Painswick Playgroup

Inspection of Painswick Playgroup c/o Croft Primary School, Churchill Way, Painswick, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 6RQ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children are very happy in this warm and welcoming playgroup and have good opportunities to reach their full potential. They form strong relationships with their peers, their designated key person and every member of the staff team. Staff know the children well and are able to provide a varied and interesting curriculum. Small- group learning opportunities linked to children's individual needs ensure children make continuous progress from their initial starting points. Pre-school children make particularly good progress and quickly acquire the skills they need for their future learning. For instance, they count confidently and recognise some letter sounds on their named table mat at snack time. Children take part in a wide variety of activities that help broaden their experiences, such as local and cultural celebrations, and food and music from around the world. Supporting children's personal, social and emotional development is a particular strength within the

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The provision is good

playgroup. Children's behaviour is very good. Staff ensure children grow in confidence and independence. Younger children explore their environment confidently and practise their physical skills, such as filling and emptying containers in sand play outdoors. Older children ask staff if they can help them and enjoy taking responsibility for simple tasks, such as tidying the toys away.

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need to do better?

n The committee and leaders have a strong commitment to providing high-quality care and education for children. The staff team uses feedback from children and parents effectively to make improvements which benefit the children. For example, after suggestions from parents, staff reviewed the busy collection time at the end of the session to help make this a calmer experience for children and families. n Staff are particularly knowledgeable about how to teach children mathematics and to recognise early phonic sounds. They make use of counting and alphabet games and bright wall displays as well as written labels, so children become familiar with the concept that print in the play areas conveys a meaning. Such learning opportunities help prepare children well for the next stage of learning when they move up to school. n Staff are positive role models and offer constant praise to children. They know that confidence and independence to learn are the building blocks for children's

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need to do better?

high self-esteem. Children have very good social skills and manners. They learn to share and wait patiently for their turn, for instance, they use the sand timer provided to use a digital touch table. n The playgroup staff offer different types of activities indoors and outside for children to explore, with exciting challenges, in particular for pre-school children who are enthusiastic about their play. For example, they make 'smelly potions' with celery, ginger, garlic, sage and lemon. However, at times, staff do not use

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need to do better?

6 November 2019 information from the assessment process to build on the quieter, younger children's learning. They overlook opportunities to help children achieve as much as they can and gain the most from their experiences. n Staff have a good awareness of how children develop and use a range of different teaching approaches to help them make effective progress in all areas of learning. However, staff do not provide a wide enough range of activities to extend younger children's creative and imaginative skills. n Staff encourage children to play outside to develop their physical skills in the fresh air. They consistently help children learn more about a healthy lifestyle by providing and talking about healthy food at snack time and explaining the benefits of regular exercise. n The staff have effective partnerships with parents and other agencies, such as health professionals, to support children's care and learning. Parents are happy

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need to do better?

with the service provided. They comment positively on the improvements made to the way they can share their children's progress at home, through the recently developed online learning record. This helps to support a consistent approach between the playgroup and home and improve outcomes for children. n The committed management team ensures that all staff receive support to develop their skills further through effective supervision, observation and training. For instance, staff have undertaken further safeguarding training to improve their knowledge and understanding of data protection issues.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The committee and the joint managers give good attention to safeguarding children and have a good knowledge of their role and responsibility in this area. They demonstrate they can respond promptly to any concerns to keep children safe. All staff have attended regular child protection training to ensure they keep their knowledge current and know what to do in the event of concerns about a child. Staff teach children how to assess risks, so they learn and play safely.

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should:

n help staff to use information from the assessment process to influence their interactions with children and to seize opportunities to challenge all children's learning, so that they consistently benefit from the very best experiences n strengthen sensory and creative opportunities for younger children so that they can pursue their own interests and choose resources independently to allow children's free expression.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 101673 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10124610 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Painswick Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01452 813316 Date of previous inspection 2 July 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Painswick Playgroup registered in 1991 and is run by a voluntary management committee. It operates from a self-contained building within the grounds of The Croft School, in Painswick, near Stroud, Gloucestershire. It offers care in term time, Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3.30pm and from 9am to 3pm on Friday. The playgroup receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four. The committee employs five staff who work directly with the children. Of these, four hold a relevant early years qualification at level 3 and one holds level 2.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector observed staff playing and interacting with children, indoors and outdoors, and considered the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector had discussions with the chair of the committee, the joint managers, staff and children at appropriate times. She carried out a learning walk and joint observations with the joint play leaders. n The inspector spoke to parents and read written testimonials to gain their feedback. n The inspector looked at a sample of policies and procedures and discussed self- evaluation plans. n The inspector looked at children's development records and spoke to staff about children's progress.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

6 November 2019 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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