Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre- School - Ofsted

Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-
School
Inspection report for early years provision
Unique reference number EY236782
Inspection date 18/11/2010
Inspector Justine George
Setting address Holy Trinity Church, Hurst Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 9AE
Telephone number 07837445851
Email
Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises

Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
Introduction
This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the
Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years
provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children
from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group).
The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory
framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early
Years Foundation Stage.
The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the
setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the
report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service
(The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).
The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group
which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare
Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a
comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is
included in Annex B.
Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We
publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we
receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of
registration.
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
Description of the setting
Wellington Boots Playgroup was registered in 2001 at the current setting, Holy
Trinity Church Hall in Sidcup. The playgroup has use of two halls, a kitchen and
toilets. It is a condition of registration that all children are escorted to the toilet by
a member of staff, due to the fact that there are staff working in an office upstairs
who share the same toilets. The playgroup is well established in the community
and serves local families.
The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and
compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. It operates Monday to Friday 9.30am
until 12 noon during school term time. It is registered to care for 26 children from
two to five years. No more than eight children may be under three years. Currently
there are 38 children on roll. Children attend a variety of sessions. The playgroup
supports children with identified special educational needs and children who speak
English as an additional language. The staff team comprises of a play leader and
co-leader/deputy, both of whom hold a recognised childcare qualification. There is
a total of eight staff members, of which six members of staff work directly with the
children; all hold or are working towards a recognised childcare qualification.
The playgroup receives support from the Bexley Early Years Development and
Childcare Partnership. The playgroup is a member of the Pre-school Learning
Alliance.
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.
Children are warmly welcomed by a caring staff team and they show a strong
sense of belonging. Children are happy and settled and have developed positive
relationships outside the family home. Staff engage with children well, exploring
activities together, although opportunities to extend their learning and
development are not consistently put into practice. This is due to the planning of
activities which does not yet identify the possible learning intentions to ensure
children are sufficiently challenged. Staff are keen to maintain continuous
improvement and identify areas for development. Although, they have not yet fully
put their ideas into practice to further improve the outcomes for children.
What steps need to be taken to improve provision
further?
To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:
conduct a risk assessment and review it regularly at
least once a year or more frequently where the need
arises. The risk assessment must identify aspects of
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
18/11/2010
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
the environment that need to be checked on a regular
basis and include when and by whom they have been
checked (Suitable premises, environment and
equipment) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare
Register)
To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:
review the structure of whole group times and the allocated time for outdoor
play to ensure that the individual needs of all children are met and such
times are purposeful and engaging for all children
ensure observations of children's learning and development are used to
inform the planning and identify the possible learning intentions of activities
to ensure staff sufficiently challenge and meet the individual needs of
children
ensure there are hygienic methods used for the cleaning of hands to
minimise the risk of cross infection and maximise the opportunities for
children to develop independence at snack time
improve self-evaluation methods by taking action to address the identified
areas for improvement and evaluate the impact to assess the outcomes for
children.
The effectiveness of leadership and management of
the early years provision
Children's safety is fostered as suitable recruitment and vetting procedures are in
place. Staff have had or are in the process of having the required checks carried
out to ensure their suitability and un-vetted adults are never left alone with
children. The premises are safe and secure and staff are vigilant in supervising
children at arrival and departure times and throughout the session. However, the
setting has not carried out the required risk assessments to ensure all hazards are
indentified and minimised, which is a breach of welfare requirements. Staff have
suitable knowledge of child protection safeguarding issues to ensure vulnerable
children are protected. Staff also have sound knowledge of ensuring children's
safety and welfare, for example, correct procedures are in place for administering
medication and several staff have current first aid training, and the team record
accidents and ensure parents are informed as required.
There are suitable self-evaluation systems in place to identify the setting's
strengths and areas of improvement. Both service users and providers have
opportunities to contribute towards this and, as a result, some improvements have
been made, for example, a notice board is displayed giving parents and carers
more information about the topics and events taking place and the outdoor area
has been developed. Staff identify ways to improve planning and assessment
methods for children which is likely to improve the learning and development
outcomes for children. However, such ideas have not yet been put into practice.
Therefore, it is unclear what progress children are making as assessment methods
are not yet used to inform planning to ensure the learning and development needs
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
of children are met or sufficiently challenged. In addition, the assessment sheets in
place are not fully utilised to identify where children are at in relation to the early
learning goals.
Staff have developed positive relationships with parents and carers and feedback
from parents is positive. Parents agree that the staff team are friendly and their
children are happy and settled. Information about the setting is made available to
parents through booklets and access to policies, procedures and planning. As a
result, parents are aware of the setting's responsibilities in caring for children and
the range of activities they explore. Parents feel well informed about their child's
general well-being whereby verbal communication takes place on a daily basis,
although there are limited opportunities to specifically discuss children's learning
and developmental progress. Staff realise the importance of working in partnership
with other professionals who may be involved in the care of children. However,
this has not been explored where children attend other early years provisions to
fully ensure continuity and consistency of care.
The quality and standards of the early years provision
and outcomes for children
Children have access to a wide range of resources which enables them to explore
the areas of learning. Children enjoy small world play of a dolls' house, use
dressing up clothes and play dough, providing them with opportunities to act out
real life experiences aiding their knowledge and understanding of the world and
their personal, social and emotional development. Children enjoy looking at books
both independently and with an adult and there are opportunities for mark making
and encouragement from staff for children to write their names on any creations.
Children take it in turns to use the computer and are developing their information
and communication technology skills operating simple programmes and using the
keyboard and mouse. Children enjoy messy creative play of sticking and painting
and concentrate really hard to master the skill of using scissors in which they are
given good encouragement. Staff plan a range of experiences and activities for
children to explore, however, the learning aims of such activities are not identified.
As a result, the opportunity to further extend and differentiate children's learning
to meet the various learning abilities is not consistently applied. Therefore, some
activities lack challenge and without the support of an adult, activities are left
unused. Children benefit from the free-flow structure of the session as they choose
what they would like to do and have ample time to explore at a pace that suits
them. Although, whole group time is less beneficial to all children as younger
children loose interest in what is happening and become restless. Furthermore, as
children all go into the garden together, too many are trying to use the sand or
cutlery table at one time, impacting on their enjoyment.
Children are well on their way in making a positive contribution as they are happy
and settled and relate really well to the adults. Children behave and cooperate with
each other well, develop friendships and interact with each other during play. They
show good levels of self-esteem as staff often praise children for their
achievements and efforts made which is genuine and personal to the child.
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
Children help to look after the provision, helping at tidy up time and are
resourceful putting empty boxes into a container to be used again. Children learn
about people within the community as visitors such as the local librarian and
community support officers visit the setting sharing their experiences. Parents also
come in to share their experiences and skills. A recent event of the Diwali
celebration was celebrated, whereby a parent shared the Hindu tradition with
children retelling the story and looking and sampling traditional clothing and food.
As a result, children learn about people who help us and the diverse community in
which we live.
Children's health is suitably fostered. They participate in physical play, for example,
bowling and using the recently developed outdoor area for fresh air and exercise.
Children enjoy the range of fresh healthy snacks such as fruit and breads, and staff
talk about the various fruits and the benefits of eating healthily. However, the
opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills and make independent
choices of what they would like to eat are minimised. This is because food and
drink is out of reach; as a result, some children have to wait to be served rather
than managing themselves. Children's hygiene is suitably promoted; tissues are
available and children use these to wipe their nose and dispose of waste in bins.
Children wash their hands after messy play and before eating, although they use a
communal bowl increasing the risk of cross infection.
Children move around the setting safely and take responsibility in managing their
safety, for example, children walk inside, know to ask an adult if they want to use
the bathroom and use equipment such as scissors appropriately. Children practise
fire drills and learn about road safety as visits from the local lollipop lady reinforce
their understanding. Children learn about the boundaries in place as staff share
rules and give explanations to further develop their understanding.
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
Annex A: record of inspection judgements
The key inspection judgements and what they mean
Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality
Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong
Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound
Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
How well does the setting meet the needs of the
children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?
The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous
improvement
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early
years provision
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the 3
Early Years Foundation Stage
The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding 3
ambition and driving improvement
The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 3
The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and 3
diversity
The effectiveness of safeguarding 3
The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the
3
steps taken to promote improvement
The effectiveness of partnerships 3
The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and 3
carers
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation
Stage
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation
3
Stage
The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3
The extent to which children feel safe 3
The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3
The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2
The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3
Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the
procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website:
www.ofsted.gov.uk
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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3
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Inspection Report: Wellington Boots Playgroup & Pre-School, 18/11/2010
Annex B: the Childcare Register
The provider confirms that the requirements of the
compulsory part of the Childcare Register are:
The provider confirms that the requirements of the
voluntary part of the Childcare Register are:
Not Met (with
actions)
Not Met (with
actions)
The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or
voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.
To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register,
the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:
take action as specified in the early years section of
the report (Suitability and Safety of Premises and
Equipment)
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
18/11/2010
To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the
registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:
take action as specified in the early years section of
the report (Suitability and Safety of Premises and
Equipment)
18/11/2010
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