Syderstone Happy Faces Playgroup

Happy Faces Playgroup Blenhein Park Primary School, Lancaster Road, Sculthorpe, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 7PX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 March 2015 30 April 2012

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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 Good 2

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3

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:

 The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of changes to members of the committee and to ensure all members have completed suitability checks. This has little negative impact on children's welfare and safety because these committee members are not involved in key decision making.  The monitoring of some assessments does not fully reflect the range of groups of children attending, so that future interventions can be even more sharply targeted.  The outdoor environment is not currently used effectively to fully promote children's literacy and mathematical skills.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff know children well as individuals. Consequently, they plan effectively for each child's learning in accordance with their interests and stage of development.  Children form strong bonds with their key person, and as a result, they are happy, settled and well behaved.  Children have good access to the outdoors, as the garden leads directly from the playroom. As a result, children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise.  Partnerships with parents, other professionals and external agencies are well established. This means that each child's individual care and learning needs are consistently met.  All staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children, and competently implement daily safety checks to minimise hazards.

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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 the already good monitoring of children's assessments to track the progress of a range of different groups, as well as individual children, in order to target any specific interventions even more precisely  provide more print and numbers in the outdoor environment to enable children to explore literacy and mathematics outdoors, particularly for those children who prefer the outdoor style of learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 inform Ofsted of changes to the management committee of the childcare provision (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  inform Ofsted of changes to the management committee of the childcare provision (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the playgroup and held discussions with the manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector observed adult-led and free-play activities taking place in the classroom and outside area.  The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the playgroup's improvement plan.

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who attend. This is good

Staff have a secure understanding of how children learn and they make accurate assessments of children from regular observations of children at play. Staff offer good support so that children acquire skills and a capacity to develop and learn. Older children complete jigsaw puzzles. Staff use positional language to support children's next steps in learning about mathematics. Children confidently sing a nursery rhyme in front of their friends. Staff support children's self-esteem as they celebrate children's achievements. Staff engage younger children in activities outside to support early communication and physical development by taking part in ring games. Staff make good use of the outdoor areas to promote all areas of learning. However, it is not so well designed with regard to promoting literacy and mathematics, to fully support those children who prefer to be outdoors. By working in partnership with parents, staff ensure that all children are fully

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who attend. This is good

supported to achieve to the best of their abilities.

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good

Children can choose what they want to play with from a range of resources. This supports children's free choice and independence. Children's good health is protected because they are physically active. They develop confidence and skills while they play on ride-on toys and use large physical play equipment on the school playground. Children new to the playgroup are happy and quickly settle with their new key person. In addition, staff support children's emotional well-being as they prepare to move to school. Children play outside with children from the school. Staff play alongside children and are available to provide reassurance.

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provision requires improvement

At the inspection, it was found that Ofsted had not been informed of the changes to some committee members within the prescribed time period. Furthermore, it was found that not all members had a current Disclosure and Barring Service check. This indicates a lack of efficiency in the leadership and management of the committee. This has minimal impact on children's well-being as recruitment is carried out by the manager, whose suitability has been checked and whom Ofsted are aware of. The unchecked committee members also do not have contact with the children. The quality of staff's interaction with the children is regularly observed by the manager, who works alongside her staff. All staff have a childcare qualification and staff appraisals are used to inform and support their professional development to improve outcomes for children. The manager is committed to continual improvements in the nursery and plans to further develop the outside area. The

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provision requires improvement

manager monitors educational programmes effectively for individual children. However, she is only just starting to consider the varying learning styles of groups of children. For example, she does not yet consider differences in children receiving funding or boys and girls, and how this may have an impact on planning and securing precise intervention.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 254305 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 866863 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider Syderstone Happy Faces Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 30 April 2012 Telephone number 07940 990592

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Setting details

Happy Faces Playgroup was registered in 1994 and operates from a classroom within Blenhein Park Primary School. The playgroup employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4, one at level 3 and two at level 2. The playgroup opens from Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 1pm. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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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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