Meadow Brook Playcare

Meadow Brook Playcare Meadow Children's Centre, Seaman Avenue, SAXMUNDHAM, Suffolk, IP17 1DZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 5 May 2015 23 October 2008

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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 Outstanding 1

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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 are happy and safe in this warm and welcoming setting. They develop secure emotional attachments to staff and readily go to them for cuddles and reassurance.  The key-person system is implemented extremely well, to ensure that each child has a named person to take responsibility for their daily well-being, plan for their learning and development, and build highly positive relationships with parents.  Staff fully understand their responsibilities to safeguard the welfare of children. They attend training in child protection and have a good awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse. They know how to report concerns.  The management team is highly effective in driving improvement. Management and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to working towards excellence in all areas.  Partnerships with parents are highly effective as staff are committed to working together with them. This supports all parents to remain actively engaged in their

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This provision is good

children's learning, in the setting and at home.  Children behave exceptionally well. Consistent boundaries are in place to help children know what is expected of them. This supports children very well to develop high levels of confidence and self-awareness.  Children make good progress in their learning and development because staff undertake thorough observations, which they analyse effectively. These are used in planning exciting activities, that reflect children's interests and needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Some staff do not always pay enough attention to ensure that their interactions with children sufficiently motivate them to engage in activities, and extend their opportunities to play and learn.

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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

 support all staff to develop confidence in their interactions with children, in order to engage children in activities and extend their opportunities to play and learn.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the gardens.  The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at activity planning, records of children's learning and a selection of policies and records.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector spoke to parents and children.

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who attend. This is good

Staff talk to parents to establish children's starting points. They observe children as they play to identify, and plan for, the next steps in their learning. Regular summaries of children's learning are carried out and mean that any gaps are quickly identified and managed. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn, and provide an interesting and varied range of activities. Children make good progress and develop the necessary skills for the next stage in their learning. The quality of teaching is good overall, but some staff are not so confident in their interactions with children. They are sometimes more concerned with supervising, rather than engaging and motivating children. Staff encourage children in conversation and ask questions to challenge their thinking. For example, when planting flowers in the garden, they ask children what is needed to support plant growth and give them time to think and suggest 'water' and 'sunshine'.

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outstanding

Exceptionally good settling-in processes for new children support them to be happy and settled. The key-person system is highly effective, including identifying a second key person who knows the child well and takes over in the absence of the main person. This supports children to develop strong emotional attachments to staff and become highly confident to embrace new experiences. Children benefit from a wide range of play materials to support their learning and development. The thoughtfully planned classrooms and gardens promote an exciting place to play and learn. Extremely close links with local primary schools support a seamless transfer to the Reception class. Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress. Parents report that they find staff very friendly and caring and are exceptionally happy with the service that is provided. Children are kept very safe, effectively supporting their physical well-being. Staff are exceptionally secure in

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outstanding

their knowledge of child protection procedures.

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provision is good

Management and staff have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, to ensure that they are meeting their legal duties. The learning and development requirements are effectively monitored, to assess the quality of teaching and learning. As a result of this, the manager has identified that some staff need additional coaching, to support their interactions with children. An effective system of supervision is in place, to support staff and manage underperformance. Self-evaluation is used well to inform priorities and to set challenging targets for improvement. As a result, an action plan for development has been identified that is clear, achievable and designed to bring about continuous improvement. Most staff are well qualified and all staff are encouraged in their professional development. Four members of staff are currently working towards early years qualifications, to support them in the provision of good-quality care and

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY368195 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 857883 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 86 Name of provider Meadow Brook Playcare Committee Date of previous inspection 23 October 2008 Telephone number 01728 652114

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Setting details

Meadow Brook Playcare was registered in 2008. The setting employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including three staff with a degree in early years. The setting opens from Monday to Friday for 48 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8.30am until 4.30pm.

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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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