St John's Nursery Playgroup

St John's Nursery Playgroup Baker Street, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 2DZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 July 2016 31 March 2016

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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

 Managers and leaders aspire to improve. They have made several improvements since their last inspection through their effective supervisions and monitoring and continuous evaluations of practice.  Since the last inspection, staff have developed their partnership with parents, other providers that children attend and teachers from schools. This helps to support a smooth move between settings and ensures that there is consistency in children's care and learning. Parents speak highly about the staff and the service provided.  Staff are well deployed and very attentive to children's needs. They attend purposeful training and share new teaching ideas with all the team. This helps to support children's language skills, including those who speak English as an additional language.  Children who have special educational needs or disability are well supported. There are strong partnerships with other professionals who are involved in children's lives. A

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This provision is good

member of staff specialises in ensuring that their needs are very well known by all the team. This helps children to achieve to the best of their abilities.  Children behave well and older children demonstrate that they can resolve their own disagreements. Staff continually praise and encourage children during tasks and routines. This helps them to them to feel valued and to develop a sense of belonging.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although children make good progress, staff do not always plan adult-led group times in enough detail so that the younger and most-able children's progress accelerates 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

 enhance the planning of group activities so that teaching is even more effective to fully meet the younger and most-able children's developmental needs.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the provider and a senior member of staff. She also held a meeting with them.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and evidence of the suitability of the provider and staff working with the children.  The inspector sampled a range of other documentation, including the setting's self- evaluation and action plans. She looked at and discussed the setting's safeguarding policy and risk assessments.  The inspector considered the views of parents as expressed in written documents and in discussions during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are familiar with signs of abuse and current safeguarding legislation. They know what to do should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Staff and committee members are safely recruited to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. They have a thorough induction so that they are familiar with all the policies and procedures. Since the last inspection, staff have reviewed how they observe and assess children's progress. They are now much clearer about their key children's achievements and their next steps in their learning. These are shared effectively with parents. The whole team is involved in discussions about how to make continuous improvements and action plans are devised and implemented.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff provide children with a varied range of activities to support their learning. Children happily explore the wide range of toys and resources, both indoors and outdoors. For example, children have fun when they take part in imaginative play based on a popular story. Good quality teaching helps them to recall the sequence of the story and children become excited to describe the character and what happens next. Since the last inspection, staff have taken positive steps to support children who speak English as an additional language. They now routinely use a range of good teaching strategies, such as visual aids, to extend children's understanding and speaking skills. This contributes to closing gaps in their development. However, on occasions, group activities involve many children and some become less interested in the activity provided. Overall, staff use good teaching strategies and they adapt activities to ensure that children who have special

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

educational needs or disability can join in.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children have good relationships with the friendly staff. They help children to settle in quickly. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and good hygiene routines through everyday practice. Healthy snacks are provided and staff encourage children to serve their own food and drinks. Children's safety is promoted at all times. For example, staff are vigilant in ensuring children learn about how to keep themselves safe during hot weather. Children develop good physical skills; they confidently climb on apparatus, tyres and logs. They dig in the garden and discover what happens when they add water to the soil. Children have great fun splashing in the puddles and mud that they create.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children are making good progress and well prepared for the move on to school. They are confident, independent and motivated to learn. Children develop good problem-solving skills and confidently use a range of tools to support early writing skills. Many children can write their own names and are able to recognise letters in their friend's names. Children's understanding of numeracy is supported during their play, such as when making art and craft items.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 130591 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1047910 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 72 Name of registered person St John's Nursery Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 31 March 2016 Telephone number 07969924482mobile

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reference number

St John's Nursery Playgroup was registered in 1964. The playgroup employs eight members of childcare staff, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The manager, who is also the provider, holds early years professional status. The playgroup opens from Monday to Thursday, with sessions from 8.55am to 3pm. Sessions on Fridays are from 8.55am to 1pm. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who have special educational needs or disability and those who speak English as an additional language.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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