Teddy Bears Pre-School

Transcription

1 Teddy Bears Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision Unique reference number Inspection date 5/03/010 Inspector Doreen Forsyth Setting address Village Hall, Boxford, Newbury, Berkshire, RG0 8DH Telephone number Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises

2 The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone , or enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M 7LA T: Textphone: E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: Crown copyright 009

3 Introduction This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. Early years provision refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage. The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 008 regulations 9 and 10). The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. 3

4 Description of the setting Teddy Bears Pre-School is a community group supported by a committee, it opened in 199. The group operates from Boxford Village Hall, near Newbury in Berkshire. The pre-school serves a wide rural area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register, to care for up to 6 children in the early years age group. Currently there are 31 children on roll, of these 1 are in receipt of government funding for nursery education. The setting welcomes children that have special educational needs or disabilities and those that speak English as an additional language. The group opens three days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9.00am until 11.30am and from 1.30pm until 3.00pm. There is a lunch club each day. There are eight members of staff that work with the children, of these, five have relevant early years qualifications at level two or three; some staff are also currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from the local authority. The overall effectiveness of the early years provision Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the pre-school and are making good progress in their learning. They progress well because they are offered a varied programme of ageappropriate practical activities that follow their interests and help to support their development. The setting recognises the uniqueness of all children and works closely with parents to ensure that each child is well supported and their welfare needs are met. The staff have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and are able to take effective steps to make further improvements. What steps need to be taken to improve provision further? To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: show in the weekly/daily planning how the identified next steps for the children's learning will be met ensure children can easily access their own drinking water throughout the day. The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision Robust steps are taken to safeguard children. All the staff and required members of the committee have been suitably vetted; any unvetted adults do not have 4

5 unsupervised access to the children. All the records, policies and procedures that are necessary to ensure the efficient management of the Early Years Foundation Stage and to promote the children's welfare are in place and well kept, although the record of attendance is not always completely accurate. The setting has appropriate child protection policies and procedures in place; the staff are very confident in the procedures they would follow if they have any child protection concerns. Most of the staff have relevant early years qualifications and are attending further training to increase their skills and knowledge. All staff have current first aid qualifications. Children play and learn in the village hall that is kept safe and secure. Staff have created a warm, stimulating and welcoming environment for the children and their parents. The setting is very well resourced and there are posters, displays of the children's work and photos of the children at play decorating the walls. Staff continually risk assess the hall and outside play areas and have identified and minimised any potential hazards to the children. The children can freely access the enclosed outside play area and have use of a new all weather 'road track' for their wheeled toys. This is across the hall car park so the staff are extra vigilant when the children are outside using this. The pre-school aims to provide an inclusive practice where all children are valued and welcomed and their welfare needs are met. The setting links closely with parents, outside agencies and professionals when necessary and any other settings the children attend to ensure the integration of the children's care and education. Those in charge at the pre-school have good systems in place to monitor the quality of the provision that is provided. They have sought and acted on parent's feedback and value the support of local advisory workers. They have plans for the future and are committed to continuous improvement. The setting has met all the recommendations set at the last inspection. The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children The children are making good overall progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. They are able to play well on their own but also have very good relationships with each other and the adults in the playgroup. Their independence is promoted very well; they enjoy deciding what they wish play with from a wide range of well presented activities, and are encouraged to sometimes suggest what topics they would like to explore. The playroom is divided into 'learning zones' that are organised to promote each area of learning. For example, there is a creative area where children can select their own craft resources and a well resourced numeracy table. Staff loosely plan topics or themes for the children's learning but they also follow the children's interests and plan activities linked to these. There is an effective keyworker system in place with staff observing and assessing the children's progress. They use their 'learning journal' record books, which are shared with parents, to record the children's progress and achievements. The staff use the information they glean from the observations they make to plan a next step to help each child to progress their learning, however, the daily or weekly plans do not show how these individual targets for the children 5

6 will be met. For most of the session children can freely access the outside play area and continue their learning out of doors. They enjoy playing in the fresh air. The good range of large play equipment and space for using wheeled toys outside allow children to develop their physical skills well. Children enjoy healthy and nourishing daily snacks each session and have packed lunches prepared by their parents when they stay for lunch club. They learn about the importance of good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating. However, they do not have free access to drinking water during the play sessions. The good adult/child ratios used ensure children are always well supported, this helps them feel safe and confident in the pre-school. If children are unsettled staff are skilled at offering them comfort and reassurance. The children behave very well. Staff give them continuous praise and encouragement and offer explanations as to why some behaviour is not acceptable. The children demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and that their behaviour has an impact on others. For example, they are reminded not to run indoors as they might hurt themselves or others and that they must take turns when using the computer. Children's progress in communicating, literacy and using information and communication technology is developing well. They enjoyed writing postcards in the role play 'post office' and sending Easter cards through the post to their homes. Many of the children use the pre-school computer with skill and ease. Through their varied topic work and the range of resources they use, the children learn about their environment, the wider world and are beginning to develop an understanding diversity. 6

7 Annex A: record of inspection judgements The key inspection judgements and what they mean Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough The overall effectiveness of the early years provision How well does the setting meet the needs of the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision How effectively is the Early Years Foundation Stage led and managed? The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding The effectiveness of the setting s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships The effectiveness of the setting s engagement with parents and carers The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning The extent to which children feel safe The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles The extent to which children make a positive contribution The extent to which children develop skills for the future Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted s website: 7

8 Annex B: the Childcare Register The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met Met 8