The Wendy House

The Wendy House 6 White Horse Drive, Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK4 2AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/07/2013 16/05/2013

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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

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This provision is good

 All children make good progress in their all-round development in this inclusive and welcoming playgroup.  Children make strong attachments to their key person and other staff, which promotes children's personal, social and emotional development well.  Children are kept safe and secure because the staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements.  The staff place a strong emphasis on establishing effective partnerships with parents and others in order to successfully meet the children's individual needs.  Effective self-evaluation means that the staff continually extend the good provision for children and their families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although all children make good progress in developing their speaking and listening skills, not all staff support this progress as well as possible through skilful questioning.  Although children learning to speak English as an additional language make good progress given their starting points, staff do not display words in their home languages to further extend their communication and language during activities.

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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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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the large and small play rooms and the garden.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, contracts, policies and procedures and the playgroups self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

The Wendy House opened in 1984 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. An elected committee of parents runs it. It operates from the Community Hall in Emerson Valley in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Children have use of two play rooms and an outdoor play area. The playgroup opens for five days a week during school term times from 9am until 3.30pm Monday to Thursday, and on Fridays it opens from 9am until 12noon. There are currently 64 children on roll in the early years age range. The playgroup is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and who are learning to speak English as an additional language attend. The playgroup employs 13 staff and of these, 10 hold appropriate qualifications. The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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

 display lists of relevant words from children's different home languages, to further help staff to support children learning English as an additional language during activities

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

 extend further the quality of teaching in order to challenge children's thinking and their speaking and listening skills.

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who attend

The playgroup's atmosphere is warm and welcoming and children are highly involved in activities. The effective 'key person' system means that staff know the children for whom they take special responsibility very well. Staff effectively plan broad educational programmes, which capture children's individual interests. Overall, teaching is purposeful and practical activities present challenges for children. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in order to challenge children's thinking and further develop their speaking and listening skills as well as possible.

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who attend

Children have a strong sense of belonging as they arrive confidently and they recognise their name card to self-register. Staff place emphasis on helping children to acquire good personal, social and emotional development. Children have many good opportunities to develop their independence, for example, as they put on their boots to dig in the mud, help to tidy and sweep up in their play environment. They play well together and the older children establish friendship groups. Children are able to organise themselves as they develop their social skills and use their imaginations, acting out story lines in the role play area.

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who attend

Children make good progress in early mathematics. They learn to recognise colours, numbers and shapes as they fit the toy train track together and build structures with bricks. In the water play, they explore more challenging activities such as floating and sinking objects, volume and capacity. Children engage in many worthwhile activities to develop their good understanding of the world in which they live. Staff raise the children's awareness of multicultural Britain as they play with appropriate toys, listen to music from a round the world and celebrate various festivals, such as Eid. Children learn to care for living things, Staff encourage them to observe the life cycle of the frog. They learn about what they eat and how they grow. Children grow flowers. They regularly water and measure them, and plot the results on a height chart. These activities further encourage children's interest in early mathematics. Children develop their skills in technology, for

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who attend

example, as they use toy cash tills, telephones and musical key boards.

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who attend

Children make good progress in literacy. They practise their early writing, for example, as they use chalks, and brushes with water outdoors. Children are aware that print carries meaning and show a keen interest in books. They frequently use the very attractive, cosy and interesting book area arranged by staff. They listen very attentively to a story and ask relevant questions to further their understanding. The inclusion of all children in activities whatever their abilities or back ground is high on the playgroup's agenda. Overall, children who are learning to speak English as an additional language are supported well. Staff ask parents for key words in the children's first languages and use sign and gesture to communicate. However, the staff are not able to refer to a list of words during children's activities to further support their communication and language development.

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who attend

Staff support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They work closely with other professionals, such as Portage workers and the speech and language therapist. This partnership working helps them to support children in the playgroup and to narrow any gap in their learning. Children make good progress given their starting points. As keen and motivated learners, children show a desire to discover and find out about new things. They are very well-prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

Children enjoy using their well-resourced and welcoming environments, which effectively support their all-round development. The provision of wet weather clothing means that all children decide when they want to play outdoors in the fresh air. They thoroughly enjoy the interesting and stimulating range of outdoor activities. For example, they have fun digging for 'gold coins' in the mud pit, running through the camouflage tent and playing musical instruments. They play quietly under the canopy with toys, such as the dolls' house. Children use a wide variety of physical play equipment, which includes riding and steering trikes, catching and kicking balls and climbing and balancing. Consequently, children develop good physical skills and control over their bodies.

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

Children are happy in their safe, nurturing and secure environment where they receive sensitive care and attention. Staff model good behaviour and, therefore, children learn what is and is not acceptable. Staff work very closely with parents to plan management strategies when specific behavioural difficulties arise, for example, biting or pushing. Staff also work hard to provide consistency between the playgroup and at home. Children receive lots of praise, which promotes their confidence and self-esteem, which helps them c make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development.

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

Staff pay due attention to the good health of the children. A suitable sick child policy is in place to protect children from unnecessary illness and all staff are first aid trained, so can respond appropriately in cases of accident or injury. It is the playgroup's practice to contact parents and/or emergency carer if a child becomes ill. A clear record of medication administered to the children is kept. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, children learn to use real tools as they cut safely with scissors and use an apple corer at snack time. Staff regularly practise the playgroup's emergency evacuation procedure to ensure all children are familiar with the procedures.

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

Children observe good hygiene practices during the routine of the day. They benefit from good relationships staff establish with other professionals. For example, the local health visitor teaches the children to wash their hands correctly and to take good care of their teeth. Children learn to eat healthily as they enjoy fresh fruit at snack times. When children stay all day, their parents provide a packed lunch. Staff provide ideas and information for parents about the provision of healthy options. Children try different foods when celebrating cultural events, for example, they taste prawn crackers and noodles at Chinese New Year.

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provision

The provider is very clear about the responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements in order to protect children's well-being. The experienced manager and staff team have good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding policy and procedures, in order to protect children in their care. Effective risk assessments, and health and safety procedures ensure that hazards are minimised, in order to reduce the risk of accidents to children. Accidents which do occur are clearly recorded and parents are informed and given a copy of the accident report promptly. The provider further promotes the children's safety by ensuring the maintenance of above average staff ratios. Indoors and outdoors, the staff are vigilant in their supervision of the children, while allowing them to take some small risks in order to learn about keeping themselves safe. There are very robust recruitment procedures to check that everyone working with the

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provision

children is suitable to do so. Consequently, children are safeguarded well. Due attention is given to reflecting upon staff practice and evaluating the playgroup. Consequently, the management team is clearly aware of the playgroup's strengths and areas for development. The views of parents, children and staff increasingly feed into the evaluation system, to help drive improvement. The staff appraisal system involves the manager meeting with staff on a yearly basis to reflect on their individual practice and to address areas for further development, such as by attending training courses. There are suitable processes in place to positively manage any under achievement of staff, as or when this arises. Staff communicate very well on a day-to-day basis and more formal meetings take place. This underpins the effective operation of the playgroup.

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provision

The provider is very clear about the responsibilities in delivering the learning and development requirements. When children first start, parents complete a form entitled 'I can do' and along with discussions, this helps staff to establish children's starting points, in order to build on these. The manager oversees the effective planning and assessment procedures. Each child has an informative 'learning journal', which captures the children's progress well and is shared with parents. A thorough procedure for the required check for two-year-old children is in place. Parents like the fact the playgroup has an open door policy and they are very welcome to 'stay and play' whenever they wish.

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provision

Positive partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals enable children's individual needs to be met effectively. This includes discussing children's learning and development needs in a confidential manner. The staff work effectively with others involved in the children's lives in order to support the child and their work in the playgroup. Very good relationships are established with the majority of the schools the children move on to and parents are given a leaving report to present to the school if they so wish. School teachers are also invited in to the playgroup to meet the children, to aid the transfer to the next stage of children's early education.

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provision

During the inspection, several parents expressed their high regard for the work the staff undertake with their children in order to prepare them very well for school. They state that the staff are very approachable, professional and supportive and that their children are very safe and adore coming to the playgroup. The children clearly enjoy their early learning experiences in an environment where they feel secure.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 141769 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 925544 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider Emerson Valley Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 16/05/2013 Telephone number 01908 506982

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Setting details

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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