Upper Hopton Pre-School

Upper Hopton Playgroup Croft House Community Centre, Jackroyd Lane, Upper Hopton, MIRFIELD, West Yorkshire, WF14 8HS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/07/2014 14/11/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Planning of some activities, including outdoors lack focus and purpose to ensure children experience challenge in their learning. The use of observations and assessments is not consistent in quality or frequent enough to effectively identify children's next steps across all areas of learning.  Practice is inconsistent and not sustained because of ineffective monitoring of the quality of teaching, therefore, not all practitioners skilfully support children in their learning.  Key person arrangements and information gathered from parents about children's progress during initial assessments is not good enough to promote learning that is tailored to children's individual needs.  The registered person is not notifying Ofsted of changes relating to members of the unincorporated association because of their lack of understanding of requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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It has the following strengths

 Practitioners keep children safe. They supervise children, risk assess and understand their safeguarding responsibilities when dealing with child protection concerns.  Children have safe and independent access to a varied range of resources. Their relationships with practitioners are positive, children are happy and enjoy their time at the group.

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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 activities indoors and in the outside learning environment.  The inspector held meetings and conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and information provided by the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children and she discussed the provider's arrangements for self- evaluation and improvement plans.

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Information about the setting

Upper Hopton Playgroup opened in 1993 and is managed by a voluntary committee. It operates from a community building in Upper Hopton, Mirfield. The group serves the local wider area. The group opens Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9am to 3pm and Wednesday and Friday, 9am to 1pm, term time only. Children attend a variety of sessions. Children are cared for in one room and they have access to an enclosed area for outdoor play. There are currently 21 children attending who are in the early years age range. There are currently six staff working directly with children, of these, five have an appropriate early years qualification. The group receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children. The group are registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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must:

 improve planning, especially adult-led activities, so that children consistently experience exciting, purposeful and challenging experiences to ensure they make good progress in their learning and practitioners understand their role in supporting all children's learning during these activities

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must:

 improve observation and assessment arrangements so that children's progress is consistently monitored and accurately tracked to ensure their individual next steps in learning are frequently and clearly identified across all areas of learning, so that they experience well planned, challenging and purposeful activities to support them in making good progress in their learning

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must:

 improve supervision and monitoring of practitioners' performance to ensure arrangements are robust enough to improve and sustain the quality of teaching, so that under performance is effectively tackled and to make sure that practitioners receive the support, coaching and training needed to improve their personal effectiveness and understanding of how young children learn

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must:

 ensure each child is assigned a key person and parents are informed of this when their child first starts attending and ensure information gathered from parents during initial visits is comprehensive enough about children's progress, skills and starting points, so that children receive learning experiences tailored to meet their individual needs.

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

 improve resources and planning of activities outdoors so that children are able to express their thoughts, ideas, creativity and rich and vivid imaginations through having access to well-resourced role-play areas.

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who attend

Since the last inspection, not all practitioners have made sufficient, consistent and sustained improvement regarding supporting children in making good progress in their learning. Therefore, overall the quality of teaching is weak. However, some aspects of the provision are adequate. This means children enjoy their time at the group and they are happy. Relationships with children are positive and they enjoy practitioners being involved in their play. In addition, practitioners organise the environment so that children have free and independent access to a varied range of resources. Therefore, children are eager to learn because they can access resources that they like and enjoy. In addition to the resources and activities readily available, practitioners plan a range of adult-led activities. In some cases, practitioners do this well and as a result this benefits children's learning. For example, when introducing a cafe-style system for snacks, some practitioners provide

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who attend

a detailed plan to how they are to achieve this, their role and the benefits it will have on children's development across all areas of learning. As a result, children access snack independently, their play is not interrupted by routine and they develop their self-care skills by making choices and completing tasks themselves during snack. However, this quality of teaching is not consistent across all planned activities. Therefore, some activities lack excitement and thought; practitioners do not always consider the differing abilities of children and some practitioners lack focus when interacting with children, such as using a wide range of open-ended questions. As a result, not all adult-led activities are purposeful, challenging and exciting to support children in making good progress in their learning. For example, there are weaknesses in role play outdoors and activities around children making

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who attend

their own ice creams. Furthermore, although there are some observation and assessment processes in place, they are not of consistent quality to support individual children in their learning or to build on the progress children make at home. This is because not all practitioners are tracking and monitoring their key children frequently enough to ensure they have a good overview of children's abilities across all areas of learning. Consequently, not all children's assessment records are accurate or up to date and practitioners are not effectively identifying children's next steps in learning to ensure they consistently support children in making good progress. This inconsistent approach to planning, observation and tracking of children's progress means that practitioners have not taken sufficient action to address weaknesses identified at their last inspection. This practice is weak and significantly affects children's learning and development experiences and their readiness

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who attend

Through some positive interactions with children and organisation of resources, practitioners provide a variety of experiences for children. This has some positive impact on children's learning and development, although not sufficient for practitioners to sustain and support children in making good progress. They engage easily in conversations with children and they listen to what they have to say. They provide books and they involve children in mark making activities, including some practitioners encouraging older children to write their name in readiness for school. This contributes to children's progress in literacy, communication and language. They build on children's emerging mathematical skills by involving them in number songs and they provide puzzles, such as jigsaws to support younger children in solving simple problems. This means practitioners take some steps to promote children's mathematical development. Some activities and resources are

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who attend

available to foster children's development in understanding the world. Children go on occasional walks in the community, which provides them opportunities to explore nature and the natural world. In addition, children use resources in their play that support them in learning about simple technology and how things work. For example, they are eager to press buttons to open the till when paying for their ice creams. Overall, there is a sufficient range of activities that contributes to children's development in expressive arts and design. However, these are not exciting and stimulating in the outdoor learning environment to promote children's imagination and creativity. This is because role-play resources are lacking in this area. Indoors, children enjoy painting, sticking and engaging in role play, such as playing at ice cream shops. Practitioner's relationships with parents are positive. Through discussions, they share

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who attend

information about their child's day, which includes activities that they enjoy and some aspects of their progress. Practitioners routinely share with parents the progress check they complete for children aged between two and three years and this includes discussions about any support or intervention children may need. In addition, following the last inspection, practitioners are introducing 'What I did today' forms, to share information with parents about children's progress and any ideas to support this learning at home. Although this is not yet embedded in practice, they have taken some steps to improve their partnership working with parents. Through a varied range of policies and procedures, parents are sufficiently aware of the service and the range of activities on offer for children.

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

Practitioners are friendly and they provide a welcoming learning environment for children. They value children's work by displaying it around the room, which provides children with a sense of belonging. Children have positive relationships with practitioners and they feel safe in their care because of these relationships. However, children's feeling of safety and emotionally security is misplaced because of the practitioners lack of ability in meeting their learning needs and because key person arrangements are inconsistent. Children settle quickly because they experience settling-in-visits that enable them to gradually become familiar with their new surroundings. However, practitioners are not always assigning children with a key person when they first start. Therefore, not all parents have a focal point of contact to share information about their child. In addition, key persons are not gathering comprehensive information from parents about children skills, progress,

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

abilities and starting points during initial assessments and discussions. Therefore, practitioners are not tailoring children's learning experiences to meet their individual needs. This is because the 'All about me' form focuses on children's care needs and although in the main this supports children's transition from home, information sharing is weak to support planning for children's learning needs. Practitioners are mindful of supporting children's transitions to school. Therefore, they discuss with children what to expect and through role play they provide opportunities for children to experience school routines. For example, children are able to dress up in school uniforms and set up lunch in a way to replicate a school dining hall. Therefore, children are excited to be starting school and this confidence and independence contributes to supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. However, the weak planning of the educational programmes

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

means practitioners are not building on the skills children are learning at home to fully support their learning and readiness for school.

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

Practitioners adequately promote children's health. They encourage children to adopt healthy hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before meals. They supplement the meals parents provide with snacks. The development of a cafe-style snack system means that children can independently access the snack and they are able to make choices from a varied range of healthy choices. Children have daily access to the outdoor area so that they engage in physical activity. This means they enjoy the health benefits of playing in the fresh air and this promotes their understanding of leading a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy playing in the sand, throwing and catching balls and riding their bikes when playing outdoors. In addition, children have access to a local park and field, where they can use the small apparatus, climb and run in open spaces. In addition, through jigsaws, using equipment, such as scissors, children develop their coordination and dexterity skills.

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

These activities, sufficiently promote children's physical development.

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

Practitioners appropriately manage children's behaviour. They praise their achievements and this means children develop positive self-esteem and confidence. They calmly intervene when dealing with minor disagreements, getting down to children's level to explain why their behaviour is unacceptable. In addition, they provide consistent routines and boundaries and through play, they encourage children to share and take turns. This contributes to children in developing positive relationships with others. Practitioners are appropriately helping children to understand ways in which they can keep themselves safe. They involve children in fire evacuation practices and they talk to them about playing with equipment in safe ways. For example, they talk to children about how to hold scissors so that they carry them safely back to the table.

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provision

The registered person and practitioners' understanding of their roles and responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage is weak. They have not taken sufficient action to address weaknesses identified at their last inspection and this means the quality of the service is inadequate. As a result, there are a number of breaches in requirements that have a significant impact on children's learning and development. In addition, the registered person failed to notify Ofsted within 14 days of changes to members of the unincorporated association. This failure to notify, alongside a number of other breaches and lack of improvement since the last inspection demonstrates their lack of understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the requirements of the Childcare Register. Although there are a number of breaches in requirements, especially relating to the quality of teaching, learning and development,

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provision

practitioners do implement some appropriate policies and procedures that contribute to them keeping children safe. Practitioners have a sufficient awareness of the signs of abuse and neglect and they know the procedures for reporting concerns. They risk assess the premises on a regular basis and they complete daily safety checks when setting up the resources to ensure they identify and minimise any hazards. Recruitment and vetting procedures are adequate, all practitioners working directly with children complete relevant background checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children. In addition, induction programmes sufficiently cover health and safety issues so that practitioners have some awareness of their role. For example, they know they cannot use their mobile telephones when caring for children. Through appropriate deployment, practitioners ensure they supervise children at all times and this contributes to keeping children safe.

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provision

The manager is aware of the importance of self-evaluation and action planning to promote improvement. However, despite working closely with a representative from the local authority over recent months, she fully understands that they have not made enough progress over a sustained period to improve outcomes for children. She fully understands they have not successfully met all actions raised at the last inspection and she recognises this is not good enough. Therefore, because the approach to sustaining improvements and monitoring the quality of the provision is weak, some reoccurring issues are identified. Therefore, not enough is being done to sustain a secure programme of improvement. However, since the last inspection despite not addressing all actions raised, practitioners have made some improvements. For example, reorganisation of resources within the room means children have increased opportunities to access art and craft activities. In addition,

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provision

through improving the organisation of snack, practitioners are no longer interrupting children's play through a lack of flexibility and routine. There are some performance management arrangements in place. The manager completes regular supervisions with the practitioners. However, these lack rigour around monitoring the quality of teaching and tackling under performance. Therefore, systems to promote a well-established programme of professional development, through support and coaching are weak. As a result, the quality of teaching and monitoring of children's progress is inconsistent. In addition, practitioners are not sustaining any slight improvements they make to effectively and continually support children's learning over time or to promote their personal effectiveness.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure the registered person, where the main purpose is childcare, informs Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any partner, director, senior officer or other member of the governing body (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)

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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 311348 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 962691

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 21 Name of provider Upper Hopton Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 14/11/2013 Telephone number 07989 212296

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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