Potters Cross Pre-School Playgroup

Potters Cross Pre-School Playgroup Methodist Church Hall, Enville Road, Kinver, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY7 6AB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 February 2016 15 June 2010

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 The manager and staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Self-evaluation includes the views of parents and members of the committee and is used to help ensure good standards throughout the setting.  Children enjoy playing with a wide range of good quality toys and materials. Activities are based on children's interests and the environment supports their play and learning well. This means children explore freely, use their imagination and make good progress.  The staff team has excellent working relationships with each other. Staff's professional approach fosters an extremely inclusive and positive ethos within the setting which helps to promote equal opportunities for all children.  Children build close relationships with their key persons, who help them to feel settled and secure and, therefore, ready to learn. Staff provide sensitive encouragement to help children understand how to manage their own behaviour and to make friends.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not encourage the oldest or most-able children enough, to take part in activities that help to promote their independence in preparation for their move to school.  Staff performance management is not focused sharply enough on evaluating the quality of teaching, to continually identify areas where teaching practice can be strengthened even further.

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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 opportunities for the oldest and most-able children to develop increasing skills for independence  strengthen the performance management arrangements for staff and focus more precisely on enhancing the quality of teaching.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed three joint observations with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and the chair of the committee.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff and committee members.  The inspector spoke to a selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager has a good overview of all aspects of the setting. Staff are given specific responsibilities with regards to health and safety that help to promote children's welfare at all times. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have an excellent understanding of what action to take if they have any concerns about children. All staff are well qualified and they continue to update their training. Staff receive one-to-one supervision meetings that generally promote their ongoing professional development. However, this does not always focus sharply enough on identifying strengths and weaknesses in teaching skills. The manager is proactive in establishing links with local schools and there are excellent relationships as a result. Children attend stay-and-play sessions at school and school staff visit the children at the setting. This helps to ensure that children benefit from consistency in their care and education when they move on.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The overall quality of teaching is good. Staff get to know all children well and they plan activities that are usually adapted to promote individual learning needs. Children benefit from the wide range of thoughtfully prepared experiences, and educational programmes have depth and breadth across all aspects of learning. The innovative ways that staff capture children's interest mean that children learn while investigating. Younger children explore their senses as they add drops of scented liquids to the flower pictures that they have created. Children's progress is monitored and each child's key person identifies their next steps for learning. Staff gather information from parents about children's starting points when they begin. They use this to build on their own observations and to continue to exchange information that strengthens the assessment process. Overall, monitoring of the progress that groups of children make helps staff to target any areas for intervention.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Excellent relationships between staff and parents mean that partnership work is strong. Parents report that they are very happy with the care and learning that their children are provided with. The established routine helps children to understand what is happening next and they line up and follow instructions from staff when they move between rooms. Generally, children have opportunities to develop their independence in readiness for school. However, staff do not use opportunities to build as far as possible on the independence skills of older or more-able children. Children show that they understand the importance of good hygiene routines. When a member of staff asks them to, 'Come and make silly soup', which is singing game, they respond, 'We need to wash our hands first'. Children enjoy playing on ride-on cars and scooters, and daily access to an outdoor play area helps to promote their physical development and good health.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children, including those in receipt of early education funding, make good progress. Targeted support helps children, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, to gain skills that help them with future learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 218207 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 854484 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 40 Number of children on roll 59 Name of provider Potters Cross Pre-School Playgroup Date of previous inspection 15 June 2010 Telephone number 07742616192

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Setting details

Potters Cross Pre-School Playgroup was registered in 1992. The setting employs eight members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The playgroup opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children and supports disabled children and those with special educational needs.

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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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