Armfield Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the playgroup with big smiles and confidently part from their parents and carers. They head inside, eager to greet their friends and the welcoming staff. Children recognise that staff will support and care for them, therefore they feel safe and secure.

They show this as they move confidently around the indoor and outdoor areas and make choices about their play.Children respond positively to the staff's high expectations. They follow the playgroup's routines, take care of the resources and play nicely together.

Children show positive attitudes to learning. For example, they are keen to help water the ...plants in their garden and curious to find out if they have grown. Children carefully compare their own height against that of their sunflower plants and are amazed to discover that the plants are much taller.

Children acquire a good range of skills and knowledge in readiness for starting school. They learn lots of new words through the interesting topics and activities that staff provide, and they engage confidently in conversations with others. Children develop their independence well and enjoy doing things for themselves.

For instance, they wash their hands before snack time and find their own snack boxes and water bottles. They tidy away their belongings afterwards and carefully dispose of any rubbish.

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

The manager and staff provide a broad curriculum to support children's all-round development.

They have identified that some children have had fewer opportunities to interact socially with others, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, they provide games and activities that encourage cooperative play and promote good social skills.Staff are positive role models and foster children's good behaviour effectively.

Therefore, children are clear about the boundaries and expectations. They are kind and friendly and speak respectfully to others. Older children show excellent social skills.

For example, they politely ask their friends for a turn and willingly share their toys.Staff skilfully incorporate opportunities for children to count, calculate and explore shapes and measurements throughout routines and activities. Consequently, children develop a secure understanding of mathematics.

They are confident to tackle problems and use mathematical language as they play.Staff monitor children's progress closely and identify where they may need additional help with learning. They provide targeted interventions, such as attention-building sessions or visual aids, to help close the gaps in children's learning.

Staff work in partnership with parents and other professionals to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Therefore, all children make good progress from their starting points.Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the playgroup.

They love to be active and show confidence and perseverance as they acquire and practise new skills. Children develop a broad range of small- and large-muscle movements through activities such as climbing, balancing, painting and using play dough. This provides them with a firm foundation for learning to write.

Staff and children learn about a range of multicultural festivals and events together throughout the year. This helps to promote a shared awareness of diversity. However, staff are not always proactive in finding out about and promoting the cultures and languages of the children who attend the playgroup.

Therefore, children miss out on opportunities to explore their similarities and differences.Staff urge parents to include healthy options in children's snacks. They speak to children about their favourite fruits and encourage them to taste the tomatoes and strawberries grown in their garden.

However, staff could do more to promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles, such as how food and exercise affect their bodies.Staff say that they enjoy working at the playgroup and feel well supported by their colleagues. They complete regular mandatory training to help them keep children safe, as well as additional training to help improve their teaching.

For instance, staff describe how they have learnt to deliver 'bucket time' sessions to promote children's attention skills.Parents give positive feedback on the playgroup. They describe it as a 'home from home' and say that staff take time to get to know their children well.

Parents state that their children are happy and settled at the playgroup and have become more sociable and confident since joining.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff receive regular training to help them maintain a secure understanding of safeguarding.

They know about a broad range of issues that may affect the welfare of children and their families. The manager and staff understand how to identify and respond to signs of child abuse and neglect. They know how to report concerns or allegations about adults working with children.

Staff use risk assessments and checks of the premises effectively to provide a safe environment. The manager uses robust recruitment and induction procedures to help 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: help staff to further extend children's understanding of healthy lifestyles, such as the benefits of healthy eating and the positive effects of exercise build further on the opportunities to celebrate children's backgrounds, cultures and languages to help children understand their similarities and differences.