Wheldrake Playgroup

Wheldrake Playgroup Wheldrake Village Hall, Broad Highway, Wheldrake, York, North Yorkshire, YO19 6BE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/07/2014 19/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff are skilled in extending learning opportunities for children to ensure they are stimulating and challenging. As a result, children are engaged in their experiences and are keen learners.  Children form secure bonds with key people and settle in well. This is because staff are supportive and behaviour is managed positively.  There are effective links with schools, parents and relevant professionals. Therefore, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who speak English as an additional language make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The manager and staff team demonstrate commitment to improvement and share knowledge from training so that all children benefit from new skills and initiatives.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities to pass on key messages to children about good hygiene practices and how these contribute to a healthy lifestyle, are not always used.  Although induction training covers the playgroup's policies and procedures, some staff are not entirely clear on the action to take in all circumstances.

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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 experiences for children in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector looked at children's learning journals and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the deputy managers and spoke to staff throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector obtained the views of parents and carers through feedback from questionnaires and children's learning journals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the deputy manager and checked the self-evaluation evidence.

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Information about the setting

Wheldrake Playgroup was registered in 1992 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in the village hall in the Wheldrake area of York, and is managed by a committee. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff, five of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens Monday, Wednesday and Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 8.30am until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 31 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and 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:

 enhance children's progress further by ensuring that all opportunities to convey key messages regarding diet and physical exercise are used effectively, in order for children to learn how to make healthy choices and understand how these contribute towards a healthy lifestyle

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

 monitor staff's understanding of policies and procedures, so that all staff are able to fully implement all policies and procedures should the need arise.

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who attend

Staff enhance learning experiences to make them fun for children, and as a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. For example, children develop communication skills and extend their vocabulary as staff encourage them to think critically about what they are doing. The quality of teaching is consistently good, with some outstanding elements. Children display the characteristics of effective learners and show readiness for school as they develop skills in literacy and numeracy. For example, a small group of children choose to play outdoors and enjoy using the water, buckets and containers for filling and emptying. A member of staff observes then participates, encouraging older children to build on their estimation skills as they take turns to guess how many buckets will fill the container. Young children delight in using brushes and water to make marks on the fence, and they persevere and keep trying as staff offer

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who attend

words of praise and encouragement. Children benefit from experiences which are challenging, stimulating and achievable. This because staff are able to use their expertise to differentiate levels of support for children. For example, they encourage children to use a self-registration board when they enter. This has a mixture of photographs and names, some of which are joined together for children to begin to recognise their name in print, and some of which are not, in order to suitably challenge those children who are more able. The same principles are applied throughout different areas within the setting, such as the toilet area. Staff supervise children in the toilets and use opportunities to teach them about shape, number and colour with different cards on display on the doors.

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who attend

There are effective systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The special educational needs coordinator works alongside parents and other relevant professionals, such as occupational therapists, to create individual education plans for children. This ensures their needs are fully met, and as a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points. Flexible routines ensure children are not disrupted during their play, and staff consider individual learning styles by valuing the outdoors as a learning environment. For example, staff invite children to join them for a story in the lounge area. The majority run into the room and prepare as staff talk to them about which body parts are used for listening. Other children choose to continue their mark making, using crayons, pencils and pens in the main room, and a member of staff stays with them,

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who attend

developing their interest in princesses into retelling stories for themselves.

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who attend

Parents are involved in their children's learning as the playgroup has highly effective strategies to engage them. For example, the playgroup holds craft days and parents work alongside their children to share their achievements. Learning journals are made available to parents, which include written summaries of the progress check completed when they are aged between two and three years. Parents are given blank 'stars' to record home learning which children can share during circle time. This supports continuity of learning for children. The playgroup extends this further and shares relevant information with other settings they attend, for example, they send learning journals to other provisions for them to make contributions. Key people use information gathered from parents, observations and other provisions to carefully plan next steps for children. Consequently, assessments are accurate and precise as they are tailored to each individual.

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

The key-person system is effective and children are able to form secure emotional bonds with staff. As a result, the environment is calm and behaviour is positive as children skip around the room and sing. Children are happy and settled in the playgroup. This is because staff know them well and are able to meet their needs, such as when they feel tired or thirsty. Behaviour is managed positively and children learn to share resources and be kind to each other because staff are good role models. For example, children say 'please' and 'thank you' to each other and can manage to take turns with minimal support. Staff have high expectations of children and encourage them to be independent and manage their own safety. Appropriate responsibilities are given to children, such as pouring drinks. Staff use opportunities during toilet breaks to teach children that their bodies are private, to help them learn to keep themselves safe.

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

Children use small knives to help staff prepare snack which consists of fruits and drinks. Snack is optional and children are able to select their fruit, plate and drink from the large table. This ensures routines do not hinder play and enables children to fulfil their own personal targets. Children bring their own packed lunches to the playgroup, and parents are encouraged to support children to make healthy choices. Staff encourage children to wash their hands before they handle food, however, they do not have conversations about the importance of this to reinforce children's understanding of good hygiene practices. Information in regard to children's care needs are shared through home/setting diary and this also contains information about learning taken place that day.

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

Environments, indoors and outdoors, are welcoming and friendly for families. They are inviting for children to play and explore and cover the seven areas of learning. The playgroup uses the outdoor space well and children enjoy using a range of resources to promote their physical development, such as climbing frames and bikes. Artwork achievements are hung up in the surrounding trees and children play imaginatively, for example, as fire fighters using appropriate props. The playgroup uses funds raised to develop areas for children, and this is supported by a committee of parents who contribute to decision making. Consequently, children benefit from well kept, up-to-date equipment.

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provision

Staff teach children to keep themselves safe during everyday experiences, and children show confidence to seek out key people when they are sad or need help. All staff and committee members have Disclosure and Barring Service checks which ensure they are suitable to have direct contact with children. The playgroup has a lead member of staff for child protection who is able to provide support to other staff on any specific safeguarding issues. Senior staff are aware of reporting and recording procedures, and all staff have completed safeguarding training and are therefore aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse. Robust policies and procedures are in place detailing the action to take in the event of a concern about a child's welfare. However, not all staff are fully conversant with all procedures, such as who to contact in the event of a whistle-blowing concern. The environments, indoors and outdoors, have clear risk assessments in place which are

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provision

reviewed regularly to ensure all areas are safe for children to use.

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provision

The management team, with support from the local authority, effectively monitors educational programmes. The deputy managers are able to accurately monitor staff's practice with direct relation to teaching and learning. Feedback is delivered to staff constructively and the management team are aware of their individual strengths and areas for development. Regular supervisions and appraisals support staff to be reflective in order to meet all children's needs. The setting supports children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Key persons effectively target and monitor these groups of children to ensure the any gaps in learning are narrowing by planning effective support and interventions. There are established relationships in place with other settings children attend, including schools, and with families of children who attend. Relevant information is shared with other

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provision

professionals, such as speech and language therapists, which enables staff to work towards achievable targets for children.

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provision

The impact of staff training has been positive for children and the strategies learnt are used to enhance provision. Staff monitor the areas used by children and regularly hold meetings where they discuss how areas can be improved for children to be more engaged in their play and use. For example, children enjoyed forest schools sessions, which enabled them to engage with the natural world in the local area. As a result, staff accessed training in order to develop and deliver this at the playgroup. The management team use monitoring reports from the local authority and views of parents to contribute to the self-evaluation. They are proactive in making changes they feel would be beneficial for children and have addressed previous recommendations since their last inspection. This demonstrates the staff commitment to continuous improvement as they strive towards excellence. Parents speak positively about the playgroup in questionnaires, writing about

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provision

how children enjoy their time with staff and are happy in their care.

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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 321549 Local authority York Inspection number 868707

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 31 Name of provider Wheldrake Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 19/01/2009 Telephone number 01904448420

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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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