Town Street Playgroup

Town Street Playgroup The Methodist Centre, Hawthorn Road, LEEDS, West Yorkshire, LS7 4PH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/05/2014 27/04/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 The playgroup provides a safe environment for children. Staff safeguard children effectively because they understand and implement clear policies and procedures.  The playgroup provides a learning environment which is well resourced with a range of age-appropriate resources, which allows children a wide variety of learning opportunities.  Children with additional needs are well supported to make progress in their learning.  Partnerships with parents are strong which ensures they are engaged in children's learning and development.

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It is not yet good because

 Some staff do not take account of the characteristics of effective learning. This means children do not have consistent opportunities to learn to think critically.  The monitoring and performance management systems are not sufficiently robust to ensure the quality of teaching is at a consistently good level to help children make optimum progress.  Self-evaluation is in place, but it is not sufficiently focussed or linked to identified priorities and plans to secure continuous improvement.

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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 in the three downstairs rooms, the upstairs hall and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account the views of staff, parents and carers and children spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation to ascertain children's progress in their learning.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working within the playgroup, the provider's self-evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Town Street Playgroup is a privately owned setting which operates from the Methodist Centre in the Chapel Allerton area of Leeds. There is an area for outdoor play. The playgroup is open each weekday, term time only, from 9.15am to 12.15pm. The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 34 children in the early years age range on roll. There are six members of staff, four of whom hold early years qualifications to at least level 2. The playgroup provides funded early years education for two-, three- and four-year-olds and supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure that all staff reflect on the different ways that children learn and incorporate the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, in order to develop children's critical thinking skills

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must:

 strengthen the arrangements for the supervision of staff to ensure that training and support clearly identifies and tackles identified weaknesses in staff's practice.

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

 improve the focus of self-evaluation to identify and address key weaknesses and set challenging targets to secure continuous improvement based on rigorous monitoring of practice.

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who attend

Staff plan activities across the seven areas of learning. Staff demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of children's needs and support their learning. They liaise with parents to gain information about children's routines, abilities and individual needs to help them support children from the start. However, the quality of teaching is not consistently good to help all children make good progress. Some staff are confident in their roles and support children's learning appropriately. Other staff lack confidence and do not facilitate children's learning as well and their interactions do not always encourage the children to think critically. Some staff lack a secure understanding of the characteristics of effective learning. As a result, some planned activities are not always matched to children's individual needs and do not have suitable challenge to help them make the maximum progress.

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who attend

Children enjoy sharing stories and songs with staff and their peers. For example, a group of older children sit in a circle and select laminated 'Mission Cards'. Many join in with actions and can predict what happens next. Children develop suitable physical skills as they have daily opportunities to use a slide, tunnel and balance beams in the large upstairs hall.

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who attend

The playgroup has children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are suitable systems in place to support them and they are making steady progress. Staff have developed links with other appropriate professionals in order to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and parents are fully involved in this process.

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who attend

Parents are welcomed into the setting at the start and end of the day. They are encouraged to provide starting information about their child on an 'All About Me' form. This ensures that information regarding children's interests and needs is shared. Staff use daily discussions, email and newsletters to keep parents informed of activities children have been involved in. Staff are always looking for new ways to encourage and enable parents to share information about what their child does at home. For example, they have introduced 'Online Learning Journeys,' which parents can easily access and contribute their own comments, photographs and observations. Children's records show that most are working within aged related expectations and are learning the basic skills they need for school.

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who attend

There are good links with a local school and other links are being built upon. For example, the reception teacher visits the children in the playgroup prior to starting school and this aids a smooth move for children.

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

Children are keen to attend the playgroup and enter confidently. They are generally content and settled in their environment. Staff are kind, caring and dedicated to the well- being of the children in their care. A key person system is in place and the staff support children's emotional well-being. Parents comment that the staff are very friendly and approachable. Staff demonstrate warm, supportive relationships with children. This helps children develop confidence and self-esteem.

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

Resources are set out each day covering all areas of learning, both indoors and outdoors, such as craft, role play and construction. Children have opportunities to exercise using large-scale equipment in the upstairs hall. This promotes their physical development and helps them to learn about the benefits of exercise. Resources are generally well maintained and are age-appropriate. Children learn about taking appropriate risks on the balancing beams as they decide whether to ask for an adult's hand to hold. They are expected to help look after their environment and tidy up resources, as required. Overall, children make their own choices about what they want to do, which helps to develop their independence. This is also encouraged at snack time as children are encouraged to choose their own fruit and vegetables. A system of 'special helpers' enables older children to take on extra responsibilities. This helps children prepare for the move to

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

school. Children have regular opportunities to engage in outdoor activities. They enjoy a suitable range of experiences, for example, a newly purchased mud kitchen, where children pour water from a tap, mix water and mud to make a selection of burgers. Older children independently take care of their personal needs when they visit the toilet and wash their hands. Other children are supported as they carry out their self-care needs and are encouraged in all their efforts to be independent.

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

Behaviour is good. Children play co-operatively together and respond appropriately to staff requests. Staff set appropriate boundaries and manage children's behavior well. As a result, children are receiving clear messages about acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Children are emotionally well prepared for the move to school because staff provide appropriate support. For example, a lunch club is offered in the summer term, allowing children to eat with their peers and the playgroup has also produced 'My New School Book'. This helps children feel confident and secure as they transfer to primary school. Older children bring their own food to the lunch club and parents are encouraged to make these lunches as healthy as possible. This helps children to learn which foods are healthy to eat and staff reinforce the healthy eating messages during snack time.

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provision

The required policies and procedures are in place, and understood and implemented by staff. The leader and staff demonstrate an appropriate understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. Staff are clear with regards to the indicators of abuse and what they would do should they have any concerns. They are fully aware of their responsibility to report their concerns to the designated safeguarding practitioner within the playgroup, or external agencies if required. Vetting procedures ensure that qualifications, Disclosure and Barring Service checks and references are obtained for all staff working with children, so that their suitability is ascertained from the start. Staff know how to identify and minimise risks and carry out regular checks of the indoor and outdoor environments to minimise these.

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provision

The manager is committed to the continuous improvement of the playgroup and demonstrates the capacity to improve. However, the process of self-evaluation is not embedded and does not fully focus or identify ongoing trends or areas for improvement in the quality of the provision and outcomes for children, so challenging targets to secure continuous improvement can be set. The monitoring of the educational programmes and the overall quality of teaching requires improvement. The staff team bring variable levels of skills and experience to the playgroup. As a result, not all children are consistently provided with challenging experiences and effective teaching. There are arrangements in place for staff supervision and appraisal and staff have opportunities for training. However, these are not currently rigorous enough to identify when less confident members of staff need additional support and to ensure planning and assessment is

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provision

completed consistently. Consequently, there are variations in the quality of teaching and learning.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are encouraged in their partnership with the playgroup through special outings that take place. They also have access to all policies and procedures through the playgroup's website, which also contains a range of useful information, including a monthly newsletter. Parents spoken to at the time of inspection expressed positive comments about the playgroup. For example, one parent spoke positively of how her child was being supported in preparing for the move to primary school. Parents state staff are approachable, information is shared and that their children are making progress in their learning.

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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 EY292611 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 861444

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Deborah Margaret Calvert Date of previous inspection 27/04/2010 Telephone number 07746 171 456

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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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