Pillowell Early Years Group

Pillowell Early Years Group Pillowell School, School Road, Pillowell, Nr Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4QT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 June 2015 19 May 2011

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Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement 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:

 Staff complete observations on children but are not able to plan effectively for children's future learning. This is because they do not gather information on children's starting points and assess children's progress regularly to find out what they need to learn next.  Staff are not consistent in their management of children's behaviour. This results in some children being told that they are not able to do something, while other children are allowed to do it. Therefore, children do not always learn what is expected of them.  During snack times, staff cut up food for children, serve it around and pour the drinks for some children. This means that staff miss opportunities to extend and support children's learning and independence skills further.  Management and staff do not evaluate practice effectively to identify areas for improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are generally happy, confident and demonstrate that they have close attachments to their key person. Staff have a caring approach towards all children and show great patience with them.  There are good links with parents and other professionals which means that all adults are able to contribute to supporting children's individual care needs. Parents speak highly of the staff and say that they are happy with the information they receive.  Staff have a suitable understanding about safeguarding and the procedures they need to follow should they have any concerns about children in their care. They implement the safeguarding requirements to promote children's safety and welfare.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 improve the quality of teaching to a consistently good standard by the use of assessment so children's starting points and progress are easily recognisable to enable staff to understand and support children's individual needs  improve the programme for personal, social and emotional development by helping children learn about behavioural expectations in the setting by giving them consistent messages.

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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

 extend learning opportunities and support children's independence skills further, in particular during snack times  improve self-evaluation to identify strengths and key areas for development to improve the quality of the provision for all children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the play room and school hall.  The inspector held a meeting with the chairperson of the committee, spoke to children and staff and took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector checked the evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation and the available resources for children.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation including safeguarding procedures, risk assessments and the group's policies and procedures.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Children generally enjoy their time at the setting. They make friends and interact with each other well. However, at times staff struggle to manage some children's behaviour consistently. For example, at circle time some children are told to put away toys they are holding, while others are allowed to keep them longer. This gives inconsistent messages and does not promote children's personal and social skills effectively. Children enjoy building rockets and talking about what they have made with the staff. However, staff do not provide challenging activities for those children that require extension in their learning. This means that these children finish activities quickly and look for something else to do. Staff use praise and encouragement to help develop children's self-esteem and confidence. Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They talk to children clearly and constantly. Generally, children have the basic skills they need for

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requires improvement

The premises are safe, warm and welcoming and children settle quickly into their play. Staff show great patience with all children and, as a result, children have close attachments with their special person. This promotes children's emotional well-being appropriately. Staff are good role models and remind children to use their manners when asking for items. Staff miss opportunities to develop and support children's learning further. At snack time, staff encourage children to put out name cards for their friends. However, they do not enable children to help contribute to the preparation of snacks, by cutting up fruit or laying the table for example. Staff promote children's good personal hygiene routines. Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills through regular access to the outside space and, when the weather is bad, they are able to use the school hall for large physical play activities. This contributes to children's physical well-

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provision requires improvement

The new chairperson is working hard to support the staff and is aware that training is important to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good standard. She has started to monitor performance and recently made changes to the layout of the setting to improve the accessibility of resources. Staff do not gather detailed information regarding children's starting points. This means they are not able to effectively assess children's progress and plan challenging activities to support children who require extension or support in their learning. This results in inconsistent teaching practices. Staff have not evaluated their practice since the last inspection, which means they have not identified areas to develop.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 101716 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 835625 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 17 Name of provider Pillowell Early Years Group Committee Date of previous inspection 19 May 2011 Telephone number 07964 584 834

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Setting details

Pillowell Early Years Group is managed by a voluntary committee. It registered in 1994. There is disabled access to all parts except for the hall, where there is one step to negotiate. The setting is open on Mondays from 9am to 3pm, and on Tuesdays to Fridays from 9am to 12 noon during term times. Full day care is offered if required. The early years group receive funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four- year-old children. There are three members of staff who work with the children. All hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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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