Mudeford Wood Playgroup

Mudeford Wood Playgroup Mudeford Wood Community Centre, Pipers Drive, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 4TR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 19/07/2010

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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

 Children are motivated and independent learners. They are confident to choose their own activities and seek help from staff. Consequently, children are making good progress in all areas of their learning and development.  Staff work hard to create a welcoming environment where children can move around safely. Staff work well together as a team, which results in children feeling confident and comfortable in the environment.  Management and staff place a high emphasis on safeguarding and there are effective policies and procedures to help them keep children safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions, when staff are working with larger groups of children, such as at story time, they do not always allow sufficient time for children to share their ideas.  Staff do not encourage all parents to be involved successfully in their child's ongoing 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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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 completed observations in the playroom and accompanied staff and children on a nature walk in the community.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and discussed the findings.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and carers during the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed documentation including a sample of children's records, planning, staff records and the self-evaluation paperwork.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager and representative from the committee to discuss leadership and management.

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Information about the setting

Mudeford Wood Playgroup is committee run and operates from the community centre in a residential area of Mudeford, between Christchurch and Highcliffe. The group operates from two of the community centre rooms. The group uses the smaller room to operate sessions each week during the spring and summer term specifically for children approaching statutory school age. The group is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 40 children on roll. The setting opens Monday to Friday term time only from 9.15am to 12.15pm and 1pm to 4pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The group supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. A team of nine staff work with the children. This includes the manager who holds qualified teacher status, and five other staff have an appropriate early years qualification. The playgroup receives support from the Early Years Advisory Teachers and the local authority

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

 review larger group activities, such as story time, to make sure that children can listen and share their ideas at their own pace.

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

 strengthen parental involvement to support all parents fully to encourage children's learning at home.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in all areas of their learning and development. While children are waiting to go in, they look excitedly through the glass in the door to watch the staff putting out the activities. Staff welcome the children and their families warmly and consequently children engage in their play and learning quickly. Children demonstrate their good communication and language skills at registration time. Some children help call the register, while others count the children and the adults. They are confident to find the appropriate number on the number line, reinforcing their mathematical skills. Children are confident as they talk with the adults about the rules, remembering that we use our 'listening ears and kind hands'. They are keen to share their news, talking keenly about family events.

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who attend

Staff plan an educational programme that covers all areas of learning and takes into account children's individual needs and interests. Staff complete observations and use the information gathered to plan the next steps in children's learning and development effectively. In addition, parents provide information when their child first starts at the playgroup. Staff use a wide range of methods to keep parents informed, such as through emails, newsletters and regular conversations. However, some parents are not always encouraged to be involved successfully in their children's ongoing learning at home to help to develop children's skills.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy nature walks and are keen to share their ideas and knowledge. Staff support them in listening to different sounds of birds and animals. Staff encourage them to recall stories they have read. For example, children found a pile of logs and so staff explained how, sometimes, the trees need chopping to allow others to grow. They asked the children if they could remember who lived in a woodpile in the story they had read. Children responded that it was a snake. Staff praised them and suggested they might like to read the story again when they got back to the playgroup. This supports children in learning about the natural world and the community around them, and promotes their physical development. Children enjoy singing songs that they are practising to share with their parents at the Christmas party. Children listen carefully at story time, however, at times staff do not always plan sufficient time for the children to share their

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who attend

ideas or talk about things relating to the story. This impacts on children's literacy and communication skills. However, overall children are prepared well to move on to the next stage in their learning or school.

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

Children benefit from positive staff interaction and they feel secure because there is a good key person system. Key staff know their individual children well and are able to talk to them about their families and special events. Consequently, children are confident and independent learners. Children build strong relationships with the adults and the other children. They are keen to involve staff in their play and learning. This builds their confidence and they are happy to try new activities. For example, the staff provide children with blocks of ice with objects hidden inside and encourage them to explore and investigate. Children behave well; they share and demonstrate good manners saying 'please' and 'thank you' at appropriate times. They listen well and understand the boundaries and expectations clearly. Children talk about using their 'walking feet' when indoors, making sure they are keeping themselves safe as they move around the play

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

Children benefit from healthy and nutritious snacks. Staff promote children's independence well as they encourage them to serve themselves with fruit, using tongs to minimise cross infection. This also promotes their physical development as they pick up the individual pieces of fruit or vegetables. In addition, children are confident to pour their drinks and understand why they need to wash their hands and follow good hygiene routines.

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

Staff work hard to create a welcoming environment where children can see examples of their work displayed on the walls, showing that staff value their contributions. There is a wide range of toys and equipment for children to choose from, which is stored in low-level drawers to enable children to make choices in their play and learning. Staff make sure that children have opportunities to play and learn, making good use of the outdoor community environment. They go on regular walks and visit the library and parks. This enables the children to explore and investigate the community they live in.

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provision

Staff and management demonstrate secure knowledge of how to safeguard children. They know and understand how to respond effectively in the event of a concern with regard to children's welfare. Staff benefit from the strong leadership of the management team. Staff are well supported and are confident to seek help and advice to help to improve. For example, they are trialling new observation and assessment records. Management are working closely with staff to make sure they feel confident in completing accurate records on the children's progress to help them plan the next steps in children's learning. Staff have regular supervision meetings where they discuss their role and responsibility and identify any areas where they would benefit from additional training to improve their teaching skills. Management implements effective procedures to recruit qualified and suitable staff. They have various methods to assess staff suitability, making sure that they

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provision

have the skills to support children in their health, safety and general well-being. In addition, staff work well together as a team, creating a rich learning environment.

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provision

There are clear systems to enable management and staff to monitor the learning and development programme. They complete regular tracking records to ensure that children are progressing, and evaluate activities and learning opportunities to make sure they have met the learning aims. Consequently, all children make good progress given their starting points. There are good systems in place to monitor and evaluate the whole provision. Management have implemented clear action plans, reflecting on how well they are meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and the changes they need to make to enable continuous improvement.

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provision

Staff foster good relationships with parents. They provide parents with information about the playgroup and how they can be involved in the committee. Parents report that their children are happy and settled, and enjoy their time in the playgroup. Parents state that they feel well supported by staff that are friendly and welcoming. There are good systems in place for staff to share information with other early years settings that the children attend. Consequently, there is a shared approach to children's learning.

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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 144297 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 814075 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Mudeford Wood Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 19/07/2010 Telephone number 07866 816580

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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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