Christ Church School Playgroup

Christ Church School Playgroup Christ Church C of E Primary School, Derwent Road, Lancaster, LA1 3ES

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 April 2018 27 September 2017

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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 demonstrate a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities and place children at the heart of what they do. They have made considerable changes to their practice and provision since their last inspection to help ensure that all aspects of children's care and learning are effectively met.  Children are welcomed into a very calm, nurturing and safe environment where they flourish and thrive. They are given time to form special bonds with their preferred key person. This helps them to feel comfortable and happy in their appealing surroundings. Children are confident to express their emotions and readily make their needs known.  The dedicated staff tune into what children know and enjoy. They are highly responsive to the ideas that children initiate during play and promptly offer resources and ideas that help to extend their play and learning. All children make good progress.

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This provision is good

 Staff provide a superb range of challenging experiences, such as climbing trees, riding balance bicycles and negotiating a pathway across the trim trail. This helps children to acquire advanced physical skills and gain the ability to manage risks for themselves.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Some daily routines, particularly morning snack time, do not consistently support children to develop greater social skills.  Although self-evaluation is established, managers and leaders do not re-evaluate this often enough to identify targeted and precise areas to improve, to drive the development of the playgroup to the highest possible levels.

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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

 strengthen the organisation and rigour of some daily routines and help children to greatly advance their social skills  build on the established self-evaluation process and identify more regular, precise and targeted areas for improvement to help drive the development of the playgroup forward even further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and assessed the impact this has on children's learning and development.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager in the outdoor environment.  The inspector spoke with the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. She held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector looked at evidence of suitability, a record of staff qualifications and training, policies and procedures, health and safety documents, children's learning files and the provider's self-evaluation documents.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Extensive training, regular updates and purposeful audits help to ensure that staff have a good knowledge of child protection procedures. Recruitment procedures are robust. Effective systems, such as in-depth inductions, supervisions and customised training help to maintain a confident and competent staff team. Staff show a high regard for children's safety within the playgroup and at home. Aspects, such as water safety, are carefully considered and useful information is shared with parents to help reduce any potential health and safety risks during play. Staff work together very well. Areas of responsibility, such as creative planning, outdoor play and cookery, are shared in accordance with staff's skills, to help to enhance children's play and learning. Tracking is used well to highlight and support any emerging gaps in children's learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

High-quality observations and assessments clearly capture children's achievements and identify what they need to learn next. Staff provide challenging and fun experiences for children to engage in, that motivate them to learn. For example, they are quick to mark out a hopscotch game outdoors in response to children's ideas. Older children are keen to take a leading role and willingly teach younger children the rules of the game. Staff use these opportunities well to enhance children's early counting, awareness of different numerals and use of mathematical language during play. Parents and professionals involved with each child are kept informed of children's ongoing learning and progress.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Key persons are supportive and caring and transition into the playgroup is smooth. For example, parents are welcomed into the rooms to play alongside children for a short time before they leave. On rare occasions when children are upset staff use effective distraction methods, such as finding favourite toys, to quickly reassure them. Staff's calm and sensitive natures are filtered through their effective interactions. They teach children that everyone is special, part of a wider community and unique in their own right. This helps children to adopt courteous, respectful and considerate attitudes. Children utterly enjoy long periods of time outdoors in the fresh air. Meaningful experiences, such as visits to woodland areas, help children to connect with their natural surroundings.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make consistently good progress from their starting points. They gain the skills they require for their next stages of learning, including school. Young children make independent choices. They take a special interest in small-world toys, such as cars, and enjoy manoeuvring these across different surfaces. Older children maintain attention during activities, such as story time. They are confident to join in with repeated refrains and make links between the pictures they observe and their own experiences. Children complete simple tasks, such as putting their coat on, to practise their good self-care skills. They enjoy meeting with their new teacher ahead of their move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 309271 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 1115381 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 16 Name of registered person Christ Church School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 27 September 2017 Telephone number 07779 660 581

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reference number

Christ Church School Playgroup registered in 1993. The playgroup employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The playgroup opens from Monday to Friday, 9am until 3pm, during term time. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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