‘Very good’ report for base playgroup

RHYME Times Playgroup has been given a ‘very good’ report by Department of Education inspectors.

In their report on the playgroup, accommodated in large mobile units within Thiepval Military Base, the inspectors stated:

“The playgroup is meeting very effectively the educational and pastoral needs of the children; and has demonstrated its capacity for sustained self-improvement.”

Children who attend the playgroup come from both the military families stationed at the base and from families within the local community. Since the last inspection there have been a number of changes in staffing, including the appointment of a new leader in one of the playgroup rooms. At the time of this inspection, due to the transient nature of the military personnel and their families and the disbanding of the main regiment at the base, the number of children with funded places who were attending the playgroup had reduced significantly .

In their key findings the inspectors said: “The quality of the children’s achievements is very good. The children are well-motivated and engage positively and enthusiastically with their learning. During the inspection, all of the children engaged in sustained and purposeful play.

“The children are confident in talking with the adults in the playrooms and the majority communicate well with each other during their activities. The children enjoy the informal group stories and join in enthusiastically with songs and rhymes.”

They added: “The children are confident in exploring the good range of art materials and use them creatively to explore patterns, build simple models and make early representations. The children show a good level of interest in early mathematical concepts and were observed making patterns, sorting, comparing and counting at a wide range of activities.

“The quality of the provision for learning is very good. The quality of the arrangements for pastoral care in the playgroup is excellent.

“The staff are caring and supportive and set high expectations for the children’s behaviour and their learning, through the consistent use of positive behaviour strategies and the effective use of praise and encouragement.

“The children are very well-behaved and there is a happy, relaxed, family ethos.

“The quality of the staff interactions with the children was always good and, in the majority of cases, it was very good or outstanding.”

Reporting on the quality of leadership and management the inspectors said it is ‘very good’.

The playgroup operates with an overall manager and a playgroup leader in each of the rooms. The leadership and management team are committed to the

continued improvement and development of the playgroup, the inspectors reported.