Sandford & District Playgroup

Sandford & District Playgroup The Parish Hall, Fannys Lane, Sandford, Crediton, Devon, EX17 4NE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 October 2017 27 November 2014

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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

 Children are well behaved and happy, with good self-esteem. Staff are good role models and show children they are valued, teaching them to show respect and care for others. Children's positive behaviour shows they feel emotionally secure.  Children make good progress relative to their starting points. Staff use their observations well to plan for future learning. Effective tracking systems help them to identify any gaps in learning and to address these through the planning process.  Staff have good relationships with parents. They tell them daily about their children's activities and what they enjoyed. Parents receive regular reports so they can see their children's progress and discuss this with staff. Staff share information well with other settings children attend, to ensure there is consistency in planning children's next steps.  Good self-evaluation helps the management committee and manager identify and

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This provision is good

prioritise areas for improvement. The manager monitors action plans well to make sure changes have a positive impact on children's learning. For example, extending outdoor learning activities has particularly supported younger children's confidence.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not consistently use information from parents about their children's learning at home to inform the assessment and planning process further.  Activities to develop children's understanding of technology sometimes lack challenge, particularly for older children.

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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

 make better use in the assessment and planning process of information from parents about their children's achievements at home  provide older children with suitably challenging opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of technology.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the manager conducted a joint observation of an activity.  The inspector observed staff and children engaged in learning activities indoors and outdoors.  The inspector had discussions with parents, children, staff, the manager, and members of the management committee.  The inspector sampled required documentation, including safeguarding policies and procedures, and talked to staff about their understanding of these.  The inspector sampled children's progress records and assessments, and talked to the manager about how she monitors these.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The management committee and the manager provide good support for staff. They encourage staff to develop their skills through training and links with professional networks. The manager's good monitoring helps her to prioritise where training will have most benefit to children's learning. For example, she identified that staff missed opportunities to extend children's understanding of mathematics. Following training, staff now effectively thread aspects of this into all activities. They have identified improvements in children's knowledge, particularly in their understanding of number and simple calculation. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a good understanding of local safeguarding procedures. They know what to do if they have child protection concerns. There is a suitably trained committee member to support staff with safeguarding issues.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff plan a very good variety of interesting and challenging activities that engage children well. For example, while learning about Japan, staff taught children how to roll their own sushi and make origami animals, developing their fine motor skills very effectively. Staff use their good communication skills very effectively to extend children's learning. For example, following a story about owls, staff talked to children about different types of owl, such as snowy, tawny and barn owls. They looked at pictures of these, talking about what they eat and how they make their nests. Staff organise resources well to provide children with a welcoming environment. They make sure there are cosy spaces for those who want to play quietly. For example, children help themselves from the good range of books and take these into the tent to read together.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children's safety awareness is very good. For example, they promptly responded to the fire-drill whistle and followed evacuation procedures well, including those children who had not taken part in a fire drill before. Children enjoy learning about their local community and regularly visit the school, shop and church with staff. They show a very good understanding of road safety as they walk from place to place. For example, although the road appeared clear, children listened carefully to make sure there were no approaching vehicles out of sight.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop the skills they need to be ready for the next stage in their learning, including going to school. Children of all ages benefit from the strong partnerships between the setting and the village school. For example, they have lunch every day at school. Two-year-old children are confident and independent as they line up to choose their meal. Older children show very good social skills as they talk to their friends who have recently started school, and get to know their future teachers.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 106025 Local authority Devon Inspection number 1070068 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 26 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Sandford Preschool

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 27 November 2014 Telephone number 01363 772 640

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reference number

Sandford and District Playgroup is run by a parent committee. It opened in 1971. It operates from Sandford village hall, in the village of Sandford, near Crediton. The playgroup is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am to 4pm, term time only. The playgroup provides free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are five members of staff, one of whom is the administrator. The manager is a qualified teacher, two members of staff hold childcare qualifications at level 3, and one holds a qualification at level 2.

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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

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

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