St. Catherine's Playgroup

St. Catherine's Playgroup St. Catherines Community Centre, School Lane, MANCHESTER, Lancashire, M20 6HS

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/09/2013 08/01/2009

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3

p.1

This provision is satisfactory

 Children settle quickly at this setting and develop secure relationships with key persons. This benefits their emotional well-being.  All children benefit from a programme of activities and experiences that allow them to make satisfactory progress in their learning and development.  Children's all round development is promoted through a variety of interesting outdoor equipment and activities.  All staff are welcoming and inform parents of the children's progress during collection times. This ensures that parents are suitably involved in their children's learning and development.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 The leadership team does not consistently use self-evaluation to improve practice and secure future developments, taking account of parents' views.  The range of activities planned does not consistently provide the children with sufficient challenge to raise their levels of achievement from satisfactory to good.  Systems to monitor all staff's practice and training needs are not fully developed, which leads to some weaknesses in the quality of teaching.

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 activities in the playroom and outdoor area.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager and staff at appropriate times during the morning.  The inspector took into account the views of service users, such as grandparents.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at assessment files, a selection of policies and procedures and records.

p.2

Information about the setting

St. Catherine's Playgroup was registered in 2005. It is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from one large, ground floor room which is the community centre of St. Catherine's church and school. It is situated in a residential area of Didsbury, Manchester. The playgroup is open each weekday from 9am to 12 noon, term time only. A lunch club for the children also operates in the same room from 11.30am to 12.30pm on one day each week. Children attending come from the local area. There are currently 45 children on roll, of whom 25 receive funding for nursery education. The playgroup employs seven staff, all of whom are qualified to level 3.

p.3

must:

 ensure that good quality teaching consistently underpins the delivery of activities, provides children with sufficient challenge and encourages their critical thinking, so that they make good progress.

p.3

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

 implement effective self-evaluation to improve practice and secure future developments, to include and take account of the views of parents

p.3

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

 monitor all staff's practice and training needs to ensure that the quality of teaching is good and as a result, children make better than satisfactory progress.

p.3

who attend

The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make progress through a suitable range of activities and experience across all areas of learning. Staff know the children and play alongside them and take regular notes, helping them to evaluate activities and inform planning. There is a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities that cover the areas of learning and encourage children to develop satisfactory skills in readiness for school. Staff keep parents well informed of their children's progress, mainly through conversations at pick up or drop off times. Weekly planning is also displayed for parents to see. Other family members are encouraged and welcomed to be involved. Children are settled well into the setting. Activities and routines encourage the children to feel reassured and familiar in the setting. For example, staff begin clapping and singing a song that children copy to indicate it is snack time. Some staff question the

p.3

who attend

children during activities and make routine observations. They plan for children's next steps in learning as formative assessment has already begun on children new to the setting. However, the quality of teaching is not consistent, which means that some activities do not provide sufficient challenge for all children, to encourage their critical thinking and ensure that they make good progress. The key person system in place supports children new to the setting and supports parents to contribute to children's initial and ongoing assessment, so that they are involved. Children are engaged and interested in the outdoor area, with a variety of interesting activities available that the children enjoy experimenting with. For example, a shaving foam activity allows children to make shapes and learn about the concepts of big and little and they are encouraged to form shapes with their fingers, as well as identify and name the shapes.

p.4

who attend

Other children delight in using different sized paint brushes to 'paint' the wall with water and form straight lines. The topic of 'people who help us' is being promoted through a planned activity of dentist role play. The children enjoy wearing a white coat and are encouraged to apply toothpaste onto the toothbrush themselves and brush the dolls teeth. Some open questions are used to encourage children to think about when they brush their teeth at home and why it is important to keep teeth clean. A range of activities are set out in the playroom that adequately cover the areas of learning.

p.4

who attend

Children's personal, social and emotional development is fostered well. Children have quickly settled and are happy. Their independence is promoted during activities and routines. For example, children are encouraged to spread butter on their crackers and chop bananas using appropriate cutlery. All children enjoy easy access to books in the cushioned book corner, along with resources that enhance the stories, such as a cuddly gruffalo. The cuddly gruffalo is a firm favourite in the setting with children and staff as he was requested to be involved in the role play and had his teeth brushed.

p.4

who attend

Creativity is promoted as children can choose from activities, such as painting and sticking. Some children enjoy choosing different coloured glitter to scatter onto their picture and take great pride in showing these to staff. Children's social skills are promoted and at snack time, children sit together with their key persons in a relaxed atmosphere as they enjoy their food.

p.4

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

The premises is kept clean, safe and secure. The playgroup operates from a community centre which is used for a variety of other events. At the time of inspection, considerable building work was in process. Staff managed and risk assessed this situation very well, to ensure children's safety. A member of staff greeted children and parents at the door on entry. The outdoor area, which was restricted due to the building work was carefully considered. Staff supervised gates and barriers at all times and the area still presented an exciting variety of activities that the children enjoyed. Children were kept safe and the change to their outdoor area presented an exciting challenge to manoeuvre trikes. Operating from a community centre means that staff must tidy everything away each day into their new storage cupboard. This means they do not have the option of applying displays on the walls. However, there are carefully considered 'topic' boards around the

p.4

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

room that are clearly labelled with the area of learning for children to visit, such as the construction corner, book corner and role-play area. These also enable children to see print within their environment.

p.5

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

Strong relationships are formed with children, helping those new to the playgroup to settle quickly and feel secure. Children are encouraged to develop skills of independence through routines. Children are happy and free to explore the environment and enjoy travelling around the large room to a variety of activities. This enables them to make independent choices about their play. Children's good health is promoted as they enjoy discussions about why it is important to be healthy, during snack routines and role play activities pretending to be a dentist. Children delight in the outdoor area where a range of challenging and interesting activities are provided that promote coordination, balance, independence as well as social skills, such as sharing and taking turns. Large physical play equipment is available in the centre of the playroom enabling children to practise skills, such as climbing and sliding. Some children choose to play underneath it, using it as a

p.5

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

'den'. Children are developing the ability to attend to their health self-care needs. They are aware that they must clean their hands before preparing and eating food.

p.5

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

Children behave well at this setting. Manners are encouraged and used during snack time and sharing and taking turns occurs with ease during outdoor play. There is a happy and relaxed atmosphere within the large playroom. Children who are new to this setting are settled quickly. Discussions with parent's take into account their needs and interests, which are used to inform planning. The key person system is a strength, as children are happy and secure and communicate their needs freely. Staff place an emphasis on getting to know the children, their likes and dislikes and routinely write down notes about each child's progress during activities.

p.5

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

Children are well prepared for transitions from the setting. There is weekly communication and visits to the primary school on site. Older siblings who attend the school, take delight in waving to the children on the playground, which reinforces the children's security and familiarity at the setting.

p.5

provision

The manager is an experienced early years provider and understands her responsibilities to ensure the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met on a daily basis. She has ongoing contact and weekly meetings with staff. Informal arrangements are in place for staff supervision and the owner plans to implement regular staff appraisals in order to monitor all staff's practice and training needs to ensure that the quality of teaching is good and children receive the best possible learning experiences. The manager is aware of areas for development and intends to complete a written self-evaluation process. Induction of staff involves a pack of information, including the settings policies and procedures and fire drills. Staff demonstrate a suitable understanding of the procedures for safeguarding children. They know how to recognise possible signs of abuse and who to report concerns to. Staff

p.5

provision

are suitably vetted and qualified, some undertaking further higher level study which enhances practice.

p.6

provision

Parents are very happy and satisfied with the provision. Grandparents are also welcomed into the setting to contribute. A grandparent explains that her previous grandchildren had enjoyed the setting and is happy how much her granddaughter had settled within a few weeks of starting. The manager and deputy manager have addressed the recommendations from the previous report and have established good communication with parents. However, parents' views are not obtained to help inform the self-evaluation process so that any changes made, reflect their needs. Inclusion has been appropriately addressed, with regard to finding out about children as individuals on application to the setting and addressing needs accordingly. There are some appropriate systems in place to share information with other settings, that support children's transitions and promotes some continuity for them.

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 EY304659 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 856567

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Lynn Gardner Date of previous inspection 08/01/2009 Telephone number 0161 445 0577

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