Croft Playgroup

Croft Playgroup Marlborough Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 1RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 May 2017 23 November 2015

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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 Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 The manager has appropriate procedures to identify areas where staff need further mentoring to develop their roles. However, these have not been acted on promptly and the quality of teaching and care is inconsistent.  The tracking systems that the manager uses are not fully effective in helping to target support for children learning English as an additional language in order for them to make the best progress in their all-round learning.  The provider’s self-evaluation is not strong enough to identify and target all weaknesses effectively.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff provide a welcoming environment and suitable opportunities for children to make choices in their play and learning.  Staff form positive partnerships with parents and other professionals involved in children’s development. Parents state that staff and the manager are approachable and share suitable information about children’s interests and their learning.  Children behave well. Staff promote positive behaviours, for example, they offer praise to reward children.  Staff encourage children to lead healthy lifestyles. For example, children enjoy spending long periods of time playing outdoors, getting exercise and fresh air.

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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

 take appropriate action to ensure that staff have suitable skills to carry out their roles and support children's specific needs. 12/05/2017

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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

 improve the arrangements to monitor the progress of children who are learning English as an additional language to target teaching for this group as precisely as possible  make better use of ongoing self-evaluation to identify areas that require prompt improvement more effectively.

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Inspection activities

 This inspection took place following a complaint notified to Ofsted.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and through written feedback.  The inspector had discussions with the children, staff, committee members and the manager.  The inspector looked at a range of relevant documentation relating to safeguarding and staff suitability, as well as policies, procedures and progress records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The newly recruited manager is suitably qualified and ambitious. She has made some improvements since taking on the role. This includes engaging parents more in the planning of future improvements of the provision. However, the supervision of staff is not effective enough. The manager is aware of areas where some staff have gaps in their skills and knowledge, but has not taken action to target appropriate support. Safeguarding is effective. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a child's welfare. The management team reviews safety procedures and risk assessments and puts precautions in place to help keep children safe. The manager has a suitable understanding of recruitment procedures and notification requirements. She checks staff's ongoing suitability to work with children and monitors this regularly. The manager identifies some areas for development. However, self-evaluation is not used effectively to review and

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

improve the quality of supervision and training for staff.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Overall, staff provide suitable experiences for children and support their learning. For example, while children pour water into different containers, staff introduce measure and quantity into their play. Staff also plan appropriate activities for children to use numbers and counting to support their growing mathematical development. Staff communicate appropriately with children who need targeted support for their speech development. For example, they make use of resources provided by other professionals to build their communication skills well. However, the manager is not fully aware of the progress of groups of children to provide more specific support to help children who speak English as an additional language to make the best possible progress.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff deploy themselves well across the premises to monitor children suitably and follow required ratios. Staff have recently reviewed the behaviour management policy and use praise to promote positive behaviours. They remind children of rules, such as not running inside, to help them learn to keep safe. Staff form suitable relationships with children and, overall, tend to their needs appropriately. However, staff do not always have opportunities to develop their knowledge to fully support their roles. Children follow healthy lifestyles. For example, staff encourage parents to provide healthy lunches and children enjoy playing outside for long periods. Staff arrange suitable experiences to prepare children for their move to school, such as visiting teachers in the local school.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

All children develop suitable skills for their next stages in learning and the move to school. For example, children access pencils and write some numbers and letters as they pretend to be at work. Children learn to socialise with others. For example, they form close friendships with other children and show respect for one another.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 109058 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 1097994 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 3 - 5 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 73 Name of registered person Croft Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 23 November 2015 Telephone number 01793512882

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reference number

Croft Playgroup registered in 1972 and is located in Swindon, Wiltshire. The playgroup opens Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 3pm and Friday from 8.30am to 1pm, during school term times only. There are 11 members of childcare staff, eight of whom have relevant level 3 early years qualifications. The playgroup is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.

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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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reference number

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reference number

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