'Outstanding' report for Greenisland playgroup

The voluntary-run charitable group in Greenisland was recognised by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) for its success in three key areas.

It follows some significant changes as new staff and committee members work hard to develop the group, which last year marked its 25th anniversary.

"All this is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the small staff team, led by leader Roisin Montgomery, the voluntary management committee chaired by Jo Hendrix and the support of the parents and families of our attending children," a statement from the group read.

In a report published last week, the inspection focused on the children’s achievements and standards; the quality of provision; and the quality of leadership and management.

Comments from the ETI within the report included:

- The staff plan a rich and varied pre-school programme and provide high quality opportunities for learning across the pre-school curriculum;

- The leadership and management is highly effective in bringing about improvement. Along with the whole staff team, they have made excellent progress in improving the quality of the outcomes for the children, the provision and the leadership and management;

- All of the available space is used effectively to create richly-resourced, distinct areas of play which support well the children’s language development, learning and independent choices.The inclusion of natural resources, displays of children’s own work, visual cues and meaningful print all enhance the quality of the learning experiences. Recent resources added to the outdoor areas have improved the opportunities for investigation and further improvements are planned.

"Alphabet is continuing to work hard to maintain and improve outcomes for children in the community of Greenisland, especially difficult in times of economic hardship across all areas. [It] relies heavily on fundraising to survive; many similar groups across Northern Ireland have closed recently due to lack of funding and resources," the group added.

"We hold a small number of events through the year with our next event being a Christmas Fair for families held in the Greenisland Community Centre on Sunday, December 1 from 1pm-4pm. Information about Alphabet and events can be found on our Facebook page."