Chalke Valley Playschool

Chalke Valley Playschool Broad Chalke Primary School, Newtown, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 5DS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/12/2014 09/06/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff provide a welcoming environment where children settle quickly and enjoy their time at the playschool.  There are good relationships between children and staff which enables children to feel safe, secure and happy.  Good communication between staff and parents promotes children's well-being and supports their continuity of care.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not use what they know about children to plan challenging activities that effectively support children's progress in their learning and development.  Some staff lack the confidence and skills to accurately assess what children know and can do.  Staff do not routinely exchange information with other providers to share what they know about children who attend more than one setting.  Staff do not regularly review their practice and seek the views of others to clearly identify areas for improvement that will support children's progress in their learning and development.

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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 activities in the main play room, the outside learning environment and the adjacent school library.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the provision in the main play room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and the registered provider, and spoke with the children.  The inspector looked at children’s assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Chalke Valley playschool is run by a voluntary parent-management committee. It operates from purpose built, self-contained premises in the grounds of Broad Chalke Primary School, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The playschool registered at its present site in 2007 but was operating for many years from a nearby village hall. Children have access to the main hall and an enclosed outdoor play area. The playschool is registered on the Early Years Register, and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is open Monday to Friday during school term times, from 8am to 6pm. There are currently 44 children on roll, 23 of whom are in the early years age group. The playschool supports children with additional needs. Children are collected from Broad Chalke Primary School for after school care. There are seven staff who work with the children, five of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 ensure that the observations and assessments of children's progress are used consistently to plan what children need to learn next and that activities provide sufficient challenge, particularly for more able children

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must:

 ensure that all staff undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to support them in planning and delivering consistently good quality learning and development experiences for children.

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

 develop better communication with other providers and parents, in order to work together to support children's learning and development

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

 regularly reflect on your practice and consider the views of others to identify areas for improvement.

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who attend

Children access a range of interesting and enjoyable activities both indoors and outdoors. Each member of staff works closely with a small group of children who they get to know well. They observe children as they play and keep a record of the progress children are making. Some staff lack confidence in making links between what they have observed and identifying what children need to learn next. Consequently, staff do not make good use of what they know about the children to plan activities that will challenge them and promote good progress in their learning and development. There is a focus on the prime areas of learning, which helps to lay the foundations of future learning for the youngest children. However, planned activities do not highlight what children are intended to learn and it is not clear how the activities can be adapted to extend the learning of older or more able children.

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who attend

Staff interact appropriately with the children to support them as they play. They read them stories and encourage them to look closely at the illustrations in books, or think about what might happen next in the story. They respond to children's interests and adapt activities and resources to reflect this. For example, they recently adapted the role play area to reflect children's interest in police and other community services. They make good use of the adjacent school to extend children's learning experiences by visiting the school library and hall.

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who attend

The daily routines provide a good balance between activities that are led by adults and those that the children choose for themselves. Staff are always on hand to help children who struggle to choose an activity for themselves. Staff make use of everyday routines to encourage discussions about numbers and colours, or to talk about aspects of nature as they discover a rainbow on their walk to school. Children regularly choose to play outdoors where they have opportunities to explore natural resources.

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who attend

Staff have all recently attended 'Every Child a Talker' training and this has helped them focus on ways to improve children's communication and language skills. A bell is used to attract children's attention before information is shared with them. Staff take care to listen carefully to what children are saying. Snack time has been reorganised to enable staff to work with smaller groups of children and encourage their conversation. Staff are now learning to use simple sign language to further support children's communication, particularly those with specific additional needs.

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

Staff create a welcoming environment where children quickly settle. There is a good focus on developing children's independence. Consequently children are confident and able to make decisions about their play. They form close attachments with key members of staff and enjoy cuddles at story time. Staff understand the children's emotional needs and make sure they have access to their familiar comforters whenever they need them.

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

Children's behaviour is good. They are able to share, take turns and cooperate with one another as they play. Staff are always available to support children in managing any potential conflict. For example, they offer children a sand timer to help them negotiate taking turns on the computer.

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

Children have good opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. They regularly choose to play in the garden and know that they need to wear appropriate clothing to protect them from the elements. They also regularly attend physical exercise sessions in the adjacent school hall, to further develop their physical skills. Their growing independence and self-confidence helps children to play safely. They ask for cloths to dry outdoor equipment when it has rained and use a walking rope when moving between the playschool and the adjacent school.

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

Children are familiar with the daily routines of the playschool and also adapt quickly to any changes. Staff have recently made changes to snack time and children are now able to recognise for themselves when they feel hungry or thirsty, and choose when to have their snack.

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

Children celebrate familiar cultural events, such as Christmas. They are also introduced to festivals and traditions from other cultures, such as Diwali, to help develop their awareness of difference and diversity.

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

Regular visits to the school help prepare children for when it is time for them to move on. They are familiar with the school environment and some of the expected behaviours. For example, they remind each other that they need to be quiet as they walk around the school on their way to the library. They also enjoy attending story and snack times with the reception class prior to their move to school.

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provision

The setting has had two monitoring visits since their previous inspection when their provision was judged to be inadequate. They took prompt and effective action to address the weaknesses that were raised at the inspection. All staff have attended safeguarding training and are much more confident and knowledgeable about the correct procedures to follow in the event of any concerns regarding the safety and well-being of the children. They have also attended training that has improved the ways in which they support children's communication and language. However, staff do not routinely reflect on their own practice, or canvass the views of parents, to evaluate how well they are doing. This means they do not identify ways to continuously improve the service they offer.

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provision

The manager works closely with members of staff and monitors delivery of the educational programmes. She is aware that there are some inconsistencies in the ways in which staff observe, assess and plan activities to support children's learning and development. However, it is not clear how the setting plans to provide support and training to staff to help them ensure children are making good progress.

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provision

Staff and parents regularly communicate with one another, but discussions generally relate to children's well-being and continuity of care. Staff do not communicate regularly with parents about the progress in their children's learning. For children who attend more than one setting, there is limited communication with other providers. This limits the ability of staff to develop a broader understanding of what children know and can do and ensure that all adults are working together to support children's learning and development. Staff have developed links with external agencies to ensure that children with additional needs get the resources and support they need.

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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 EY345859 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 999511 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Chalke Valley Playschool Committee Date of previous inspection 09/06/2014 Telephone number 01722 781 072

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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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