St Christopher's Playgroup

St Christopher's Playgroup St Christopher's Church Hall, Lincoln Avenue, Warden Hill,, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 3DD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 April 2015 12 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

 Children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff effectively share their planning for the next steps in children's learning so that all staff working with the children are aware of what support all children need to help them progress well.  Strong partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals involved in children's care and learning, help staff meet children's individual needs well.  The key-person system helps children to form secure attachments. This promotes children's well-being effectively, and provides a strong base for their learning.  The staff carry out effective risk assessments of the learning environment and monitor children's safety vigilantly throughout the sessions. As a result children are safe and learn how to manage small, appropriate, risks.  The manager is proactive in seeking the views of staff, parents, children and other professionals to help her ensure self-evaluation is accurate. This means identified

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This provision is good

improvements have a positive impact on children's learning and care.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The routine at snack and mealtimes is not always efficiently organised. This means that children's learning is not maximised at this time.  Staff do not always present the role-play area in an inviting and well-resourced way to consistently enhance children's imaginative play and exploration skills.

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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

 develop the range of resources to help children consistently make use of the role-play area in more meaningful ways  enhance the already good care practices by reviewing the organisation of snack time to reduce children's waiting times and maximise their learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play, activities and staff interaction with children, in all areas of the playgroup, including outside. She viewed the toys, resources and equipment available for children's use.  The inspector held discussions with the playgroup manager, staff and children. She also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked evidence of safeguarding practices, staff recruitment, staff training and professional development, and evaluation processes.  The inspector looked as some records for children's learning and development, and discussed how staff assess children's progress.

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who attend. This is good

Staff skilfully plan learning opportunities that take into account the individual needs, interest, and stage of development of each child. Activities are generally interesting, challenging and cover all areas of learning. This helps to ensure that children have an enjoyable experience. For example, children interested in pirates carried out a treasure hunt, re-enacted shared stories and made eye patches. As a result they developed their literacy, imagination, drawing and mathematics skills. However, the range of resources in the role-play area does not always inspire children to initiate their own pretend play. The staff team have gained a good understanding of how children learn through the good levels of qualifications, experience and training. Consequently, the quality of teaching is good. Staff help children to develop their thinking and problem-solving skills by asking challenging questions, giving sensitive suggestions and informative explanations. For

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who attend. This is good

example, children were encouraged to consider the effects of water on their clay models. Staff support children's language skills well and as a result children are confident communicators. They receive good preparation for school as older children attend a weekly session at the local school. Staff promote children's early reading, writing and mathematics playfully so children are enthusiastic learners.

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good

Children form good attachments with their key person and other staff, who are responsive to their needs. Consequently children are confident and motivated to explore, while staff offer consistent praise and reassurance to help them feel secure. On occasion children queue for too long as they prepare to have snack and wash their hands. Consequently some children become distracted and bored as they are not fully engaged in purposeful activity. All children benefit from the time they spend outdoors and staff promote their understanding of healthy foods and good hygiene practice.

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provision is good

The manager has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and meets all legal requirements. Robust employment and induction procedures ensure staff are suitable for their roles and understand their responsibilities to safeguard children's welfare. Ongoing supervision targets areas for staff development. Staff have focused on improving areas of practice that benefit the children. For example, as a result of training focused on mathematics, the staff have developed their teaching and purchased further mathematical toys. The manager regularly checks children progress which means she quickly identifies and ensures any gaps in learning quickly close. Staff regularly share strategies with parents to promote continuity in their children's learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 101597 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 839112 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 49 Name of provider St Christopher's Playgroup (Warden Hill) Committee Date of previous inspection 12 February 2009 Telephone number 07914 740022

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Setting details

St Christopher's Playgroup registered in 1999. The playgroup is located in St Christopher's Church Hall, Cheltenham. Sessions, during school terms, are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.15am until 12.15pm. The playgroup also offers a session on Wednesday from 9.15am until 12.15pm in Warden Hill Primary School, which is separately registered. The playgroup employs eight members of staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The manager holds a level 5 childcare qualification. Partnership arrangements with other early years settings are Warden Hill School, Betteridge School and local childminders.

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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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