Uplands Playgroup

Inspection of Uplands Playgroup Thompson Road, Uplands, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 1TE

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders do not understand their roles and responsibilities, particularly in regard safer recruitment, and safeguarding procedures are weak. The manager, who is also the named designated safeguarding lead, does not understand her responsibilities, including the thresholds for reporting concerns. Children's well- being and safety are compromised. Leaders do not ensure that staff are deployed effectively. Children are not always adequately supervised and are not in sight and hearing of staff while eating. This poor supervision means that a child could choke on their food unnoticed.

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders do not design and implement a curriculum that prepares children appropriately for their future learning. They do not provide staff with the support and training they need to provide children with continuity of care and help them build on what they already know and can do. Staff do not support children's communication and language sufficiently. Some children spend long periods wandering aimlessly because staff do not interact with them or engage them in any purposeful activity. This impacts on children's behaviour and they become disengaged and bored.

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The provision is inadequate

Overall, most parents feed back positively about their children's time at the playgroup. However, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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need to do better?

n There are significant weaknesses in leadership and management of the playgroup. Recent changes in the management and committee members have meant that the manager has not had the level of support needed to fulfil her role effectively. The committee members are not clear on their roles and responsibilities and have not notified Ofsted of recent changes to the management structure. The committee members have no understanding of the early years foundation stage. Therefore, they do not understand what they need to do to ensure that statutory requirements are met. This results in breaches of requirements, including some that place children at risk of harm. n Arrangements for safeguarding are poor. Not all those with a safeguarding lead role understand their responsibilities to keep children safe. They do not have sufficient knowledge about how to act on concerns about children's welfare or what procedures to follow to protect children from harm. Leaders have not

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need to do better?

ensured that staff know how to manage allegations against a member of staff or volunteer. They are not aware of local safeguarding partnership procedures and have not kept records of concerns to enable them to monitor and assess risks to children.

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need to do better?

16 April 2024 n Staff do not adequately supervise children. On occasion, they leave children unattended, inside and outside. For example, children move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments, and staff are not vigilant in noticing where children are and the potential risks to them when they are alone. Staff do not understand the importance of the requirement for adequate supervision while children are eating. n Safer recruitment processes are not in place. Leaders have no knowledge of what checks have been carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to care for the children, and they do not take steps to ensure that staff remain suitable. There is no information available to demonstrate that Disclosure and Barring Service checks have been carried out. At times, staff are left unsupervised with children without leaders having assurance that they are suitable. n Staff do not receive regular supervision. Training needs of staff are not identified

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need to do better?

and, consequently, their knowledge and practice are weak. The manager does not observe staff practice or provide the mentoring they need to improve the quality of education. For example, leaders do not ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills required to move children's learning on. n Weaknesses in the design and delivery of the curriculum mean that children do not make good enough progress in their learning and development. For example, staff do not readily support children's communication and language skills. Children do not have sufficient opportunities to sing rhymes and songs so are not practising and exploring the patterns of sounds and words often enough. Staff do not explicitly teach children new vocabulary, and some children go long periods without any interaction from staff and play silently alone. Consequently, some children's communication and language development is not as expected

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need to do better?

for their age. n The key-person system is not effective. Staff do not know the children well enough and are unable to target the children's individual learning needs. They are not able to identify children's next steps. As a result, this important information is not shared with parents. n Staff's management of children's behaviour is ineffective. They do not help children to understand the expectations and boundaries. For example, when older children argue over toys, staff tell them to find a different toy or count down from five until they let go of the toy. If children do not comply, they are required to 'sit out' for 10 minutes. They are not supported to understand why they are being asked to cooperate with their peers or learn how to share and take turns. n Staff set up the environment to encourage children to make independent choices in their play.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

ensure that all staff, including designated safeguarding leads, have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures, including how to record and act on concerns about children's welfare, and the process to follow in the event of an allegation against a staff member or volunteer 24/04/2024

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Due date

implement safer recruitment checks for all staff, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, to ensure that they are suitable to work with children 24/04/2024

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Due date

ensure that children are adequately supervised at all times, with particular focus on mealtimes so that staff are on hand to respond swiftly should a child be at risk of choking 24/04/2024

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Due date

implement effective systems for the monitoring, support and coaching of the manager and staff, to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles and responsibilities and to meet children's needs 10/05/2024

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Due date

ensure that staff have the necessary skills to help children to understand the boundaries and expectations for their behaviour. 10/05/2024

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Due date

16 April 2024 design a curriculum that will give children the skills they need for future learning, and ensure that staff implement this through positive interactions and challenge that builds on what children already know and can do 24/05/2024

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Due date

improve the key-person system so that children receive the support they need and that staff share relevant information with parents. 24/05/2024

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Setting details

Unique reference number 101750 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10335136 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 20 Number of children on roll 17 Name of registered person Uplands Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01453 762205 Date of previous inspection 6 June 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Uplands Playgroup registered in 1993 and operates from a building in the grounds of Uplands Primary School. The playgroup employs four members of staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The playgroup is open from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, sessions are from 9am to midday. The playgroup provides funded early years 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 viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager and the inspector had a learning walk together of all areas of the playgroup and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n Parents shared their views of the playgroup with the inspector.

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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

16 April 2024 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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