The Playcentre Pre-School Playgroup

The Playcentre Pre-School Playgroup Lidgett Park Methodist Church, North Park Avenue, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 1HG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/10/2014 17/06/2009

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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 warmly welcomed into the playgroup by the friendly and approachable practitioners. This helps children settle easily and form strong bonds with their key persons.  Children are safeguarded and fully protected from harm. This is because all practitioners have been checked and are suitable to work with children and fully understand their role and responsibility in protecting children.  Practitioners engage well with parents and carers and clearly value the important role they play in their children's ongoing learning and development.  Teaching is securely based on practitioners' good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Therefore, they make good use of opportunities to promote children's learning through play and structured activities. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Younger children are not always provided with opportunities to explore the properties of natural materials.

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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 and children at play throughout the inspection and conducted a joint observation with the leader.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, parents and practitioners throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation to ascertain children's progress in achieving the early learning goals.  The inspector held a meeting with the leader and deputy leader.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children and the provider's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

The Playcentre Pre-School Playgroup was registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register. It is privately run and is situated in Lidgett Park Methodist Church, Roundhay, Leeds. Children are cared for in two large rooms and have access to an enclosed outdoor area. The playgroup employs 11 childcare practitioners. Of these eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. One of these practitioners holds Qualified Teacher Status. The playgroup is open each weekday, term time only from 9am to 12 noon. There are currently 43 children on roll who are within the early years age group. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

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

 extend the provision for two-year-old children further, for example, by providing more opportunities for them to explore sand and water indoors.

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who attend

Practitioners have a good knowledge of child development and fully understand how children learn. Consequently, children are well supported in their learning and development. There is a balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities, which are flexible and responsive to children's needs. For example, practitioners provide children with a good range of dressing-up outfits to support children's interest in role play. This means that children's individual interests are well met. Children's learning journals include photographs, observations and assessments of their progress. Next steps in learning are clearly identified and used to plan activities, which extend their learning further. Consequently, teaching is good. Practitioners complete the progress checks for children between the ages of two and three years and confidently share the written summary with parents at the appropriate time. Through these strategies any gaps in children's learning

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who attend

are quickly identified and appropriate support is provided to ensure they continue to make good progress.

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who attend

The educational programmes have depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning. Practitioners provide interesting and challenging experiences that meet the needs of children. They engage well with the children, getting down to their level to talk and play with them. They support younger children's acquisition of language effectively, by repeating and rephrasing words and sentences. On arrival, children answer a simple question of the day, which supports their thinking skills. As a result, children develop their communication and language skills well. Children have access to a wide range of appropriate books, which are arranged in a comfortable cosy area. They listen to stories read and answer questions appropriately to the story they have just heard. Practitioners skilfully link activities to stories. For example, children delight in baking bread and recalling the sequence of events from the story. As a result, they develop their love of stories and

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who attend

books. Children are provided with good opportunities to develop their early literacy skills. Practitioners provide a wide range of equipment for children to make marks both indoors and outdoors. Older children are encouraged to write their name on their work independently. Children's early phonic skills are supported as practitioners encourage children to consider the initial sound in familiar words and in their names. Children's mathematical skills are supported well. For example, children eagerly build with large blocks outside. They enthusiastically count how many blocks they have used and estimate how many more they will need to make it as tall as themselves. Practitioners effectively support children to identify shapes as they play and model how to draw these on large blackboards outside. Overall, children are making good progress in their learning and are developing the skills they need for their future learning and their eventual move on to

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who attend

Practitioners understand their role in ensuring that every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs and to seek to engage and support parents in guiding their child's development at home. Parents contribute to their children's starting points by completing information about their children's interests. Parents are kept well informed of their children's progress as learning journals are sent home on a regular basis. This consistent approach makes a strong contribution to children's care, learning and development.

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

Children are warmly welcomed into the playgroup by the friendly and approachable practitioners. The effective key-person system means that children form secure attachments and their emotional well-being is consistently supported. Practitioners find out good information from parents about their child, to ensure each child's needs are known and met. This promotes continuity for children, which means the move between home and the playgroup is a smooth process for them. These positive relationships, effective transition arrangements and information sharing with parents, mean that children feel safe and emotionally secure in the practitioners' care. Therefore, children are happy and they make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. This contributes to children acquiring the skills they need to support their future learning, such as having the confidence to embrace change, for instance when they start school.

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

Children's behaviour and self-esteem are good. Practitioners sensitively remind children of behaviour expectations, and as a result, they know what is expected of them and interact appropriately with others. For example, children playing on bicycles outside are gently reminded to remain in the designated area so as not to disrupt other children's play. Children feel good about themselves and feel pleased and valued about what they have achieved. This is because practitioners consistently praise the children for their achievements and appropriate conduct. Practitioners act as positive role models and children follow their example. Consequently, children show good levels of confidence and are familiar with and adhere to, the boundaries and expectations positively set by practitioners. Children independently access a good range of resources which are well- maintained and developmentally appropriate. For example, there are opportunities to

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

make marks, play imaginatively, be creative, and build and construct. However, there are fewer opportunities for toddlers to explore sand and water indoors. Consequently, this does not maximise opportunities for children to explore the properties of natural materials. Practitioners carry out daily safety checks to ensure they minimise the risk of accidents and injury. Children have a good understanding of ways in which they can keep themselves safe. For example, practitioners remind children to hold onto the rail when climbing up the steps outside.

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

There are opportunities for children to develop their understanding of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of fresh air and exercise. Children bring in their own healthy snacks and practitioners talk about foods which are good for them during activities. As a result, children gain a good understanding of a healthy diet. Children access the outdoors daily. They are provided with a range of equipment to develop their skills on a large scale. This means that they develop physical skills, while learning how exercise supports their overall health and well-being. A strong emphasis is put on children's independence and self-care skills. They are encouraged to put on and take off their own coats before and after outside play, use the bathroom independently and wash their hands before snack. Consequently, children are competent at managing their personal needs relative to their age.

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provision

Safeguarding is good because the leader has a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures and there is a written safeguarding policy. Practitioners confidently talk about early signs of possible emotional and physical abuse and the procedure they would follow if they had concerns about a child in their care. There is a thorough recruitment and selection process, which ensures that practitioners working with children have had the appropriate checks to ensure their suitability. This means that children's welfare is promoted well. Risk assessments are effectively carried out, detailing potential risks across all areas used by children and adults, both indoors and outdoors. These are reviewed to ensure that they remain accurate and effective. The playgroup ensures the premises are secure and the identity of visitors is checked. Documentation is carefully maintained, such as the accident records, administration of medicine records and daily registers. As a result,

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provision

children's welfare and safety are promoted well.

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provision

The committed leader has a good understanding of her responsibility to ensure requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Planning and assessment systems are monitored effectively. She uses practitioner and child observations to monitor the quality of the provision. Children's progress is monitored through summative assessments. Consequently, any gaps in learning are quickly identified so that appropriate interventions are sought and gaps are closing. Policies are clear and are in line with published guidance. Practitioners are kept informed of any policy changes when they are discussed at regular practitioner meetings. There is an effective induction procedure, which supports practitioners to understand their role and responsibilities. Practitioners are supported well through a programme of continual professional development. This is established through identified needs from practitioners, informal observations and

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provision

supervisions. Recent training has developed practitioners' knowledge and understanding of the planning and assessment process. As a result, practitioners have developed further their observation formats. Consequently, there are effective systems in place to monitor the quality of teaching and children benefit from good learning opportunities.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents feel welcome in the playgroup and feel their children are making good progress in their learning. They are kept very well informed and up to date with their child's progress and achievements by taking home their children's learning journals. Regular newsletters are sent out to parents to keep them informed with what is happening in the playgroup. Practitioners have links with local schools and teaching staff visit to introduce themselves to the children. This effectively supports children as they move to their next stage in learning. The leader demonstrates a clear commitment to continuous improvement. Actions and recommendations from the last inspection have been fully addressed. Practitioners are now secure in their knowledge of safeguarding procedures and the playgroup keeps accurate records of children's attendance. The leader uses self-evaluation and reflective practice to ensure

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provision

improvements are ongoing. For example, dividers have been purchased to provide more enclosed areas for children's play. Parents contribute to this process through informal discussions and a comments book.

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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 512675 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 872371

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 43 Name of provider Jeanette Bartle Date of previous inspection 17/06/2009 Telephone number 0771 2847753

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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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