CADWA Playgroup

CADWA Playgroup Cadwa Hall, Bowland Avenue, Liverpool, Merseyside, L16 1JP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/09/2014 14/03/2011

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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

 Children are protected from harm because staff have a good understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures, assess risks well and have first-aid certificates.  Children form warm, responsive relationships with their key person, who knows them well. Partnerships with parents are good and they comment that their children are very happy and are making good progress.  Teaching is good because staff demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of how children learn. Consequently, all children make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Staff are proactive in teaching children to develop healthy habits, such as doing exercise and brushing their teeth.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 While staff are good at extending children's learning by following their day-to-day interests closely, there is sometimes a lapse in time between the observations they make and planning for their next steps, to help children make even better progress.  Systems to monitor the progress of specific groups of children are not yet fully developed, in order to identify if all children make equally good progress.

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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 looked at relevant documentation, including planning, observations and assessment records. She also looked at a range of policies, including information used to assess the suitability of staff and first-aid qualifications.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and care practices in the playroom and within the outside play area. She conducted joint observations with the manager, looking at the practice of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children and staff. She also held a meeting with the manager and the provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers, spoken to during the inspection, and read their comments in children's learning records.

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Information about the setting

The CADWA Playgroup was registered in 1995 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated within the district community hall in the Childwall area of Liverpool and is managed by a voluntary committee. The playgroup serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from one large hall, with a second hall available for use, if required. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The playgroup employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4 and one at level 3. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday during term-time. Sessions are from 9am until 12noon. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 13 children attending who are in the early years age group. The playgroup provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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

 refine the process of observation and assessment further to identify children's next steps in learning more promptly and demonstrate how these are incorporated into planning

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

 analyse the data collected from tracking children's progress in more depth, so that any variations in the progress of specific groups, such as girls and boys are successfully identified and used to support children's development.

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who attend

Staff know the children very well. They gather information from parents and carers about their children's needs, abilities and interests when they start at the playgroup and throughout their time there. They do this through detailed All about me documents and regular verbal feedback. Most frequently, staff support children's progress by knowing their current interests and using them to extend their learning. For example, when children say their mummy is having a baby, they quickly respond by providing more baby dolls in the home corner. Staff make short observations and assessments of children's play and use these to plan for the next steps in their learning. However, these are collated at the end of each half-term and so some time may elapse before specific activities are planned. This means that, sometimes, the next steps in children's learning are not planned for as quickly as possible, to further support each child's good progress.

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who attend

Parents and carers are encouraged to continue children's learning at home, through regular newsletters, identifying the current theme. In addition, parents are invited to special events throughout the year, such as a nativity play and leavers' graduation ceremony, to see first-hand how confidently their children perform. Parents and carers contribute to the assessment and planning process through their comments in children's termly reviews, informal chats with staff and pre-arranged parent evenings.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Staff use a range of teaching strategies to effectively support children's developing language and literacy skills. For example, children self- register, looking for their name and photograph to stick on the board. Staff demonstrate how to make marks in the dry oats, and offer many activities to use tools to begin to develop children's writing skills. Staff read stories, sing songs and enjoy extended conversations with children about their interests and home life. Children investigate musical instruments and are inquisitive about the different sounds they make and staff sensitively join in to keep children's interest. Children who need support with speaking have regular, short one-to-one sessions with their key person, working in a playful way on speaking and listening skills. Consequently, children are becoming confident communicators and make good progress from their starting points. Children's

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who attend

mathematical skills are enhanced, as staff teach them to count and recognise numbers. Staff introduce the language of size, when they ask which jigsaw piece is the biggest and help them to problem-solve by suggesting children 'wiggle it about' when the pieces will not easily fit. They support children to understand concepts, such as more and less, when children become engrossed in filling and pouring dry oats from different sized containers. They encourage children who become frustrated trying to use scissors, to come back and try again. As a result, children are developing the skills and persistence they will need to be ready for school, when the time comes.

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

Staff demonstrate positive attitudes towards their work. They are happy and enthusiastic with the children. Children are happy and settled in the playgroup and they have very good relationships with the staff. Children develop a very close bond with their key person, who is aware of their individual daily routines, likes and dislikes. The children seek out their key person for reassurance when they are feeling unsure. For example, they confidently say, 'I don't like the hand dryer' in the bathroom, and staff reassure them, they do not have to use it. As a result, children thrive in the playgroup because staff know children very well and are on hand to provide support, when needed. This means that children are emotionally secure. Children settle into the playgroup quickly because there are good settling-in procedures, which are adapted for each child and their family. In addition, staff find out important information, including children's interests, likes and

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

dislikes on their All about me form. Parents say how happy they are with the attachments their children have made to staff and feel their children benefit from the smaller, more intimate setting. Staff carefully consider arrangements for children moving onto school. They plan a getting ready for school theme in the half-term before the playgroup closes for the summer, providing activities to prepare children for the changes ahead.

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

Children play in a stimulating and well-organised environment both indoors and outdoors, which has been thoughtfully arranged to reflect the seven areas of learning. All resources are easily accessible and are clearly labelled with pictures and labels. This enables children to select and use their own resources independently. Independence is further promoted as children are encouraged to tidy up before snacks and climb onto the step to wash their hands before eating. Children behave well in the playgroup because they are fully engaged in their activities and staff sensitively support children who struggle with taking turns. For example, they gently remind children not to snatch from each other. Displays in the playgroup recognise children's attempts to play cooperatively, share and be kind, helping to reinforce good behaviour. Consequently, they play well with others and develop skills to support them in their learning.

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

Children have regular access to the outdoors. This means that they have the opportunity to be active and benefit from plenty of fresh air. Children learn about healthy lifestyles when they listen to a story about going to the dentist and look at toothbrushes and toothpaste. In addition, a being healthy theme is planned and events, such as sports day, encourage enjoyment of exercise. Children demonstrate a good understanding of health and hygiene, as they wash their hands before snacks and drink plenty of water. Young children are learning how to keep themselves safe because staff gently remind them, for example, to be careful not to trip over items on the floor.

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provision

Children are safeguarded very well, as all staff have undergone the necessary checks to make sure that they are suitable to work with children. The playgroup has appropriate policies and systems in place to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures and a clear knowledge of how to report concerns appropriately. Regular risk assessments are completed for the premises, both indoors and outdoors, which helps to monitor the safety of the environment. All three permanent staff have current first-aid certificates and appropriate records are kept, should children have an accident. Consequently, children's safety is prioritised.

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provision

Staff have a very secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements, which enables them to support children in making good progress in their learning. There are effective recruitment procedures in place, although all staff have been employed for many years. Staff performance is monitored through annual appraisals, regular staff meetings and frequent informal discussions. Staff feel their professional development is important. The manager is aware of the impact of supporting professional development and, as a result, she and another member of staff have completed appropriate level 4 qualifications since the last inspection. Consequently, this small, well-established team work very well together to provide a good standard of care and education for children. Children's achievements are tracked against the early learning goals to monitor their progress. The manager and her team review individual children's progress every half-term. However, as

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provision

yet, the manager has not analysed the tracking data to see if specific groups of children, such as boys and girls, all make equally good progress. Consequently, possible gaps are not identified and planned for. Strong partnerships with parents contribute to a coordinated approach to children's care and learning. Policies and procedures are thorough and support staff well in providing a very welcoming and stimulating environment for all children.

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provision

The manager and her staff are reflective and strive to develop the playgroup further. Priorities for improvement are identified through consultation with parents, children, the management committee and staff. For example, since the last inspection they have added a canopy to the outdoor area, allowing children to play out all year round but be protected from the worst elements of the weather. However, they plan to develop the outdoor area further by adding more areas for children to explore and investigate. Information regarding the group's policies, procedures and activities offered are shared with parents in a variety of ways, including a newsletter, parents' evenings, displays and daily discussions. The group has established good relationships with outside agencies and others, such as local cluster groups, to share knowledge, good practice and provide appropriate support for children. As a result, children's needs are well met and they are well prepared for

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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 322466 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 872150

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 13 Name of provider The Chelwood and District Welfare Association Committee Date of previous inspection 14/03/2011 Telephone number 0151 722 6425

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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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