West Denton Playgroup

West Denton Playgroup Hillhead Road, West Denton, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE5 1DN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/03/2013 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The managers and staff team create a warm and welcoming environment where children settle, enjoy themselves and develop close relationships with their peers and adults working with them.  Children enjoy exploring and discovering new things as staff provide interesting and challenging activities and experiences in the indoor and outdoor areas.  All staff have a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements, which they use to plan a wide range of activities and experiences for each child.  Children's needs are identified, and effectively met through well-established and good partnerships between parents and external agencies.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope for staff to extend opportunities to support children's use of early number and counting in everyday play.  There is room to strengthen partnerships with other settings children attend so that there is an increased sharing of information about children's learning and a more consistent and complimentary approach to the support children receive.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 carried out a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed play and learning activities in the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

West Denton Playgroup was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register. It operates from Denton and Westerhope Sure Start Children's Centre in the West Denton area of Newcastle Upon Tyne. The playgroup is managed by private individuals. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The playgroup employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff is working towards this level. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am until 11.45am and 12.45pm until 3.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 62 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend children's mathematical understanding by encouraging them to count the things they see and talk about and use numbers in everyday play activities

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

 reflect on and further develop ways to strengthen the relationship with other settings children attend so that there is a more effective method for sharing knowledge and understanding about children's learning and development.

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who attend

Children are very well supported in almost all aspects of their learning and development. Staff provide activities and experiences covering all areas of learning, both indoors and outdoors. A balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences is provided and children are encouraged to make independent choices from the wide selection of toys, equipment and resources available. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at the playgroup and are excited and motivated to learn. For example, they giggle and laugh when they listen to and act out scenes from the popular children's story about three pigs, using puppets. Staff support children's learning well as they play. They sit alongside them on the floor and ask thought provoking questions such as 'I wonder how the train is going to get over the broken section of track?'. This develops children's thinking skills and enables them to find new ways of solving problems. Staff praise children's efforts and

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who attend

encourage them to concentrate and persist with activities when challenges occur. Consequently, children show high levels of involvement and focus on activities for extended periods of time.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Staff have a good understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children and, as a result, children make good progress in their learning. Staff support the development of children's listening skills when they hear sirens in the outdoor area and make decisions about whether it is an ambulance or a fire engine. Children confidently share their knowledge of emergency vehicles with staff and their peers. This supports the development of their expressive language skills and helps them to remember and talk about their own events and experiences. Children with identified speech, language and communication needs are equally well supported. This is because staff make good use of advice and implement strategies from speech and language therapy services. For example, effective use is made of signing as an additional means of communication. As a result, children with additional needs are progressing well

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who attend

towards the early learning goals, given their starting points. Parents are delighted with their children's early language development and welcome the support and advice staff provide to further support their children's speech at home.

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who attend

Staff provide some opportunities during adult-led activities to develop children's awareness of early number and counting. For example, they count the number of petals on their Mother's day card. However, staff do not make such good use of everyday, child-initiated activities to fully develop children's counting skills. This means that children are not always provided with consistent opportunities to enhance their mathematical skills. Children develop an awareness of shape as they play with dough. They look at pictures of two dimensional shapes and make their own rectangles, squares and circles. Effective use is made of the interactive whiteboard to encourage children to explore characteristics of shapes and use mathematical language such as 'big' and 'small' to describe them. Children are provided with a broad range of experiences to develop their physical skills. In the indoor environment, children fit pieces of train track together and show control in holding

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who attend

and using toys, books and mark making tools. In the outdoor environment, children skilfully ride bikes, push buggies and extend their early writing skills using large chalk boards. As a result, children effectively develop the key skills they need for the next steps in their learning, including those required when they attend school.

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who attend

Staff have high expectations of all children as they complete a range of good quality assessments, which show the 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' age-bands children are working within and this is tracked over time to demonstrate progress. Children have individual learning journal files containing information collected from parents on entry to the setting, examples of children's work, observations and photographs, as evidence of learning. Parents have access to this information, which keeps them informed of their child's progress and they are actively encouraged to share information about their child's learning at home. This means there is shared knowledge about children and a complete picture of children's learning and development is obtained.

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

Children are happy to come into the playgroup room. They develop confidence and soon make friends, supported by kind and sensitive staff. A well-established key person system is in place, which helps children to form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and independence. Children show they have close bonds with their key person when they enjoy receiving cuddles, especially when they arrive at playgroup feeling tired or upset. Staff address children's individual needs well and work closely with parents to support their emotional development. Parents use words such as 'high standard' and 'excellent' when describing the level of care and support provided. Children are well supported when they leave playgroup and transfer into West Denton Primary and other local schools. They make visits with their key person. This helps them to become familiar with new members of staff and their classroom environment. As a result, effective measures are taken to

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

ensure children are prepared for the move.

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

A stimulating, well-resourced and welcoming environment is provided in the indoor and outdoor areas. This supports children's all-round development and emotional well-being. Toys, equipment and resources are relevant to children's interests and arranged flexibly so children can explore, build, move and role play. Children develop independence as they are able to find and return what they need. They respond quickly when they hear the sound of the tambourine to indicate 'tidy up time', placing toys and equipment back into labelled boxes and returning them to storage units. In addition to the outdoor environment, children have access to the adjoining school playground where they are provided with equipment to further develop their physical skills such as balancing, jumping and climbing.

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

Staff are good role models and behaviour expected of children is modelled by them. As a result, behaviour in the playgroup is good and minor disagreements are sensitively managed. Frequent verbal praise also promotes children's self-esteem and confidence. Throughout the playgroup, relationships between both staff and children are good. This promotes a relaxed and happy environment, which enables children to feel cherished and secure. They show respect for one another, observe space boundaries and begin to understand risk through the various activities and routines on offer throughout the day. For example, children safely manoeuvre bikes in the outdoor area and use verbal signals, such as 'Stop' to ensure they do not collide into others. All staff consistently give the highest priority to safety of children and, as a result, children know and understand how to keep themselves safe in playgroup.

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

Children are offered healthy snacks, which are freshly prepared on site each day. Drinking water is freely available to them. Staff sit alongside children when they eat and good manners are encouraged. The importance of maintaining an active lifestyle is promoted effectively. Staff encourage all children to manage their own hygiene and acknowledge and encourage their efforts to manage their personal needs.

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provision

The managers maintain a good overview of the curriculum and monitor educational programmes to ensure children are helped to make progress in all areas of learning. They have secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this well to support the staff team. As a result, staff are enthusiastic and clearly enjoy working in the playgroup. Performance management is well managed within the playgroup and staff training needs are identified through recently introduced supervision and appraisal. Planning and assessment systems are monitored effectively and the managers work in the playgroup room to gain first-hand knowledge about what is working well and address issues raised. Documentation for tracking children's progress is in place. This information accurately identifies children who are working below expected levels of development in the prime and specific areas of learning. Consequently, appropriate interventions are

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provision

secured and children receive the support they need, in order to effectively close the gaps.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and external agencies are well established and make a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. Parents use words such as 'tremendous support to my child and family' when describing the ongoing relationships they have with staff. Information received from services, such as speech and language therapy, is well used to ensure children get the help and support they need. Parents are effectively signposted, when appropriate, to additional support through the adjoining children's centre. Managers and staff have been proactive in their approach to sharing information with other settings children attend. However, there is room to strengthen these partnerships even further so that there is a more effective shared knowledge about children that will support continuity in their learning and achievements.

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provision

Children are safeguarded because the manager and staff have clear policies and procedures embedded within their practice. Effective recruitment and vetting procedures are in place. As a result of comprehensive induction to the playgroup, staff and students are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. The manager ensures that staff's knowledge is secure and uses regular staff meetings and ongoing discussions to review policies and check understanding. Children are safeguarded further because all areas accessed are safe and secure at all times.

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provision

Self-evaluation takes into account the views of staff, children and parents. Views are sought through regular meetings with staff, ongoing discussions with children and opportunities for parents to talk openly to staff or provide written comments. The managers have a strong drive to improve the playgroup and have a clear and successful improvement plan that supports children's achievement over time. The managers work well with the local authority and local Surestart teacher which further enhances the self- evaluation process.

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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 action. 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 EY452707 Local authority Newcastle Inspection number 884678

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 62 Name of provider West Denton Playgroup Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01912772031

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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