Southgate West Playgroup

Southgate West Playgroup Hilltop Primary School, Ditchling Hill, Southgate West, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 8QL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 February 2015 13 February 2009

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This inspection: Good 2

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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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 The staff have a strong relationship with all parents, especially those who speak English as an additional language. Staff work hard to involve all parents by sharing information about their children's learning. This helps to support children's progress in learning at the playgroup and at home.  Staff consistently take the children's lead when planning activities. They pay consideration to their interests, which allows them to plan purposeful activities that provide good levels of challenge and motivates them to learn. Consequently, staff prepare children well for their next stage in learning.  Children are able to move between the indoor and outdoor area. They enjoy games of chase with their friends, and climbing on large equipment. This promotes children's physical skills and contributes to a healthy lifestyle.  Children are happy and confident. They have good relationships with each other and

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This provision is good

include each other in their play.  Staff are committed to improving their practice. They regularly evaluate and act on areas to develop. For example, staff identified large equipment in the garden was too close to a fence. They have moved the equipment to improve safety for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not offer visual signs to help children who are learning English as an additional language to develop their independence and knowledge of written English language.  Occasionally staff ask children questions and do not give them sufficient time to think about their ideas and respond with an answer.

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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

 enhance visual aids in all areas for children who are learning English as an additional language to strengthen their independence and literacy development  give children enough time to respond to staff's questions to develop their own ideas and thinking skills.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor environment.  The inspector spoke to children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector sampled children's development records and the settings policies.  The inspector took part in a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to parents and viewed written correspondence to gain their feedback on the setting.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good and all children are making good progress in their learning. Staff make good use of the natural environment to develop children's knowledge. For example, staff showed children snowballs that they had made and kept in the freezer. Staff asked children to feel the snowball and talk about whether it had changed. Children commented that, 'It had turned into ice'. Staff extended learning and explained the effect that heat has on ice. Staff are consistent in asking questions to develop children's communication and language. However, occasionally some staff do not give children enough time to respond to their questions. Children enjoy climbing and learn to take turns and wait for their friends to get to the top of the frame. They carefully balance along the beams and slide down. This encourages children to take safe risks.

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good

Children have good relationships with staff. They seek them out to include them in their play and feel secure enough to play independently. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. They learn to use utensils to prepare their food, which develops children's sense of responsibility and self-help skills. Children are happy and laugh often. For example, in the garden children jumped on musical circles. Staff asked them if they could jump quickly and slowly to make different noises. This amused the children and encouraged them to explore how to change sounds. Staff are committed to supporting children with additional needs and those who are learning to speak English as an additional language. However, staff do not provide enough visual aids to enhance children's independence or knowledge of the English language. Children behave very well and respond appropriately to the staff. Staff offer lots of praise and encouragement to the

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good

children during activities, which encourages positive behaviour.

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provision is good

Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and therefore keep children safe. The staff attend training in first aid; as a result, all staff are trained to deal with accidents and other emergencies quickly and efficiently. The manager is committed to supporting her staff to complete additional training in order to benefit the outcomes for children. The manager meets with staff on a daily basis to discuss their practice and the provision for children. In addition, she regularly observes staffs practice and samples children's development records to assess the suitability of the learning opportunities. The manager is committed to improving the setting and is constantly reviewing and implementing new ideas to enhance it. Key persons have good relationships with other settings children attend. They share children's next steps, which offer a consistent approach to future learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY268196 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 847141 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider Southgate West Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 13 February 2009 Telephone number 01293511008

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Setting details

Southgate West Playgroup registered in 2003. The group operates from Hilltop Primary School, which is situated in the Southgate area of Crawley, in West Sussex. The playgroup is open five mornings from 9am to 12 noon and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm every weekday during term time. There are nine members of staff; of these, six hold a qualification at level 3 and three hold a qualification at level 2. The setting receives funding for free early education to children aged three and four year.

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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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