Waterbeach Community Playgroup

Waterbeach Community Playgroup The Waterbeach Playhouse, High Street, Waterbeach, CAMBRIDGE, Cambridgeshire, CB25 9JU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/07/2014 14/11/2011

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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 manager and staff understand how to safeguard children in their care and partnerships with parents and other professionals are good. Staff have age-appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. Also, support and guidance is given in a consistent way.  Processes for supporting children's transitions into the setting and beyond are embedded and children have a key person. This ensures children are emotionally supported in all stages of their learning.  Children are learning about the importance of a healthy diet and good hygiene practices.

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It is not yet good because

 Current strategies to support staff's ongoing development are not fully embedded, leading to the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and delivery of activities.  Staff do not use some specific resources consistently to fully support children with English as an additional language in seeing and using their home languages.  The learning environment does not fully support children to be independent in accessing resources and extending their own learning.

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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 all areas of the setting including the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection and held a meeting with the manager and committee.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took the views of parents and carers into account through conversations.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documentation was examined, including the children's learning journals, staff records and evidence of their suitability and qualifications, risk assessments and the setting's self-evaluation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Waterbeach Community Playgroup was registered in 1992 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in purpose built premises on the site of Waterbeach Primary School, in the village of Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. It is managed by a management committee of parents. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from self-contained cabin and there are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The playgroup employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon or 12.30pm till 2.30pm. The playgroup also runs a lunch club from 12 noon till 12.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 52 children attending who are in the early years age group. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old

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Information about the setting

children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 improve current strategies for supporting staff's ongoing development to improve the quality and consistency of teaching, ensuring activities are challenging and children are supported in making good progress in their learning and development.

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

 adapt the learning environment to ensure it provides children with opportunities to self-select resources across all areas, so they can follow their own interests and become engrossed and engaged in their learning

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

 extend the opportunities for children with English as an additional language to recognise and value their home languages by presenting and using support resources, such as picture cards and dual language books, more consistently.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at the setting and generally engage in a range of age- appropriate activities that cover the seven areas of learning, such as, painting, looking at books, dressing up and cooking. However, occasionally activities are mundane and lack a good level of challenge, and as a result, not all children become fully engrossed. In the main, children are developing the skills they need for their next stage of learning. Children are developing mathematical ideas as they predict how much water they need to fill containers. Opportunities to develop writing are supported through painting activities and free access to pens and paper. Regular visits to the local library support children's language and communication development. Staff join in with children's play, offering encouragement, support and praise. However, the quality of teaching across the setting is variable. Not all staff are as skilled in extending children's learning and this impacts on the

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who attend

overall progress children are able to make in readiness for school.

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who attend

The setting supports a number of children with English as an additional language and who are steadily acquiring skills in spoken English. They have some systems in place, such as obtaining key words from parents in the home language, dual language books and sets of picture cards, to support children's understanding. The setting also employs staff members who speak additional languages and they read stories and sing songs. However, these systems are not consistently used. For example, the dual language books are not stored to enable children to access them easily them and the picture cards are not always available for staff to use in the general day-to-day operation of the sessions. Each child has their own learning journal, where staff collect a range of clear observations, photographs and examples of children's work to support assessments of children's progress. This includes the completion of the progress check for children between the ages of two and three

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who attend

years. Children's progress is tracked and next steps are planned for. Parents are engaged in their children's learning through a range of procedures. Information is collected from parents before children start, detailing their current interests and abilities. The setting has an open door policy and welcomes parents to come in for stay and play sessions. Learning journals are shared with parents and they have the opportunity to have meetings with their child's key worker. This ensures parents are involved in their children's learning.

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

Children are generally confident, happy and content while at the setting. They arrive cheerfully and quickly join in with activities. Each child has a key person which helps them to form secure attachments with the staff caring for them. Children are confident at asking for help when needed and climb on to staff members' laps during the reading of stories. Good information is collected from parents when children first start which enables staff to support them emotionally. A flexible approach to starting at the setting allows parents to stay with their children until both are comfortable and reassured. Children who are moving on to school are well prepared. Assessment information is shared and teachers are invited in to meet with children and staff. The setting undertakes visits to the local school. Throughout the year, the children attend a range of events at the local primary school, such as plays and sports days. Furthermore, children are prepared through role play,

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

discussions and photograph books of the schools they move on to. This ensures children are emotionally ready for their next stage of learning. The environment is safe, welcoming and adequately resourced. However, the current layout means children do not have free access to a large proportion of the resources available. This impacts on their ability to freely follow their own interests and become self- motivated and engaged. Children are supported to understand about personal safety and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They are encouraged to manage their own personal needs and are competent in washing their hands. Healthy eating is promoted through the provision of healthy snacks and the growing of vegetables. Children freely access water and know they need to drink to cool themselves down on hot days. They have free access to a large outdoor area that enables them to be physically active and take appropriate

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

risk. For example, they clamber up the setting's climbing frame and cycle round on bikes. Staff have age-appropriate expectations of children's behaviour and work consistently to support children to share and be kind to their friends. As a result, children behave appropriately in relation to their age.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. All staff undergo the appropriate checks, including those by the Disclosure and Barring Service. New staff take part in induction procedures, during the first few weeks of employment, which covers key policies and expectations. This helps to ensure children are kept safe during their time in the setting. Staff have a good understanding of how to protect children from harm and confidently explain how they would deal with safeguarding concerns. The setting has a safeguarding policy in place and another which covers the use of cameras and mobile phones. The setting is secure and has good procedures to ensure the safety of children during drop off and collection times. The staff carry out risk assessments and have procedures to follow when children are taken off site. As a result, children are cared for in a safe and secure environment.

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provision

The manager and committee are aware of the areas of the setting that need development. They evaluate the provision through the use of the local authority quality framework document. All staff are involved in the process. Some progress has been made since the last inspection, although further improvement of the provision is still being identified. A new system for performance management has been introduced, although this is yet to be embedded. The manager monitors children's records and spends time working alongside the staff and children. This ensures that children who require additional support are identified. Staff have access to regular training and a number have recently gone on refresher training about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Regular team meetings and non-contact time are all used to embed new learning into the setting. While this is starting to inform better practice, the processes are not sufficiently focused on improving the

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provision

Partnerships with parents and other agencies are good. Parents speak well of the setting, describing the staff as friendly and welcoming. An open door policy means parents are welcomed into the setting at all times. Assessments are completed appropriately when children move on to school with the involvement of parents. The setting has developed good links with the local school. The setting makes use of the local children's centre, supporting some families in the transition to the setting. They have a good understanding of the support available for speech and language and signpost families to access these sessions. The setting engages with outside agencies to ensure they are providing appropriate support to children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children receive adequate support to progress in their next stage of 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 221774 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 871289

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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 52 Name of provider Waterbeach Community Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 14/11/2011 Telephone number 07902 291424 or 01223440769

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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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