Hamdon Playgroup

Hamdon Playgroup Under the United Reformed Church, North Street, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, TA14 6QP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 May 2015 9 March 2011

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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 learn through exploration and investigation of the wide range of resources. This helps to develop their confidence in becoming independent learners. Staff follow children's lead and extend their ideas. They involve all children through encouragement and fun so that they gain positive attitudes and enjoy their learning.  Staff gain good information on children's starting points for learning when they first attend and monitor their development effectively. This helps them to plan well so that all children make good progress, which prepares them well for school.  Staff have good partnerships with parents and other professionals. They share information with parents and the schools children move on to. They meet with other providers who share children's care. This enables staff to support children's well-being and to be consistent in promoting their learning.  Staff enable children to initiate their learning, make a positive contribution and extend

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This provision is good

their ideas. As a result, children are curious and keen to find solutions to problems as they arise.  The provider and manager have good systems to identify effective action plans to continually improve outcomes for children. For example, they are currently improving the outdoor area to enable children to use it safely all year.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always organise whole group activities to enable all children to learn as much as they can by concentrating fully.  Staff sometimes miss the opportunity to pose questions to extend older children's awareness of the similarities and differences in simple words and shapes.

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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

 review the organisation of whole group activities to enable all children to concentrate and engage fully  pose more challenging questions to help children recognise the similarities in words and shapes to extend their mathematical and literacy development further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and the quality of teaching, indoors and in the courtyard.  The inspector carried out a joint observation and held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector spoke to staff, children and parents present on the day of the inspection and took account of the playgroup's self-evaluation.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the premises.  The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, children's development records and planning.

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who attend. This is good

Since the last inspection, staff have improved their systems for assessing children's learning and development. They include children's interests and next stages of learning in the planning, which provides a unique educational programme tailored to children's needs. This motivates each child to learn. Staff are sensitive to children's thinking and value their independent activity, interacting at appropriate times to support or challenge learning. At the inspection, children put on fire officers' hats and pretended the climbing frame was a burning house. Staff joined in and this led to children excitedly describing what was happening and giving staff instructions. Staff encouraged mathematical development throughout activities. For example, children made a specific number of dough fingers to fit on a picture of a hand and cut them to the desired size. However, staff sometimes missed opportunities to extend children's mathematical and literacy development fully. For

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who attend. This is good

example, children drew a square and staff asked them to draw a triangle but did not ask them about the different number of sides to challenge them further.

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good

Children feel secure with staff because most attend the stay and play sessions with their parents. This enables children to become familiar with the staff and the environment before they start. Staff make full use of the local community to extend children's experiences and learn about their world. They support children well in developing safe and healthy practices. Children enjoyed healthy snacks and helped themselves to fresh drinking water, for example. Children explore a wide range of resources and learn how to use various tools. At the inspection, children used scissors to develop techniques for cutting. Staff skilfully encouraged children to have a go, so that they gained confidence in trying new skills. However, staff did not always get every child's attention before starting a whole group activity. This meant that not all children joined in and concentrated fully.

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provision is good

Staff provide a secure environment and deploy themselves effectively. They all attend training and know how to safeguard children who may be at risk of harm. Regular supervision by the manager helps to identify staff development needs and better ways of working. This forms part of their self-evaluation and plans for improvement, along with parents' questionnaires. Staff use training to improve their skills. For example, they have introduced sign language and pictures to help children with their language and communication skills. The manager has a good overview of children's development and ensures that staff complete the progress check for two-year-old children at the appropriate time. This ensures that they identify any additional support children need to close any gaps in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 143133 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 836661 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 23 Name of provider Hamdon Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 9 March 2011 Telephone number 01935826832

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Setting details

Hamdon Playgroup is run by a voluntary committee and opened in 1974. It operates in Stoke-Sub-Hamdon, Somerset. The playgroup is open Monday and Wednesday from 9am to 3pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 12 noon, and Friday from 9am to 12.45pm. The playgroup opens during term time only. They receive funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are four members of staff working regularly with children, of whom three hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification in health and social care at level 3.

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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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