Sunshine Play School
Day Care of Children
Northmuir Hall
Shielhill Road
Kirriemuir
DD8 4PN
Telephone: 01575 575969
Inspected by: Lynn Ellison
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Inspection completed on: 21 April 2011
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Contents
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Summary
About the service we inspected
How we inspected this service
The inspection
Other information
Summary of grades
Inspection and grading history
Service provided by:
Sunshine Play School
Service provider number:
SP2003000595
Care service number:
CS2003002990
Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service:
Lynn Ellison
Telephone 01382 207200 Lo-Call: 0845 6008331
Email [email protected]
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Summary
This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of
performance which were examined during this inspection.
Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other
regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the
service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes
about the service.
We gave the service these grades
Quality of Care and Support 5
Quality of Environment 0
Quality of Staffing 5
Quality of Management and Leadership 0
Very Good
N/A
Very Good
N/A
What the service does well
The service's key strengths in the areas inspected include:
• friendly, caring and competent and effective staff;
• provision of a wide range of stimulating experiences in a very good quality
environment;
• active involvement of parents and carers.
What the service could do better
The service needs to continue to improve the quality of recording of children's
progress.
What the service has done since the last inspection
Whilst the service had not appointed any new staff since the inspection, they had
addressed the shortcomings in their policy and procedures to ensure a safer and more
effective approach to this key aspect of care.
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Conclusion
This is a friendly and welcoming playgroup providing very good quality care and
experiences for children. Staff and the committee work cooperatively to identify how
well the service is doing and to continue the process of improvement.
Who did this inspection
Lynn Ellison
Lay assessor: N/A
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1 About the service we inspected
Sunshine Play School provides a day care of children service for a maximum of 24
children at one time and is a partner-provider with Angus Council. The service
provider is a voluntary committee of parents of children using the service. The aims
of the service include offering a friendly and safe environment that nurtures children's
pre-school educational needs. The staff team consists of the manager, and three play
leaders. The service is based in a community hall in the Northmuir area of Kirriemuir
and has the use of the main community room, an annex adjoining the main room,
storage room, kitchen, entrance and cloakroom, toilets and enclosed outdoor play
area. The service operates every weekday morning from 0915 to 1145.
The service is deemed to have been registered by Social Care and Social Work
Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) since 1 April 2011.
Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following
grades:
Quality of Care and Support - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Environment - N/A
Quality of Staffing - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - N/A
This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of
performance which were examined during this inspection.
Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can
find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website
www.scswis.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our offices.
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2 How we inspected this service
The level of inspection we carried out
In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these
inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide
consistently high standards of care.
What we did during the inspection
We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection by Lynn Ellison. Inspector.
It took place on 21 April 2011 in the morning. We gave feedback to the chair of the
committee, manager and staff after the inspection. As requested by us, the provider
sent us an annual return and a self -assessment form. We issued eight
questionnaires to parents and carers of children who used the service. Six completed
questionnaires were returned before the inspection.
In this inspection we gathered evidence from various sources, including the relevant
sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents, including:
• evidence from the service's most recent self assessment;
• policies on recruitment and selection, behaviour, child protection,
confidentiality, complaints, and parental involvement;
• children's records;
• accident records;
• the results of parental questionnaires;
• staff training records;
• observing how staff worked;
• observation of parts of the environment;
• discussions with committee members, staff and parents and carers.
Grading the service against quality themes and statements
We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example,
one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under
each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be
doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality
themes and statements.
Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection
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Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs)
In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our
inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make
during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects
of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will
clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement.
Fire safety issues
We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for
checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we
will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to
take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at
www.firelawscotland.org
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What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at
our last inspection
The requirement
The provider must improve its safer recruitment practices by:
• obtaining two references for all staff, one of which is from the current or
previous employer;
• obtaining enhanced Disclosure Scotland check for all staff;
• maintaining a record of candidate's skills, experience and qualifications;
• implementing a system for ensuring that candidates are physically and
mentally fit for the post.
This is in order to comply with:
• SSI 2002/113 Regulation 13
• SSI 2002/114 Regulation 9(1)
• SSSC Code of Practice - Employer
◦ Make sure people are suitable to enter the workplace
◦ 1.1 Using rigorous & thorough recruitment & selection processes etc
What the service did to meet the requirement
The service had not recruited or appointed any new staff since the previous
inspection so we were only able to check the relevant policies and other
documentation. From these however we concluded that the service had reviewed
their approach and were reassured that the recruitment process was more rigorous.
The requirement is: Met
The annual return
Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the
information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will
inspect the service.
Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic
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Comments on Self Assessment
Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how
their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate.
We received a fully completed self-assessment from the service. They had used this
to identify what they thought they did well and some areas for development.
Taking the views of people using the care service into account
We observed children throughout the session. Most were well occupied in their play
either alone or in groups. We saw staff giving reassurance when appropriate. They
also responded well to children initiating play and provided opportunities to enhance
their experiences. For example, when a group asked for music, staff brought out
additional equipment. We saw staff dealing appropriately with children's behaviour.
Taking carers' views into account
We received six out of the eight questionnaires we sent to the service to give to
parents and carers of children using the service. Of these, five strongly agreed and
one agreed with the statement 'Overall, I am happy with the quality of care my child
receives'. We also spoke to three parents in person. The responses indicated a high
level of satisfaction with the service.
Additional comments included:
• 'My child's playgroup provides an excellent environment...to learn from and
enjoy. She loves the playgroup. Staff are very obviously using Curriculum for
Excellence to develop the playgroup. This is ongoing and clearly involving
parents and children in the process. They are doing a fabulous job. I applaud
their dedication and hard work. They obviously have to work out of hours to
keep on top of paperwork and developing and sourcing resources';
• 'I find the staff...to be very professional while dealing with the children. They
treat all children with respect and value their opinions. I would like to see
more technology used to develop more understanding in computers. I believe
this will be happening soon with the new computer that is being built';
• 'The best judge of the service is my daughter who is excited about going to
playgroup and reluctant to leave'.
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3 The inspection
We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and
statements. Here are the details of what we found.
Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support
Overall grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the care and support provided by the service.
Service strengths
The service's performance in this area reached a very good standard. We considered
evidence from these sources:
•
•
•
•
•
•
discussions with parents and responses to our questionnaires;
discussions with the manager and staff;
relevant policies;
the service's improvement plan;
observation of staff working with children;
responses to the questionnaires developed by the service for obtaining
parents' views.
We found the following strengths:
• the service made effective use of a variety of ways of informing parents and
carers about the service. Some examples included making policies and
procedures readily available, sharing inspection reports, newsletters, e-mail
communication, committee meeting minutes, open events and an informative
noticeboard. These put parents in a stronger position to comment on and
influence service quality;
• parents and carers had a range of opportunities for taking an active part in
the life of the service and seeing first hand how children were supported. For
example, they could take part in supporting children in play sessions, get
involved in fund-raising activities or become members of the committee.
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• the service consulted parents using regular informal discussion and periodic
questionnaires. They collated the responses and published the results. They
had also put forward their suggestions in the form of a 'wish list' for
purchasing new resources with lottery funding;
• children had opportunities to get involved in planning. For example, they had
regular circle time with staff and did mind-mapping where they could all put
forward their ideas. We saw some examples of links between children's
interests and requests and subsequent planning of playgroup sessions, for
example growing plants, and Easter activities;
• staff did some evaluations of activities, taking into account whether children
had enjoyed and learned from them;
• one member of the committee (a parent) had designated responsibility for
overseeing the development of the service's improvement plan and was
therefore influential in service development.
Areas for improvement
Staff should continue to involve children in the planning process (see also Statement
1.2).
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
Statement 2
We enable service users to make individual choices and ensure that every service user
can be supported to achieve their potential.
Service strengths
The service met all aspects of this statement and performed to a very good standard.
We took into account the evidence we obtained from:
• discussions with staff;
• observing staff working with children;
• parents' and carers' responses to our questionnaires and face-to-face
discussions;
• looking at planning records;
• reading a sample of children's records;
• reading relevant policies and procedures.
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We identified these strengths:
• the service based its approach on and planned in accordance with a range of
recognised national and local frameworks and best practice guidance,
including the National Care Standards, Curriculum for Excellence, and Birth to
Three. Staff had attended training to ensure they were familiar with these
• staff made very good use of the playroom, equipment and resources to
provide children with a wide range of interesting and stimulating experiences
and activities. They encouraged them to make choices and built on their
interests and enthusiasm to promote learning. We saw children responding
positively to this and enjoying their time;
• staff took responsibility for supporting and monitoring key groups of
children though were available for all children throughout the session;
• the service celebrated children's achievements as one means of promoting
enthusiasm for learning new skills;
• the service kept parents and carers well-informed about what children were
learning and how staff supported this. One example was the learning wall,
which had a very informative display on areas such as technology, the
learning potential of snack time, and playing outdoors. This encouraged
parents to take part more confidently in children's learning;
• staff asked parents and carers to provide a rounded picture of children's
circumstances, needs and preferences by completing a 'My World' booklet.
This promoted continuity of care between home and playgroup and made the
service better able to cater for individuals;
• we saw some evidence of records used to record and track children's progress
in different developmental areas. These were made available to parents and
carers throughout the year along with examples of children's work. Annual
reports supplemented this information;
• we saw evidence that staff were aware of children with additional needs,
integrated the into the group and knew how to support them effectively.
Areas for improvement
There was scope for staff to improve the quality of recording children's progress, as
this was inconsistent across the group of children. They should always date examples
of work and observations to allow better tracking. (See Recommendation 1,
Statement 1.2) Staff could also make children's involvement in planning more explicit.
We brought the provider's attention to new Regulations for care services that came
into effect on 1 April 2011. These specify the need for all services to prepare written
personal plans for children using the service (SSI 2011/210 Regulation 5(1)).
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Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 1
Recommendations
1. The provider should continue to improve the quality of recording of children's
progress.
National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16:
Standard 4 - Engaging with Children and Standard 5 - Quality of Experience
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Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment - NOT ASSESSED
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Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of staffing in the service.
Service strengths
See Statement 1.1 for details of the evidence we took into account in deciding the
grade for this statement. We also identified the following additional strengths:
• parents and carers who were members of the committee took an active part
in recruiting and selecting staff for the service. They were also involved in
annual appraisals of staff to monitor their practice and identify learning and
development needs;
• the committee had a key role in reviewing and amending the service's policies
and procedures, including those with direct relevance for the staff team;
• the questionnaires developed by the service included sections on the quality
of staff and had the potential for influencing improvements.
Areas for improvement
The service should continue to use its quality assurance processes to identify areas
for development.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of recommendations: 0
Number of requirements: 0
Statement 4
We ensure that everyone working in the service has an ethos of respect towards
service users and each other.
Service strengths
The service met all aspects of this statement and achieved a very good standard. We
took into account evidence from these sources: observation of staff working with each
other, parents and children; children's records; the responses to our questionnaires
and interviews; and relevant policies and procedures.
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We identified the following strengths:
• we observed staff being welcoming and friendly to parents and carers as they
arrived for the session;
• staff supported children when distressed, dealt calmly but firmly with their
behaviour and used children's names when talking to them;
• staff encouraged children to make choices about how to spend their time;
• the service had developed an 'achievement wall' for celebrating children and
staff's awards and certificates;
• parents and carers taking part in the duty rota had guidelines for what to do
when helping in the snack area for example, so that they could make best use
of their time;
• the service took care to ask parents and carers what they thought about the
service so they could cater for their needs and preferences and communicated
well with them;
• the service's policies and procedures and use of best practice guidance
provided a solid foundation for developing a culture of respect and dignity.
Areas for improvement
There was no need for any significant adjustment in this area.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership - NOT
ASSESSED
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4 Other information
Complaints
There have been no complaints upheld or partially upheld about this service since the
commencement of SCSWIS on 1 April 2011.
Enforcements
We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last
inspection.
Additional Information
We felt that the noise level ion the playroom was a little high on occasions.
Action Plan
Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including
any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made,
will result in SCSWIS re-grading the Quality Statement within the Management and
Leadership Theme as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme for
Management and Leadership being re-graded as Unsatisfactory (1).
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5 Summary of grades
Quality of Care and Support - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 2
5 - Very Good
Quality of Environment - Not Assessed
Quality of Staffing - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 4
5 - Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - Not Assessed
6 Inspection and grading history
Date
Type
Gradings
19 Apr 2010
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
2 - Weak
Not Assessed
15 May 2009
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
4 - Good
All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former
regulator of care services, the Care Commission.
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To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports
Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to
send you a copy by telephoning us on 0845 600 9527.
This inspection report is published by SCSWIS. You can get more copies of this report
and others by downloading it from our website:
www.scswis.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527.
Translations and alternative formats
This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request.
Telephone: 0845 600 9527
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.scswis.com
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