St Thomas Playgroup

St Thomas Playgroup St Thomas Church, St. Thomas Close, Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 8SL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 April 2018 11 December 2014

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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 Good 2

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Children's welfare is compromised. Leaders do not ensure that all staff understand the safeguarding policy and procedures. The lead practitioner for safeguarding does not take appropriate action for all concerns raised.  Ofsted has not been provided with the required information to check the suitability of all committee members.  Leaders do not ensure that all the necessary information is obtained and in place when children start, to meet their welfare needs.  Staff do not keep all parents informed of their children's progress to help them support learning at home.  Self-evaluation is ineffective. Leaders do not identify and address weaknesses in the provision.

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It has the following strengths

 Children make good progress in their learning. They gain a broad range of useful skills that prepare them well for their future learning.  Staff provide good opportunities for children to develop their understanding of the world. Children are curious and keen to learn more about insects and mini-beasts.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve staff knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures and take appropriate action and ensure that the safeguarding lead can respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect 25/05/2018

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Due Date

 provide Ofsted with information of the current committee members to enable the required suitability checks to be carried out 25/05/2018

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Due Date

 record all relevant details about each child, including their date of birth, address, name and address of every parent/carer. 27/04/2018

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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 partnerships with parents further to keep them more informed of their child's progress and enable them to extend their learning at home  make effective use of self-evaluation to ensure that weaknesses in practice and breaches of requirements are quickly identified and acted on.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching practices and the impact these have on children's learning.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector read some of the setting's documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures.  The inspector sampled children's development information and records.  The inspector carried out joint observations with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Leaders and managers do not meet all of the welfare requirements, although teaching is strong. Safeguarding is ineffective. Not all staff have a secure understanding of the possible signs that a child is at risk of harm. The safeguarding lead fails to follow the settings safeguarding policy fully when staff raise concerns about a child's well-being. She does not identify accurately when further action is required. This compromises children's safety. Leaders do not ensure that all the required information about a child is obtained and recorded before they start. This includes a child's address, date of birth and the name and address for each parent or carer who has responsibility for them. This means that staff do not have all the relevant information about a child should they need to liaise with other providers and agencies. Ofsted has not been provided with the required information to carry out suitability checks on all current committee members. Although staff have

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

regular discussions with parents about children's needs, they do not keep all parents regularly informed about their child's learning and progress. Leaders review any complaints made effectively and take suitable action. Staff supervise children well. They take appropriate steps to minimise risks to children as they play. They respond suitably when children have accidents and take all necessary action. Leaders help staff to reflect on their teaching skills and provide them with effective support to continue their professional skills. For example, recent training helped staff to extend their skills in supporting children's early communication skills. However, self-evaluation is weak and has not identified breaches in requirements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff have a good understanding of how to help young children learn. They monitor children's progress closely. They plan effectively to help all children, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, to move on to their next stage in learning. Staff support children's physical development well. For example, children concentrate as they thread string through small holes, and as they practise balancing. They enjoy using tools, such as spoons and tongs, to explore objects buried in sand. Staff provide interesting opportunities for children to use their mathematical understanding, such as rolling objects down tubes and work out how far they travelled. Children learn to recognise numbers.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The weaknesses in leadership and management mean that the children's safety and welfare are not assured. Staff do not gather all information about the care and medical needs for every child when they first start. Staff do not have sufficient information to inform them about a child's health requirements, to support their individual needs. This compromises their well-being.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children use technology confidently. They learn how to operate tools to play educational games and use light accessories to investigate x-ray images of insects. They develop good literacy skills and use their imaginations as they play. Children recreate scenes from stories, such as pretending a play house is a bear's cave. They pretend to cook using mud and other natural resources. Children progress well with their communication skills and engage in lively discussions and debates. They learn to manage their feelings and behaviour and develop their social skills, such as helping their friends.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 254499 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 1103350 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person St Thomas Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 December 2014 Telephone number 01922 745106

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reference number

St Thomas Playgroup registered in 1996. The playgroup employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold relevant early years qualifications, including one at level 6 and six at level 3. It opens from Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9.30am to 2.30pm. 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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