Old Rayne Playgroup Day Care of Children
St.Lawrence Hall Old Rayne Insch AB52 6RY
Telephone: 07470 094250
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Completed on: 27 February 2020
Service provided by: Service provider number: Old Rayne Playgroup SP2003000524
Service no: CS2003002662 Inspection report
About the service
Old Rayne Playgroup is registered with the care inspectorate to provide a day care of children service to a maximum of 24 children at any one time aged from 2 years to not yet of an age to attend primary school. Of those 24, no more than 15 should be aged 2 to under 3.
The service is provided by a voluntary committee of parents and operates from the St Lawrence Hall in the centre of Old Rayne, a rural village in Aberdeenshire. The service is in partnership with the local authority to provide funded pre-school education.
The vision statement for the service was; At Old Rayne Playgroup we aim to provide a welcoming, fun, friendly atmosphere, within the setting. We do this by creating a stimulating, safe, trusting, environment where there is a focus on child led play.
The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service. We want to ensure they have the best start in life, are ready to succeed and live longer, healthier lives.
We carried out an unannounced inspection of Old Rayne Playgroup on the 26 and 27 of February 2020. During the inspection we observed and talked to the children as they played. We spoke to parents, committee members, the manager and staff, observed staff practice and checked documentation relevant to the inspection.
The Care Inspectorate check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (also known as GIRFEC); Scotland's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work with services that can help them. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child: safe; healthy; achieving; nurtured; active; respected; responsible; and included.
What people told us
There were around 13 children present during the sessions we visited. We observed the children and saw that they were happy and relaxed in the playgroup and very comfortable with staff. We talked to children about their experiences and they told us:
'I liked playing out in the snow, I am going to get a spade to clear the path.'
'I can spell my name; (demonstrates writing) how do you spell your name, (copies letters). Watch this I can draw a circle.'
'This is our plane; we need to get there fast; it's a bad guy and we need to save the day.'
'The river is flooded; cars are in the water. Let's get some more water. I can't lift it. I can, it's heavy, we are making a pool.'
Seven out of a sample of eight parents returned completed questionnaires to us before the inspection. We also spoke with two parents dropping off their children and two committee members. All were very happy with the quality of care their child receives.
Comments included:
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'My child is very happy in the setting. As a parent I am more than happy with the way the playgroup is run.'
'Lovely atmosphere at playgroup, children seem very engaged and more variety is being offered. Always receive great feedback when collecting my child after a morning of fun and play.'
'I have been really pleased with this term. Children have been outside every day. The new extended hours are working very well and the introduction of lunch has been successful; as my children are eating meals they would not normally get at home, which is really good to hear.' The atmosphere in playgroup is welcoming and positive.'
'I am extremely happy with Old rayne Playgroup. My child is developing into a happy, confident, friendly and polite child and is always very eager to go to playgroup every morning. It is a very friendly, family atmosphere. The staff are knowledgeable and approachable. There always appears to be a good variety of toys and learning areas with the staff down on the floor playing with the children. There is nowhere else I would wish my child to attend.'
Self assessment
The service had not been asked to complete a self assessment in advance of the inspection. We looked at the service's own improvement plan and quality assurance processes. These demonstrated their priorities for development and how they were monitoring the quality of the provision within the service.
From this inspection we graded this service as:
Quality of care and support 4 - Good Quality of environment 4 - Good Quality of staffing 4 - Good Quality of management and leadership 4 - Good
Quality of care and support
Findings from the inspection The quality of care and support provided for children at Old Rayne Playgroup was good.
Parents were very pleased with the care and support provided by the manager and staff and felt good communication was established. Parents valued the daily feedback and the update on children's progress at recent parent evening. Parents were welcomed to stay and play and events, for example a literacy day had helped parents to understand how children learn.
Good progress had been made in developing children's personal plans. Information was now much more robust. Clear medical protocols contributed to keeping children safe and well. Staff were clear how they met children's needs and could describe positive outcomes. The manager and staff need to develop record-keeping to clearly set out agreed strategies and record evaluations of the positive progress children are making as a result. The requirement was not yet fully met and is carried forward in this report.
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The quality of observations in children's learning journals was improving. Children's progress was now being monitored using recognised benchmarks and pathways. As a result planned experiences were developmentally appropriate and interesting to the children. Staff were alert and responsive to children needing support. We saw that children were listened to. Staff were engaged in play with children at their level. Children were encouraged to think for themselves and express their views. As a result, we saw that most children were more engaged in their play and concentrating well. Parents told us children were now talking at home about new things they had been learning at playgroup, for example the Queen and Scotland, where Siberian tigers live on a map, dinosaurs and volcanoes and thermal fuses in cars. The manager and staff should now sustain and build on these positive developments.
Children were learning about being healthy. They were involved in choosing and preparing snacks and talked about healthy options. Snack and lunchtime were positive sociable experiences. Parents told us that children were trying a wider variety of foods as a result. Children could choose to play outdoors for part of the session on a daily basis, experiencing fresh air and physical activity which supported their health and wellbeing. They were able to influence their own learning and play choices.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 4 - good
Quality of environment
Findings from the inspection The quality of environment provided for children at Old Rayne Playgroup was good.
The hall and annex provided plenty of space for children to play. Previously we recommended that the manager and staff review and improve the provision and presentation of resources and activities. As a result of sound improvement planning and evaluation this recommendation was met. The play areas were better set out. There were increased open-ended play opportunities, a greater choice of equipment, more natural materials, real life objects and loose parts play indoors. Children could freely access a wide range of suitable experiences and resources. As a result, children were more engaged in their play and learning.
The story corner had again been moved and further developed; it was a cosy space with drapes, a small sofa, lamp and plant; making it homely and comfortable. Children used it well to read books alone and staff were observed to read lots of stories to individuals and small groups of children. Children also enjoyed imaginative play, reading and story-telling in a den they made under a table.
Children were absorbed in the home corner which was well set out and equipped with real life objects made from natural materials. Real vegetables to handle would enhance this further. A loose parts station stimulated younger children's natural curiosity, engaing them in sorting, matching, size comparison, naturally in play.
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Children could independently choose to play outdoors for part of the session. Access to either the car park or the garden was offered in turn on daily basis. The car park provided space for children to be energetic, play games and ride bikes. Children had enjoyed playing in the recent snow. The garden offered richer play and learning opportunities and children experienced an outdoor session weekly led by a practitioner who had a passionate interest in outdoor play. We urged the manager to make greater use of the garden area.
We suggested a more challenging block play area would enhance the setting providing children with richer opportunities for design, engineering and mathematical problem solving. Further information can be found here. https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Documents/ elc27-block-play.pptx
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 4 - good
Quality of staffing
Findings from the inspection The quality of staffing supporting children at Old Rayne Playgroup was good.
The committee had an organised and well managed approach to recruitment of staff and had recently appointed a new manager. Procedures followed best practice guidance contributing towards a safe environment for the children. Candidates had been invited to work on an activity with the children. Following this children's evaluations using a simple thumbs up had been sought to involve children in the recruitment process.
The overall stability of the staff team had provided consistency of care for the children. Positive working relationships had been established between the new manager and staff. All were now working well together towards shared goals. This had resulted in a renewed atmosphere of trust and respect making the playgroup warmer for the children.
Staff training was planned through a well-managed appraisal process. An overview of staff training ensured all staff were up to date with core training in first aid, child protection and food hygiene; contributing to keeping children safe and well.
Good progress had been made in meeting a previous requirement to ensure that the manager and staff develop their knowledge and skills to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum, support children's learning, and implement self evaluation. A new manager had been recruited with appropriate knowledge and experience. This meant staff had been well supported. The manager had introduced staff to best practice documents such as Highland Pathways and the Leuven scale of involvement and helped them to make use of these. As a result, staff were now more confident in their practice.
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The local authority had supported staff to learn about observing, evaluating and planning for children's learning. They had supported staff to use guidance on an effective play environment. Staff had attended relevant training courses; for example, Messy Maths and Birth to Three which had inspired and motivated them. Staff's skills in interacting and supporting children in learning through play were significantly better.
Staff recognised that they were developing their understanding of planning the curriculum, observing children's learning and evaluating children's progress. The manager will continue to identify appropriate training and support staff development.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 4 - good
Quality of management and leadership
Findings from the inspection The quality of management and leadership at Old Rayne Playgroup was good.
A parent committee provided the service and were fully involved in the running of the playgroup and the decision making process. The administration of the group was well managed to ensure continuity of the service for the children.
The recently appointed manager was appropriately qualified and experienced in childcare. She had established constructive working relationships with staff and parents using the service. All were clear about their roles and responsibilities; including to protect children and keep them safe.
At previous inspections we recommended developing and introducing systems to evaluate and monitor progress across all aspects of the service. The new manager had identified three clear and relevant improvement focus areas; team building, providing an enabling environment and monitoring and tracking children's progress. Clear criteria for success had been identified. Developments had been taken orf ward involving all staff, parents and children resulting in visible improvements to the environment, children being more engaged in their play and a happier and more motivated staff team. These improvements together were supporting children to have more positive experiences and outcomes.
The manager was well organised and had helped staff to look inwards and evaluate the provision for the children using recognised best practice guidance. Together with staff the manager had worked through reflective questions, undertaken before and after audits of the environment and asked parents and children's views using various methods. The manager and staff had also looked outwards undertaking professional visits to other settings which had helped them generate ideas and provided support. The manager had begun to show the
Inspection report for Old Rayne Playgroup page 6 of 13 Inspection report evidence of the group's improvement journey in a 'floor-book.' The positive impact of changes should now be summarised to update progress on the improvement plan.
Having met or made good progress towards meeting most of the requirements and recommendations made in recent inspections the manager and staff were now in a good position to explore the national self-evaluation tool: 'How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare' to identify the groups next steps and were well placed to continue to improve.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 4 - good
What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection
Previous requirements
Requirement 1
In order to ensure that individual children's care and support needs are fully met, the provider, manager and staff must by 28 February 2019 ensure that:
Children's personal plans clearly describe their needs, detail how staff will support these needs in cooperation with other professionals and show evaluation of children's progress.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that: 'My personal plan (sometimes referred to as a care plan) is right for me because it sets out how my needs will be met, as well as my wishes and choices' (HSCS 1.15); 'my care and support meets my needs and is right for me' (HSCS 1.19) and 'I am supported to achieve my potential in education.' (HSCS 1.27)
It is also necessary to comply with the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210) Regulation 5 Personal Plans.
This requirement was made on 6 February 2019.
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Action taken on previous requirement Good progress had been made. Information was now much more robust. Clear medical protocols were in place. The manager and staff now need to further develop record-keeping to clearly set out agreed support strategies and evaluations of progress children are making. The requirement was not yet fully met and is carried forward.
Not met
Requirement 2
In order to improve the quality of children's learning experiences the committee must ensure that the manager and staff develop their knowledge and skills to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum, support children's learning and implement self-evaluation by 31 May 2019.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that: 'I am supported to achieve my potential in education and employment if this is right for me' (HSCS 1.27); 'I have confidence in people because they are trained, competent and skilled, are able to reflect on their practice and follow their professional and organisational codes' (HSCS 3.14) and 'I benefit from a culture of continuous improvement, with the organisation having robust and transparent quality assurance processes.' (HSCS 4.19)
It is also necessary to comply with the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210) Regulation 4 - Welfare of users, in particular 4(1)(a) and Regulation 15 - Staffing, In particular 15(b)(i).
This requirement was made on 6 February 2019.
Action taken on previous requirement Good progress had been made with this, staff had developed their knowledge and skills through training team meetings and networking. They were now more motivated, their practice had improved and children were experiencing improved outcomes.
Met - outwith timescales
What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection
Previous recommendations
Recommendation 1
The manager and staff should continue to develop the quality of observations of children's learning, reflect on these to track children's progress in their learning and development and use this information effectively to plan experiences that will engage, interest and support children to reach their potential.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that: 'As a child, I have fun as I develop my skills in understanding, thinking, investigation and
Inspection report for Old Rayne Playgroup page 8 of 13 Inspection report problem solving, including through imaginative play and story-telling' (HSCS 1.30) and 'as a child, my social and physical skills, confidence, self esteem and creativity are developed through a balance of organised and freely chosen extended play, including using open ended and natural materials.' (HSCS 1.31)
This recommendation was made on 6 February 2019.
Action taken on previous recommendation The quality of observations of children's learning recorded in their journals was improving. Children's progress was now being monitored using recognised benchmarks and pathways. As a result experiences were developmentally appropriate and interesting to the children.
The recommendation was met.
Recommendation 2
The manager and staff should review and improve the provision and presentation of resources and activities to provide children with a rich variety of age appropriate play materials including natural resources organised to enable children choice and independence.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that: 'As a child, I can direct my own play and activities in the way that I choose, and freely access a wide range of experiences and resources suitable for my age and stage, which stimulate my natural curiosity, learning and creativity' (HSCS 2.27) and 'as a child, my social and physical skills, confidence, self-esteem and creativity are developed through a balance of organised and freely chosen extended play, including using open ended and natural materials.' (HSCS 1.31)
This recommendation was made on 6 February 2019.
Action taken on previous recommendation The play areas were better set out. There were increased open-ended play opportunities, a greater choice of equipment, more natural materials, real life objects and loose parts play indoors. Children could freely access a wide range of experiences and resources suitable for their age and stage. As a result, children were more engaged in their play and learning.
The recommendation was met.
Recommendation 3
The manager and staff must develop the quality of their interaction with children in order to support children's learning to their full potential and to support children in a sensitive and caring manner so that they learn to regulate their own behaviour.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that: 'My human rights are protected and promoted and I experience no discrimination' (HSCS 1.2); 'I am recognised as an expert in my own experiences, needs and wishes' (HSCS 1.9); 'I get the most out of life because the people and organisation who support and care for me have an enabling attitude and believe in my potential' (HSCS 1.6) and 'I experience people speaking and listening to me in a way that is courteous and respectful, with my care and support being the main focus of peoples attention.' (HSCS 3.1)
This recommendation was made on 6 February 2019.
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Action taken on previous recommendation Staff were alert and responsive to children needing support. We saw that children were listened to; staff were engaged in play with children at their level. Children were encouraged to think for themselves and express their views. As a result, we saw that most children were more engaged in their play and concentrating well.
The recommendation was met.
Recommendation 4
The manager to work with staff, and where appropriate the management committee, to develop and introduce systems that will evaluate and monitor all aspects of the service.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that: 'I benefit from a culture of continuous improvement, with the organisation having robust and transparent quality assurance processes' (HSCS 4.19); 'I use a service and organisation that are well led and managed' (HSCS 4.23) and 'I experience high quality care and support because people have the necessary information and resources.' (HSCS 4.27)
This recommendation was made on 6 February 2019.
Action taken on previous recommendation Developments had been taken forward involving all staff, parents and children in self-evaluation, audits and monitoring. This had resulted in visible improvements to the environment, children being more engaged in their play and a happier and more motivated staff team. These improvements together were supporting children to have more positive experiences and outcomes.
The recommendation was met.
Complaints
There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com.
Enforcement
No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection.
Inspection and grading history
Date Type Gradings 12 Dec 2018 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate
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Date Type Gradings Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and leadership 3 - Adequate
20 Jun 2017 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and leadership 3 - Adequate
27 Apr 2016 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 2 - Weak Management and leadership 2 - Weak
3 Apr 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 4 - Good
18 Apr 2013 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and leadership 3 - Adequate
2 Mar 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not assessed Environment Not assessed Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 4 - Good
2 Mar 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not assessed Environment Not assessed Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 1 - Unsatisfactory
29 Jan 2010 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed
4 Mar 2009 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good
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Date Type Gradings Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good
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To find out more
This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website.
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Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas.
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