Cromford Playgroup

Cromford Playgroup Cromford Methodist Church Hall, Water Lane, Cromford, Derbyshire, DE4 3QH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/07/2013 19/10/2011

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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

 Staff are very effective in their interaction with children to support their learning and development and ensure they make good progress towards the early learning goals.  The learning environment is a bright and vibrant space, which is well organised and resourced to promote children's enjoyment and achievement.  Knowledge and skills acquired through training, are successfully implemented and therefore, have a clear and beneficial impact on children's learning and development.  Support for children going to school is very well developed, both in terms of the skills they need in readiness for school and supporting this transition.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's independence is not always fully promoted during group activities.  Partnerships with other settings that children attend are not fully developed to promote consistency in supporting their learning and development.

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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 main hall and outdoor play area and completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the staff about the daily routines, children's individual learning and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documentation, including suitability information and children's learning records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Cromford Playgroup was registered in 1990 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Cromford, Derbyshire and is managed by a committee. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the main hall within Cromford Methodist Church Hall and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The playgroup employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds a teaching qualification, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2.

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Information about the setting

The playgroup opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 12 noon until 3pm on Monday, from 9am until 12 noon on Tuesday, from 9am until 3pm on Wednesday and from 9am until 12 noon on Thursday and Friday. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 41 children attending, who are in the early years age group. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The playgroup supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 review the organisation of snack and group time, at the end of the session, to support children's active learning by giving them greater independence in their learning and development

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

 develop further communication with each setting that children attend to regularly share their development and learning records and any other relevant information.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development, as staff interact with them effectively. They are consistently strong across the staff team and are skilled practitioners who understand how children learn. They clearly know all children well and when a child joins an activity, they very ably support their participation at their individual stage of development. They also provide appropriate challenge relevant to their next steps of learning. The quality of the observations that evidence what children can do, along with the assessments of their progress is very good. The progress check at age two is very well developed and is a useful summary to promote consistency of care.

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who attend

Children develop their mathematical skills, along with skills in other areas of learning, as they participate in an activity making play dough. Staff encourage them to count how many cups of the different ingredients they need and recognise when the cup is full, as well as recognising numbers from the recipe. Staff skilfully question children according to their stage of development. They also talk about the texture of the mixture as different ingredients are added and what the ingredients might also be used for. A child comments that the mixture looks like egg as yellow food colouring is added. Children's interest is maintained effectively as the pace of the activity is appropriate to their age. As a result children are interested and enthusiastic.

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who attend

Children's language skills are well supported as staff engage them in appropriate conversations and sensitively repeat the correct way to say something. As a result, they communicate well, they understand instructions and make relevant comments in response to questions. Children use the computer to develop their understanding of technology, as they use the mouse to operate simple games. They enjoy looking at books and select a story to enjoy with a member of staff, discussing the pictures as well as what might happen.

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who attend

The skills that children need for school are very well supported. A clear plan of activities is provided during the term prior to children leaving for school. An experienced practitioner, who focuses on skills, such as, communication and language, numbers and social interaction, coordinates this very well. Children are enthusiastic as they participate in a rhyming activity, where they make very good suggestions as to different rhyming words, demonstrating good levels of communication. Staff provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Regular communication with parents and carers and other professionals ensures that clear targets are identified. These are well supported during the session, with a clear focus on including children in all activities. As a result, children make good progress during their time at the group.

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who attend

Staff gather useful information at the time of placement, to establish children's starting points. They encourage parents and carers to view their child's folder and arrange regular discussions with the key person. Parents and carers speak very highly of staff and how they support their children well. They comment on how approachable staff are and sensitive when dealing with any family issues. A varied range of story sacks with books and props, as well as a book library, are available for parents and carers to borrow. This is a very effective way of encouraging parents and carers to support children's learning at home.

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

Staff find out about children's needs and interests when they start at the setting to support them as they settle-in. They demonstrate they know all children really well, due to the effective weekly planning discussions. As a result, staff are able to support all children in this setting effectively. Children demonstrate that they feel safe within the group. Often they are happy to seek out adults during play, who are not their key person, or choose to participate in an activity, which is led, by any of the adults in the group.

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

Staff are positive role models. They let children try to resolve things for themselves, in order to support their understanding of right and wrong. There are very few instances of inappropriate behaviour and when there are, they are very quickly resolved. Children are patient and recognise that they need to take turns. For example, two children successfully negotiate turn taking with some resources, without the need for adult intervention.

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

Children's independence is well supported during free play, which takes place for most of the session. Staff are very effective at encouraging them to choose what they want to do. Children are keen to play, whether in groups or by themselves and they vary according to their interest at the time. However, during some whole group activities, children's independence is not as well promoted. On two occasions during the session, the organisation of the set snack and story time impacts on children's decision-making and independence.

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

Staff are well deployed throughout the session. There are clear roles and responsibilities and adult planned activities are delivered without any need for prompt or guidance from the manager. Staff spread themselves between the indoors and the outdoors and there is always effective supervision, so that children's needs are met.

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

Children's understanding of safety is well promoted. Road safety props are included in one of the story sacks to support children's understanding of safety when they are out and about. Staff also talk to them about road safety during planned activities. Children move around the environment carefully, for example, when other children are playing on mats on the floor. They practise the fire drills, so that they know what to do in the event of an emergency. Children know there are certain parts of the building that they are not allowed to access.

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

Staff support children's understanding of being healthy is well supported. Children pick strawberries and peas for snack that they have grown in the garden. They talk about the ripeness and how this affects the colour and flavour. During activities, such as cooking and baking, staff talk to children about the healthiness of certain foods to support them in recognising a healthy diet. Children wash their hands at appropriate times and know they are washing them to get them clean before they eat.

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

Staff accompany children to school one afternoon a week, during the term before they start school for activities with the teacher. Staff also take them to school to attend sports days and other performances. Staff provide a story sack for children to borrow, specifically on starting school, which includes stories as well as props, such as the school uniform. These excellent practices enable children to feel positive and very well prepared for their move to school.

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provision

There are clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure that the setting is organised effectively and the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are effectively implemented. Staff have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child. Two staff, who have undertaken advanced training in safeguarding, take the lead and follow the clearly defined procedure. Children play safely on the premises as staff carry out risk assessments and daily checks before children arrive. The manager is aware of when to notify the regulator of events or incidents. Management carry out suitable checks on newly appointed staff to establish their suitability to work with children. The manager observes staff practice during the session and identifies training needs, to support the ongoing professional development of staff. Knowledge and skills gathered through training are effectively implemented to

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provision

benefit children who attend. For example, a member of staff, who attended training in communication and language, prepared prompt sheets for staff to use during certain activities. This positively supports staff in their roles in promoting children's learning and development.

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provision

Management oversee systems for monitoring of children's progress well. Weekly staff team discussions, as well as a checklist, ensure that there is a broad curriculum and that the areas of learning are covered equally. The playgroup uses a clear and relevant tracking system that identifies any gaps in children's learning. In addition, they use a monitoring tool to assess their speech and language to identify early concerns. Staff are honest and reflective about their practice and self-evaluation is thoroughly considered within the setting. Parents and carers are encouraged to give their feedback and any suggestions are taken on board. For example, additional sit and ride diggers were purchased when this was highlighted as an interest of a child by a parent or carer. Effective monitoring of any changes made establishes whether these have a beneficial impact on children. Relevant and challenging targets have been identified to further

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provision

Information shared with parents and carers about the settings policies and procedures is useful and relevant. This ensures parents are informed of factors that affect the care of their children. The playgroup is committed to working with other agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and makes relevant links. The playgroup shares information with some settings, but not all. Therefore, partnerships with other settings that children attend are not fully established to ensure consistency of support for their learning and development.

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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 206753 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 915380

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 41 Name of provider Cromford Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 19/10/2011 Telephone number 07798 846288

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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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