Cygnets Group (Exminster Pre-School)

Transcription

1 Cygnets Group (Exminster Pre-School) Inspection report for early years provision Unique reference number Inspection date 0/0/01 Inspector Michelle Tuck Setting address Telephone number Type of setting Exminster CP School, Deepway Lane, Exminster, Exeter, Devon, EX6 8AJ Childcare - Non-Domestic

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 assesses 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 [email protected]. 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. T: Textphone: E: [email protected] W: Crown copyright 01

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). 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 Cygnets Group (Exminster Pre-School) was registered in It operates from the school hall and reception classes in Exminster Primary School, Exminster, Devon. It is run by the same committee as Exminster Pre-school and the same staff work with the children. The Cygnet group is an extension of the provision at Exminster Pre-school as an introduction for children into the school setting. The group is open for four sessions a week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 1pm until.30pm during the spring and summer terms only. Most children spend the morning at the session provided in the Deepway centre and walk to the school from there. The pre-school is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 6 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 58 children on roll. The pre-school supports children with disabilities and learning difficulties. The setting are in receipt of government funding for three and four-year-old children. There are 11 members of staff employed to work with the children. Of these, most hold, or are working towards, relevant early years qualifications. The overall effectiveness of the early years provision Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children are happy and settled. They enjoy a very good range of activities and experiences that support them in making good progress in their learning and development. Staff know the children well and overall, they plan activities that reflect their interests and abilities. Most regulatory documentation is in place. There are good procedures for self-evaluation in place, which most staff contribute to. Staff demonstrate a positive commitment to the continuous improvement of the setting to promote better outcomes for all children. What steps need to be taken to improve provision further? To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must: ensure the children's attendance record details their actual hours of attendance 0/03/01 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: Further develop the systems for self evaluation to include the views of all adults involved in children's learning and development. 4

5 The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision Children's welfare is safeguarded by staff, who implement effective systems to assure their safety and well-being. Daily checklists, fire practices and risk assessments help ensure that good standards of safety are maintained. Children put on high visibility jackets to make the walk between the pre-school and the school, they wear wrist straps and talk about walking in single file and watch and listen for the cars. There are comprehensive systems in place for recording and maintaining most documentation. However, the children's attendance record does not detail their actual hours of attendance. This is a specific legal requirement. A range of written policies and procedures are provided and these are regularly reviewed and are available for parents and staff to read. Overall, these promote children's safety and well-being whilst at the setting. Children benefit from being part of a small group, which enables staff to support them well as individuals. There is a good range of resources, which are arranged effectively to enable children to make spontaneous choices. Children's understanding of diversity and difference is also enhanced as they celebrate festivals and special events. This ensures that children learn to value aspects of their own lives and the diverse society in which they live. The pre-school children have free access to a lovely range of resources at the school, which support their learning and development well. The providers have fully utilised all areas in the main hall, the outdoor classroom and the reception classroom. Children show that they are very happy and settled at the pre-school. Systems for self evaluation are well developed, however they have yet to include the views of the school based staff, who are involved with the children. Staff show enthusiasm and dedication towards driving improvements and outcomes for all children in their care by continually updating their knowledge through training. The pre-school liaises very closely with parents from the start. There are visits and opportunities for questions and the pre-school includes key person systems and develops sound knowledge about children's routines, preferences and levels of development. Parents are very happy with the provision and fully appreciate the commitment of the staff. The good partnership between parents, professionals and other early year's settings has a very positive impact on children's learning. This is because everyone works together to support children in achieving their full potential. The pre-school session at the school in the afternoon has enabled the transition to school to be an enjoyable experience for all children. The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children Children settle quickly and happily as they arrive at the school setting. They enthusiastically choose a coloured scarf and listen carefully to instruction which they follow very well. They feel secure in the setting because staff create a calm and nurturing atmosphere, which promotes their feelings of trust. Children involve 5

6 themselves fully in a lovely dance session. They march like soldiers, skip and, jump in time to the music and have great fun. The staff give the quieter children support and praise saying well done, as they move on their tummy, swing their arms back and forth and use their scarf to say hello to one another. Staff frequently record children's achievements; they note their observational assessments against each area of learning and use this to note children's next steps in learning. This information is then collated into a summary report for parents. Children are encouraged to choose independently from the activities once they have completed the focused activity on arrival at the school. Children play in the role play area, in the Chinese restaurant. They use chop sticks to pretend to eat the food and choose what they want to eat from the menu. Staff read stories to small groups of children. They look at the pictures and discuss what they think will happen in the story. Children play outside where they use bricks to build a pirate ship. They explore the sand which has frozen and talk about Jack Frost freezing the snow, using bricks to chip it away to find him. There is a vibrant visual environment where the children can explore freely. Children play with the small world play, move the figures around and use their imaginations well to make up stories. Children develop good skills to use in the future in communication, literacy, numeracy and in information and communication technology. Children count in everyday activities; some recognise numerals and many can count to ten and beyond. This means they are developing very good skills for the future. Children show a strong sense of belonging in the setting. They are confident, settle well and develop very good relationships with adults and their peers. This demonstrates that they feel safe. Children seek help as required but are happy to work together, for example, in their role play, turn-taking and sharing resources to be the chef or the customer. This shows good negotiation and cooperation skills. Children learn to understand and adopt healthy habits, such as good hygiene practices. They talk about their hand washing routines and are independent in this area. The setting has developed facilities for all children to move freely between the indoor and outside play area. This has extended the opportunities for them to benefit from fresh air and exercise. Children know what is expected from them and most follow rules well. Children's behaviour is good. 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 The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage 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

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