Mordiford Dragons Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and quickly settle at this welcoming and friendly playgroup. They are eager to play and motivated to learn. Children excitedly explore the wide range of play activities on offer.

Good settling-in procedures ensure that children are ready for the move from home to the playgroup. Children receive lots of cuddles and reassurance from the kind and caring staff. This helps them to develop a sense of belonging and feel emotionally secure.

Children are independent learners. They recognise their name as they self-register each morning. Children learn to make democratic decisions.

For example, the...y vote on the book that they want staff to read to them later in the day. Children have fun as they play outside in the fresh air. They play cooperatively with their friends and learn to share and take turns.

For example, they share the tools as they pretend to cook in the outdoor kitchen. Children display high levels of concentration. They carefully jump and balance on small logs.

Children demonstrate good problem-solving skills. They investigate a block of ice with small figures inside. Children skilfully use a small hammer to break up the ice.

Older children recall past learning experiences and ask staff for some hot water to help the ice to melt.

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

The dedicated manager and the staff team work very well together. They strive to provide high-quality care and education at all times.

Together, they are committed to extending their already good knowledge and skills. The manager and the staff team regularly attend training to benefit outcomes for children. For example, they recently attended training to further support children's communication and language skills.

Staff form secure relationships with children. They know them well. Staff make regular observations of children's play and use this information to plan a wide range of interesting activities around their current interests and next steps in learning.

Children make good progress.Staff support children to develop a good understanding of early mathematical concepts. Staff remind children that a circle does not have corners, and ask them if they can remember what shape does.

They further extend children's learning and explain the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. Staff introduce words such as 'flat' and 'solid' to support children's understanding.Staff provide children with a range of activities to help them to develop strength in their hands and fingers in readiness for early writing.

Children use a paint brush to make marks on an easel. They carefully squeeze and mould dough into different shapes. Children lead their own learning.

They tell staff that they have made cakes and they must put them in the oven to cook.Staff have a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. They gently remind children of the playgroup's rules, such as using their indoor voices and walking feet.

However, staff are yet to provide children with enough experiences to help them to learn the language of feelings and emotions. This means that, on occasions, children display unwanted behaviours as they do not always have the vocabulary they need to express how they feel.Staff build good relationships with the local school.

In the term before children move on to school, staff organise a range of events to help children to become familiar with the school staff and be confident in their new surroundings. They take the children to visit their new classroom and meet with their teacher and older peers.Partnerships with parents are good.

Staff seek some information from parents when children first begin to attend, such as care needs and routines. However, staff are yet to gather enough information about what children already know and can do at home, to help them to precisely identify where children are in their learning and effectively plan to move them forward from the outset.Parents speak highly of the care and education that staff provide for their children.

They value the open dialogue that they have with them, and appreciate how supportive staff are when it is time for children to move to school. Parents comment on the wide range of activities that children engage in and how happy their children are to attend.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to keep children safe. They complete daily checks of all areas of the playgroup to ensure that children play in a safe and secure environment. Staff attend safeguarding training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

They have a secure understanding of the signs that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff are able to recognise the potential signs of abuse and neglect. They know the correct procedures to follow in the event that they have a concern about a child's welfare.

The manager and some committee members have completed safer recruitment training. Rigorous recruitment procedures ensure that staff are suitable for their roles.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on opportunities to support children to develop the language they need to effectively communicate their feelings and emotions seek even more information from parents at induction about what children already know and can do at home, in order to identify their starting points and plan to move children forward in their learning from the very beginning.

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