Yorkley Playgroup

Yorkley Playgroup Yorkley County School, Lydney Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4RR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/11/2014 28/09/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The committee members lack understanding of their role. They have failed to ensure that Ofsted is notified of changes to committee members and managers.  No staff involved in the preparing and handling of food has had any training in food hygiene. This has the potential to affect children's health.  The committee has failed to provide usable, hygienic nappy-changing facilities. This results in staff changing nappies in unhygienic ways, so compromising children's health.  The committee's arrangements for checking children's safety are inadequate.  Progress checks for different groups of children lack rigour. These do not give useful information about how groups of children are progressing against the development of others.

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It has the following strengths

 The enthusiastic and caring staff form positive relationships with the children so they are confident, happy and settle to learn. Children make appropriate progress in their learning and development through the enjoyable activities and resources staff provide.  Staff work well with parents, providing useful support and keeping them informed of children's activities.

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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 made observations of children and staff interactions in the playroom and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the joint managers, the chairperson of the committee, staff, children and parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled required documentation including children's records and planning, and policies and procedures.  The inspector invited the managers to carry out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability checks and qualifications of all staff and volunteers working with the children.

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Information about the setting

Yorkley Playgroup started in 1971 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from a mobile building on the site of Yorkley County Primary School, Yorkley in Gloucestershire. The playgroup serves the local area. It is run by a committee of volunteers who are parents of children in the playgroup. There are currently 13 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The playgroup supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The playgroup opens on weekdays between 8.45am and 3.30pm, during school term times. Three staff work with the children. Two of them have recognised early years qualifications at level 3 and the third has one at level 4. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years.

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must:

 improve knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements particularly with regard to notifying Ofsted of a change of committee members and change of manager

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must:

 ensure that there are suitable facilities that provide sufficient space for staff to undertake nappy changes, and that staff follow good hygiene practices when doing so, to minimise the risk of cross-contamination

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must:

 ensure that checks are undertaken to make sure risk assessments and daily safety checks are completed thoroughly, and take all reasonable steps to remove, minimise and manage those risks and hazards to protect children's safety and welfare, with particular regard to trailing cables, wires and electrical equipment

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must:

 ensure that all staff preparing and handling food for children receive appropriate training in food hygiene to help them understand national guidelines in implementing effective hygiene routines to prevent cross- infection.

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

 strengthen the use of assessment for groups of children, including those with identified additional needs, to target the drive for improvement.

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who attend

Most children are happy and content at the playgroup. The staff cover all areas of learning, but the quality of teaching requires improvement. Staff gain basic information from parents about their children before they start. This helps staff know children's interests so they plan a suitable range of activities for them from entry. These experiences aid children's learning and development. For example, children enjoy making their own dough, and singing and moving to action rhymes that aid their coordination skills and muscle development.

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who attend

Staff recognise the importance of children's physical development. All children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. Staff promote children's physical development throughout the playgroup such as when children enjoy playing on large-scale equipment outside, including balancing on the monkey bars. Staff encourage children to explore the resources in the outdoor areas and they take advantage of the spacious school playgrounds to broaden children's experiences.

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who attend

Children enjoy using a range of materials to develop their creativity through using their imaginations. For example, they participate in colouring, drawing and folding paper to make aeroplanes and kites they can fly outside. Staff encourage children's mathematical language in everyday activities, providing resources and equipment that specifically promote the children awareness of number, size and colour. This approach contributes soundly to children's mathematical development.

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who attend

Staff are warm and caring and support children's communication and language skills adequately by encouraging discussions. All children listen well and remain attentive throughout activities, group times and story sessions. Staff encourage children's listening and attention skills, supported through games and creative activities which encourage the children to contribute to discussions freely. Staff encourage children's speech through the use of questioning to extend their learning. Staff ensure children are developing basic literacy skills as they engage in stories and use writing resources freely in the playroom and outside. Staff label most toy boxes with print and a picture, which helps children to gain an understanding that print carries meaning. Along with their experiences in early mathematics, this all helps children gain suitable skills ready for the eventual move to school.

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who attend

Staff complete satisfactory observations and assessments on the children. These reflect how children are progressing and achieving throughout all areas of learning. Staff share observations with parents and do this regularly, so parents know how their children are progressing and their daily experiences. Assessment records are effective and staff have suitable methods to involve parents still further in the completion of these. Staff keep parents informed of their child's development in every area of learning, and of when they may need additional support through extended activities or outside help. This partnership supports children's individual needs and continued learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from effective support.

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

Care practices are inadequate. The playgroup committee has failed to provide hygienic changing facilities that staff can use when changing children's nappies. While there is a suitable nappy-changing unit provided in the staff toilet, the space is cramped and limited further by storage of other items. This makes the hand basin unusable. This results in staff changing children's nappies on a mat on the wet toilet floor. Older children walk around them, washing their hands and dripping water onto the child being changed. Staff do not use sufficiently hygienic nappy-changing procedures. For example, staff do not always clean the changing mat either before or after use. The lack of cleanliness puts the children at serious risk of cross infection. Furthermore, daily safety checks are not robust. Staff fail to identify the danger of hanging wires and cables from electrical equipment stored on top of high cupboards. This weakness has the potential to put children's safety

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

at risk. Staff prepare nutritious snacks for the children but compromise the children's health while so doing. This is because no staff member involved in the preparing and handling of food has had training in how to handle and prepare food.

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

Children benefit from a well-balanced healthy diet at the nursery. Staff help them to learn what is healthy and what is not in packed lunches. Staff encourage children's growing independence at lunchtimes so they unwrap their own food, pour their own drinks and clear away afterwards. This develops a sense of responsibility in preparation for school.

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

Staff throughout the playgroup use clear and consistent strategies to promote children's understanding of acceptable behaviour. Children receive praise; they behave well and show kindness to each other. Each child has a designated member of staff to take special responsibility for them. This approach means each child has someone special, which fosters good relationships. Staff prepare children emotionally prepared for the next stage in learning.

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

Children gain a sense of belonging as they register themselves on arrival. Staff provide children with a range of stimulating resources that are stored at a low level. This arrangement allows children to help themselves so they can search for things that interest them, which helps children become independent

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provision

The committee has failed to ensure that Ofsted was notified of changes to committee members and of the name of one of the managers in day-to-day charge of the playgroup. It is a legal requirement to make this notification. This failure is due to a lack of understanding of the role and responsibilities of the committee. It means Ofsted has not been able to carry out the required suitability checks on new committee members or update its records with the name of one of the managers. Together with other failures to meet requirements, this places children's well-being at significant risk.

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provision

The managers have worked hard to drive improvement and have addressed the areas recommended for improvement at the last inspection. However, doing so has meant that they have not fully evaluated the staff practice as a whole and as a result, they have overlooked some serious potential hazards. Although the playgroup is a friendly and welcoming environment for children, it is not entirely safe because risk assessment of the premises is not adequate.

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provision

Managers focus appropriately on improving the quality of the provision and the outcomes for children. There is a clear aim and determination to help children to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff have a sound understanding of how children learn and develop, providing satisfactory educational programmes and accurately checking children's progression. However, the monitoring of progress for different groups of children is at a very early stage. It does not give sufficient information about how groups are progressing against the development of other children.

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provision

There are sufficient recruitment and selection procedures to determine staff suitability. A satisfactory induction system informs staff of their roles and responsibilities, although checks do not identify that some procedures, such as for nappy-changing, are not implemented adequately. Management has regular staff meetings and the playgroup committee supports the professional development of staff. Improvements are currently taking place to extend staff development and build on evaluation systems in order to drive continual improvement.

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provision

There is a secure knowledge and understanding of child-protection issues throughout the playgroup. There are clear procedures for staff and management to follow. All staff attend child-protection training and know what to do if they have any concerns regarding a child's welfare. All staff have first-aid training so there is always someone present who is trained to respond in case of an accident.

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provision

A clear strength of the playgroup is the good partnership work that promotes consistency of care for children. Children benefit from observing the friendly interaction between their parents and the caring staff. Parents report how well staff support them with different changes in their children's development, for instance with the start of potty training or with behaviour management at home. Staff liaise effectively with other early years settings that children attend and have good links with outside professionals and health visitors. This helps to support children's transfers between learning environments.

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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 101637 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 816824 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 13 Name of provider Yorkley Under 5's Committee Date of previous inspection 28/09/2009 Telephone number 01594 510 212

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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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