Oakworth Preschool

Oakworth Playgroup Oakworth Methodist Church, Lidget, Oakworth, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD22 7HN

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/05/2013 19/05/2010

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

p.1

This provision is satisfactory

 Staff use open questioning well to extend children's thinking and learning in planned activities.  Parents are involved in identifying the next steps in their child's development, meaning they can support them in their learning at home.  The transition between the playgroup and nursery is well managed, meaning there is continuity of learning and care for the children.  Children are excited to attend and, generally, behave well because staff are good role models and promote this good behaviour.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Staff do not consistently intervene often enough to develop children's thinking during free play.  The opportunities for learning at snack times are not exploited in order that children develop independence and social skills.  The outdoor environment cannot be accessed independently and does not fully promote children's abilities to develop their exploration and critical thinking skills.  Regular staff appraisals are not carried out to support staff in developing their practice to improve outcomes for all children.  The development plan is not rigorously monitored to evaluate the impact on 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

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 toured the premises.  The inspector observed the staff and children working together.  The inspector reviewed a sample of policies and procedures.  The inspector reviewed a sample of children's records.  The inspector interviewed the leader.  The inspector spoke with a number of parents.

p.2

Information about the setting

Oakworth Methodist Church Playgroup was registered in 1985 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in the Lidget area of Oakworth near Keighley, and is managed by a committee. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two rooms in the church hall and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs six members of child care staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two at level 2.

p.3

Information about the setting

The playgroup opens Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 9am to 12 noon and Wednesday afternoons from 1pm to 3.30pm term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 40 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

p.3

must:

 implement regular appraisals, and arrangements for the supervision of staff, to further develop good practice and support their professional development to benefit children.

p.4

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

 improve the organisation for accessing the outdoor area so that children can freely choose to go outside; and enhance the outdoor environment to provide opportunities for the children to develop their exploration and critical thinking skills

p.4

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

 consider the deployment of staff to ensure that there is sufficient flexibility to enable them to consistently intervene to develop children's free play

p.4

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

 improve the organisation of snack time to further children's independence and their social skills

p.4

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

 improve the monitoring arrangements for the development plan to evaluate its impact on outcomes for children.

p.4

who attend

Staff know the children well. They use detailed observations in the learning pictures and assessments to identify their next steps, and link this to planned activities. This means that children are making progress in their development; however, this could be more rapid. Although staff provide a range of activities for children to develop at their own pace, a lack of intervention means that children do not always learn. For example, a tray is provided full of oats and toy diggers to develop the understanding of the concept of empty and full, and promote the exploration of textures, but there is no adult input to fully exploit this. On another activity table, resources are laid out for children to develop an understanding of time. A child is intrigued by this, and returns repeatedly, but learning is lost, until very much later a member of staff asks why the child thinks one sand timer takes longer to empty then the other.

p.4

who attend

Where staff lead an activity they are skilled at using open questioning and linking the activity to the next steps in children's learning. For example, when printing with shapes in the creative area, staff reinforce previous learning about basic shapes, such as squares and triangles. They then ask the children to explain the difference between a square and an oblong. This develops their critical thinking skills and their understanding of similarities and differences between shapes.

p.4

who attend

Similarly, in the home area, staff provide good role modelling in play, knowing when to intervene, or when to let the children lead. For example, a child is having difficulty dressing a doll, which is impeding their play. The member of staff sensitively intervenes and talks through how to put the item of clothing on. The child listens, and successfully follows the instructions, developing their fine motor skills. The member of staff gives lots of praise and encouragement. She then asks the child 'Now, where do you want your baby to sit?', returning the child into play and developing their imagination.

p.5

who attend

Parents are encouraged to work with the playgroup staff, and particularly the key person for their child. They support the identification of the next steps in their child's learning within the assessment process by working in partnership with the key person, and use this information to support their child's learning at home. Parents state how they have noticed improvements in their children's learning, such as in naming shapes and counting to fifteen. They have then linked activities at home to what has happened at playgroup. For example, by playing with a toy ark and lining up the animals in twos to support the understanding of number.

p.5

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

Children arrive at the playgroup excited and ready to get involved in the activities. The key person for each child knows their role. Records demonstrate they know the children in their care well. New children settle quickly because of the good relationships built with them and their parents. Parents comment on the effectiveness of this and how they feel confident leaving their children at the playgroup.

p.5

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

Children are generally well behaved. They know the routines to follow and sit and listen well at the registration group time. Staff are good at managing any low level incidents which may take place, such as by offering alternatives, when children wish to use the same equipment. Staff stay calm and by distracting children they quickly diffuse a situation and get the children to re-join an activity.

p.5

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

Children have some understanding of staying healthy. Staff ensure they have daily access to equipment to develop their physical skills. They take turns when playing on the slide, a roundabout and a tunnel indoors. They develop their understanding of risk taking when playing with equipment outdoors, for example, when designing a walkway and carefully balancing along it. They choose from healthy fruit options at snack times.

p.5

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

However, the outdoor area does not support the development of children's critical thinking skills and wider understanding of the world, such as through studying mini beasts. Also, the organisation of snack times does not support the development of independence skills, such as food preparation or socialisation. As the whole group eat together, staff are too engaged in serving them to intervene to develop conversations.

p.5

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

Transition to school is well-managed. Visits are arranged to the nursery class. The learning picture is shared with the nursery teacher and the teacher visits the playgroup. Children, therefore, feel confident when moving into the nursery. Parents comment on how well their children were prepared for, and have settled into, school.

p.6

provision

Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures, which contributes towards promoting children's welfare and staff know who to contact if they have concerns. The playgroup follows safer recruitment practices, taking up references and ensuring all appropriate checks are completed. Comprehensive risk assessments of the environment and resources are completed and all safety features are fully in place. These are reviewed to ensure that children's safety is given high priority. For example, following the previous inspection, the entry system has been changed. A member of staff is in the entrance area to greet children and parents and monitor the area, reducing the potential for any incidents.

p.6

provision

Progress in children's learning is appropriately monitored and evaluated at team meetings. Planning is thematic, on a half-termly cycle, to ensure that all areas of learning are covered. Staff appraisal and supervision is yet to be implemented and the leader does not undertake regular observation of the staff. This means that practice is not regularly evaluated or monitored, to support the development of teaching skills with individual staff, which will benefit children. Staff are supported to improve their qualifications and they can access training through the local authority and other training programmes. They have recently attended behaviour management and moderation of assessments courses, as well as updating paediatric first aid qualifications.

p.6

provision

The recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed and partnership with parents has clearly improved. Parents contribute to planning through an annual questionnaire and their comments at the beginning and end of the sessions are taken into account. The detailed actions in the development plan for the playgroup are appropriate and focussed on improving outcomes for children. However, they are not rigorously monitored or evaluated and so the playgroup cannot measure the impact they are having on the service for children. The playgroup is aware of the importance of partnership working with other agencies to access additional support for children if required.

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 301972 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 818647

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Oakworth Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 19/05/2010 Telephone number 07748 425182

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