Raunds Playgroup

Raunds Playgroup The Mobile, Manor School, Mountbatten Way, Raunds, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN9 6PA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/05/2014 19/11/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Teaching is good. Accurate assessments of individual children's progress are used to plan activities that enable them to achieve well given their starting points and capabilities.  Children are cared for in a very safe environment. All areas and equipment used by the children are risk assessed regularly to ensure action is taken, when needed, to keep children safe. The manager and staff understand their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection.  The manager organises the playgroup well. Delegated duties are monitored to ensure the provision runs smoothly and efficiently.  Partnership working with other providers, professionals and agencies are well established to enable staff to support individual children's needs effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to extend opportunities for peer-on-peer observations, so that the excellent teaching practices taking place within the setting are cascaded to all staff to further benefit the children's learning.  There is scope for staff to share more details of the excellent speech and language support they provide within the setting, so that parents are able to continue this support at home.

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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 engage in free choice play and take part in planned activities and discussed these observations with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the playgroup staff and talked with the manager and a representative of the parent committee about the playgroup's self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector spoke with the members of staff throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers from discussions on the day of inspection and from information included in the playgroup's documentation.

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Information about the setting

Raunds Playgroup opened in 1969 and was registered again in its current premises in 2005 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in premises on the site of the Manor Sports Academy in Raunds, East Northamptonshire and is managed by a parent committee. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play that includes an undercover area. The playgroup employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications including three staff holding a qualification at level 3 and the manager at level 5. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and 12 noon until 3pm. There is also a breakfast club from 8am until 9am and a lunch club from 12 noon until 1pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 32 children

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Information about the setting

attending who are all in the early years age range. The playgroup provides funded early education for three-and four-year-old children and supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 strengthen further the already good teaching skills by extending opportunities for peer-on-peer observations, so that the excellent practices taking place within the setting are cascaded to all staff, so they further benefit the children's learning

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

 enhance further the excellent speech and language support provided for children by providing opportunities for parents to observe and develop the good practices used by staff to support their children.

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who attend

Teaching is good in the playgroup. The manager and her experienced staff have strong teaching skills. They recognise that children learn through play and that they may have different learning styles. They organise the playrooms, outdoor area and resources to enable children to develop independence, curiosity and the ability to explore. The accurate assessments of individual children's progress, including the progress check completed between the age of two and three years is used to plan activities that enable children to achieve well given their starting points and capabilities. Adult-focussed activities engage children's interests and support their learning well. Children also, on occasions, engage staff in their play. For example, a member of staff and a child are outside at the water play. The child tells the member of staff that the family went to the sea-side yesterday and they start to talk about the child's experiences as they hunt for the sharks in the

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who attend

water, identifying many other sea creatures in the process.

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who attend

Children participate in a variety of activities to develop the key skills that will support their future learning and readiness for school. Staff talk to the children as they experiment with water painting, introduce new words and sounds and take time to listen to them as they respond in their own way. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are particularly well supported and develop trusting relationships, particularly with their key person.

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who attend

Children's starting points on entry are obtained from discussions between key staff and parents. Also, by parents completing a booklet about their child. Initial learning targets are set with the parents. This first contact supports the child's transition from home to playgroup well. Later assessments are also shared with parents and they and staff work together well. There is some excellent work taking place at the playgroup as staff support children's speech and language development. Monitoring documentation shows that children progress more rapidly when this support is extended into the home. Plans to enable parents to come into a session to observe some of these techniques and skills, so they can use them at home, are in the early stages of development.

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

Children form strong emotional attachments with the playgroup staff. These support their settling-in and transitions, enabling them to become independent learners. Children display a good sense of belonging and some are high in confidence and self-esteem. They learn to co-operate and negotiate with their peers because staff implement a consistent behaviour management system that takes into account children's level of understanding and maturity. This is particularly important for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

Children are cared for in a very safe, secure environment. All indoor and outdoor areas and all equipment used by the children are risk assessed regularly to ensure action is taken, when needed, to keep them safe. For example, staff have sought expert advice on how to secure the fire doors without jeopardising their ability to evacuate children in an emergency. Children are also taught about how to keep themselves safe, such as when they are reminded to use the grab handles as they negotiate their way up the climbing wall. Children experience outdoor play throughout the session. There is a good variety of toys and equipment, which support their physical development, imagination and their understanding of the world. They play with sand and water, sell ice creams from the playhouse window and check to see if the tadpoles have grown any more legs. Books and mark-making tools are also readily available to enhance children's play outside.

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

Children start to learn about self-care and become independent as they become more experienced members of the playgroup. For example, children access the morning snack at a time to suit themselves, wash their hands and find a seat at the table before helping themselves to the cereal, milk and fruit. A member of staff is on hand to support less confident children and ensure they also have a drink. Children are taught how to stop the spread of germs by washing their hands at appropriate times. Their health and dietary needs are well supported by staff.

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provision

The manager and staff understand their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection. Thorough recruitment practices ensure a motivated workforce that work well together. Suitability checks are undertaken on all adults working with children to ensure they are safeguarded. Regular supervision meetings, staff meetings and annual appraisals take place to ensure they understand their role and responsibilities and to discuss and plan personal development and training. The manager is effectively organised to manage the playgroup well. Delegated duties are monitored to ensure the provision runs smoothly and efficiently.

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provision

The manager understands her responsibilities with regard to the implementation of the learning and development requirements. Teaching and learning for individual children is monitored with role modelling and other support available to boost staff's confidence and teaching abilities. However, there is scope to further extend this support to include peer- on-peer observations, so that the excellent practices taking place within the playgroup are cascaded to all staff to further benefit the children's learning. Monitoring of children's learning enables the staff to quickly identify individual needs, so that extra teaching support is provided to close any gaps in learning. There are systems in place to self- evaluate the playgroup and targets have been set for future improvements. Since the last inspection by Ofsted where the playgroup received a number of actions to improve and the subsequent monitoring visit, the manager has implemented effective changes with

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provision

regard to the safety of children. For example, risk assessments and staffing procedures for the safe arrival and collection of children have been developed and the deployment of staff and the supervision of children have been improved. As a result, children's welfare is assured.

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provision

Partnership working with other professionals and agencies are well established to enable staff to support individual children's needs effectively. Parents also comment that they appreciate the support they receive. The links established with the local primary schools support children's transition when they move onto the reception class. These links are valuable in supporting children's early school life.

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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 EY312624 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 963241

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider Raunds Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 19/11/2013 Telephone number 01933 461097

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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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