Playdays Opportunity Group

Playdays Opportunity Group Chellaston Community Centre, Barley Croft, DERBY, Derbyshire, DE73 1TU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/11/2013 10/03/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The legal requirement to ensure that staff records contain information on their Disclosure and Barring checks is not consistently maintained, so that children are always protected from harm.  Adult-led activities are not taught effectively. Some staff do not always include children's individual learning in the activities, teach the objectives clearly.  Monitoring of staff performance is not used effectively to bring about sufficient or timely improvement in their teaching methods.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are very happy and settled. Children rush excitedly into the setting, ready to play with the toys and activities that staff have set out for them.  Children's communication and language, and physical development are good because staff provide guidance and effective support in these two specific areas of learning.  Secure and trusting partnerships with parents have been developed and there are effective procedures in place to share information.

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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 children engaged in activities both indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents, children and staff and held a discussion with the manager.  The inspector invited the manager to complete a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation and records, including children's learning journals and staff files.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of the pre-school's policies and procedures, checked the suitability of the staff and their qualifications.

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Information about the setting

Playdays Opportunity Group was registered in 1994 and is on the Early Years Register and the both compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is a privately owned pre-school and operates from the main hall and club room at the Chellaston Community Centre in the Chellaston district of Derby City. The pre-school serves the local and surrounding area. All children share access to an outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9am until 12.30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and from 9am until 3pm on Wednesday and Friday. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently a total of 75 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. All of these hold appropriate early years qualifications. Additionally, three members of staff have obtained a foundation degree in childcare studies. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure all staff's Disclosure and Barring Service criminal records are in place for all staff to ensure children are always protected from harm

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must:

 develop adult-led activities, so that children's individual learning is planned for in the activities and that all staff clearly teach the objectives they have planned, in order to promote children's learning and development.

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

 increase monitoring of staff performance, in particular their teaching methods, to develop their practice and improve learning outcomes for children.

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who attend

Children enter the pre-school with excitement and are happy to meet their friends. They quickly choose their activity and become engaged in their play. Staff know the children well. They greet children in a friendly manner and participate in their play. They guide and support children as they play to extend their learning appropriately. Staff gather relevant information from the parents about their children before they start. They use this information suitably to form children's starting points. Staff continue to teach, observe and assess the children while they play. Staff use this information they gather effectively, to identify children's next steps and inform further planning. There is a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities to enhance children's learning and to develop specific skills. However, the adult-led activities are not always taught well. Despite staff having clear objectives as to why they have planned these activities, not all staff teach these objectives

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who attend

effectively or use the props efficiently to encourage the children to concentrate or to extend their learning. Also not all staff include children's individual learning priorities effectively enough with in the planning of these activities. As a result, they are not prioritising their individual learning. Consequently, children do not make good progress. Children who speak English as an additional language are wholly included in this process and make satisfactory progress given their starting points. Staff adapt the activities and provide picture cards to help these children communicate appropriately. Parents are involved with their children's leaning appropriately. Staff talk to the parents on a regularly basis and are happy to share the contents of their children's learning journals. This helps parents to know their children's achievements and be able to continue to help them at home, if they wish. Staff have successfully completed the 'progress check at aged two'

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who attend

and shared this information with parents, who comment they are happy with the progress their children are making.

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who attend

Staff teach children appropriately and foster their language development well. They ask why, what, when and how questions which encourage the children to think and hold purposeful conversations. Children are talkative and use these skills while they play developing their communication and language skills effectively. This is demonstrated, as a small group of children sit independently and look at books. They chat to themselves about the pictures and hold conversations about the characters in the books with each other. This also shows their appreciation of books and the pleasure they bring. As a result, children are suitably acquiring skills to help them in their next stage of learning and readiness for school. Children's physical skills are effective. There are good opportunities for children to develop their handling skills. For example, children build using construction toys, use pencils and crayons to draw, place jigsaw pieces together and make hedgehogs

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who attend

out of dough and lollipop sticks. Here, they carefully pick up the sticks and place them in the dough and are proud to show the inspector their achievements. They tell her that the sticks are spikes and that there are 'lots and lots of them on hedgehogs'. Staff promote good movement skills outside. Children pedal sit-and-ride toys well and negotiate the obstacles as they race up and down the path. They learn to climb and balance and use small equipment, such as balls to help them learn throwing and kicking skills.

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who attend

Children bake cakes and staff use this opportunity to help children to learn about measurement. They weigh the ingredients and look at the numbers on the scales. Staff spoon out the ingredients and estimate how much more they need and count the cake cases. These activities help child to learn about early mathematical skills appropriately. Staff also use the everyday routine to promote mathematical language, such as while children play with the construction toys they emphasise how tall the tower is. Children love going outside and use the environment to learn about the natural world. They dig, watch the wind chimes blow in the wind and grow flowers. They use their imagination and express their feeling as they play in the tent. Here, children say they are scared of the dark and scream with delight as someone else comes inside the tent and happily use the torches. This is also helping to develop their information and communication technology

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who attend

skills; as they press the torches on and off. This area of learning is further developed, as they, use other cause and effect toys and watch how they move. Opportunities, such as, painting, using small world toys and 'writing letters to Santa' help children to develop their creativity. The activities and opportunities available at this pre-school clearly demonstrate how the children are learning through play and fun.

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

The well-deployed staff team continually supervises the children which helps to protect their health and safety. Staff are always available to provide support for children's care needs, such as a lap to have a cuddle or someone to help with putting on their coat. However, because of not all staff having Disclosure and Barring Service certificates, the systems for safeguarding children are not effective, and therefore, appropriate action to protect children is not robust enough. New starters settle quickly into the pre-school due to the effective settling-in systems, resulting in most children separating from their main carer with ease. Children have established secure and trusting relationships with their key person and the other staff at the pre-school. Children are also caring toward one another. This is as a result of the partnership with parents and processes in place to ensure smooth moves from home to pre-school. Younger children snuggle up to their key person for

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

cuddles when they are tired and all staff are sensitive and caring towards the children's needs. The staff team is well established, and focuses strongly on developing children's sense of emotional well-being. Staff do this by understanding their needs and following children's interests.

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

The hall is large and inviting for children. Staff work hard with the restrictions imposed on them with regard to the premises, to create a fun and welcoming place for children. The environment meets the needs of the children. They have access to resources that encourage cooperative play. Staff encourage the children to develop their self-help skills. For example, they help themselves to their snack, pour their own drinks and put on their own coats and shoes when going outside. Children use the toilet independently and self- select the toys they wish to play with. All these opportunities help children to develop their independence, which in turn helps to prepare them for their eventual move to school. Children's confidence and self-esteem are suitably nurtured as staff give lots of praise and encouragement. Staff are attentive, caring and kind, forming secure emotional attachments with all children. Children form clear friendships with others and play

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

together cooperatively, sharing toys and resources. Staff are positive role models and give clear guidance of what is expected. Consequently, children are well behaved, cooperative and show they feel safe and secure within the provision.

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

Staff support children's emerging understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle that involves physical exercise and a healthy diet. Children learn about the importance of physical exercise through daily outdoor play. They have a growing awareness of healthy foods and drinks which is fostered through appropriate discussions with the staff. Food is adequately varied and nutritious; children sit together to eat and share foods, such as fruit. On days where the pre-school offer lunches, staff sit with them to support their eating and be good role models. Children are developing an understanding of keeping themselves safe. They participate in regular fire drills, which help them to know how to look after themselves in an emergency. They take care when playing with scissors and learn that knives and cookers are dangerous through playing in the role-play area. Developing relationships with neighbouring schools means children are suitably prepared

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

for their move into their next establishment. Parents are invited into the setting to find out about the arrangements for their children's move onto school, which increases their ability to prepare their child for moving on.

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provision

The manager has a suitable understanding of her role and responsibilities with regard to the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She ensures staff receive regular training updates and have an appropriate knowledge of processes relating to child protection concerns, including the reporting procedures, should the need arise. Visitors are required to sign in and systems for registering children's attendance are thorough. However, the manager has failed to ensure that all required records for staff regarding their suitability are in place, as Disclosure and Barring Service checks are not available for all staff, which has the potential to impact on children's safety. This is a breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is also a breach of both parts of the Childcare Register. Policies and procedures are in place to help

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provision

the running of the pre-school. Appropriate induction procedures are used to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities when they begin work at the pre-school. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly, daily risk assessments ensure that environments both indoors and outdoors are safe for children. Children's well-being is further maintained as all external doors are locked and outdoor areas are securely fenced.

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provision

The manager and her deputy are responsible for the day-to-day running of the setting and the delivery of the educational programme. The manager supervises staff to monitor their performance and is becoming aware that areas for improvement include the quality of teaching methods, the planning of activities and assessing children's progress, however, she has not identified how the necessary improvements will be made. There are annual appraisals, staff supervisions and regular staff meetings. The manager and staff have developed suitable procedures to share information. They, therefore, have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of others and can work together to maintain standards and develop the pre-school's practice. The manager has identified some priorities for improvement and staff are encouraged to participate in the self- evaluation process. The manager and team have completed the actions and

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provision

recommendations from the last inspection. Feedback from parents and children is welcomed in order to tailor the service provided to those currently attending. Suitable performance management systems ensure are in place.

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provision

Partnership with parents is a strength of the pre-school. Parents and carers receive regular information about the pre-school and the progress their children make. Parents spoken to at the inspection praise the pre-school staff for their friendliness and dedication to their children. Parents say their children are very happy and enjoy attending pre-school; they talk about their friends, the staff and are eager to attend. Staff have built secure partnerships with other professionals and share useful information with other early years providers when children also attend other settings. Strong links have been established with both the local school. The pre-school has contact details and procedures in place to support them in liaising with other professionals so that they can work together to support children and their families. This promotes a consistent approach to children's care, learning and development.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that any person caring for, or in regular contact with children: is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that any person caring for, or in regular contact with children: is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 206146 Local authority Derby, City of Inspection number 871128

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Linda Winter Date of previous inspection 10/03/2011 Telephone number 07842097445

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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

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’.

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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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