Hereward

Hereward Playgroup Hereward CPS, Colebrook Lane, LOUGHTON, Essex, IG10 2LS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 June 2015 15 January 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 are well protected in this safe, calm learning environment because staff have a good understanding of how to safeguard children in their care. Staff form strong trusting relationships with children and their families, so children feel safe and secure.  Children make good progress because they are taught well.  There is a strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development. This builds children's confidence and gives them a good grounding for the challenges of life in school.  Strong partnerships with parents and external agencies ensure that children receive the support that they need to succeed.  The playgroup works very closely with the host school to ensure that the move to school is a pleasant experience for the children. Children have regular opportunities to visit the school as they collect milk and fruit for daily snack time. They join in with some of the activities, giving them a good insight into school life.

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This provision is good

 The qualified staff have access to ongoing training to maintain their knowledge and skills relevant to their roles. Safeguarding training and first aid are priorities for the leadership and management of the playgroup.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children have limited access to information and communication technology resources.  Systems for monitoring staff performance are not yet fully established, to ensure high- quality practice.

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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

 provide more opportunities for children to develop their technology skills and interests  build on the systems for staff supervision and performance management in order to continue to improve staff practice and drive children's rapid progress  develop a more rigorous system for self-evaluation, in order to plan challenging targets for future improvements.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager and conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector inspected learning activities and interacted with the children and staff.  The inspector sampled documentation relating to safeguarding, children's learning and development records, planning and assessment and the provider's self-evaluation.  The inspector checked evidence of staff qualifications and their suitability.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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who attend. This is good

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They regularly observe the children and use this information to plan interesting learning opportunities that engage the children. Children's communication and language skills are well supported. Children demonstrate a good understanding of events in a story and talk about characters and characters' feelings. They take books home to share with their families and have regular opportunities to practise their pre-writing skills. Children learn about living things in their environment as they grow vegetables and investigate mini- beasts. They learn about light and dark and enjoy investigating light using torches. Children have access to the school's computer suite but other information and communication technology resources such as handheld devices or programmable toys are lacking. The key-person system is successful in engaging parents in their children's

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who attend. This is good

education. Parents receive good advice from the staff on how to help their children at home. Children are developing the necessary skills ready to start school.

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good

Children are warmly welcomed on arrival at this calm, stimulating learning environment. They happily engage in various age-appropriate activities. Children take turns, cooperate well with each other and are developing good social skills. They are gaining in confidence and independence because of the good support they receive from the staff. Children have developed good hygiene practices and manage their personal self-care successfully. Children enjoy healthy snacks and have daily opportunities to be physically active. Staff set clear boundaries so children know what is expected of them. As a result, children are particularly well behaved. Children are praised and rewarded for their efforts. Their achievements at home and at the playgroup are displayed on the achievement tree. This motivates the children and boosts their self-esteem.

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provision is good

Safeguarding practices are good so children are well protected. Staff undergo thorough checks, to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. The playgroup draws on the expertise of other professionals, to support children with additional needs. Arrangements for monitoring staff performance and supervision are mainly effective, but are not yet securely embedded to ensure the swift sharing of staff's good practice. Staff have good opportunities for professional development. Consequently, they are able to support children's needs well. Parents, children and staff contribute to the ongoing self-evaluation process. However, systems for evaluating the provision are not yet rigorous enough to precisely inform priorities and set challenging targets for improvement. Parents speak highly of the staff and are appreciative of the quality of care and learning provided.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 402102 Local authority Essex Inspection number 868956 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Wendy Watson Date of previous inspection 15 January 2009 Telephone number 0208 5086465

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Setting details

Hereward Playgroup was registered in 1988. The playgroup employs three members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. The playgroup opens from Monday to Friday during school term time. Sessions are from 8.50am until 11.50am. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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