Northway Preschool Playgroup

Northway Pre-School Playgroup Virginia Road, Northway, Tewkesbury, GL20 8PT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/11/2014 04/02/2009

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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 happy in this welcoming playgroup, where staff provide them with good quality play opportunities both inside and outdoors.  Children are very well prepared for moves within the playgroup and on to school.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are progressing well because staff identify gaps in children's learning early and are proactive in seeking and implementing additional support.  Staff give the utmost priority to protecting and safeguarding the welfare of the children. The effective practices that are in place successfully promote children's safety and well- being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always differentiate group activities effectively to consistently challenge the different ages and abilities of the children taking part.  The playgroup has good partnerships in place with parents, but is not fully successful in providing effective guidance to promote learning at home.

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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 in the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector offered the managers the opportunity to carry out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to the two managers, staff, chair of the committee, business manager, parents and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children and sampled some other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of the parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Northway Pre-School Playgroup is a well-established setting, run by a voluntary committee. The Playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register. There are two separate classes, one for the pre-school class operating out of a classroom in the infant school and the nursery class which meets in its own large, open-plan building sited in the Children's Centre adjacent to the infant school. There is suitable access for all to both classrooms. Both classes have access to a playground area for outdoor play. There are currently 80 children from two years to under five years on roll. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The Playgroup is open each weekday during term time. The nursery class operates between 9am and 12pm and pre-school children attend between 9am and 3pm. In addition, a session is offered for children who are just two, on a Monday, Tuesday and

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Information about the setting

Wednesday afternoon between 1pm and 3.30pm. The playgroup cares for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who learn English as an additional language. There are eleven members of staff, eight of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Of these, seven have a qualification at level 3 and one is qualified at level 2.

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

 tailor some group activities more effectively in order to consistently challenge the different ages and abilities of children attending

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

 extend guidance to parents to further support and encourage their children's learning at home.

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who attend

Children enjoy coming to playgroup and are quick to settle into well-established routines. Staff have a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and child development to effectively support children's progress. Teaching in the playgroup is good. Staff plan an environment where children are learning through interesting activities. For example, children in the nursery class went on a walk to hunt for the 'Shark in the park', using telescopes they had made. Both classes offer children the continuous provision of a wide range of play resources and equipment both inside and outdoors. Staff know the children well and support children in their learning through purposeful interactions, and because of this children make good progress in all areas of learning. However, during some whole group activities staff do not always tailor play and learning opportunities effectively. This results in a lack of challenge for some

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who attend

children, in relation to their age and stage of development and means they become restless at times.

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who attend

Staff record information about children's starting points, carry out the progress check at age two and regularly observe the children. Staff use this information to track children's progress, ensuring children are working comfortably within their expected levels of development. There is good support for children's language development as staff engage children in purposeful conversation. For example, children enjoyed expressing their ideas about the early morning frost, describing it as 'cold, crunching and icy'. Children's early literacy skills are promoted well; all children learn to recognise their names through a self- registration system used throughout the day. In both the indoor and outdoor environment there are book areas and both classes use stories as a focus for planned learning activities. Children in the nursery class could recall a story very well and participated excitedly in acting out the story. In the pre-school class children made story maps about a

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who attend

popular caterpillar story, retelling and sequencing the story and developing their pre- writing skills. Children have many opportunities to write for different purposes, including using clipboards in the role-play area to record their ideas and writing in fairy dust. Staff support children's understanding of number and shape through daily routines and during play, such as counting cubes. The well thought out activities and range of opportunities that children experience, results in them being well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Staff fully understand the importance of outdoor learning and that for some children this is the preferred learning area. Consequently, the outdoor environments are well resourced and provide opportunities across all areas of learning. There are separate outdoor areas for the two classes and the children also benefit from the use of the school playground and field. Children develop their muscle control as they are provided with different size

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who attend

paint brushes and buckets of water to make marks on the walls. Children's physical development is promoted through using large play equipment and ride-on toys. Staff are inclusive in their practice and effective support is available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those children whose starting points are lower than the expected development for their age. Staff work closely with outside agencies and parents, following agreed strategies and are proactive in meeting the needs of individual children. As a result, staff are helping all children to develop the skills they need for the future and for school.

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

Staff build warm, caring relationships with the children. This helps children to be sociable, happy and secure. Staff gather good information from parents about their children's routines and interests through the 'Getting to know me' booklet. This means that children's individual needs are known and are met effectively. The playgroup offers a parent and toddler session and three 'springboard' sessions a week, to support younger children to become familiar with the group, staff and routines and enable them to settle easily into the nursery class. Children are very well supported when they move to the next stage in their learning within the playgroup. Staff work closely with parents and information is shared between key persons to ensure children's well-being during times of change.

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

Children's behaviour is good. They demonstrate high levels of confidence because staff are positive role models. They recognise children's achievements, and give praise and encouragement. This helps to promote children's self-esteem. Staff focus on good manners and remind children to say 'Please' and 'Thank you'. Children are encouraged to engage in daily routine tasks such as helping to tidy away. Staff support them to become independent in managing their own personal needs such as toileting, washing hands, pouring their own drinks at snack time and dressing for outside play in suitable clothing. Developing these skills contributes to children being ready to start school. Arrangements for first aid in emergencies are effective as all staff have up-to-date training. Regular fire drills are practised with the children. This process helps to ensure that they are familiar with the procedure and raises their awareness and understanding of how to stay safe.

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

Children learn to play safely as staff remind them of potential risks, such as why it is important to walk inside rather than run.

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

Children have daily opportunities to engage in energetic play in the fresh air and to enjoy healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. Staff sit with children at meal and snack times and encourage discussion such as, talking about their home lives and the food they are eating. The playgroup shares information with parents about healthy food in lunchboxes and has invited parents in to share breakfast with their children. This contributes towards nurturing children's understanding about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

The safeguarding and welfare requirements are given high priority as staff have a good knowledge and understanding of their role in safeguarding children. Visitors are routinely asked to read an information leaflet about how to keep children safe and parents are reminded at all meetings about the settings responsibility in safeguarding all children. Staff demonstrate good understanding of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns regarding the well-being or safety of a child. The robust recruitment and vetting procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. All staff complete a comprehensive induction procedure. This is to ensure they develop their knowledge of the policies and procedures to inform their practice. Regular discussion, appraisals and clear supervision means that staff are well supported and ongoing training needs are met. Staff complete risk assessments of the premises to provide a safe environment for children to

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provision

play. Staff supervise children well and implement measures when necessary. For example, staff talk to children about how to stay safe when on their walk to the field. They tell them to hold hands with a partner and be careful as the ground may be slippery as it is frosty. Legally required records for children's welfare are accurately maintained. These positive steps contribute to protecting children's welfare. The management team has a positive attitude to providing good quality provision for all children. The planning system, methods to gain information about individual children's development and tracking of children's progress are regularly monitored for effectiveness. This ensures children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Evaluation of the playgroup's strengths and areas for development is ongoing and accurate and involves contributions from staff, parents and children. The playgroup has

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provision

ongoing improvement plans to enhance children's experiences over time. This demonstrates the aspirations of the playgroup staff to continuously improve the quality of the provision. Training is used to improve outcomes for children, for example, staff have attended sign language training and Team Teach training to enable them to support children with additional needs more effectively.

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provision

There is a strong partnership with parents. They speak highly of the playgroup, describing it as 'really good' and are happy with the care their children receive. Parents have regular meetings with staff and information is shared through daily discussions, parent noticeboards and newsletters. The playgroup takes some steps to promote learning at home but is not yet fully successful in providing useful guidance to parents in this area. Staff prepare children very well for the next stage in their learning and moving onto school. For example, the pre-school children benefit from sharing lunchtime with children in school, eating in the dining hall with them and joining them for outside play afterwards. Staff successfully help children to learn the skills to aid their readiness for school, such as being independent. This benefits the children's welfare and learning. Staff value partnership working and are proactive in seeking support for children when necessary. For

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provision

example, the group have employed a speech and language therapist to support the development of children's communication skills and to further staff's knowledge in this area. This contributes to narrowing the gap in children's 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 101573 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 845830 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 80 Name of provider Northway Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 04/02/2009 Telephone number 01684 273750

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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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