the views of parents, spoken to on the day.  The inspector spoke to the children.  The inspector observed the children and staff.

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Information about the setting

Polegate Pre-School Playgroup opened in 1964. It operates from four rooms in a local community centre in Polegate, although not all rooms are available for every session. A maximum of 41 children may attend at any one time. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Opening times are from 9am to 12.45pm, which includes a lunch club for the older children. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 47 children from two to under five years on roll. Children come from a wide catchment area. The setting currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The setting employs 13 staff who work directly with the children and two ancillary staff. Ten staff hold relevant child care qualifications and nine are first aid trained.

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

 strengthen the arrangements to support children's transition from the setting to school. Specifically in relation to the children who do not move on to the local school, so all children receive equal levels of support

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

 create areas in which children can relax or sit and chat with friends, such as a snug den, cosy and less brightly lit spaces to provide variety within the play environment and better meet the needs of children who enjoy quieter and more peaceful activities.

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who attend

The setting supports children very well to reach their full potential and make good progress in all seven areas of learning. There is good focus on children's personal, social and emotional development, physical development and communication and language. This gives them a strong foundation to support all other areas of learning. Speech and language has a particularly high priority in this setting. Staff have been trained to deliver the 'Every child a talker' (ECAT) language programme. Consequently, there have been rapid improvements in the attainment of language skills across the whole setting. With the support of an assistant speech and language therapist, staff assess children's language abilities on entry and devise individual education plans. Communication groups focus on language and provide parents with high quality information to respond to any aspect of language delay. Parents mention that the support available for improving children's

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who attend

language skills is a key strength of the setting. They see significant and rapid improvement in their children's speech.

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who attend

Staff are skilled in the art of guiding children without interfering in their play. This supports the child-led play well, extending children's ideas and enhancing their leaning opportunities. Adult led activities provide challenge and opportunities that give children hands on experience and the chance to take appropriate risks. Children are thrilled to be able to use a bow saw to cut up tree branches and build a fire pit on an outing to a member of staff's garden. The staff team are well qualified and are committed to increasing and updating their knowledge through regular training. They use what they learn to continually improve what children are offered and their knowledge of how to promote learning is good. Teaching techniques take account of children's different interests and learning styles. Arrangements for planning and assessing are based in individual education plans for each child.

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who attend

Assessment is accurate and based on what the setting observe children doing. Staff use information from parents to support the process. Increasing parent involvement in the ongoing assessment is part of the settings development plan. Data collected about children's progress is analysed by the practitioners to provide a detailed view of how well individuals as well as groups of children are progressing. The data analysis helps to see if any particular group of need targeted support so that gaps in their learning can be narrowed. Children are acquiring the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school and the next stage of learning.

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

Children are supported well to understand the basic rules of the setting and the reasons for these. They are encouraged to be kind and caring and form firm friendship with each other and warm, affectionate relationships with staff. Children regularly offer each other help and support and are awarded 'The kind heart trophy' for demonstrations of helpfulness. Staff are very well deployed and organise the routines and activities so that there is an excellent balance of adult and child led experiences throughout the session.

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

Staff provide in depth discussions and guidance about safety. This, combined with the exiting experiences such as sawing and fire building, helps children to understand about keeping themselves and others safe. Staff report that for a long time after these activities, children still talk about them and repeat the safety warnings that they were given. They show a secure understanding of the elements needed to manage risks safely. Children demonstrate that they feel safe in this setting. The atmosphere is busy, happy and productive. Children smile and laugh often. They approach staff without hesitation and in discussions, they demonstrate that they know the role of the staff is to help and support them. Children are developing a good understanding of how they can support their own health and the importance of this. They know which are healthy foods and which need to be eaten in moderation. They are keen to be active and make links between exercise and

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

the condition of their bodies. Children talk to each other about fitness and note that 'doing loads of running fast' is good for you. They understand that practising will make them even faster and will make their muscles big and strong. Staff make generally good use of the space that they have, sectioning areas to provide pockets of activities at tables and on the floor. However, there are few opportunities for children to access a quiet and cosy space in which they can relax. A cushioned area provided in the corner of the hall is unappealing to the children and those looking at it, wander away without staying. When children are about to go to school, staff have some good strategies in place to support children's transition, particularly to the most local school. Meetings with the reception teachers, special educational needs coordinators, and arranging visits help the children feel reassured and settle more easily. The same level of support is not always provided for

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

children moving onto other schools. However, all children receive support in the form of talking about the move, stories linked to new starts and reassurance if they have any concerns.

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provision

Leadership and management is strong. The staff and management support each other well and all are committed to supporting the continual improvement of the provision for children. A range of well thought out systems are in place to monitor the educational programmes and staff performance. These include staff training, supervision and appraisal; data analysis, self-evaluation, inspection and Local Authority support. The self- evaluation is accurate and the staff understand their strengths and weaknesses well. Arrangements to monitor the provision are good. Staff and management continually plan how to enhance what they already do well, and tackle any identified weakness promptly and effectively. Safeguarding arrangements are strong and make sure that only fully vetted and suitable adults have unsupervised access to children. Both the staff and committee members undertake child protection and safeguarding training. This ensures

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provision

that adults at every level know how to respond appropriately, if a concern arises about a child. Partnerships with parents and other providers are strong and effective in supporting continuity in children's assessment and Early Years Foundation Stage delivery. Staff are proactive when seeking outside help to support individual children or an aspect of the group as a whole. Parents are increasingly involved in working to support their children's learning. Parental are involved in a variety of ways For example, some are members of the committee, while others help to provide and fit shelving in the storeroom. Parents appreciate the work that the setting do and show this in a wide range of ways. They enjoy being involved in their children's learning and recognise the contribution that the setting is making to their child's development.

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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 109485 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 813362 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 41 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Polegate Pre-School Playgroup Date of previous inspection 20/01/2009 Telephone number 01323 482448

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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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