Cogenhoe Preschool

Cogenhoe Playgroup Cogenhoe & Whiston Village Hall, York Avenue, Cogenhoe, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN7 1NB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/12/2013 13/03/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are safe because the staff team work to higher than required ratios and they have a good understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of any safeguarding concerns.  Teaching is good because the staff know the children well. They plan appropriately challenging activities that are linked to the children's interests and that are informed by information provided by parents about the child's progress at home.  Children enjoy the very positive interaction from the staff in their play. The manager and staff team work very well together and their organised approach contributes to all children having their needs met.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The opportunities for children to explore the natural world in the outside play area have not been maximised.  The opportunities for children to see displays of their own work and resources that promote discussion around a range of topics have not been fully expanded upon.

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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 play room and in the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and with one member of staff.  The inspector spoke with the children at times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children and took account of the provider's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Cogenhoe Playgroup opened in 1970 and is run by a committee. It operates from the village hall in Cogenhoe, near Northampton. The playgroup serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. It opens five days a week during term time, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am until 3pm and on Monday and Friday from 9am until 12noon. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 15 children in the early years age range. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

There are currently three staff working directly with the children, two of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. Two of the staff has a qualification at level 3. The nursery receives support from the local authority. The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and 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:

 extend the already good activities for children in the outside play area to further promote their understanding of the natural world

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

 increase children's access to the range of resources that are displayed in the play room in order to promote further discussion and to extend the good play activities available.

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who attend

Each child attending this playgroup has their individual learning styles recognised and managed because the staff know them all very well. The high adult to child ratio and the effective teaching from the staff actively supports children to make good progress in their learning. The children thoroughly enjoy the enthusiastic involvement of the staff in their play and they choose to take part in activities that the staff are supervising. For example, during outside play the children are confident to ask the staff to join in with their game, involving bikes and ride on toys. They ask the staff to be the traffic lights; to say when to stop and when to go. The staff willingly get involved and the children respond positively. The staff then change the game by saying 'stop' twice. The children laugh and comment that they need to listen so they follow the correct instruction. This interaction from the staff promotes the children's listening skills during a lively game outside. The children

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who attend

enjoy their daily opportunities to play outside. However, there is scope to extend even further the outside planning of activities to enhance children's understanding of the natural world. Children have access to name cards in the pre-school room. The staff are skilled in supporting the children in their learning through encouraging them to say the letter names and this results in the children being able to find their name quickly because they recognise the first letter.

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who attend

Children are making rapid progress in their personal, social and emotional development and therefore their preparation for starting school is well supported by the staff at the playgroup. They show great care and concern for each other. For example, the children enjoy playing all together. When one child takes themselves away from the game their friends check that they are okay and try to encourage them to re-join the game. During outside, play they are keen to let their friends have a turn on the ride on toys and sit on the chair to wait for their turn. They listen to stories well, often re-tell familiar stores to each other and they are independent in their choices of activities. Playgroup staff work closely with children's parents from the outset in order to find out information from home about their interests and progress. This is used alongside the initial observations to identify their starting points. Children are involved in the planning of activities. Each

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who attend

afternoon they are asked what activities and resources they would like to be available and their suggestions are recorded on the planning. The key persons use effective procedures to monitor the progress each child is making and the planning is fully informed by the children's needs and interests. Parents are involved in their child's learning. They receive information about the planned activities so they can talk to their children and prepare them at home if they wish. The manager and staff are aware of the requirement to produce a summative assessment for each child between the age of two and three years and they have plans to implement this when required.

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who attend

The staff team use the knowledge of their key children to link activities from across a variety of areas of learning together. For example, the children thoroughly enjoy decorating a large sheet of thick cardboard. Subsequently, this is made into a castle on the children's request. The staff provide a range of small world castles and characters to enhance the children's experience. Later, the children decide to modify the castle by using tools such as scissors and sticky tape. This activity is ably promoted by the staff who encourage the children to follow their own ideas and demonstrate how to use the tools safely. This results in the group of children working co-operatively together, thinking creatively about what they want to do and ending up being very involved in their own learning. The children are cared for in a welcoming and well-resourced environment. However, there is scope to extend children's access to displays of their own work and

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who attend

resources in order to prompt further discussion and extend even further the learning opportunities which arise from the good range of activities provided for them.

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

The children demonstrate a very clear bond with the staff team. The playgroup currently operates on a small scale and this enables the children to get to know all the staff very well. The staff are sensitive to the children's needs. They have recently begun to use a smaller room within the playgroup premises and this provides the children with a family feel, while still having access to all the same activities. Staff work with each family when they start attending to help them settle in successfully. Children are very confident to approach staff to ask for items they want and to initiate conversations. Staff provide warm interactions with the children and they show a genuine interest in what they are doing. This contributes significantly to children feeling a sense of belonging in the playgroup.

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

Children are familiar with the daily routine and they respond positively to the staff when they tell them what is coming next. They are learning about how to keep themselves safe because they enthusiastically help to tidy away when they have finished playing. During outside play, they are reminded to be careful when pouring the dry sand during windy weather and they understand about being careful when they are using the ride on toys. Children behave very well. They understand the expectations for behaviour and they are clear about the routines of the day. They enjoy spending time with staff and they respond to them when they give gentle and occasional reminders to be careful or to think of others. Children's growing confidence and self-motivation is promoted through them being able to contribute to the planning of activities, to be independent and to make choices at snack time. For example, they choose what they want to drink and pour it themselves;

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

they take their own plates and cups away when they have finished eating and wash them up independently. Children enjoy a social group occasion for snack and lunch time. They know where their lunch boxes are stored and collect them after washing their hands. Meal times are lively with discussion and conversations. Children are provided with a good range of healthy foods for their snack and the children continue to support their learning because they talk to them about the food they are eating and the benefits of making healthy choices.

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

Playgroup staff team have a working relationship with the local school which enables children to have a successful move when the time comes. To help with the children's preparations the playgroup manager has meetings with the school, the reception teacher visits the children at the playgroup and the children then visit the school. Parents comment that the effective partnership working between them and the staff contributes to children's feelings of belonging and well-being at the playgroup.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children within the provision are good. The inspection took place following notification of an incident that took place at the playgroup. The inspection found that the designated person for safeguarding has a clear understanding of the role and all staff are well versed in what to do should they have concerns about a child. They have taken all the necessary steps to record and report the incident and to prevent anything similar from happening again. Risk assessments are in place for the monitoring of the children's play and to ensure they can have access to all the activities and resources while being fully visible to the staff team. Procedures are in place to ensure the recruitment and retention of suitable members of staff who are valued for their qualifications and their experience. Staff are encouraged to attend training courses in order to keep their knowledge up-to-date.

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provision

The committee and manager work well together and have ensured that all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, in relation to the safeguarding and welfare and learning and development have been maintained through times of change to the committee and staff team. The staff team are qualified and experienced people and, as a result, the quality of the learning environment and the planned activities are well matched to each child's age and stage of development. This means that children are effectively supported to make good progress in their learning and development. The manager works directly with her colleagues and the children. She monitors the way the staff work with the children, the planning of activities and the children's assessment records. This ensures that each child receives a consistent approach in their care and learning.

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provision

Children benefit from the good partnerships the staff have developed with their parents and with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and this results in children receiving a consistent approach and a smooth move from home into the playgroup and then eventually onto school. Parents report positive and complimentary comments about their child's experiences at the playgroup and particularly about how well the staff know their children as individuals. The playgroup has developed self-evaluation as a tool to help them to focus the progress they have made since the previous inspection and to identify well-targeted plans for the future.

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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 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 220193 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 942056

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 15 Name of provider Cogenhoe Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 13/03/2012 Telephone number 01604 891434

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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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