Playdays Pre-school

Playdays Pre-school Methodist Church Hall, Fore Street, Chard, Somerset, TA20 1QA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 June 2018 19 January 2018

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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 enter the setting happily and form strong bonds with familiar staff who ensure they feel safe and secure. They enjoy a well-resourced and organised play environment, which stimulates their learning and helps them to make choices for themselves.  Staff carefully consider children's interests, learning priorities and their special educational needs as they plan activities, providing a range of experiences across the educational programme. They assess and monitor children's progress effectively. Children make good progress from their unique starting points.  Leaders and managers have made good progress since their last inspection. They use detailed evaluations to identify accurately areas for development, including ways to improve the quality and consistency of teaching.  Staff support children well to develop their communication and language skills. For example, children participate enthusiastically in an interactive story. They listen

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This provision is good

carefully, follow instructions and move in different ways, copying staff's actions accurately as they make connections between the word and the movement.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not make the best use of opportunities to develop children's mathematical ideas and challenge their thinking in activities that they choose for themselves.  Staff do not consistently help children to look at similarities, differences, patterns and changes in living things, in particular their fascination with insects.

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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

 develop further children's understanding of mathematical concepts in their self-chosen play  help children to look more closely at similarities, differences, patterns and changes between living things.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff's interactions and quality of teaching as children played inside and outside.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff and children at convenient times during the inspection.  The inspector considered the written views of parents.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's assessment records, suitability and vetting arrangements for the committee and staff, and the pre- school's self-evaluation.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Managers and staff understand their responsibilities and demonstrate confidence in the procedures they must follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. There are effective partnerships with local agencies and professionals to continue to share information and meet children's individual needs. There are good arrangements to ensure the suitability of staff and committee members for their roles. Leaders provide good support for staff's professional development. For example, training has improved staff's understanding of different strategies to support children's behaviour according to their needs. Managers evaluate the setting effectively. For example, having recognised that some parents do not share information about their children's learning at home, managers have used alternative methods to engage with them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff gather useful information from parents about their children's developmental starting points and use this information effectively to plan initial activities. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's progress. Staff deploy themselves effectively to support children's learning. Their positive interactions, including effective questioning, help children to enjoy and become actively involved in their learning. For example, children show curiosity as staff encourage them to see what happens to the soil in the sieve. Children respond well to questions and, when the larger lumps of soil do not fall, they comment 'the big ones are stuck' and decide the best way to solve the problem.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff work closely with local schools to ensure there is a smooth transition to support children's emotional well-being. Children behave well and play nicely together, such as sharing foam bricks to construct towers. Children show great pride in their achievements. For example, they are keen to share what they have designed using recycled materials. Children relish the opportunity to complete tasks and are very helpful. They follow routines well to keep themselves safe and healthy, such as wearing sun hats when they are outside and washing hands before they eat.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children gain the skills they require for their eventual move to school. They are confident in familiar routines. For example, when they arrive children find their name card independently, learning to recognise their name. Older children begin to recognise letter sounds and write recognisable letters. Younger children show an interest in how things work, for example, as they use the till in their imaginative play. Children show an interest in books and labels, in particular to find out more about the insects they discover. Children confidently talk about the models they have made from recycled materials.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 142945 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1122914 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 24 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Chard Methodist Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 19 January 2018 Telephone number 07836672729 or 01460 67855

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reference number

Playdays Pre-school registered in 1992. It operates from the Methodist church hall in Chard, Somerset. The pre-school is open during school term time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school is in receipt of free early years funding to provide places for children aged two, three and four years. The committee employ five members of staff; of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 5, three hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds an early years 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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