Little Hallingbury Playgroup

Little Hallingbury Playgroup Village Hall, Lower Road,Little Hallingbury, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM22 7RD

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Inspection date 26 February 2019 Previous inspection date 11 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 Good 2 Outcomes for children Good 2

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This provision is good

n Staff turnover in the well-established playgroup is extremely low, despite this the provider has rigorous recruitment procedures in place. This helps to ensure that all adults are suitable to work with children. n Partnership working with other settings children attend is a key strength of the playgroup. The staff work extremely closely with childminders, who many children share their care with. Each term they collaboratively plan topics and have regular days where they all work together. This supports continuity in children's learning very well. n Children make good progress. The provider and staff prepare children well for moving on to school. For example, they find out from teachers at the village school the ways they want children to begin to develop early reading and writing skills. They introduce the suggested methods through their effective teaching. n Staff are alert to any risks to children in the environment. They are aware that other

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This provision is good

groups use the hall and carry out in-depth daily checks to makes sure it is a safe place for children to play and learn in. n Parents speak highly of the provider and staff team and appreciate the nurturing care they provide. They feel their children are developing well, as they learn how to respect others and develop strong friendships. n Staff are not always confident in identifying precise next steps in learning for every child to help them to make the best possible progress.

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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 support staff to more precisely identify children's next steps in learning, to help them to make the best possible progress.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed staff's teaching and interactions with children, indoors and outside. n The inspector spoke to staff and children and held a meeting with the provider and manager. n The inspector observed an adult-planned activity with the provider and held a discussion with her about staff's teaching skills and children's learning. n The inspector looked at a sample of paperwork, including children's assessment records, staff qualifications and suitability checks. The safeguarding policies and procedures were also seen. n The inspector spoke to a number of parents and took account of their views, along with the provider's evaluations of the setting.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Staff regularly complete safeguarding training and understand how to recognise concerns about children. They also know how to swiftly make referrals both within the setting and to relevant agencies. The provider and manager monitor staff performance through observations of their teaching and regular supervision meetings. Staff receive targeted professional development opportunities and talk about the positive impact this training has on their practice. For example, they have broadened their understanding of safeguarding and of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff gain detailed information from parents on what children can already do when they start to attend the playgroup. They use this information to help them identify children's starting points in learning. Staff teach children effectively through well-planned activities. For example, they use open ended questions to promote children's thinking skills. Children engage in exploring different materials and enjoy finding out how they change when water is added. They talk in detail about how water alters the texture and smell of hay and soil. Staff regularly share children's development records with parents and this helps to promote continuity in children's learning. Parents readily feedback to staff what their children have achieved at home. This information is taken into account in the assessments of children's learning and development.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children show high levels of independence and develop good self-care skills. Staff encourage children to complete tasks for themselves, such as at snack times and when using the bathroom. Children engage very well in self-chosen activities. They learn to cooperate with others, such as when they negotiate what roles they will undertake as they engage in imaginative play. Children have many opportunities for active play outside. Staff make wonderful use of the village hall grounds so that children can climb and run. Children also learn how healthy foods grow. For example, they excitedly engage in planting seed potatoes and look forward to caring for the plants and eventually digging them up and eating them.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are making good progress and gaining effective skills that prepare them well for the next stages in their learning and, ultimately, for school. They show a good understanding of letter sounds as they confidently name objects that start with the sound they are learning. Children enjoy spending time in the well-resourced book area. They share books with their friends and are able to recall stories.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 203560 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10062904 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Luke, Ann

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 November 2015 Telephone number 01279 726578

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reference number

Little Hallingbury Playgroup established in 1974 and registered with Ofsted in 2000. The playgroup employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The playgroup opens from Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 12.15pm. 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.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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