St Mark's Preschool

St Mark's Playgroup The Old Vicarage, Vicarage Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5JA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 May 2015 7 July 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 have good relationships with staff. This is because the staff, particularly their key person, support them as they play and are always nearby to offer help when needed. Therefore, children feel emotionally secure at the setting.  Staff provide a very good range of toys and equipment for children to explore during each session. The children have many opportunities to experience how things work and how to work with others.  Staff teach children their good simple rules for getting along with others. Children also learn the rules to help them avoid hazards and accidents. Consequently, children learn to effectively manage their own behaviour.  Staff have good working partnerships with parents to help them engage in their children's learning. They provide regular reviews of the children's learning and provide daily verbal updates on children's achievements. This means that parents develop a good understanding of how their children play and learn.

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This provision is good

 The providers are committed to providing supervision sessions and training for staff. Recent staff training on letter sounds has had a good impact on the children's outcomes. Therefore, they are all making good progress in their speech and language skills, given their starting points and abilities.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The staff provide a good selection of books in the book area. However, they do not purposefully provide books in the different areas of learning for children to use as they play.

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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

 further promote the use of books throughout the environment so that children may gain a clearer understanding that books have a purpose.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a variety of paperwork, including the nursery's safeguarding policy and children's progress records.  The inspector talked to managers, staff, children and parents to gain their views of the setting.  The inspector and the manager carried out a joint observation in the pre-school room.  The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children, indoors and outdoors.

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who attend. This is good

Staff competently observe and assess children's progress. They plan activities to cater for the needs of each individual child. The manager regularly checks the children's records to ensure staff are accurately recording children's achievements. She also effectively monitors the educational programme to make sure each child is included in activities to meet their next steps and help them progress further. Children receive good support in preparation for their moves to school. Staff effectively use different activities to help children recognise letter and number shapes, develop their pencil control, and listen to instructions. The children learn to manage their own needs, such as taking themselves to the toilet and getting themselves dressed in coats and shoes for outdoor play. Staff accompany the children on visits to local schools and invite reception teachers to meet the children at the playgroup. Staff talk to children about what school is like so that children

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who attend. This is good

look forward to the changes with anticipation.

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good

Children choose from a wide choice of nutritious food at snack time. They competently help themselves to cereals and fruits and can pour their own milk and drinks. They are also able to use cutlery proficiently to butter their own crumpets or bread. Children have regular discussions with staff about which foods are good for their bodies. This means that they learn about healthy food. Children have good opportunities to participate in physical play activities. They learn how to look after their bodies by drinking water regularly and wearing hats when it is sunny. They also learn to keep themselves safe in emergencies by participating in the playgroup's regular emergency evacuation drills. They learn to listen carefully to the staff's instructions. This promotes their safety and skills for future learning.

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provision is good

Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They all hold Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced checks. They regularly discuss child protection issues to reinforce their understanding and knowledge. Therefore, they support the well-being of children at all times. The manager promotes good partnership working with the local children's centre and with other health and education professionals who support children if required. The manager effectively uses the views of staff, parents and children in her evaluations of the setting. Her resulting improvement plans consider the outcomes for all children. For example, how best to deploy staff to achieve more one-to- one time for each child to further promote their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 103847 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 839258 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 37 Name of provider St Mark's Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 7 July 2011 Telephone number 01634 570489

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Setting details

St Mark's Playgroup opened in 1983. It operates from two rooms in a church hall in Gillingham, Kent. The playgroup is open each weekday, from 9.15am to 12.15pm, term time only. The playgroup is in receipt of funding to provide free nursery education for children aged two, three and four years. The playgroup employs five members of staff. The manager holds a BA (Hons) Degree in Early Years Studies. Three other staff hold appropriate early years National Vocational Qualifications at level 3 and one is at level 2.

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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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