Chewton Common Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and ready to learn at this welcoming and friendly playgroup. They develop strong relationships with the caring staff and show that they feel safe and secure in their care.

Children are confident and have fun as they become absorbed in activities.Children play cooperatively and behave well. They show consideration for others and learn to share and take turns.

Friendships have formed among the children, and they play happily alongside others. Children express themselves confidently and choose where and what they want to play with from a wide range of well-thought-out resources and activities.Childre...n are physically active every day, indoors and outdoors.

They have regular visits from a music teacher. Children apply the physical skills they have learned while they join in with actions to songs and learn about beat and rhythm. Children know that they need to wait for their turn to use the large drum, and most manage this well.

Children enjoy activities outdoors. They practise their good skills while climbing, swinging, jumping, and balancing on stepping stones and beams.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents do not enter the playgroup in the usual way.

Staff collect children individually at the gate and ensure that any important information is still exchanged with parents.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff provide a good balance of adult- and child-initiated activities to help children build on what they already know. For example, staff recognise that children enjoy playing with large tubes outdoors.

They use this interest to extend children's understanding of construction and problem-solving. Children and staff work together to build a cosy den with a roof in the garden. However, some staff are not clearly informed about all children's next steps for learning.

This means that they do not always have the information they need to offer new challenges to help children make the best possible progress.Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. When staff talk to children, they get down to the children's eye level, speak clearly and engage them in meaningful conversations.

Staff use good intonation when reading stories to children, who sit close to staff and listen carefully. Staff introduce new words and encourage children to join in. However, staff do not work with parents to gain information about other languages the children speak.

Therefore, children do not benefit from having opportunities to see or hear their home languages during their play and learning.There is very good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator quickly identifies and supports children.

Staff work closely with a wide range of other professionals to develop individual learning plans. Funding provided to these children is carefully used to provide individual support. This helps to support children to reach their full potential.

Children develop important skills in preparation for their move on to school. For instance, staff teach children to manage their feelings and express how they feel. Children are becoming increasingly independent.

They find their own water bottles, put on their coats and manage their self-care needs well. Staff have attended training on letters and sounds. They use this to promote older children's literacy skills to support them for when they go to school.

The manager, who is also the owner, is passionate about her role. She strives towards continual improvement and involves staff, parents and children in the process. The manager encourages staff to reflect on their own ways of working.

She quickly identifies where to improve individual practice through, for example, supervision meetings and observing the practice of other staff.Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents comment on how the playgroup is 'warm and friendly' and that staff give them ideas for strategies to use at home to continue their children's learning.

They appreciate the feedback they receive when they collect their children and through regular parents' meetings.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities regarding child protection.

Staff know the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They understand the reporting procedures to follow if they need to seek further help or report any concerns. Staff are continuing to develop their awareness of wider safeguarding matters.

They know how to recognise children who may be at risk from extreme behaviours and views. Staff explain well about expectations for safety and children have a good understanding of what they need to do to keep safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen systems to ensure that staff know all the children's next steps in learning and offer new challenges to help children make the best possible progress support staff to ensure that children who are learning English as an additional language have opportunities to hear and see their home language during their play and learning.

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