St. George's Pre-School Playgroup

St. George`s Pre-School Playgroup Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire, SK2 6NX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 November 2015 16 November 2012

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Observation and assessment systems are in place. However, these are not made full use of in order to plan appropriate next steps in children's learning and development, and ensure any gaps are closed.  Systems to monitor staff practice and teaching are not robust, or embedded sufficiently, to impact positively on practice.  Communication with parents focuses predominantly on the care needs of their child. Opportunities for parents to review children's progress and contribute to their learning at home are not maximised.

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It has the following strengths

 The recently appointed manager has identified areas for improvement within the setting and is proactively implementing positive changes.  Staff encourage children to be independent and support them in making decisions about what they would like to play with. Children play well together, sharing toys and forming friendships.  Staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe from harm. They know who to contact should they have concerns about a child's welfare.  Staff provide a wide range of activities and resources. They actively follow children's interests to ensure children are engaged in their play and enjoy their time at playgroup.

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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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Due Date

 ensure robust observation and assessment is carried out consistently, in order to identify gaps in children's learning and to develop and secure their next steps in learning. 26/11/2015

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 strengthen partnerships with parents and support them in contributing to their child's learning and development more consistently  improve ways to monitor staff practice, in order to raise teaching to a higher level and better support outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as children's learning and development records and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The procedures for safeguarding are effective. Staff regularly check the environment to ensure it remains safe for children. They take appropriate steps to identify and minimise any potential risks to children. The newly appointed manager has quickly begun to identify priorities for improvement. She has a strong desire for developing a high-quality provision. The manager has a good understanding of how the provision needs to improve and is clear in her plans for the future. Monitoring of staff and the educational programme is currently inconsistent. It is not yet focused sharply enough on the quality of teaching and learning, in order to improve children's outcomes and close any gaps. The manager has recently introduced staff supervision, coaching and mentoring. This is helping the manager and staff identify future training needs, and is beginning to support them in improving practice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff work with parents and carers to establish children's starting points on entry. The staff observe and have begun to track children's progress. However, they do not use information about children's progress consistently when planning children's next steps. This means children are not always effectively challenged in their learning and do not make the best possible progress. Overall, staff have good interactions with children. They encourage them to enjoy themselves and have fun. Staff talk to children, asking questions as they play. They introduce new words and help them to count and recognise numbers. Parents value the introduction of communication books between themselves and their child's key person. Discussions with parents focus predominantly on children's care needs. Opportunities for staff to support parents in contributing to their child's learning have yet to be explored fully.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are confident and independent. They enjoy the wide range of experiences offered. Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment, and talk gently with children as they play. Children are settled and have developed close bonds with the staff. They understand what appropriate behaviour is. Staff manage children's behaviour well. They provide a variety of healthy and nutritious snacks and remind children of the importance of good hygiene procedures. Children are provided with daily opportunities for physical activity, either outdoors or in the large church hall. Staff support children to understand the effects of exercise on their bodies. For example, during physical play, staff talk to children about their increased heartbeat and the way in which they feel hot. This helps support them to understand and develop healthy lifestyles.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Some children do not make the best possible progress from their starting points. Staff teach some basic skills in preparation for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 307180 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 1028191 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 31 Name of provider St. George`s Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 16 November 2012 Telephone number 0161 476 2765

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Setting details

St. George's Pre-School Playgroup was registered in 1992. The setting employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The setting opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 11.30am and 12.30pm to 3pm.

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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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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