Saxon Green Playgroup

Saxon Green Playgroup St Francis Church Hall, Saxon Green, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4JA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 January 2015 14 October 2008

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3

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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3

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 There is no process to make sure newly appointed committee members understand their roles and responsibilities. Several have not completed the appropriate documentation to initiate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks or inform Ofsted of their role. Consequently, Ofsted does not have up-to-date information about who is responsible for the playgroup and safeguarding children's well-being.  Children can choose some resources that introduce them to everyday technology, however, opportunities to practise their computer skills independently are limited.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and well behaved. They are very confident. Warm and affectionate relationships with staff help them to feel emotionally secure. The staff team share information about individual children very well and all have a thorough understanding of each child's needs.  Staff plan a good balance of activities for children. They tailor these well to support learning objectives for individual children. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points when they first attend.  Relationships with parents are good and they feel well informed about their children's progress. Staff actively encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning.  Staff implement thorough risk assessments to keep children safe and secure indoors and outside. They know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare.  Staff reflect well on their practice and make good plans for ongoing improvements.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for all committee members  ensure that all committee members receive induction training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 provide regular opportunities for older children to practise their computer skills independently.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children engaged in activities, indoors and outside.  The inspector talked to the manager, staff, parents and children.  The inspector sampled documentation, including safeguarding procedures and children's learning and development records.  The inspector read and discussed the setting's self-evaluation form.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good. Consequently, children are well prepared for school. Staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn and develop. Children communicate confidently and staff ask them challenging questions to encourage them to think about and express what they know. For example, children counting the number of coins in a till were encouraged to look at different combinations of coins that held the same value. Staff display children's home languages along with English, which shows children these are valued equally. Staff encourage parents to share information about children's abilities and interests when they first attend. This is used along with their own observations to establish children's starting points. Where children are not at the expected stage of development for their age, staff work closely with parents and other professionals to make plans for individual progress. Children use a range of programmable toys, which are

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who attend. This is good

suitable for younger children. However, older children do not have many opportunities to use the computer or more challenging technology resources.

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requires improvement

Children show through their behaviour that they feel safe and secure in the setting. However, the committee's lack of understanding of their responsibilities means that Ofsted has not been able to check their suitability to safeguard children's welfare. Nevertheless, children are confident and have good self-esteem. Effective settling-in procedures mean children quickly develop strong bonds with staff who have a thorough understanding of each child's individual needs. Children are physically active, indoors and outside. They thoroughly enjoy moving to music and energetic action rhymes. Staff have made good use of children's enthusiasm for nature so they are eager to spend time outside regardless of the weather. For example, children checked and replenished the bird feeders, and looked through magnifying glasses to see if bugs were sheltering from the rain.

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provision requires improvement

The provider does not have a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They failed to notify Ofsted of changes to the committee. It is a requirement to do so. However, Ofsted do not intend to take further action. In addition, new committee members do not have DBS checks. This does not have a significant impact on children's safety because committee members do not have unsupervised access to children. Management implement robust recruitment procedures and staff supervision to ensure they are suitable for their role. Although monitoring systems had not identified the breach, self-evaluation in regard to the effectiveness of the day-to-day provision is good. For example, staff have developed their relationships with local schools, which supports children as they prepare to move on to their next stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 142904 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 836637 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Saxon Green Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 14 October 2008 Telephone number 07751048275 opening

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Setting details

Saxon Green Playgroup registered in 1973 and operates from St Francis Church Hall in Bridgwater, Somerset. It is run by a voluntary management committee of parents. There is one main hall with an adjoining smaller room and an enclosed area for outdoor play. The playgroup opens five days per week during school term times only. Sessions are from 9am to 12pm and afternoon sessions operate on Monday, Thursday and Friday from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five members of staff, of whom three have early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2.

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Setting details

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

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Setting details

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Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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