St Mary's Playgroup

Inspection of St Mary's Playgroup Social Centre, St Marys Avenue, Leicester LE3 3FT

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children are excited to come into the playgroup and happily say 'good morning' to all staff members. They quickly immerse themselves in activities which are planned with their interests in mind. Children constantly interact with each other during their play. They are given the opportunity to use their existing knowledge to aid their games. For example, they mix 'salad' and pretend to pour 'cups of tea' ready to serve to staff.

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The provision is good

Children are developing strong friendships. Older children show care and concern for younger children. They go over and stroke their hair for comfort when they are upset. Children play exceptionally well together and enjoy each other's company. They use their imaginations when riding on tricycles and cars and pretend to visit the shops. Children spend long periods engrossed in a story they have created.

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The provision is good

Children are valued for their uniqueness. Staff work hard to ensure that children's backgrounds and cultures are recognised and celebrated. This helps children to feel confident in the environment. Staff have high expectations of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. Staff use successful strategies to ensure that all children are included and supported. Children receive constant praise throughout the day, which builds up their self-esteem.

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need to do better?

n Children are given opportunities to develop their physical skills indoors and outside. They skilfully negotiate steps outdoors and whizz down ramps on scooters and cars. Children are active for most of their time at the playgroup. Older children engage in regular yoga sessions. They learn how to be calm and to breathe deeply and slowly. They giggle and make animal noises as they pose in different ways. Children develop their fine motor skills as they make marks on paper with paint. n Children are developing an understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. Staff support this knowledge by talking about healthy foods during activities. Children show their understanding by remembering that sweets and chocolate are not good for their teeth. Parents are encouraged to bring in healthy snacks and lunches for children. n Overall, children are well supervised, and staff are attentive to children's needs.

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need to do better?

Children enjoy talking to staff and enthusiastically share ideas and experiences. Staff join in children's play and get down to their level. However, during transition times, the deployment of staff is not always fully effective in ensuring that all children's needs are met. n Staff have a clear and consistent behaviour management process. This helps

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need to do better?

9 June 2022 children to know what is expected of them. As a result, they behave extremely well. Staff promptly and efficiently deal with any incidents as they occur. They talk through situations with children to support them to understand the difference between right and wrong. Children are supported by staff to resolve minor conflicts. They are given gentle reminders to share toys and wait for their turn throughout the day. n The manager has established a key-person system. Staff spend time getting to know their key children. They adapt the curriculum effectively to support children's individual needs. Staff regularly assess and observe their key children to plan for the next steps in their learning. However, children are not allocated a key person until six weeks after they start at the playgroup. This means that, initially, children do not have a particular staff member to develop a special, nurturing relationship with to support their well-being.

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need to do better?

n Parents comment that children make good progress, particularly with their speaking skills. Staff use picture cards to help children to learn new words and communicate. They use key words from children's home languages. Staff further promote language as they sing songs with children, tell stories and use additional props. Children excitedly take turns to choose props from a bag. They then sing the song and join in actions to the song the item represents. n The staff team is well supported. Staff have regular supervision sessions with the deputy manager, who identifies areas to focus on and sets realistic targets. The manager strives for continual improvement. She uses positive and constructive observations of staff's practice to identify further training needs. Consequently, staff attend relevant training to increase their knowledge and skills, which has a positive impact on practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are aware and have good knowledge of current safeguarding issues. They understand the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is suffering from harm. Staff know the process for reporting any concerns. They have easy access to contact numbers for relevant agencies. All staff have been on recent safeguarding training to keep their knowledge up to date. The manager ensures that the playgroup is safe and secure. She carries out daily risk assessments. Any issues found are dealt with promptly. Staff ensure that online safety is promoted. They use appropriate restrictions on the laptop and have discussions with children about keeping safe online while they play.

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should:

n develop the key-person system further to ensure that new starters are promptly

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should:

9 June 2022 allocated a key person to support their well-being n consider the deployment of staff during transition times to further support children's individual needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY477732 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10075979 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 32 Name of registered person Digpaul, Sarabjit Kaur

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reference number

Telephone number 07814 543651 Date of previous inspection 18 March 2016

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Information about this early years setting

St Mary's Playgroup registered in 2014. It employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, and one has an early years qualification at level 2. The playgroup operates from Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 2pm. The playgroup provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the playgroup received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the playgroup. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager. n The manager and the inspector had discussions about the curriculum and the impact it has on children's learning and development. n The inspector observed children playing and their interactions with staff members. n Relevant documentation was viewed by the inspector, including supervision documents and training certificates. n The inspector listened to the views of parents.

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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

9 June 2022 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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