St Annes RC School Playgroup

St Annes RC School Playgroup St. Annes RC Primary School, Aughton Street, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 3LQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 April 2016 1 December 2011

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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 is ambitious for children and is committed to providing a high-quality service for families. She has clear action plans in place which identify priorities for improvement and can confidently talk about what the team does well to support children's care, learning and development.  Effective systems are in place to monitor and review the progress of all children. This enables any gaps in children's development to be quickly identified and addressed, helping all children to make good progress in their learning.  The key-person system is effective. Children form strong bonds with staff. Staff understand children's needs well and they work consistently with parents to ensure children's development and emotional well-being are supported.  Children's behaviour is good. They invite each other into their play, share resources and take turns. This helps develop children's social skills and they form good friendships.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Performance management arrangements are in place. However, these do not focus strongly enough on the monitoring of staff practice to identify where further improvements can be made to the already good teaching practice.  Although staff are very skilled in providing opportunities for children to extend their communication, language and reasoning skills, there are times when children would benefit from more time to think through questions that are asked. Staff are sometimes too quick to give them the answer.

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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

 enhance the monitoring of staff performance to strengthen the quality of teaching even further and help raise this to an outstanding level  give children enough time to think, articulate and respond to questions that are asked to them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the playgroup and observed the available experiences for the children.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke to staff throughout the inspection.  The inspector checked the evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff.  The inspector looked at children's learning journeys and assessment documentation.  The inspector spoke to parents and their views were taken into account.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked action plans and discussed how the views of children, staff and parents are gathered and acted on.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The staff team is experienced and well qualified. They work well together and deliver an organised, stimulating environment. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a good knowledge of the policies and procedures to follow if they have concerns for a child's welfare. Staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children's welfare. Staff attend regular training to further support their good practice and have ongoing meetings with the manager to discuss children's development. This helps the manager to evaluate the effectiveness of children's learning overall and influence the evaluation of future plans. For example, the layout of the environment was recently reviewed and adapted to further support children's fine motor skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children make good progress and enjoy the wide variety of exciting activities and resources available. Staff are full of enthusiasm, interact in children's play and take genuine interest in what children are doing. Children work together and construct structures using drain pipes and crates. This promotes teamwork and extends children's mathematical skills as they negotiate space, balance and solve problems. Staff support children with their early literacy skills. Children write their names and confidently sound out letters to make words. Staff give constant encouragement and praise to children for their achievements. This increases children's self-esteem and they take pride in what they have accomplished. Information about children's learning and development is regularly shared with parents and a literacy-pack loan system is in place. This helps parents to promote children's learning at home.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff create a warm and nurturing environment where children settle quickly and are happy. Staff teach the children about the importance of being healthy, for example, through discussion and following thorough hygiene routines. Children have long periods of time playing and exploring outdoors. This supports their physical skills as children throw and catch balls, jump in sacks and move around freely. Good relationships are in place with the adjoining school. Children eat their lunch in the school canteen alongside older children. This supports them emotionally as they become familiar with their new surroundings and are introduced to new people, such as teachers and dinner assistants. Furthermore, children's independence is promoted as, for example, they choose their own lunch, carry their own trays and adapt to new routines.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress in all areas of learning. They are confident, motivated and inquisitive learners. Children concentrate well and demonstrate their perseverance and attention to tasks set by staff. They display an eager disposition to learning and actively organise their own choices and resources. Children develop good skills for future learning and in readiness for the eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 309462 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 867873 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 3 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider St Anne's Catholic School Committee Date of previous inspection 1 December 2011 Telephone number 01695 574 697

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Setting details

St Annes RC School Playgroup opened in 1992. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 8.45am until 3.15pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The group provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. The playgroup employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications, ranging from level 3 to 6.

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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

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Setting details

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