Merryfields Playschool

Merryfields Playschool The Sports Pavillion, Diss Sports Ground, Shelfanger Road, DISS, Norfolk IP22 4DX

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Inspection date 2 November 2018 Previous inspection date 26 November 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1 Outcomes for children Good 2

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The provision is good

n The management committee and staff team are dedicated to providing high-quality care and education. They reach out to community partners, such as the children's centre, to organise activities and events that benefit the children and families who attend. For example, they make floats for the local carnival and 'extreme read' storytelling events. n Staff are enthusiastic and actively participate in children's play. They respond to children's ideas with interest and show that they value children's home experiences. For example, they use strategies such as open-ended questioning to extend children's communication and language development. n Staff demonstrate high expectations and belief in children's capabilities. For example, children access a food station independently. They serve themselves cereals and make toast. Staff support children to understand safety rules, such as the careful operation of the toaster and how to correctly use a knife.

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The provision is good

n Children are confident in their surroundings and become keen communicators. They develop positive attitudes towards learning. For example, children ask to visit the horses nearby to feed them the leftover fruit from snack.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

n Supervision meetings to enhance staff's professional development are not consistent in focusing sharply enough on raising practice to the highest level. n Staff do not precisely track children's progress to sharpen their planning and raise children's achievements to outstanding.

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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

n enhance supervision arrangements to promote staff's professional development to increase the potential to deliver the highest-quality provision n refine the assessment of children's progress so that it gives a more regular picture of the achievements they make to sharpen planning for their next steps in learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector held a number of discussions with the manager and chairperson of the committee. She looked at relevant documentation, including children's learning records, and reviewed evidence of the suitability of all persons working on the premises. n The inspector completed a joint observation of an activity and evaluated this with the manager. n The inspector spoke with children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The manager and committee consider the views of staff, parents and children when identifying areas to improve or build on. They set clear goals as part of their development plans. For example, they made physical changes to the building and introduced parents' meetings each term in response to parental feedback. Staff attend training in specialist areas, such as communication and language development, to better support the needs of children in their care. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a good understanding of child protection and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about the welfare of children in their care. Parents hold the setting and its staff in high regard. They talk about the approachability of the staff team, the happiness of their children and the positive impact regular attendance has had on their children's confidence and independence.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff organise the indoor and outdoor areas to offer a broad range of activities, resources and equipment which reflect children's interests and individual learning needs. Staff develop and sensitively adapt activities and experiences during play to reflect children's immediate interests. For example, they add real groceries to the role-play kitchen to engage children who show an interest in chopping vegetables. Staff encourage children to notice what is happening around them. For example, children listen to the crunching noise of horses eating apples and watch attentively as their sticks float downstream. This supports children's understanding of the world and encourages their curiosity in learning. Staff are warm and engaging in their interactions with children. Children enjoy choosing books from the setting's borrowing library to take home.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children's well-being and independence are promoted extremely well. Children take responsibility for small tasks, such as clearing and washing their plates after using the food station. Staff support children to learn effective self-care skills, such as handwashing, and they learn to put on their waterproof suits with confidence. Children's self-esteem flourishes. They demonstrate higher than average levels of independence and self-care ability for their age. Children's behaviour is excellent. They listen carefully to rules and boundaries, following them without prompts. Older children help younger children, for instance, they partner up to walk with a younger child when on outings. Children learn how to keep themselves safe and how to manage risk. For example, they talk about the rules for feeding the horses and know how to stay safe when floating sticks in the stream.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress in all areas of learning. They are eager to join in and show a keen interest in the world around them. Children collect a range of natural materials during a walk and talk about the items they have found with enthusiasm. Children are polite, kind and helpful. They develop key skills in preparation for the next stage in their learning, such as school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY408040 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 10065015 Type of provision Full day care

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childcare on non-domestic premises Age range of children 2 - 3 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 14 Name of registered person Merryfields Playschool Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 26 November 2015 Telephone number 01379 650001

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reference number

Merryfields Playschool registered in 2010. It employs four members of childcare staff, two of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The playschool opens from Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays are from 8.45am to 12.15pm. Sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are from 8.45am until 1.45pm. The playschool 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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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