Inspection Provider Report

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).

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.

Description of the setting

Winyates Playgroup is privately owned as a limited company. The setting originally opened in 1976 and registered as a limited company in 2007. The playgroup operates from one room within a converted shop in the Winyates area of Redditch. It is situated within a shopping centre and is close to schools and public transport links. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The playgroup is open each weekday from 8.50am to 2.50pm during term time only.

The playgroup is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 54 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The playgroup currently supports a number of children with special education needs. There are five members of staff, three of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to NVQ Level 3. The setting provides funded early education to two-, three- and four-year-olds and receives support from the local authority.

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is Good.

This playgroup is based in the heart of the community and provides children with good quality care and early education. Children interact very positively with each other and develop strong relationships as they learn to share and play together. Their health, safety and well-being are well considered, and a key feature of the playgroup is the very warm, welcoming and safe environment it offers. Partnerships with parents are strong and staff work closely with key agencies, particularly when families are experiencing challenging circumstances. Those in charge have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for further development. Day-to-day management is good, although monitoring and evaluation lack sufficient rigour.

What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

review and extend the system for identifying and planning what children need to learn next
use self-evaluation more effectively by ensuring there is a regular cycle of plan, action and review.

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision

Overall, safeguarding is good with some strong elements. Staff are aware of key safeguarding policies and are vigilant in identifying and responding to any potential risks to children. They have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the signs of possible abuse and neglect and some have taken on additional training, such as, the Common Assessment Framework, bereavement counselling and promoting young children's mental health. Staff work closely and collaboratively with key agencies and are effective in ensuring children feel safe, both physically and emotionally. Risk assessments are consistently undertaken and accident records are monitored so that appropriate changes can be made. All required records and policies are in place, although some of these are variable in quality.

Leadership and management of the playgroup are good. There are strong links with a wide range of external partners and these are particularly effective in relation to safeguarding. Staff work together well, forming a highly committed team that is determined to improve children's life chances. They get to know children and their families well and have a good understanding of the local area. Staff are extremely caring and work hard to provide a safe and nurturing environment. They understand the importance of children's friendships and are supportive of those who find it difficult to be friendly and need extra help and support. Staff are becoming increasingly evaluative and there are clear examples of how they have adjusted or changed things in response to the needs of children. Much of how management and staff work together is informal. This allows them to be flexible and responsive to children's needs and to have a creative approach to how they develop resources and learning experiences. However, this informality also impacts on the effectiveness of some management systems related to planning for improvement and self-evaluation.

Strong partnerships exist with parents and contribute to the good outcomes achieved for their children. Staff willingly accommodate the varying needs of children and their families. Parents can stay for as long as is needed each day to ensure their children are settled and they contribute to an excellent child profile sheet. This ensures vital information about children is shared, understood and acted upon. Parents can view their child's progress records at any time and learn more from detailed chats with their child's key person. For example, staff tell parents what happens to their child through the day, sharing joys and achievement as well as discussing any problems. Parents are given a detailed pack about how the setting operates, and leaflets, notice boards and displays around the playgroup keep parents well informed about a wide range of important subjects.

The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children

Children make good progress and develop well across all areas of their learning. They are supported well by attentive staff who provide effective care and stimulating learning opportunities. A high emphasis is placed on developing children's personal, social and emotional development and this ensures children grow in confidence and develop the skills and strategies they need to learn new things. Learning experiences are planned well and tailored to meet the specific needs of individual children. Regular observations monitor and analyse the progress children are making, although the arrangements for planning children's next steps are not yet fully effective.

Children behave well, listen carefully to staff and show good manners; saying 'please' and 'excuse me' when appropriate. Turn taking is evident and close bonds are made between children and their key workers. Independence, choice and confidence are encouraged and ensure children develop the skills they will need at school. For example, children know how to fetch and use resources for themselves and are self-sufficient at meal and toilet times. Four-year-olds are confident in using numbers, language and simple technology and younger children benefit from learning alongside their older friends. Children count, sort and match as they play and different containers in water and sand help them to develop an understanding of weights and measures. They are keen to find out things for themselves and enjoy experimenting with a wide range of interesting and unusual objects. For example, they discover how things work when using old hosepipe reels and large cardboard tubes. The small but effectively used garden area provides a place to water and tend plants as well as enjoying push-along toys and sand and water play. Children find out about how each other live as they talk about their own home, community life and playthings, and special celebration days help children to embrace other cultures and learn to accept different family backgrounds, beliefs and customs.

Children's health is promoted well and has been carefully considered in response to the needs of local children and their families. Breakfast of toast and fresh fruit is offered cafe-style each morning, and this ensures that all children can eat as much as they need to keep them active and learning throughout the day. They try a variety of different foods and fruit and enjoy different tastes and textures, such as hot noodles and warm spaghetti. Children's role play and topic work often centre on food and healthy eating and there are a wide range of displays provided to help children learn to make healthy choices. Children are taught to be safety conscious without being fearful so that they can safely learn new things, such as using the climbing frame. They show they are confident in turning to staff for support and comfort and key phrases such as 'be careful' and 'share nicely' help young children to develop an understanding of how to act in a way that is safe and considerate to others.

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?	2
The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement	2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage	2
The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement	2
The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources	2
The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity	2
The effectiveness of safeguarding	2
The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement	2
The effectiveness of partnerships	2
The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers	2

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage	2
The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning	2
The extent to which children feel safe	2
The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles	2
The extent to which children make a positive contribution	2
The extent to which children develop skills for the future	2

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

Winyates Playgroup Ltd
Inspection report for early years provision


Unique reference number	EY361439
Inspection date	05/05/2011
Inspector	Christine Williams

Setting address	11 Winyates Centre, REDDITCH, Worcestershire, B98 0NR
Telephone number	01527 522500
Email	winyatesplaygroup@btinternet.com
Type of setting	Childcare - Non-Domestic