The Reddings Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The two-, three- and four-year-olds show they are settled and relate well to the staff, including those who are new to the setting. They are familiar with the daily routine and behavioural expectations.

For example, a four-year-old reminds a younger child that only adults are permitted to sit on the stage. They learn to take turns and sit quietly during small- and large-group activities, for example when playing a game and while waiting to vote for the fruit they would like to be served as snacks. Children choose activities, and most children occupy themselves happily.

They link up with others and enjoy opportunities to s...hare experiences with staff. However, at times, children wander and do not receive the support they need to motivate them in their learning. Children gain independence skills but do not always reach their full potential in preparing for school, due to weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not get the extra help they need to ensure their school readiness, and the most able children are not suitably challenged to increase their learning. The committee and management team do not have a good oversight of what is happening in practice. They do not evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum well and have not considered how the deployment of staff impacts on children's learning.

Children have daily opportunities for outdoor play and thoroughly enjoy the time to play on wheeled toys, paint marks on the paving with soapy water with control and show physical agility as they run around.

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

Staff meet children's personal care needs and promote their emotional well-being. For example, they provide warm reassurance as needed.

They regularly ask younger children if they need the toilet and encourage them to have a snack if they want it.Staff model good manners and promote children's independence well. Children wash their hands ready for snack and serve themselves.

Staff remind children to be kind to others and highlight safety hazards, such as running around with untied shoelaces.Children have some positive learning experiences. For example, they explore mixing paint to make the colour pink and use letter stamps and brushes to practise early writing skills.

However, the curriculum is not carefully planned to build on what children know and can do. The learning intentions of many planned activities are not successfully achieved. As a result, children do not make the progress that they are capable of.

When staff are with the children, they ask questions to extend children's language and thinking. However, children do not receive many positive interactions from staff during the course of their play. Staff often leave children partway through reading a story or in the middle of a game or activity, leaving children to patiently await their return.

Children with SEND are settled and happy at the playgroup. However, the manager is not proactive in seeking outside professional support in a timely way to ensure that children make the best progress in preparation for their move on to school.The new staff team is friendly and approachable, and children are comfortable in staff's care.

The designated safeguarding lead understands the importance of her role and keeps information about children securely. Staff know what to do if they have any safeguarding concerns.Parents praise the friendliness of staff and good support when children start at the playgroup.

They appreciate opportunities to attend stay-and-play sessions. Parents receive regular feedback about how their children have been, but staff do not share ideas to extend children's learning at home based on children's identified next steps for learning.The manager and staff are not proactive in developing partnerships with other settings that children attend, despite this having been identified as a weakness at the last inspection.

Although the manager supports new staff through induction to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities, she does not receive the support she needs to carry out her role well. This is because the committee does not have a good understanding of its responsibility to monitor the effectiveness of the provision and practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date monitor the provision effectively to ensure that staff plan the curriculum carefully and implement it so as to build on what children know and can do, so that every child makes good progress from their starting points 21/05/2024 establish effective partnerships with other settings that children attend, to ensure that information about children's learning is shared to ensure that the experiences children have in the setting enhance those they receive elsewhere.21/05/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the support for children with SEND and for the most able children, to enhance their overall learning experiences provide more information to parents about intended focuses for children's future learning to create greater opportunities to work together to increase children's learning.