Milford Playgroup

Milford Playgroup Milford Park, Milford Road, Yeovil, Somerset, BA21 4QD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 November 2016 24 November 2015

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Leaders and staff do not do enough to ensure children who may be at risk of harm are protected. They are not sharing relevant information with child protection agencies..  Not enough has been done to ensure that those who are involved in the running of the setting are suitable persons. Many committee members have not undergone necessary checks including those completed by the disclosure and barring service.  Steps taken to improve the quality of teaching since the last inspection have not effectively tackled identified weaknesses. Too many inconsistencies remain which mean that children are not being supported to make the progress they are capable of.  Not all staff undertake the required check for children between the ages of two to three. This limits the involvement of parents and delays the provision of extra support to meet children’s needs.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are warm, kind and nurturing and have good relationships with the children in their care. Staff respond warmly to those children who chose not to participate in larger group activities and help them find alternative activities.  Children are able to make choices in their learning. Those who wish to learn outside have every opportunity to do so, including in wet weather, as protective clothing is easily available.

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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 information related to the safeguarding of children is recorded and passed to the relevant agency in a timely manner so that children who may be at risk of harm are protected 22/11/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that disclosure and barring service checks are carried out for all committee members in a timely manner and ensure Ofsted is provided with all necessary information so that suitability checks can be completed 05/12/2016

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Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching ensuring all staff have a good understanding of how to promote children's learning. Ensure all staff have high expectations and interact with children in a way that challenges them to make the best possible progress 31/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure all staff undertake the required progress check for all children aged between two to three years. 28/11/2016

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and its impact on children's learning.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and the chair of the committee.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including records of the progress children have made, the setting's evaluation of their provision and evidence of suitability of staff working in the nursery and the committee.  The inspector spoke with staff and children at suitable times throughout the inspection.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Arrangements for safeguarding are ineffective. While staff are trained and know how to identify when a child may be at risk, leaders do not take swift or effective action to protect children. Information is not recorded or passed to the relevant agencies so that steps can be taken to keep children safe. In addition, leaders have not ensured that those who are involved in the running of the setting have undergone the required checks on their suitability to be involved in the care of children and have not provided Ofsted with the necessary information. While the manager now monitors the quality of teaching, not enough has been done to address and improve weaknesses. Nevertheless, since the last inspection, leaders now have an improved understanding of how well all children are doing. They are in the early stages of using information to understand whether teaching and the curriculum are helping children to make progress, including those who are in

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

receipt of additional government funding.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The quality of teaching is too variable and some staff do not have high enough expectations of what children can achieve. While some staff use effective teaching methods, others lack confidence and do not have a clear understanding of how activities can help children to learn and develop. Where teaching is weak, staff do not successfully engage children in their learning because interactions are limited. When children are taught in groups of mixed ability, staff are not adapting activities well enough to ensure that each child has their needs met. As a result, these activities lack challenge and are too often mundane and unnecessarily repetitive. For example, children who attend all day do the same singing activity both in the morning and the afternoon without any adaptations being made to ensure they are kept interested and motivated. As a result, some children become bored and disengage.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Poor arrangements for safeguarding mean that children are not kept safe enough. In addition, weaker teaching does not keep children sufficiently motivated and engaged in their learning. Nevertheless, children have opportunities to do things for themselves; they pour their own drinks, get themselves ready to go outside to play and clear away after snack time. Staff work well with parents to support younger children with toilet training. Children are familiar with the routine of the setting and understand boundaries and expectations. As a result, behaviour overall is good.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children are not making the progress they are capable of as teaching remains inconsistent. For example, some staff do not engage with children to extend their learning and challenge them to develop new skills and knowledge. However, some older children develop in confidence and independence during their time in the setting. Those who receive additional funding are supported to develop their language and communication skills through a targeted story telling programme.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 143115 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1036032 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 26 Number of children on roll 50 Name of registered person Milford Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 24 November 2015 Telephone number 01935 411325

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reference number

Milford Playgroup registered in 1970. It is a committee run playgroup which operates from a community building in the grounds of an adventure playground on the outskirts of Yeovil, Somerset. The playgroup is open weekdays during term time only from 8.30am to 4pm for children to stay for sessions or all day. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. A team of 10 staff work with the children. The manager has early years professional status, one member of staff holds a level 5 qualification, one holds a level 4 qualification, five hold level 3 qualifications, one has a level 2 qualification and one is unqualified.

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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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