Peter Pan Playgroup - Keyham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enter the playgroup happily and show excitement to begin their day.

Friendly staff talk to children about their experiences as they bring in items from home for 'show and tell'. Staff focus their curriculum on supporting children in the prime areas of learning. They ensure that children feel safe and secure and help them to develop their language and physical skills.

Younger children learn to navigate the steps on the slide. Older children develop their pencil grip and begin to write the letters of their name in preparation for their move on to school.All children make good progress in their development, inclu...ding children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

Staff use clear and simple communication strategies coupled with visual prompts to help children understand.Children have a positive attitude to learning and show enthusiasm for all activities. They behave well and play cooperatively.

For instance, children play hide-and-seek and take it in turns to count while their friends hide. They confidently count to 10 and then show excitement when they find their peers.

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

All children enjoy learning about annual traditions, such as Shrove Tuesday to mark the start of the Christian festival of Lent.

They taste and compare homemade pancakes with shop-bought ones and then pretend to make their own pancakes using yellow dough and toy frying pans.Snack time is a social event. Children sit with staff and talk about the different types of fruit and vegetables they have.

They confidently count their pieces of snack and then use these to create faces, using pear pieces for the eyes and apple slices to create a mouth. Children talk about whether they have made a happy or sad face, learning how to distinguish between emotions.Children have good opportunities to engage in a wide variety of activities that benefit their overall development.

Older children enjoy spooning lentils from one pot to another, showing good concentration. Younger children learn how to stack plastic barrels in size order. However, staff do not plan or implement these group activities well enough to ensure that they build on all children's existing skills to progress towards their next stages of development.

The playgroup staff regularly reflect on their practice. Following research on loose-parts play, staff have supported children in using toys for more than one purpose to develop their imagination and creativity skills. Staff are keen to implement more ideas, such as developing a small allotment where children can grow their own plants and flowers to support their understanding of the world.

Parents speak highly of the playgroup and of the caring staff. They comment on how staff keep them updated about their child's development and the activities they engage in. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies where children require additional support.

However, links with other early years providers that children attend are not yet established to provide continuity of education.Children develop a love of books. Younger children enjoy using puppets alongside the story.

They try to find the matching animal from the book and make accompanying animal sounds. Older children retell their favourite tales, using the pictures as prompts. All children develop good early reading skills.

Staff implement specific activities to support children's communication and language development. Children listen to environmental noises, including transport sounds. When they recognise the sound of a vehicle, such as a car, bicycle or train they find the correct picture to match it.

This helps to develop children's listening and attention.Care practices are effective. Staff help children to learn about daily routines, such as when it is time to change their nappies, using a visual timetable to help children understand what will happen next.

Older children are self-sufficient. They independently manage their personal needs and freely access resources.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff understand their role in protecting children from potential harm. They recognise when a child's welfare is at risk and know the relevant local safeguarding partners to contact should they have a concern. They keep their child protection training and policies up to date to ensure that their knowledge is in line with current legislation.

Staff teach children how to keep safe when using the internet. They teach children how to inform a trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable about anything they see online when outside of the playgroup.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: plan and implement group activities more effectively to help all children build on their existing skills and knowledge work effectively with other settings that children attend to provide consistency in their learning and development.