Woodland Playgroup

Woodland Playgroup Methodist Church Hall, High Street, Epping, Essex, CM16 4BD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/07/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 strong and as a result, children are motivated to learn and explore, they subsequently make good progress.  Children quickly establish warm relationships with staff and as a result, they are happy, keen to learn and rapidly growing in self-assurance.  Staff establish positive and trusting relationships with parents. An effective two-way flow of communication supports children's welfare and learning and development.  Children are protected through clear safeguarding procedures, which are fully understood and implemented by staff.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to extend opportunities for those children who speak English as an additional language to view and use their home language in the playgroup.

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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 indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and photographs of children joining in with different activities.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff, parents and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Woodland Playgroup was registered in 2014 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from a hall at the rear of Epping Methodist Church in Epping, Essex. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The playgroup employs four members of staff, two of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 19 children in the early years age range on roll. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 provide more opportunities for those children who speak English as an additional language to view and use their home language in the playgroup.

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who attend

Children flourish in this warm and welcoming playgroup and make good progress in all areas of their learning. They explore and play, displaying emerging levels of independence and self-confidence. They demonstrate a positive approach to learning, supported by the cheerful interactions of the staff team caring for them. Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They know the children very well and talk in detail about their strengths and areas for further development. Staff record children's development in learning journals. They make effective use of these to plan and provide relevant experiences to meet the individual learning and development needs of all children. Staff gather detailed information from parents about their child when they first attend. This provides a clear picture of children's capabilities so they can support them as soon as they attend. Staff plan activities and opportunities together as a team, taking into

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who attend

consideration the children's interests and ideas. Staff have daily discussions with parents to provide them with informative feedback about their children's daily activities, learning and progress. They encourage parents to share their comments about their child's learning at home and to contribute comments to their child's learning journal. This approach is successful in engaging parents in their children's early education.

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who attend

Interesting experiences and resources which cover all seven areas of learning and development are on offer both indoors and outside. Staff organise the playroom and plan activities to ensure that every child enjoys exciting learning and development experiences that meet their individual needs. However, there is scope to extend opportunities for those children who are learning English as an additional language to view and use their home language in the playgroup so that they feel it is valued. Children play outside regularly and the outdoor area promotes children's developing physical skills and confidence. Children choose from a range of physical play equipment, including wheeled toys, hoops and balls and equipment to support all areas of learning is readily accessible for children to self- select.

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who attend

Staff promote the communication and language skills of all children successfully, including those who speak English as an additional language. For example, children enjoy sharing their favourite storybooks with staff and their friends. This helps to promote children's early enjoyment of books, a useful attribute for when moving on to school. Staff engage actively in conversations with the children about the pictures they see. They give them time to initiate discussions from shared experiences, such as talking about their favourite flavour of ice cream. Children use different tools for making marks to practise early writing skills. Staff skilfully extend children's learning as they introduce simple mathematical concepts of shape and size. For example, whilst playing with dough, staff encourage the children to talk about the colour, shape and size of the pieces they are using. Children are motivated to learn, interested, and engaged in activities. All children receive strong

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who attend

support to develop good attitudes and skills to learn effectively. Staff skilfully give young children the space and time to explore what they are interested in so that, when older, they concentrate and persevere in their learning. Consequently, children are gaining skills which help prepare them for their next stage of learning.

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

Children play a full and active role in their learning in this warm and welcoming environment. Upon arrival, children settle swiftly to an activity of their choice and confidently seek assistance and reassurance if needed. Children share a warm relationship with their key person and other staff, who are kind and gentle towards them. They explore their surroundings, supported effectively by attentive staff. Regular praise and encouragement helps to promote children's self-esteem. Staff gather good information from parents about their child's care needs and effective settling-in routines help children create strong bonds with staff. As a result, all children form secure emotional attachments with staff, confidently seeking them out for reassurance when needed. These good relationships also help to prepare children for future transfers, for example, to other early years settings and later to school.

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

Staff support children's emerging understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle that involves physical exercise and a healthy diet. Nutritious snacks, which include fruit and vegetables, are provided and children's individual dietary requirements are met. Children are learning about the need for good hygiene practices as they routinely wash hands before touching food and after visiting the toilet. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise during outdoor play.

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

Children behave well at playgroup because staff have consistent boundaries and are skilled at keeping children well motivated and interested in purposeful activities. Children show a genuine caring attitude as they help one another with tasks and work well together in routines, such as tidying away and sweeping sand from the floor. Children's self-help skills are fostered well by staff and as a result, they are largely independent in the area. Resources are generally of good quality and support children's learning across the seven areas. Staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe and include effective measures, such as risk assessments and checks of the environment, into their daily tasks. As a result, children are able to play and learn as free from harm as possible.

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provision

The proprietor owns and manages the playgroup. She has a secure understanding of her responsibilities to ensure that practice meets the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She and her staff team have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and know how to identify and report concerns they may have about children in their care. Policies and procedures support their work well, as do the effective partnerships with outside agencies where necessary. Recruitment procedures are robust and include background checks and an induction to the playgroup. Team meetings, appraisals and supervisions are in place to support staff in their role. Staff undertake training whenever possible and as a result, children benefit from their enhanced skills and knowledge.

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provision

The small staff team are dedicated to their roles and demonstrate a genuine interest in improving children's outcomes. Self-evaluation is embedded in practice, with the opinions of all staff, parents, children and others, informing plans for the future. Improvements are well targeted to promote children's learning and currently this means further developing and enriching the environment, particularly in the outdoor area. The monitoring of educational programmes is effective and ensures that children benefit from a wide range of experiences to help them make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff also have effective systems in place to monitor children's progress and abilities. This means that, where necessary, children receive appropriate interventions to meet their individual needs.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong. They share their comments and ideas in questionnaires and by contributing to a suggestion box. In discussions, parents describe how children are so much more sociable and confident after attending playgroup and generally have made good progress, albeit in a short time. Staff promote good links with other early years providers, which further aid children's progress and development. Information sharing is effective and this eases children's move to other settings or on to school.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY470237 Local authority Essex Inspection number 953779 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 19 Name of provider Robyn Levison Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07790820297

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Setting details

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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