Upton St Leonards Playgroup

Inspection of Upton St Leonards Playgroup 10 Bondend Road, Upton St.Leonards, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL4 8AG

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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 have strong bonds with all staff, particularly their key person. This helps children to feel safe and supports their emotional well-being. Staff understand each child's individual needs and have provided a cosy corner for children who need some time to sit quietly, play with a quiet toy or look at a book.

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The provision is good

Children are very engaged in their learning and make independent choices about their play through the accessible age-appropriate activities. Staff tailor activities to support children's interests and the significant events happening in their lives, particularly for those who have just had new siblings. For example, staff have set up a 'baby station' for children to bath, change, dress and feed the dolls, helping children understand how to take care of a new baby and helping them learn about what happens at home.

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The provision is good

Children demonstrate good literacy skills through the staff's teaching and the many letter recognition resources available for them. Children arrive at the setting to self- select their name cards and place them on the table ready for snack. Some children can recognise the initials of other people's names at the table. Children dig through the sand tray to find plastic letters and call out what letter they have found. Some children are beginning to write some letters and numbers with mark-making tools.

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The provision is good

Children are encouraged to take risks within a safe environment, while gaining confidence in their abilities. For example, children construct with wood and tyres in the garden. They balance along the planks and jump off the end, with adult support. Children measured the distance they had jumped from the plank and marked where their feet landed with chalk.

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need to do better?

n The children participate in walks around the village to explore the wider community, including visiting the newly carved tree trunk on the green, the church and the residents, allowing children to gain a sense of belonging in their local area. They visit the local allotments to plant a variety of fruit and vegetables. Children learn about how to care for and grow the plants, gaining a sense of achievement and exploring a variety of tastes when the produce has fully grown. n Older children are well prepared for school as they have developed independence in taking care of some of their needs, such as toileting, pouring their own drinks and dressing themselves. Children's good language skills support them in developing strong friendships and communicating their needs well. Staff create clear next steps for each child and work closely with the local schools to prepare children for further education.

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need to do better?

7 February 2023 n Staff provide good support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Their key person understands their needs well and implements targets to ensure they have inclusive opportunities to learn and develop. Leaders and staff work closely with families and other professionals to ensure all children are progressing well. n Children are gaining an understanding of the concept of time. Staff ensure they follow a well-planned routine that suits children's individual needs. Staff provide a visual timetable to help children to understand what will happen now and what will happen next. It also develops children's thinking around organising, sequencing and patterns. This is particularly helpful for children who speak English as an additional language. n Children's communication and language is developed well through circle times that are held each morning. This is an opportunity for staff and children to

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need to do better?

discuss daily occurrences, such as the weather. They talk about special events, such as birthdays and welcoming new friends who have joined the setting. Children enjoy these open conversations, where they respect each other's discussions and listen carefully when their peers are talking. n Children have high levels of engagement as they participate in activities. Children follow their own ideas using creative resources and enjoy voicing and trialling their thoughts. However, on occasions, staff become too involved in the children's creations, which interrupts children's imagination, discouraging their developing thought processes and ideas. n Staff and parents work together to build positive, trusting partnerships. Managers invite parents into the setting to join in with stay-and-play sessions and watch children's performances, such as plays and graduation ceremonies. Parents explain that their children are developing well and have detected more

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need to do better?

language being used at home. However, some parents feel there is a lack of communication from staff about their child's development or how to continue learning at home. n The manager works closely with staff to evaluate their practice. She spends time in the playroom observing and providing feedback to support their professional progress. Staff have unlimited access to various online training courses based on child development. This has improved staff practice and their knowledge in how to deliver teaching to further promote learning opportunities for all children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff understand their role in keeping children safe from harm. They continually update their knowledge through courses and weekly staff meetings to ensure they are capable of recognising various signs of abuse. Staff are confident in documenting any concerns they may have and understand their responsibility to provide all information to the manager. Leaders risk assess the environment effectively and staff adapt resources and practice, following an incident. For example, staff continually supervise the children on physical equipment to minimise risks and hazards.

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should:

n enhance interactions with children to help them to explain their own thoughts and ideas and develop their imagination even further, particularly during creative activities n share information more frequently with parents about children's development and implement strategies to extend children's learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 101748 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10263258 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 32 Number of children on roll 73 Name of registered person Upton St Leonards Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07833 973122 Date of previous inspection 26 April 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Upton St Leonards Playgroup started in 1966 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. The playgroup operates from Upton St Leonards village hall, Gloucestershire. The playgroup is open Monday to Friday, during school term time from 9.15am to 2.45pm. It employs 10 staff, eight of whom hold relevant level 3 qualifications and two staff hold level 2 qualifications.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery 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 her evaluation of the setting. n The manager took the inspector on a tour of the setting as part of the learning walk to discuss the curriculum and how children learn. n The inspector and manager took part in a joint observation to reflect on staff practice and review the impact of children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents to seek their view of the setting. n The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times during the day. n Documents were viewed by the inspector to ensure staff suitability. n The manager observed the children inside and outside of the setting to evaluate the impact of learning.

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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

7 February 2023 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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