Hadrian Park Playgroup & Childcare

Hadrian Park Under Fives Playgroup Hadrian Park Primary School, Addington Drive, WALLSEND, Tyne and Wear, NE28 9RT

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/01/2013 20/01/2009

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Staff promote all areas of children's learning exceedingly well, with a particular strong focus on the programme for communication and language.  Children make good and some make outstanding progress as a result of staff awareness of individual needs and precise assessment and planning for all children.  Children's needs are exceptionally well met through the robust and effective partnerships between parents and Hadrian Park Primary School.  Secure bonds are seen throughout the playgroup as a result of the inspirational interactions between adults and children.  Children understand how to keep themselves safe as all staff consistently give the highest priority to the safety of children.

p.1

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a question and answer style meeting with the managers and looked at a range of documentation.  The inspector observed play and learning activities in the main playgroup room.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector spoke to all key persons.

p.2

Information about the setting

Hadrian Park Under Fives Playgroup was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register. It operates from Hadrian Park Primary School in the Wallsend area of North Tyneside, and is managed by a private provider. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

p.2

Information about the setting

The playgroup employs three members of child care staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday, term time only. There are two sessions available, 9.10am until 11.10am and 11.10am until 1pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are 38 currently children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

p.2

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

 develop further young children's independence by allowing them to pour their own drinks.

p.3

who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at the playgroup and are eager to join in with all activities. There is a strong focus on the characteristics of effective learning and staff have amended their assessment systems, including the two-year-old progress check, to reflect this. Staff place an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills. They make excellent use of 'communication boxes' and are highly skilled when extending children's vocabulary and exploring the meaning of new words. Children's language and thinking skills are significantly enhanced when staff ask open-ended questions and challenge children by not settling on their first ideas. For example, staff ask 'Are there other ways we can fit the track together?' instead of setting up the usual circular shape when playing with trains. Staff ask questions such as 'How many will you have if we add one more?' when children play with dinosaurs and large

p.3

who attend

stones. As a result, children begin to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting. Staff are exceptionally well deployed. They provide excellent support when working with children on a one-to-one basis and in small groups. This ensures children effectively develop the key skills they need for the next steps in their learning when they attend school.

p.3

who attend

All children make good, and some make outstanding progress based on their starting points. This is because staff make accurate assessments and plan for individual children's learning and development. Progress is tracked and staff are confident in identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. Children have individual learning journals which contain photographs, observations and examples of their work. This is linked to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and clearly shows next steps in learning for each child. Parents actively contribute to this information. They regularly share information about their child's interests and activities they have enjoyed at home. This is effectively threaded through into planning. For example, when children attend a wedding, they extend their learning when they dress up and attend their own 'role-play' ceremony in playgroup.

p.3

who attend

Staff provide rich, varied and imaginative experiences, and as a result, children are excited and motivated to learn as soon as they enter the playgroup room. Excellent partnerships are in place with Hadrian Park Primary School and regular meetings take place to ensure learning in the playgroup complements children's learning at school. For example, a transition book is used by playgroup staff and class teachers to highlight individual strengths and weaknesses. This information is used to inform planning to ensure staff have very high expectations of all children based on accurate assessment of children's prior skills, knowledge and understanding on entry to the playgroup.

p.4

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

A well-established key person system is in place and staff are highly skilled and sensitive in helping children form secure emotional attachments. Children settle very quickly and parents speak highly of care practices which support children to develop confidence in new social situations. This is further extended when older children support younger members of the group and become their 'buddy' when they first begin attending. Children show they are happy and settled when they cuddle up with their key person on the sofa to listen to stories. Children form excellent relationships with each other and increasingly show high levels of self-control during activities. Children behave exceptionally well. This is because staff provide very good role models and make behavioural rules and expectations clear. For example, staff talk to children about the rules of the playgroup during large group time. Staff skilfully support children when they transfer into Hadrian Park Primary

p.4

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

School. They make regular visits with their key person and look at books displaying photographs of key members of staff and their new environment. This ensures children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning.

p.4

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

The indoor environment is highly stimulating and all resources are accessible and of good quality. Daily risk assessments ensure the areas used by children are free from hazards and staff consistently give the highest priority to the safety of children. This effectively supports children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe. The outdoor environment was not accessible on the day of inspection due to extreme weather conditions. However, evidence from children's learning journals and photographs show activities provided in the outdoor area have a highly positive impact on children's sense of well-being and significantly enhance all aspects of children's development. All toys and equipment throughout the playgroup room are clearly labelled and stored effectively. Children develop independence as they are able to find and return what they need and when they select their own fruit at snack time. However, opportunities to further develop

p.4

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

younger children's independence are missed when they are not able to pour their own drinks.

p.4

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

Staff give clear messages to children to ensure they are developing a good understanding of why it is important to have a healthy diet. A superb range of fresh fruit is offered to children at snack time. This provides excellent opportunities to explore new tastes and textures and talk about foods from around the world. This is extended further when children grow their own vegetables. For example, children enjoy mashing and eating the potatoes they have grown in the outdoor area.

p.4

provision

Managers and staff have excellent understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this extremely well to support children in their learning. They have been proactive in ensuring all systems have been adapted to reflect changes in the revised framework. Staff are well qualified, experienced and highly motivated, demonstrating an enthusiasm for their work with a clear commitment to improving achievement for all children. As a result, morale is very high and belief in the playgroup's success runs through all staff. Children's welfare and well-being is exceptionally well promoted because there is a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues among the adults in the playgroup, all of whom receive regular training on safeguarding. Robust policies and procedures are implemented consistently to ensure all concerns are prioritised and dealt with effectively. Staff make effective use of up to date risk assessments to

p.5

provision

support them in ensuring the areas used by children are safe, and as a result, children display an excellent awareness of safety.

p.5

provision

Constant self-evaluation of the playgroup ensures that areas are consistently identified for sustained improvement and this is very evident in the playgroup. There are plans in place to extend the provision in the outdoor environment and create a sensory garden. This work aims to further develop children's sense of well-being and offer first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world. Views of parents, staff and children are carefully considered when developing self-evaluation which helps to target improvement and address any concerns identified.

p.5

provision

High quality professional supervision is provided, based on consistent and sharply focussed evaluations of the impact of staff's practice. This enables the managers and staff to identify their strengths and areas for further development. Staff are well supported and benefit from an effective programme of professional development arising from individual staff needs. As a result, staff are constantly improving and understanding their practice.

p.5

provision

Partnerships with parents are exceptional. They take an active part in their child's learning and are involved in decision-making on key matters. Parents use words such as 'excellent' when describing the relationships between staff and children and the quality of educational programmes provided. Partnerships with Hadrian Park Primary School are equally well established. This ensures children's needs are quickly identified and exceptionally well met.

p.5

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.

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6

Setting details

Unique reference number EY377056 Local authority North Tyneside Inspection number 821427

p.6

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Hadrian Park Under Fives Playgroup Date of previous inspection 20/01/2009 Telephone number 07933 960163

p.6

Type of provision

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.

p.7

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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,

p.7

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.8

Type of provision

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

p.8