Matlock Bath Pre-School

Matlock Bath Pre-School Playgroup The Pavilion, South Parade, Matlock Bath, MATLOCK, Derbyshire, DE4 3NR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2014 23/03/2009

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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

 Not all the staff, including a safeguarding officer, have completed relevant training or have sufficient knowledge of safeguarding. Therefore, children's safety is compromised.  Observation, assessment and planning are not sharply focussed on individual children's next steps and so children make satisfactory rather than good progress.  The leadership and management are not clear about their roles and responsibility within the playgroup. Consequently, there is limited monitoring of staff practice.  Recruitment procedures are not sufficiently robust, which compromises children's learning and welfare.  Procedures for improving staff performance are unclear, resulting in weaknesses in staff practice not being identified to wholly promote children's care and good progress.  Activities are predominantly child-initiated and the quality of teaching is variable, which results in children not always being sufficiently engaged and challenged.

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It has the following strengths

 Relationships between staff and children are strong. Therefore, children are happy and secure in the environment and are keen to learn.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children interacting during activities in the main play area and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the supervisor, the committee representative, talked to staff.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the supervisor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, children's records, evidence of the suitability of staff and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Matlock Bath Pre-School Playgroup opened in 1986. It operates from the pavilion in the town of Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. The main room used is on the ground floor and is accessible via ramps. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The playgroup serves the local area and surrounding villages. The playgroup opens five days a week during school term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12noon Monday to Friday. The playgroup also operates two afternoons per week from 1pm to 3pm.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 22 children aged from two years to four years on roll, all of whom are in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The playgroup employs five part-time staff who work with the children. One of the staff has an early years qualification at level 5, three staff have a qualification at level 3 and one member of staff is working towards a qualification at level 2. The playgroup is run by a committee. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of early years education and accesses support from Derbyshire local authority. The playgroup is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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must:

 improve the balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities so that children remain engaged and there is a consistent level of challenge to promote good progress

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must:

 improve planning so that it is sharply focused to effectively support individual children's next steps

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must:

 ensure all staff attend safeguarding training and in particular those who are designated safeguarding officers, to ensure they fully understand their role in protecting children from harm

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must:

 implement a system of robust recruitment procedures to support the safeguarding of children and staff in the setting

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must:

 implement a system of supervision and appraisal for all staff, to effectively identify training needs and to bring about continuous improvement of the setting

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must:

 develop a system for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching to ensure that weaknesses are effectively identified and addressed to support children in making good progress.

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who attend

Staff in the playgroup have a suitable understanding about how to support children's learning. Although the quality of teaching is variable, when children are supported by the more established staff they make more rapid progress in their learning. The learning environment is appealing and staff provide a wide range of resources for children to choose from. For example, children enjoy being creative as staff provide them with scissors, glue and wool for sticking on to paper plates and cups. They gain early computer skills and are encouraged by staff to persevere on the computer. They enjoy bursting coloured balloons, which they do in sequence. However, the variability of the teaching means that activities are not always organised well, for example, the large number of children at the computer activity means that some children lose interest and wander away. Staff provide activities that are predominantly child-initiated, which hinders the children's

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who attend

progress as not all adults understand how to effectively guide individual children during their chosen activities. Some staff do not always enhance children's language skills. For example, many questions are closed and require only a one word response, such as, yes or no. Observations carried out on the children are sufficient for staff to understand what children can do. However, they are not sharply focussed on children's next steps, which means that staff do not have wholly accurate information with which to plan. Nevertheless, staff plan the activities based on their knowledge of children and children's interests and this results in children being keen learners. The playgroup is active within the local community and when numbers permit staff take the opportunity to introduce children to the local amenities including the library service and on public transport to the next town. These opportunities are used to enhance children's learning experiences, which

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who attend

means that, despite the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and planning, children are making satisfactory progress. Children are adequately prepared for school as they are generally experiencing a broad curriculum which covers the prime and specific areas of learning. The playgroup offers one morning a week where children attend who are close to moving onto school and when staff concentrate on the skills children need for their next stage in learning.

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who attend

Parents are suitably involved with their child's learning. For example, each child has a learning journal, which staff use to collect photographs and note observations of the children and these are shared with parents. Parents provide information about their children's likes, preferences and capabilities. Consequently, children settle quickly into the setting well. Parents spoken to feel well informed about their children's progress through a variety of ways. For example, daily, verbal information is shared between the parent and the children's key workers and twice a year parents are asked to come into the setting for a craft morning and at this time they can see the children's files and speak to the key workers. Close partnership with parents supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities as detailed information is shared for consistency of children's care and learning.

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

Staff form close attachments with children because they spend time getting to know them well and an effective key person system is implemented. This fosters children's sense of security and belonging in the playgroup. Children are self-assured and very confident in the playgroup. Transitions from home to the playgroup are good. There is a comprehensive settling-in process and the staff are happy for parents to stay as long as is necessary in order to support their child to settle. Children know the routines and rules of the playgroup well and show respect to each other and staff. They behave well in the playgroup and this has a positive impact on their personal, social and emotional development. Children share and are encouraged to take turns. They learn from staff who are good role models regarding behaviour as they encourage manners and kindness. As a result, children are learning to cooperate with each other.

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

Children learn about taking risks when they are outside as they have to carefully balance when they are walking across the tyres. By allowing children to take these managed risks, staff are supporting their understanding of keeping themselves safe in the environment. However, staff lack enough understanding about how to safeguard children and systems for ensuring the suitability of staff are not robust enough, which puts children's welfare at risk. Therefore, children are not able to effectively learn about how to safeguard themselves.

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

Staff support children to develop their self-care skills, for example, when putting their coats on to go outside the children are spoken too calmly and are given time to carry out tasks in a unhurried manner. Children are provided with healthy snacks and drinks, such as, various fruits and milk. This supports their dietary health. They have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise in the outdoor area and they enjoy this time to explore the summer house and run around, which is supporting their physical development and understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

The leadership and management of the setting is inadequate. The committee are not aware of their roles and responsibilities of managing the playgroup and of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. This has resulted in several breaches of requirements, which have a detrimental effect on children's safety in particular and to an extent, their learning. Staff and volunteers have been subject to a Disclosure and Barring check and the supervisor has completed safeguarding training. However, there is insufficient understanding of safeguarding procedures. The committee member, who is also responsible for safeguarding, is vague in her understanding of safeguarding children and has not attended any training. In addition, some staff working directly with the children do not fully understand their role in safeguarding children, or the safeguarding procedures. This means that children attending the setting are at risk. Recruitment procedures lack

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provision

rigour and at times, relies on informality and trust rather than, for example, the obtaining of references. Systems for ensuring the children are kept safe on a day-to-day basis are in place and are operated effectively by staff. For example, the setting is kept secure at all times via a door locking alarm system on the front door and parents and visitors only gain admittance when vetted by a member of staff answering the door. Visitors are reminded not to use mobile telephones while in the setting but not asked to sign a visitor's book. The outdoor play area is secure and children are escorted by staff members to use the bathroom.

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provision

The leadership and management do not effectively monitor staff practice to ensure that they are fully meeting the learning and development requirements and supporting children to make good progress, which leads to the quality of teaching being inconsistent. Systems to manage staff performance and ensure their continuous professional development are inadequate. The manager has no time or authority to carry out effective monitoring of staff and the committee do not fulfil this role. Newer staff members are keen to improve and are encouraged by the supervisor to undertake qualifications. However, the lack of staff supervision and appraisal results in the leadership and management having a generally poor picture of practitioner's skills, or areas where more targeted training is needed. Despite this, the strong relationships between staff and children and the quality of teaching of the more established staff means that children are keen to learn and make

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provision

Parents are very happy with the playgroup and express their satisfaction. They comment that their children are happy and that they are made aware of their children's progress. Staff place information onto a notice board in the entrance to the playgroup, where leaflets and posters provide information for parents about other services that are available to support their family needs. Staff work alongside other agencies, such as the local authority to improve the quality of the playgroup and also to access additional support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 206816 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 865437

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 22 Name of provider Matlock Bath Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 23/03/2009 Telephone number 07870 525001

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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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