A RADCLIFFE playgroup is celebrating after retaining its OFSTED rating.

St Philips Playgroup, based at St Philips Community Centre, Higher Dean Street, was graded ‘good’ for the quality and standards of early years provision in an inspection carried out in June.

The playgroup received the same rating at its previous inspection in January 2014.

This time around the report praised the experienced manager and her staff for ‘reflecting on and evaluating the quality of the playgroup’.

It said: “Staff consider the views of parents when planning future changes that impact on children’s experiences.

“They also observe children and assess what they can do and use this information to plan a wide range of exciting activities both indoors and outside.”

The report said that staff are caring and provide a warm welcome to children and parents as they arrive at the playgroup and that parents speak highly of the nurturing relationships that staff develop with their children.

Another good aspect of the playgroup is that the manager carefully monitors children’s progress and supports staff to identify gaps in children’s learning to help them provide the support they need to make good progress.

To further improve the quality of early year’s provision the playgroup should make the most of opportunities for children to ‘have a go’ and to try to do things themselves, the report said.

Manager at St Philips Playgroup, Andrea Wilson, said that everybody involved with the playgroup was happy with the report.

She said: “We are over the moon with having kept our Ofsted rating.

“The bar has been raised so much since our last inspection and the ‘A Team’ have worked incredibly hard to continue to meet increasing expectations and standards.

“Our caring staff are very passionate about working with the children and helping them achieve their best outcomes across all the different areas of learning.

“Thanks also to our supportive parents and St. Philip’s Management Committee.”

The report said that for the playgroup to make the next step and progress to an ‘outstanding’ OFSTED rating, development of opportunities for staff to share their skills and expertise to help develop their teaching could be made.

St Philips Playgroup employs six members of childcare staff who care for children aged two to four.