Bright Sparks Playgroup at Empingham

Bright Sparks Playgroup at Empingham Empingham C of E Primary School, School Lane, Empingham, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8PQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/02/2014 09/12/2010

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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 protected in the playgroup because staff have a good understanding of local procedures and value children's safety at all times.  Teaching is strong, and as a result, children are motivated to learn and explore, and they subsequently make good progress towards the early learning goals  Partnerships with parents are good as staff strive to find innovative ways to support parents with children's learning at home. This results in a coordinated approach to children's positive development.  Good partnerships with the host school benefit children as they join older friends for lunch and take part in joint activities. Consequently, children gain the confidence needed to support them well as they progress to school themselves.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the role play area, to provide inspirational and stimulating opportunities for children to explore their imaginary worlds independently.

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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 playgroup and in the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the proprietor and spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and proprietor took part in a joint observation.  The inspector took the views of parents into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Bright Sparks Playgroup at Empingham was registered in 1992 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is privately owned and operates from a classroom in Empingham Primary School in the village of Empingham. The setting caters for children from the local village and its surrounding areas. It has the use of the school hall and access to the school playground.

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Information about the setting

The setting is open daily from 9am until 3.30pm during term time only. There are currently 14 children on roll who are within the early years age range. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are three members of staff who work with the children, two of whom hold qualifications at levels 4 and 5.

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

 enhance the environment further, to provide even more inspirational opportunities for children to engage in imaginary play.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at playgroup. This is because staff understand how children learn through play and provide a bright and stimulating environment to promote their positive development. Activities are carefully planned to capture children's interests, and in this way they learn to explore, investigate and find things out for themselves. For example, children become totally engrossed as they play with dinosaurs in a tray of sand. Their learning is effectively enhanced as staff skilfully intervene, asking open questions and suggesting alternative resources to help form the sandy landscape. Children concentrate for a considerable amount of time forming imprints with different sized toys and observing differences. Children's mathematical development is fostered well in this way as they learn about pattern, shape and size as they play.

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who attend

A particular strength at the playgroup is the support given to children's communication skills. Staff use visual clues and signs to support their spoken words, and this helps all children, not least of all, those working hard to develop their speaking skills. Teaching is strong during focused activities, such as 'sound lotto', where children are praised for good listening and skilled staff keep children on task for appropriate lengths of time. They introduce new words, such as 'dolphin', into the discussions and by sounding it out phonetically and showing a picture of the mammal, children's vocabulary is successfully enhanced. Children's creativity is fostered well both inside and in the garden. Here they weave with brightly coloured strips of material, make models, draw and paint. However, occasionally the presentation and organisation of the role play area is less enticing to children and therefore impromptu and independent explorations into their imaginary

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who attend

worlds are not always fully promoted. Children's literacy skills are promoted well by an environment rich in meaningful text on notices, labelling and signs. Staff enhance children's knowledge by reading stories and writing words on the white board. This helps children to learn how text carries meaning and begin to identify letters.

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who attend

Staff observe children and make accurate assessments of their development. They plan children's next steps in learning carefully, and in this way children's continued good progress is supported. Parents are generally well informed of children's progress and staff work tirelessly to find ways to share news of activities and learning at home. For example, staff use the internet and email to share children's 'Learning Journey' records, and together with daily discussions, this enables parents and staff to identify areas of support and celebrate achievements. All in all, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress towards the early learning goals and are well prepared for their next stages in learning, be that the move to another early years provision or to school.

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

Partnerships with parents are effective and, as a result, staff are well informed of children's likes, dislikes and care needs. Children are happy and confident when at playgroup and demonstrate this as they move freely around following their own interests. The key person system is good and staff are knowledgeable about children's individual backgrounds. Consequently, children enjoy secure attachments with staff and friends alike. Children especially benefit from the close links with the school and joining in with older children's lunchtimes and special activities. These good opportunities enable children to be emotionally well prepared for changes in their lives and they widen children's experiences effectively. Children's good health is fostered by the free flow of activities to the outside area, where they continue their learning in the fresh air. Children also enjoy further opportunities to take part in more physical activities in the adjoining school

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

grounds, where they can ride bikes, practise balancing along low-level equipment, climb and run freely. Here children learn about taking risks and how they can help protect themselves and their friends from harm. Children's good health is further promoted by nutritious snacks, which children select and prepare independently.

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

Children behave well at playgroup because staff have consistent boundaries and are skilled at keeping children well motivated and interested in purposeful activities. Children show a genuine caring attitude as they help one another with tasks and work well together in routines, such as tidying away and sweeping sand from the floor. Children's self-help skills are fostered well by staff, and as a result, they are largely independent in the area. Resources are generally of good quality and support children's learning across the seven areas. The environment is bright and displays many examples of children's creations and photographs of highly successful activities. Staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe and put effective measures, such as risk assessments and checks to the environment, into their daily tasks. As a result, children are able to play and learn as free from harm as possible.

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provision

The proprietor owns and manages the playgroup. She has a secure understanding of her responsibilities to ensure that practice meets the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She and the staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and know how to identify and report concerns they may have about children in their care. Policies and procedures support their work well, as do the effective partnerships with outside agencies where necessary. Recruitment procedures are robust and include background checks and an induction to the playgroup. Team meetings, appraisals and supervisions are in place and this means that staff remain suitable for the role. Staff undertake training whenever possible and, as a result, children benefit from their enhanced skills and knowledge.

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provision

The small staff team are dedicated to their roles and demonstrate a genuine interest in improving children's outcomes. Self-evaluation is embedded in practice, with the opinions of all staff, parents, children and others informing plans for the future. Improvements are well targeted to promote children's learning, and currently this means further developing and enriching the environment, especially in the craft area. Monitoring of educational programmes is effective and ensures that children benefit from a wide range of experiences to help them make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff also have effective systems in place to monitor children's progress and abilities. This means that, where necessary, children receive appropriate interventions to meet their individual needs. Partnerships with parents are strong. They share their comments and ideas in questionnaires, on the secure website and by contributing to suggestion boxes. In

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provision

discussions, parents describe how children are so much more sociable and confident after attending playgroup and generally have made good progress, albeit in a short time. Partnerships with other providers and outside agencies are good, and especially effective with the host school. This means that children's learning and welfare are fostered well and the coordinated approach effectively supports children's individual needs.

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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 254363 Local authority Rutland Inspection number 870653

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 21 Number of children on roll 14 Name of provider Gail Healey Date of previous inspection 09/12/2010 Telephone number 01572 812124

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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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