Styvechale Grange PlaygroupOfsted inspection, 11 Mar 2013

Styvechale Grange Playgroup Church Centre, Lonscale Drive, Coventry, West Midlands, CV3 6QR

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/03/2013 11/03/2011

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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

p.1

This provision is good

 Children enjoy a wide variety of activities that encourage them to learn through play. Resources are easily accessible, which encourages children's independence as they make their own choices with regard to what they play with.  Strong relationships have formed between staff and children and children are relaxed, happy and feel safe. Staff have a good understanding of children's individual learning needs and ongoing discussion with parents ensures that children's care needs are known and continually met.  Space within the setting is organised very well enabling children to play safely indoors and outdoors. Staff are vigilant and ensure children's well-being through effective risk assessments that identify potential risks. Action taken to minimise these ensure that children remain safe.  The manager and staff are motivated and enthusiastic about the care they provide and continually look at ways of developing it further. The views of parents are sought about

p.1

This provision is good

all aspects of the care they receive, and their comments are evaluated and used to help enhance the service.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the evaluation of activities to strengthen the process of reviewing children's changing needs in relation to their learning, and the way in which the need for early interventions are identified.

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a wide variety of activities throughout the day that the children were involved in.  The inspector spoke to parents to seek their views.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a variety of documents, children's learning journeys and planning information.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at all areas used by the pre-school, looking at aspects of safety and security.

p.2

Information about the setting

Styvechale Grange Playgroup was registered in 1983 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in church premises in the Styvechale area of Coventry, and is managed by a management team and committee members. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from one large room with a smaller room for quieter activities and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 3pm and children are able to attend on a part-time basis. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 26 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

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

 strengthen the evaluation of activities to further enhance the process of reviewing children's changing needs in relation to their learning, and the way in which the need for early interventions are identified.

p.3

who attend

Children are enthusiastic and happy about being at pre-school, enjoying a wide variety of activities that encourage their natural curiosity to learn. These are planned by staff who are knowledgeable and work well as a team to ensure that they take into account the unique needs of each child. They extend their imagination through play, for example, as they prepare picnics in the home corner, choosing the foods they wish to take, and going shopping for some of their favourite things. Staff ask questions which encourage them to recall events in their own lives, helping them to build on known experiences they have had with their families. As a result, children's communication, language and thinking skills are promoted well, which helps to prepare them for their eventual move to school.

p.3

who attend

Children of all ages explore their environment both indoors and outdoors, and a free-flow system enables them to choose when they wish to play outside. They enjoy the garden where they run and ride bikes, moving with control and direction. This enables children to become aware of their own physical abilities and the space around them and increases their understanding of how good being active can make them feel. Staff help children to learn about rhythm and different beats through music and movement sessions. During these, children are encouraged to listen and move their bodies in time to the sounds they hear.

p.3

who attend

Staff recognise that children enjoy being creative and provide them with a good variety of materials, such as paints, crayons, paper and glue. Children are skilful when completing observational drawings, for example, of their mummy as part of the Mothering Sunday celebrations, and of a child's tortoise who came to visit the pre-school. Children proudly show staff what they have made, who openly praise the children for their creations. As a result, children's self-esteem is developed and they delight in the responses they receive. Children enjoy looking at books and reading stories as part of a group and also individually with staff. Staff are skilled at ensuring labels are used throughout the setting, alongside letter lines, which helps children to recognise letters that form their names. They use name cards to register their attendance at the start and end of the day, which supports their understanding that the print they see has a meaning. Through discussion staff help

p.4

who attend

the children to develop an understanding of the days of the week and they explore different weather conditions and talk about the days of the month. This helps children to learn about the natural world, in addition to enhancing their mathematical skills as they count together until they reach the number that corresponds to the date.

p.4

who attend

Staff routinely note what activities children are engaging in and regularly complete more detailed observations of the children as they play. They assess the observational findings, cross-referencing this to guidance, such as 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' in order to gauge children's individual level of progress across all areas of learning. The information gained through this assessment is then used to inform future plans to ensure all children are helped to take the next steps in their learning. There is scope, however, to strengthen the evaluation of activities to further enhance the process of reviewing children's changing needs in relation to their learning, and the way in which the need for early intervention is identified. That said, children do receive the support they need and make good progress in their learning and development. Each child's key person shares information with children's parents to ensure they are well informed and involved

p.4

who attend

with their children's learning. This enables them to further enhance the progress their children make at home.

p.4

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

An effective key person system ensures that children and their families develop close relationships with staff, making them feel welcome and included within the setting. Good communication takes place with parents to ensure they are aware of forthcoming events and they are kept up to date with their child's progress and achievements. Parents speak very highly of the care they and their children receive. They feel staff are approachable, kind, thoughtful and have the children's best interests at heart. The systems in place ensure children settle well and that transitions between home and the setting are smooth.

p.4

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

Staff are proactive in ensuring they are fully aware of the individual needs of the children and care for them accordingly. As a result, children have formed close relationships with staff and feel safe and secure. Children's self-esteem and confidence is nurtured through the praise and encouragement they receive from staff. Their understanding of what is right and wrong is encouraged through clear rules and boundaries. Staff encourage kindness towards others and they learn to share and take turns. As a result, children make good relationships with their peers and become aware of their behaviour and how it can affect others. In addition, children are helped to understand how they can keep themselves and others safe through their actions. For example, they are sensitively reminded to take care when playing with foam to ensure it does not get into their eyes.

p.4

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

Staff are proactive in welcoming all children and their families into the setting. They provide high levels of support for children who have particular needs and recognise, value and celebrate difference. Visual timetables enable all children to be involved and become familiar with routines of the day, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This successfully helps children to communicate and understand what is happening throughout their day. Partnership working arrangements with parents and other professionals further enhance children's experiences through the delivery of a consistent approach.

p.5

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

Children learn good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands after messy play, playing outdoors and after using the bathroom. Staff support the children well and younger children's needs are met sensitively and caringly to ensure their comfort is maintained, for example, with nappy changing routines. Children's independence is encouraged further as they choose from a variety of fresh fruits at snack time, using tongs to help themselves.

p.5

provision

The manager and staff team have a clear understanding of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. In addition, effective monitoring of the educational programmes ensures that all children are supported to make good progress in their learning and development. The manager and staff are enthusiastic about the care they provide for children and their families. They actively seek the views of parents about the service they receive and reflect on their own practice in order to identify how they can enhance the good quality provision for children even further. They proactively use their own ideas, thoughts and the views of parents to develop the service. At present they are looking at ways they can improve the already detailed information they gain from parents at the start of their child's placement to further build on the progress children make from the outset. Staff value training, and

p.5

provision

understand the importance of keeping their knowledge of childcare up to date. They seek support through the local authority development team and use their quality assurance criteria as another means of evaluating the service. Their commitment to improvement demonstrates they have strong capacity to maintain and build on the service provided.

p.5

provision

Secure recruitment processes ensure that staff within the setting are suitable to be with the children, and have the necessary skills and abilities to provide care and support to them. Regular team meetings and annual appraisals are used to monitor practice and skills and staff share information gained through any training they have completed. This ensures children benefit from a well-qualified staff team, who apply consistent approaches to their work with the children. Staff ensure children's health and well-being is continually well met as staff hold first aid certificates and ensure parents are fully informed of any minor bumps their child may have encountered. Clear written risk assessments identify potential risks and outline the steps taken to minimise them. Security is good and access to the premises is only via a member of staff. As a result, children are kept safe.

p.5

provision

All of the staff demonstrate a very strong understanding of how to protect children in their care from abuse and neglect. Arrangements for safeguarding children are very good and staff understand the importance of confidentiality. Clear relationships have formed with other professionals involved in children's lives, and valuable links with other nurseries and local schools ensure children are supported well and benefit from consistent learning experiences. Consequently, children receive continuity of care and the transitions from one service to another are as relaxed as possible and children feel safe.

p.6

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.

p.7

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.7

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.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 507727 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 907398

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Styvechale Grange Playgroup Date of previous inspection 11/03/2011 Telephone number 02476 417865

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.8

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.8

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.

p.9

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.9

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.10

Type of provision

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

p.10