Wrexham Playgroup Given Glowing Inspection Report

A Wrexham ‘pre-school playgroup’ has been given a glowing report following a recent inspection.

The Overton Pre-School Playgroup in Overton, has been judged as ‘Good’ following a recent inspection by Estyn, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales.

The setting is open all year round from 8am to 6pm and is registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales to provide care for up to 24 children. The playgroup is committee run and managed, with four practitioners carrying out the day-to-day running of the setting.

There are four judgements that can be given to a school’s performance; excellent, good, adequate and unsatisfactory. A ‘good’ judgement means that the playgroup has many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement.

Estyn notes that Overton Playgroup’s current performance is ‘good’ because:-

• All children make good progress from their starting points
• Teaching is good
• The learning environment is excellent
• All children are developing positive attitudes to learning
• There is an excellent range of interesting learning experiences indoor and out
• Care, support and guidance for all the children are good

Alongside a judgement for the playgroup’s current performance, Estyn also provides an outlook for the facilities’ prospects for improvement – of which the playgroup has been judged as ‘good’

Estyn states that the playgroup’s prospects for improvement are good because of the: leadership and management of the setting, the high quality resources that effectively support the provision and that the the setting works effectively with partners for the benefit of the children.

Within the report, Estyn goes on to provide a breakdown of the ‘Main Findings’ of the inspection, which covers several factors of the playgroup.

The report notes that the playgroup’s: standards, well-being, teaching, care, support & guidance; leadership, resource management, improving quality and partnership working are ‘Good’.

Estyn goes on to comment about the teaching standards at the school, stating : “All practitioners intervene well and questioning techniques are effective in providing a challenge and extending the learning of the children. There are high expectations of the children and all practitioners are skilled in knowing when to intervene and when to let the children discover for themselves.”

Two elements of the school have also been judged as ‘excellent’, which are learning experiences and learning environment.

Writing about the school’s learning environment, Estyn notes: “All practitioners intervene well and questioning techniques are effective in providing a challenge and extending the learning of the children. There are high expectations of the children and all practitioners are skilled in knowing when to intervene and when to let the children discover for themselves.”

A full copy of the report can be found on the Estyn report here.

(Google Maps image of Overton Playgroup / Play centre)