St Helens Playgroup

St Helens Playgroup St Helens Church, St Helens Street,(Town), Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2LS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 June 2015 9 March 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 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are supported exceptionally well. Staff are extremely caring and embrace children's individual characters. They work closely with outside agencies, parents and each other to ensure that every child's individual needs are fully met.  The key-person system is good and works well in practice. Key persons are very supportive. They know their children well and are proud of their achievements. As a result, children develop confidence and self-esteem and build good relationships with staff and their peers.  A tracking system is in place, which clearly identifies if there are any gaps in learning and the stage that each individual child is working at. The managers monitor tracking to ensure that all children make progress and that planned activities support children's learning.  Children are safeguarded well as all staff have a good knowledge of the signs and

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This provision is good

symptoms of abuse. They are fully aware of the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child in their care.  Parents are involved in their child's learning. Learning journeys and the next steps of children's learning are regularly shared. Staff provide parents with ideas of how to extend children's learning at home.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The organisation of circle times does not always allow all children to fully participate.  Due to the confines of the premises, children are not always entirely able to make choices about what they wish to play with.

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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 how to further promote children's choices within their play  develop the organisation of circle times to enable all children to fully participate.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning both indoors and outside.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff to work in the playgroup.  The inspector spoke to parents and children and took account of their views.

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who attend. This is good

Children make good progress in this wholly inclusive setting to prepare them in readiness for school. All staff use sign language and wear communication pictures and symbols to support language development and help children to speak to staff and their peers. Children are developing good imaginations. They pretend that the climbing frame is a 'den' and a 'bus'. They collect toys from around the room, place them inside the 'bus' and make play dough biscuits and sandwiches to eat at the park. Children enjoy looking at books to develop their literacy skills. They share books with their friends and listen as staff read a story, which is extended to talk about the different animals they can see. Children learn mathematical concepts as they play in the water. Staff talk to them about full and empty and help them to count the number of times it takes the small container to fill the large one. Children are generally well occupied and enjoy taking part in activities. However,

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who attend. This is good

circle times at the beginning and end of the day, are noisy and are not organised effectively to enable all children to easily join in. There is a book in the book corner with photographs of resources for children to choose from. However, this is not always easily accessible, as a result, children are not always fully able to make choices within their play. Children are supported well when they move to school. Staff meet with teachers and share information about children's individual preferences and their stage of development.

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good

Behaviour is generally good. Staff deal with unwanted behaviour calmly and use clear explanations when children become upset or fractious with each other. They teach them to take turns and share. Children benefit from time spent outdoors. The playgroup has recently been awarded a grant to develop the outside area. Children now have access to a variety of outdoor experiences, such as playing on bridges and in willow tunnels, on beams and logs for balancing. There is an area for bicycles, a mud kitchen and a sand pit. Children are able to choose if they want to play outdoors and staff effectively manage this, despite access to outdoors being through the kitchen. Children are beginning to understand about healthy eating. Staff provide food, which embraces children's cultures. Dietary needs, such as the safe management of allergies, are dealt with well.

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provision is good

Staff are qualified and attend training to further their knowledge and expertise. They cascade what they have learnt to update everyone's knowledge and implement new ideas. This helps to improve children's experiences and move the group forward. This has a positive impact on children's learning. The managers have introduced peer monitoring and regularly observe staff as they work with the children. Although, this is a pack-away setting, staff make full use of the facilities available to them. For example, they use a patchwork tapestry to brighten the book corner and an alphabet banner is used to help children match the letter sounds objects start with, to the letter symbol.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 251649 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 871467 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider St Helens Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 9 March 2009 Telephone number 07507455185

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Setting details

St Helens Playgroup was registered in 1999. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and three at level 2, including one with Qualified Teacher Status. The playgroup opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The playgroup supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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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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