Fryerns Community Playgroup

Fryerns Community Playgroup Fryerns Community Centre, Whitmore Way, BASILDON, Essex, SS14 2NN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/05/2014 23/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff carefully safeguard children through clear procedures and a safe, warm and secure environment in which children move around freely and play safely and confidently.  Children are well supported to develop high levels of independence. They are confident and imaginative as they enthusiastically engage in a variety of activities.  Staff work well as a team and the manager supports ongoing improvements in practice, using the advice and feedback from development workers to continue the development of the pre-school service.

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It is not yet good because

 The monitoring of children's learning is not always providing precise assessments, which results in inconsistent planning for next steps in children's learning.  Partnerships with parents are not fully effective to help the staff team to build a complete picture of each child in order to further support the next steps in children's learning.  Staff do not always plan the environment to provide good quality learning experiences for children. This results in teaching being variable and teaching opportunities sometimes being missed.

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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 activities and staff interactions in the playroom and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's learning journey records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager and spoke to members of the staff team.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed staff training records and qualifications, the self-evaluation form and improvement plan, the policies and procedures and children's information records.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers to gather feedback from them.

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Information about the setting

Fryerns Community Playgroup opened in 1970 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a shared community hall in the Basildon area of Essex, and is managed by the community centre committee and the playgroup manager. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a large hall and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two hold level 2. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 33 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

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must:

 develop the monitoring of children's learning to provide precise assessments which clearly inform planning for the next steps in children's learning.

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

 develop the partnerships with parents to ensure that they are successful in sharing information about children's learning at home to further support their next steps

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

 review the planning of the indoor and outdoor environments to ensure staff make best use of their interaction with children to fully support and extend their learning during all activities.

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who attend

The staff team have a suitable knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and an understanding of child development. Systems that monitor children's development have been put in place and key persons carry out regular observations of children at play. These record what children do and identify their interests. However, assessments of children's learning are not consistently well used and the staff's understanding of their key children's stage of development is not always clear. This results in the staff planning activities that do not always offer appropriate challenges to extend children's learning effectively. Staff interact enthusiastically with children and take an interest in their play. They support children well with lots of reassurance and praise, helping them to feel secure and confident. As a result, children are actively engaging in the activities and enjoying time with their friends. Staff respond positively to children's interests and choices in play.

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who attend

For example, when the children are in the garden looking for mini-beasts, the staff provide them with tools to dig in the earth and to catch and examine the creatures. Staff engage with the children to support them and to ensure they treat the mini-beasts with care. They help the children to follow their interests to explore and discover and to develop their understanding of the world. Staff provide a tracking sheet to encourage the children to record how many they mini-beasts they find. This helps to promote children's mathematical thinking, as they count the ants they find and record them.

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who attend

Children have opportunities to use paint creatively at the easel and to develop their imaginative skills during role play activities. Staff promote children's communication and language skills appropriately. They talk to children during the activities and ask children questions to encourage them to engage in conversations and to talk in large group activities. For example, children tell their news at registration time. They are sensitively encouraged to talk in turn and to listen to others. The play space is set out daily and the children are provided with a range of activities that they engage in enthusiastically. The staff sit with the children at activities and interact with them to support the development of the play. However, the planning of the environment means that the activities are spread over a very wide area in this large hall. This results in staff interaction with children being variable and means that teaching opportunities are sometimes missed.

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who attend

Staff provide parents with some opportunities to get involved in their child's learning. However, staff are not always successful in engaging all parents to contribute information about their child's home learning achievements. This means they are not always successful in building a complete picture of all children to further support the next steps in their learning. The staff share information with parents for the required progress check at age two. Children are encouraged to be confident, independent learners, which helps them to have the basic skills needed for their next steps in learning.

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

Staff take particular care to ensure all children are well supported and have their personal, social and emotional needs met at all times. Settling-in procedures support children to make secure attachments to the staff and ensure they feel at home in the pre-school. Staff have warm nurturing relationships with the children, which helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem. The key person system supports the staff team to have an understanding of each child's individual needs. This ensures that children's emotional development is well supported and they are developing independence in their personal care. For example, children are encouraged to put on their own shoes and aprons and to use the bathroom independently. Information is gathered from parents at the time of admission, which allows the key person to begin to build a picture of each child. Parents complete a form that gives information about children's interests, their likes and dislikes

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

and what makes them feel comfortable. Children's growing confidence supports them to be well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Staff help children to develop positive attitudes and good behaviour through calm and consistent messages and support. As a result, children learn to share and take turns; for example, children understand about sharing at the computer and the older children are able to organise the turn taking for themselves. Staff maintain a safe and secure environment for children through checking all areas of the premises each day before children arrive and closely monitoring access to the premises. Children benefit from an environment that provides opportunities for them to move freely to each activity and safely out to the garden space. Children can freely and independently access the resources provided, supporting them to make choices about what to play with. This allows children to explore the resources and take part in a range of activities and experiences

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

Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles and children enjoy snacks and drinks, which are available throughout the session. Children serve themselves at snack time, which provides good opportunities for them to develop independence. Parents provide packed lunches for the children, and the staff work with parents to ensure children have a balanced diet. Children benefit from free flow to the outdoor play space, where they are able to fully practise and develop their physical skills and can explore and discover through a range of resources. Children are encouraged to develop skills to risk assess for themselves. For example, staff explain safe play rules to the children, such as how to move safely in the ride-on cars and how to use tools safely when digging in the earth.

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provision

The manager and staff have a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They have a clear knowledge of the correct procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child, and their responsibilities to safeguard and protect children. The manager ensures staff are able to access ongoing safeguarding training to keep their knowledge up to date. Ongoing risk assessments ensure that children's daily safety is very well supported and effective security systems are used at all times. Staff systems ensure that they are well deployed throughout the indoor and outdoor play areas, supporting children's safety. The pre-school have secure vetting procedures to help ensure staff are and remain suitable to work with children.

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provision

The manager is a motivated leader who works as part of this close knit and committed staff team. She works closely with the deputy to monitor the staff's practice. For example, systems are in place to ensure observations are carried out for all children on a regular basis. The manager and staff all hold recognised childcare qualifications and regularly attend further training to continue their professional development. This staff team are clearly well motivated and work very effectively to support each other and to share ideas and skills. The manager and staff team use their knowledge of the children to link observations to provide activities that meet children's interests. This ensures that children's care needs are well met and they are successfully supported to develop emotional security. The manager completes a self-evaluation form as an ongoing process and uses this to help identify the areas for improvement for the pre-school. The previous

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provision

recommendations have mostly been met, although there are still further improvements to be undertaken with regard to the assessment of children's learning. The manager makes effective use of advice and guidance from development workers to help drive improvement.

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provision

The staff team provide a welcoming friendly atmosphere, supporting parents to feel confident about their children's care. Daily information is provided through face-to-face communication, displays on the parent board and a regular newsletter. The manager is working to develop systems to share information about children's development and the planning for their next steps. Parents' views are gained through regular questionnaires, and they comment that the staff team are friendly and their children are happy in the pre- school and making friends with others.

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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 402065 Local authority Essex Inspection number 877129

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider Basildon Community Association Committee Date of previous inspection 23/10/2009 Telephone number 01268 530287

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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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