Qwackers Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 6 Apr 2006

Qwackers Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Qwackers Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 253514 Inspection date 06 April 2006 Inspector Hazel Taylor

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Qwackers Pre-School

Setting Address The School Premises, Hanby Lane, Alford, Lincs, LN13 9BN

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E-mail

Registered person Qwackers Pre-school Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Qwackers Pre-school opened in 1960. It has been based in a sectional building within the grounds of the John Spendluffe Secondary School, near the centre of the town of Alford, for the past 15 years and is committee run. There is one main room, which is partitioned into two, and one smaller room, available for activities. Toilet and kitchen facilities are easily accessed from all rooms. There is a fully enclosed and secure outdoor play area which is partly grassed. The pre-school serves the local

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 area and the surrounding villages. The pre-school is registered to care for no more than 32 children, from 2 to under 5 years, at any one time. There are currently 92 children on roll and, of these, 53 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The playgroup has systems in place to support children who have special educational needs and children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week, from 09:00 to 11:30 and 12:45 to 15:15, during school term times. A lunch club is available each day, from 11:30 to 12:45, for children who have attended morning sessions. Twelve staff work with the children on both a full and part-time basis. Three members of staff, including the manager, have appropriate early years qualifications at level 3.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Six members of staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification at level 3. The group is affiliated to the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Staff promote children's good health and well-being effectively as they are proactive in recognising and reducing possible risks of infection and illness. Their procedures for managing accidents, administering medication and caring for any child who becomes ill are good and ensure that children are well cared for and that their individual needs are met. Children are developing their own understanding and awareness of good health and hygiene through helpful explanations and daily routines, such as regular hand-washing, which reinforce good practice and act as helpful reminders to encourage their independence. Children show a good understanding and willingness to keep themselves healthy and safe from infection. Children enjoy a variety of nutritious snacks and can easily access drinking water throughout the session. They talk positively about how eating fruit and drinking milk makes them healthy. Snacks provided are wholesome, include fresh fruit and

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Helping children to be healthy

vegetables, and take account of the individual and cultural needs of all children. Whenever possible, staff encourage children to actively contribute to the development of healthy eating and positive food choices by sharing responsibility for decisions about their drinks and snacks. Children's health and dietary needs are met effectively by staff and parents sharing information. Children develop physical control in stimulating daily indoor and outdoor experiences which contribute to their good health. Staff have a secure understanding of each child's stage of development which means the youngest children are given rich sensory experiences and different opportunities to explore and investigate. Older children are gaining competent co-ordination of their bodies and are developing a positive attitude to physical exercise as they learn about the importance of activity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They delight in the challenges of a wide range of

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 energetic activities which they tackle enthusiastically. Staff develop meaningful relationships with the children which fosters their emotional well-being and ensures that they feel confident and secure as they explore their play environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are secure and parents are welcome in this setting. Staff organise indoor and outdoor space effectively, creating a child-friendly environment which enables children to explore and take risks while being appropriately supervised. Good procedures and consistent risk assessment by staff ensures that all areas accessed by children are safe and any hazards are minimised. Children begin to take responsibility for themselves and are encouraged to make safe decisions about their play and learning as they choose from a broad range of good quality toys and play materials both indoors and outdoors. Children enjoy accessing developmentally appropriate resources and can move around safely and confidently to use them imaginatively. Children learn how to keep themselves safe on outings with the encouragement and guidance of staff. Children are cared for by skilled and experienced staff and thorough clearance

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

procedures ensure they are suitably checked and vetted. Children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted by the knowledgeable practice of the staff, underpinned by the good quality and accuracy of their supporting documentation. Clear, written policies and procedures ensure that parents are aware of any steps the staff will take to maintain children's safety and deal with any accidents that may occur, including applying first aid. Children are safeguarded because staff have a secure understanding of their responsibilities regarding child protection procedures and the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is being abused.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the pre-school and explore their surroundings with enthusiasm, confidence and growing independence. They benefit from the care and encouragement of committed staff in a harmonious learning environment. Children relate well to each other and socialise with others as they play in groups participating in a range of interesting activities. Children are becoming good communicators, they chat confidently between themselves, and the staff make good use of conversations to extend children's thinking and play. Children are beginning to use their imaginations creatively as they take part in a variety of role-play activities. They develop their physical skills regularly, both indoors and outside. The pre-school cares for children under three and staff evaluate the organisation of resources and planning in order to ensure that they are developmentally appropriate and provide a range of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

experiences which increase children's learning. The youngest children achieve well because staff are suitably skilled and are developing their use of early years guidance, such as the 'Birth to three matters' framework, to provide good quality care and learning opportunities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage and work well together to provide a broad range of interesting activities to help children to learn. They use effective questioning to promote children's thinking and their enthusiasm and approach provide a happy environment in which children can enjoy learning. Planning and assessment systems are benefiting from current review, there have been some significant developments and they generally provide a suitable framework to help children make sound progress towards the early learning goals. These systems, however, are not consistently used effectively to ensure some activities will be sufficiently adapted or extended to fully support differing abilities. Children's individual progress is observed,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

although information gained from these assessments is not used methodically to plan the next stages of their development, which impacts on the challenges provided and the individual progress children make. Therefore, the older and more able children are not always challenged sufficiently in all areas of their learning. Children count confidently and are beginning to compare numbers in everyday activities and daily routines. They begin to make sense of the world around them as they explore and investigate a variety of materials and learn about the environment through planned topic work. They are aware of their own bodies and their ability to use their senses. They are confident and skilled speakers and use words effectively to convey their experiences both real and imaginary. They are able to sit and listen to stories and also offer answers to questions. Children are making sound progress in both mark-making and writing and some are becoming skilled at writing their own

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

names. They are also able to treat books with respect and use these for pleasure as they are aware that they contain stories which they enjoy. Children are keen to learn and can concentrate well, showing perseverance, in activities they are interested in. They co-operate and negotiate roles, for example, when acting out their imagined ideas in role-play and value one another's ideas. Children enjoy exploring creativity and talk about textures as they access resources and use a range of media. Their physical skills develop and improve through a wide range of experiences, including movement to music.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed into the pre-school and a good range of resources encourages children to be aware of their own and other cultures. These positive images of the wider community enable children to develop self-esteem and a sense of their own worth. The pre-school has effective arrangements in place to care for children with special needs. Children are well behaved and are able to share and show consideration for others. They respond well to reminders to care for resources and each other and staff have high expectations of their behaviour. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Strong relationships between staff and parents means that information regarding children's individual care needs is shared and used effectively and this contributes

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 significantly to the children's feelings of security and well-being. Written information for parents regarding the way in which the pre-school works and the details of the nursery education curriculum has been updated to take account of recent changes. Consequently, parents are able to reflect on care practices and feel appropriately informed about the provision made for their children's nursery education. Partnership with parents and carers for nursery education is good. Staff regularly talk to parents about what their children have been doing in the session and their current achievements. Key workers ensure that parents receive regular verbal and written information about how their child is developing and progressing. Parents' views are actively sought prior to their children beginning at the playgroup so that staff are

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Helping children make a positive contribution

aware of some of the children's developmental needs and interests. There are systematic arrangements for staff and parents to share their observations and assessments of children's progress towards the early learning goals, within the Foundation Stage, and they are beginning to develop their planning for the next steps in children's learning together. Children benefit from their parents involvement in topic work which enables them to follow through learning at home and contributes to their development and progress.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The management team have made a number of changes to practice to improve the care and well-being of the children in their care. They have developed strong aims and values for the provision and have a clear vision for continuing the improvements for children's care and education. They establish good training opportunities to enhance the quality of care given to children and an action plan is already in place to formalise staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs and outcomes for the very youngest children. The organisation within the pre-school meets the needs of the children well. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities to extend play and learning opportunities for the range of children attending the setting. Staff effectively organise time to allow the children to be cared for in small and mixed age groups which ensures that they receive suitable levels of care appropriate to their developmental

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Organisation

stages. The good ratios of staff to children ensure that children receive a lot of individual attention which promotes their sense of belonging and self-worth. All legally required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place, regularly reviewed and fully shared with parents. Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Children's care and learning are supported through the effective organisation of the setting and the ability of the enthusiastic and committed staff team, headed by the knowledgeable and experienced supervisor. Staff development, committee meetings and regular staff meetings contribute to the smooth running of the pre-school. There are appropriate recruitment and induction procedures in place. The management team is well aware of the weaknesses for children's education and what needs to be done to improve. The relevant training programmes and changes to planning systems, whilst

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 sound, are not established enough to have yet had an impact on comprehensively improving children's nursery education. The monitoring and evaluative judgements made of children's learning have not been fully utilised as the basis of planning for future learning. Staff carry out some regular evaluation of the provision, however, further methodical review and refinement of the monitoring system will enhance planning so that it builds on what all children need to do next to secure best progression in all areas of their learning. Overall the provider meets the needs of the range of children cared for.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider was asked to review the written operational plan and revise the child protection policy to include the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer. Since then, the child protection policy has been updated and includes clear information to ensure staff and parents are fully informed of the appropriate action which would be taken to ensure that the safety and welfare of children is maintained. The pre-school has also further developed their written operational plan so that it can be shared by all. This facilitates the understanding of how the setting runs, how resources are used to meet the needs of the children, informs self-evaluation and promotes best outcomes for children. At the last nursery education inspection the setting was asked to develop the provision of purposeful activities for children to develop their understanding of linking

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Improvements since the last inspection

sounds and letters, mathematical problem solving and skills in using information and communication technology to support their learning. Since then, the staff have reviewed their use of time, space and resources in order to extend the identified programmes of activities and the purposeful learning opportunities offered to children in mathematical problem solving, use of technology and their development of phonic knowledge. Children have increased opportunities to take part in an appropriate range of stimulating activities that contribute to them making sound progress in these areas of their learning. Children enjoy the activities and are developing appropriate understanding and a broad range of skills.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to consolidate and formalise staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs and outcomes for children from birth to three by using an approach in line with the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to develop planning systems, based on children's interests and what they need to do next, so that activities are consistently adapted to enable children of all abilities to gain the most from the activity and the learning materials, and to ensure that all children can achieve appropriately in all areas of their learning • continue to refine the monitoring systems so that evidence and evaluative judgements which take account of how children are responding to planned provision are used with increasing effectiveness, to inform future planning and to secure best progression for all children's learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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