Openwoodgate Pre-School

Openwoodgate Playgroup St Marks Church Hall, Openwoodgate, BELPER, Derbyshire, DE56 0SD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2014 11/11/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Arrangements for safeguarding children, including safer recruitment procedures, are strong and well embedded, so that children are protected from harm or neglect.  Staff have a good understanding of how to effectively promote children's learning and teaching is good. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development whilst receiving support and guidance from a very enthusiastic team.  Children are excited and motivated to learn because they play in a vibrant, stimulating play environment, which is rich in high quality resources.  Caring and sensitive staff provide a nurturing environment. This gives children a strong sense of belonging and promotes their well-being.  Partnerships with parents and other professionals are strong. Consequently, children benefit from a collaborative approach to their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, some staff miss opportunities to further extend children's communication and language development by not asking open-ended questions or allowing sufficient time for children to answer.  The current arrangements for snack times do not provide children with sufficient opportunities to be independent.

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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 staff and children interacting during activities both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, children's records, evidence of the suitability of staff and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager, the committee representative and talked to the staff.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents to obtain their views on how the playgroup meets the children's needs.

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Information about the setting

Openwoodgate Playgroup opened in 1967 and is committee managed. It operates from a church hall building in the Openwoodgate area of Derbyshire. The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The playgroup serves the immediate locality and the surrounding areas. The playgroup opens five days a week from 9.15am until 12.15pm during term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 34 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The playgroup employs five members of staff working directly with children. Of these, three hold an appropriate qualification at level 3. One holds a qualification at level 2. The playgroup also has the support of an administrator. The playgroup receives support from the local authority, and

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Information about the setting

is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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

 enhance opportunities for children to further extend their communication and language development by asking questions that are more open-ended during activities, and allowing children sufficient time for children to respond

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

 review the snack time procedures and provide children with more opportunities to practise their independence and self-care skills, for example, by encouraging them to prepare their own food and serve their own drinks.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are knowledgeable about how young children learn. As a result, their teaching is very good. Staff work closely with parents when children first start at the playgroup, to find out what children can do. This enables them to plan a range of activities that meet children's needs and follow their interests from their first visit. Staff spend time observing what children can do and assessing this information. They work with parents sharing their observations to enable them to identify and agree on children's next steps in learning. The observations and assessments of children lead to planning that is tailored to the individual needs and interests of all children. As a result, all children make good progress and are fully equipped with a range of skills in readiness for their next steps in education. Children's development records, including a range of observations, assessments and examples of children's work,

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who attend

provide a clear picture of how children's learning is improving and developing over time. Staff complete all required progress checks for children aged between two and three years to plan for the next steps in children's learning. These are effectively shared with parents. As a result, parents are fully aware of their child's development, including their next steps. This information is used well by staff in order to gain appropriate support at an early stage. Consequently, children are helped to make consistently good progress in all areas of learning and development. Two-year-old children who are in receipt of funding receive timely interventions, because staff can easily identify any support they may require. As a result, they are enthusiastic to learn and make good progress.

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who attend

Children are actively encouraged to voice their interests by identifying resources they would like to play with. This supports the planning of activities, which provide good levels of challenge appropriate to the children's ages and stages of development. There is a broad range of resources, which are purposeful and appropriate for the age of the children. The staff ask the children what they want to play with and provide a variety of resources to ignite their interest. Children are encouraged to think about how they could use them, which helps children to explore ideas, learn from each other and to take part in shared thinking. For example, when children are looking at insects they use magnifying glasses to identify how many legs a spider has and then look up on a chart to see what type of spider it may be. This supports children's imagination and critical thinking skills. Children enjoy being creative with pens and scissors. They happily sit at tables and draw

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who attend

their faces while comparing their size and shape. Counting is a regular occurrence. Children use pens and pencils to draw and carry out early mark making. Therefore, children are ready for school when the time comes because they have a wide range of skills, to support their future education, as well as a very positive attitude towards learning. Staff verbally interact with children throughout the day, asking questions, posing tasks and providing challenges for children. This promotes children's early language skills and sustained thinking. However, at times staff do not ask open-ended questions and can be too eager to answer their own question, which does not leave enough time for children to consider and verbalise their own response.

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who attend

Staff work hard to develop strong partnerships with parents. Children have individual learning journals containing on-entry assessments, examples of their work, observations and photographs as evidence of their learning. Parents have access to this information, which keeps them informed of their child's progress and they are actively encouraged to share information about their child's learning at home. For example, regular opportunities are provided for parents to look at and discuss their child's progress and share the interests and activities they have enjoyed at home. This means there is shared knowledge about children and a complete picture of children's learning and development is obtained.

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

Highly effective settling-in procedures are in place and children are very well supported emotionally, when they first begin attending the playgroup. A wealth of good quality information is shared to ensure continuity in children's emotional and physical well-being. This helps children to become familiar with their key person before coming into the playgroup environment. Children then make visits with their parents, based on their individual needs, before staying for the whole session on their own. Parents state how happy they are with the playgroup and talk about how well their children are supported. Staff are good role models. They consistently show interest in children's development and achievements and a create a culture of enthusiasm. Children engage in active, safe and stimulating play, demonstrating high levels of independence and motivation. Children cooperate well with each other and know what behaviour is acceptable in the playgroup.

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

This is because a number of good strategies are embedded in practice. For example, children are praised for positive behaviour and supported to take turns during activities. Staff have agreed procedures outlining how to manage changes in children's behaviour and the rationale of this is shared with parents, to maintain a joint approach.

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

Children are supported to develop a good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They are offered foods that reflect a nutritious, balanced diet and always have access to fruit and drinks. However, during snack time, children do not get the opportunity to help prepare their snack or pour their own drinks. This means there are missed opportunities to promote children's independence further. Children go outside every day in the stimulating play area. This means they learn that outdoor play is not just an activity for fair weather and as a result, they benefit from lots of fresh air. They learn about their environment through growing vegetables and plants, and get vigorous exercise, as they play with a wide range of outdoor resources available, including ride on toys, musical instruments and a wooden playhouse.

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

Children increase their understanding about health and hygiene through established daily routines. For example, they learn to wash their hands after creative play and prior to eating food. Staff effectively prioritise children's safety and well-being, which ensures that children have an enjoyable and happy time at the playgroup. Children's health and safety are given precedence as they play in a safe and secure environment. Risk assessments are methodical and are regularly updated to reflect any changes in the environment. Staff are vigilant and supervise the children very well. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe at the playgroup and know how to follow the procedures when they practise the fire drill. This all contributes well to helping children progress in their learning and development as they move on to school. Children also attend a variety of community settings on a regular basis in the local area, including the local shops and

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

the park, to encourage them to develop their understanding of the world. Consequently, children are making a wide range of relationships and developing good social skills in preparation for the later move onto school.

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provision

The manager, committee and staff are well informed about child protection procedures and have a good knowledge of effective safeguarding practice. Staff are aware of the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child's welfare. They supervise children well to ensure they are suitably protected. For example, a visitors' book is in use and visitor identification is checked. The playgroup has robust procedures for recruitment, vetting and induction to assess the suitability of staff working with children. All staff attend regular safeguarding training and hold a first-aid certificate. All documentation related to safeguarding and welfare requirements is completed to a high standard to support the safe and effective running of the playgroup. Comprehensive policies and procedures to promote children's health, safety and welfare are fully in place and are effectively implemented. For example, robust risk assessments of the premises, outings and

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provision

resources are in place and appropriate steps are taken to minimise any identified hazards. All staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children are supervised well at all times. Security is good and vigilant procedures ensure that unauthorised access to children is prevented. As a result, children are kept safe. The manager and staff are well qualified. This has a positive impact on their knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager monitors and evaluates the observations and assessments of all children to ensure that they continue to make good progress. As a result, the playgroup is a well-organised learning environment where activities are clearly based on children's interests and on meeting their learning and development needs well. The provision of staff within the playgroup is monitored well and ensures that they are deployed effectively, according to qualifications and experience with specific age groups of

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provision

children. As a result, they have a good understanding of the requirements to effectively monitor all children's skills, abilities and progress. Consequently, children's care and learning needs are well addressed.

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provision

The performance of staff is monitored through peer on peer observations and supervision to enhance the practice of staff through honest and critical reflection. Training needs are discussed at supervision meetings and are arranged to positively impact on staff performance. The manager is visible to all staff. As a result, they feel supported and their professional development is effectively considered. The manager and committee team have created a comprehensive self-improvement plan to keep driving the provision forward. Since the last inspection by Ofsted, questionnaires have been developed to obtain the views of parents on the education provided. Staff appraisals have been developed so that training needs are clearly identified and children's confidential information is only accessible to those who have a right or professional need to see them. In addition, the playgroup has increased positive images that challenge children's thinking

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provision

and help them to embrace differences in gender, ethnicity, language, religion, culture, special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are well established, ensuring children's development is successfully enhanced, while meeting their needs and supporting smooth transitions to nursery or school. Parents can exchange information about their children with the staff daily. They talk about children's progress when dropping off and collecting their children. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibility to work in partnership with other childcare providers and professionals to increase learning opportunities for children. There are established effective links with local agencies and schools. This results in children's needs being met effectively.

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The Childcare Register

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

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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 206834 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 876264

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Openwoodgate Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 11/11/2011 Telephone number 07776 320753

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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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