Playlanders Playgroup (St Georges Church Hall)

Playlanders Playgroup (St Georges Church Hall) St. Georges Church Hall, Chesterfield Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 1LN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/11/2014 31/01/2014

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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

 The manager and staff have a thorough understanding of safeguarding procedures and the signs and symptoms of child abuse. Therefore, children are effectively protected from harm.  Staff have good experience supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Activities are skilfully adapted to ensure all children make good progress in their learning.  An effective key-person system enables children and families to develop secure and positive relationships with staff. This results in children feeling emotionally safe and happy.  Staff work effectively with parents and other professionals to ensure children benefit from continuity of care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's critical thinking skills are not maximised because staff do not always give children sufficient thinking time to formulate their answers to questions.  Children do not always benefit from clear messages about the importance of a healthy diet.

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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 the children and their interactions with staff.  The inspector spoke to parents about their views on the quality of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager and had a meeting about management processes and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at several children's learning records and spoke to their key person about the progress they make in their learning.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documentation was examined, including staff suitability checks, training records, agreements with parents and some policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Playlanders Playgroup (St Georges Church Hall) was registered in 1992 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated at St George's Church, Cambridge and is managed by a voluntary management committee. The playgroup serves the local area. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The playgroup opens three mornings a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 12 children attending who are in the early years age group. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and some who speak English as an additional language. The playgroup employs three members of childcare staff. Two members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The playgroup is a member of the Pre-school Learning

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

 extend staff's questioning skills still further to enhance children's opportunities to think creatively and critically and arrive at their own answers

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

 enhance children's interest in, and knowledge of, the foods which are good for them by providing clear messages about the importance of a healthy, balanced diet.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development, because staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn. Staff's teaching skills enable children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Overall, children are well prepared for school. Staff observe children's play and make regular assessments of their development. Each child has their learning monitored to ensure they develop according to their individual expectations. Staff meet together frequently to plan and provide tailored activities that reflect children's interests. For example, a member of staff encourages children to count out loud using their favourite trains. Consequently, children benefit from challenging activities that support their individual learning preferences well. Staff encourage children to explore the properties of magnetic shapes. They develop children's mathematical language by exploring which shapes match, and which are the same size,

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who attend

shape and colour. Children have fun finding shapes that look like parts of their bodies, such as arms and legs. They use different materials, such as, play dough, to find out about texture and consistency. Staff provide scissors and cutters, so children practise their physical control, preparing them for early writing. However, although staff question children well during their activities, they sometimes do not take enough time to allow children to think and respond. Occasionally, they pre-empt the answers, which means children are not always effectively challenged to think for themselves and consider other possible answers.

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who attend

Children develop their communication and language skills through daily conversation with staff and each other. Staff are good role models and echo children's words, supporting their developing vocabulary. Older children are articulate and confident, ready for the next stage of their learning. A spacious, comfortable area has numerous books. Children access them eagerly, leafing through their favourites and taking them to staff for spontaneous reading sessions. Some staff demonstrate outstanding teaching skills. For example, children are enthralled as they listen to an exciting presentation of their favourite story during group time. Staff work skilfully with children who speak English as an additional language. They work closely with parents to identify children's knowledge of English, and learn key words and phrases. Posters, labels and name cards provide all children with a language rich environment, that promotes their literacy skills. Plentiful writing equipment

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who attend

encourages children to draw, scribble and attempt writing their names. Parents are asked for detailed information when children first start. This enables their key person to evaluate their learning and plan effectively from the outset. Staff offer parents verbal feedback when children are collected and encourage parents to talk about events at home. Parents know the current books and songs that children learn and use these at home to contribute to their learning experiences. Staff complete a written progress check on all children between the ages of two and three. This is shared with parents and other professionals, as agreed with parents, to ensure any gaps in children's learning are identified and addressed.

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

Children are supported effectively by caring and sensitive staff. They show strong bonds with the adults who care for them and enjoy their time in the playgroup. Children are allocated a key person who gathers good information from parents, to ensure children's individual care needs are known and effectively met. Parents have flexible opportunities to bring their children for settling-in sessions. As a result, children quickly build friendships in this small and friendly group. Staff have good links with local schools and pre-school groups, which enables them to support children when it is time for them to move on. For example, staff arrange visits, or invite teachers in to meet the children. Children play well together and learn to negotiate sharing and taking turns. Staff are good role models and provide children with clear explanations of expected behaviour. Children receive ample praise when they are kind and helpful and look forward to choosing reward stickers at the

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

end of the day. Consequently, they have confidence and good self-esteem.

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

Staff prepare the stimulating and well-planned learning environment each day before children arrive. Resources are varied and plentiful, enabling children to make choices and guide their own learning experiences. Cheerful wall displays show children's artwork and celebrate their achievements. Family books and photograph albums are used effectively by staff, to help children learn about each other's diverse backgrounds and home languages. Children benefit from continuous access to a rich and exciting outdoor environment. They explore wilder wooded parts of the garden, which are rich in plants and wildlife, to learn about the natural world. Paved and grassed areas are well used to develop children's physical skills, such as, learning to operate wheeled toys and using climbing equipment.

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

Children learn to assess risks as they help staff to check the areas for safety. They practise the fire drill often, so that they know how to act in an emergency. Staff provide children with nutritious snacks and fresh drinking water. Children help to prepare their food and choose when to have their snack, which helps them to develop self-care skills. Staff do not always give children clear messages about the importance of healthy foods. For example, staff do not always remember to talk to children about the healthy snacks they eat. Additionally, during lunch times they do not always encourage children to choose the healthier options from their lunchboxes first. However, staff work closely with parents to ensure any foods offered are healthy and safe with regard to dietary needs and allergies. Children learn good hygiene through regular routines, such as, washing their hands before eating.

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provision

The manager and staff have a clear understanding of their role in protecting children. They know what to do if there are any safeguarding concerns, and therefore, keep children well-protected. Good recruitment and induction procedures help to ensure anyone working with the children is suitable to do this. This includes taking up Disclosure and Barring Service checks on all staff, volunteers and committee members. All staff hold current first-aid qualifications, so they know how to attend to children in the event of accidents. Thorough risk assessments help staff to provide children with a safe, clean and secure learning environment. Documentation, such as, policies and procedures and children's records, is well-maintained and easily available. As a result, children's health and safety is promoted well.

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provision

The manager has worked hard since the last inspection to raise the quality of the provision. Information on committee members has been updated, and details are kept available for reference. Accurate records are now kept of children's attendance, which helps to keep them safe in the event of an emergency. Staff work closely together to monitor the activities and ensure that all children's learning needs are met well. The manager has implemented training for staff, such as, a workshop to promote children's language skills using phonics. She observes their practice so she can offer them the support they need. Staff have focused on their own teaching practice through peer observations and regular team meetings. As a result, they have increased their skills and all children make good progress in their learning. Since the last inspection however, there have been some staff changes, and not all staff have the same level of skill. The

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provision

management committee and the staff team are developing the self-evaluation process with support from their local authority. This helps to ensure ongoing improvements continue.

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provision

Parents express complete satisfaction with the provision and typically comment that they have chosen the group for its welcoming reputation. Staff work closely with parents and keep them well informed about their children's progress. A comprehensive parents' pack ensures any new parents have a good understanding of the provision. Staff have a great deal of experience supporting children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work effectively with other involved professionals and have a good understanding of the strategies that help children. For example, they use sign language with children who experience language delay. Staff have good links with the local schools and other early years providers. They share information about children's individual care and learning needs to ensure they benefit from continuity as they move on to the next stage of their learning.

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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 221887 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 962671

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 12 Name of provider Playlanders Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 31/01/2014 Telephone number 01223 420954

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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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