St. Laurence Pre-school and Club 11 Ltd.

St Laurence Pre-School & Club 11 Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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St Laurence Pre-School & Club 11 Ltd

Unique Reference Number 257860 Inspection date 04 April 2006 Inspector Alison Edwards

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St Laurence Pre-School & Club 11 Ltd

Setting Address Broad Street, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, NG10 1JH

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E-mail

Registered person St Lawrence Pre School and Club 11 Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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?

St. Laurence Pre-School and Club 11 Ltd was first established in 1984 and has been under its present management since 2000. It has sole use of the Elder Citizen's Centre in Long Eaton and serves the local area. It is registered to provide care for 50 children from 2 to under 8 years. It also provides care for primary school children between 8 and 11 years. It operates within the hours of 07:30 to 18:00 on Monday to Friday throughout the year.

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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 Children aged under 3 are normally based in a smaller rear room, the Stepping Stones group, based in the main hall during term time mornings, caters primarily for 3 year olds, whilst the pre-school group using the main hall during the early afternoons caters mainly for 4 year olds. Some children attend throughout the whole day. Club 11 operates before and after school hours during term times and all day during the school holidays, providing care across the age range. Children have use of cloakroom facilities, including a disabled access cloakroom, adjacent to the playrooms. There is an enclosed outside area for outdoor play. Staff have access to additional facilities including kitchen, storage areas, office and a further cloakroom. There are currently 105 children aged under 8 years on roll. This includes 42 children

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

receiving funded nursery education. The setting is able to provide care for children with special needs or with English as an additional language. Including the 2 joint proprietors there are 10 regular childcare staff. Of these, 6 hold recognised qualifications at level 3 and 1 at level 2. A further staff member is currently undertaking training.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in clean and suitably maintained premises which are naturally lit and ventilated so helping to maintain their health. They are sometimes able to access an outdoor play area, or go for walks in the local neighbourhood, so enabling them to be active in the fresh air. A clear policy is in place regarding sun protection procedures, so helping to ensure that children's well-being is promoted in warmer weather. Children are encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating, although some use of shared water does not always fully minimise risks of cross-infection. They begin to develop independence in some simple self-care tasks, for example putting on their own outdoor clothes. However, staff often deal with younger children's care needs themselves, for example by wiping children's noses for them, rather than actively encouraging them to fetch a tissue and learn how

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Helping children to be healthy

to use and dispose of it. Appropriate arrangements are in place to obtain information from parents regarding children's individual health, care and dietary needs, enabling these to be met. Children often undertake activities enabling them to use their hand-eye coordination, for example when manipulating jigsaws, handling brushes and crayons or threading cotton reels. However, these are not always planned to best effect to promote purposeful independence and challenge, as when pre-school aged children sometimes lack sustained interest when colouring in photocopied pictures. Children enjoy using their large movement skills, for example as they pedal wheeled toys. Staff plan a variety of activities, such as movement games and use of equipment such as parachutes, bats and balls, designed to cover a range of movement skills. However, as yet this planning is not fully effective in ensuring all children experience

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Helping children to be healthy

a full range of activities. This is because planned physical education sessions for pre-school aged children mainly take place on Fridays, and not all children on roll attend on this day.

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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 Children regularly enjoy a range of varied and nutritious snacks usually including fresh fruit or raw vegetables, so contributing to a healthy and balanced diet. Children attending at the start or end of the day, or staying all day, are offered substantial meals, for example a breakfast including choice of cereals or porridge, toast and spreads, yogurt, fruit and drink, so helping to ensure they are suitably nourished. A choice of drinks is provided at intervals throughout the day, but at present children are not consistently able to access fresh drinking water at other times to encourage them to take sufficient fluids.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are confident in using the bright and warm premises. Careful security on internal and external doors and careful attention to arrival and collection arrangements helps ensure they are unable to leave the building unless supervised by an authorised adult. The fully enclosed outdoor area is directly accessible from the smaller playroom and provides a secure space for children to benefit from activities in the fresh air. Available space in the two playrooms is generally used effectively to enable children to move freely between activities in clearly designated areas such as book corners or role play areas. A bright and well-lit entrance foyer is used effectively to provide attractive and informative displays for parents and to provide additional space for children's indoor gardening projects, such as growing tomatoes. Furniture, such as low tables and chairs, is in sound condition and suitably designed

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to enable children to eat and play comfortably and safely. A sofa and numerous arm chairs in the large playroom enable children to rest or relax quietly if they wish to do so. Children are able to safely choose from a suitable selection of resources and play materials which are in clean and sound condition and generally appropriate for their stage of development. For example, 2 year olds can easily reach to shovel sand into buckets at a low sand tray, whilst school aged children understand the system for booking turns to use an electronic games console. In addition to the selection of activities put out for them by staff, children are sometimes able to choose from a wider range of items in labelled storage crates and drawers which they are able to access safely. Children's safety is given high priority. High staff-child ratios are maintained, helping ensure children are offered good supervision appropriate to their activities and stage

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

of development. For example, additional staff are deployed to help supervise pre-school aged children as they walk through the town centre to make an Easter visit to the parish church. Additional precautions, such as use of coloured baseball caps to identify children as part of the nursery, are used in outings and when collecting or delivering children to local schools. Staff recognise their responsibilities to maintain children's safety in the event of an emergency such as a fire or a child being lost, and are familiar with the procedures to be followed in such circumstances. Within the premises, hazards to children are minimised by use of a range of routine precautions, for example ensuring electrical sockets are not exposed and that children do not have access to the kitchen. Children begin to learn about aspects of safety within planned topics, for example when they play games in the outdoor play

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

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 linked to road safety, or when a visit to the local fire station enables them to understand more about fire safety. Staff understand what child abuse and neglect mean and are aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of any child protection concerns. This helps ensure they are able to act appropriately to safeguard children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children across the age range are generally relaxed and happy in the setting and usually quickly become involved in one of the available activities. They are often busy and occupied in their play, for example as 2 year olds build towers of plastic bricks or as pre-school children act out simple role play, when pretending to be customers in a café. They make simple choices between the range of activities on offer and begin to negotiate with other children, for example about use of a particular bucket in the sand. Staff often spend time talking and playing with the children, for example helping them form road or rail layouts, or helping them set up an electronic games console. This helps maintain children's interest in their activities and feel they are valued. Staff working with younger children make an outline plan of activities and equipment used at different sessions, so helping to ensure children experience a generally

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

balanced range of activities to support their development. For example, they use their social skills as they begin to share role play equipment, their large physical skills when they pedal wheeled toys, or their thinking skills as they identify different coloured plastic blocks. However, current systems do not yet fully extend younger children's development and learning because staff do not yet implement guidance in the 'Birth to three matters' framework relating to the care and education of younger children. For example, experiences and activities are not currently closely linked to observations of individual children's interests and stage of maturity to help them take the next step in their learning. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning for the funded nursery education programme is satisfactory. Staff are generally familiar with the aspects of learning identified in the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. They use this knowledge to help them

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

plan a variety of activities providing generally balanced coverage across all areas of learning. For example, children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world, and a social awareness of their own community, as they visit and talk about local facilities such as the library, fire station or church. Children's learning is generally appropriately supported through varied teaching methods including child chosen play and adult led activities. For example staff use adult led whole group teaching to introduce children to letter sounds, whilst children begin to investigate how different substances behave as they play freely with whisks and soapy water. However, time and resources are not always organised to best effect to promote children's independence and purposeful involvement. For example, transitions between different parts of the session occasionally leave children waiting aimlessly

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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 for short periods of time, and low storage units are not well labelled to encourage children to independently access materials such as paper or cartons for independent creative activities. Children's progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals is assessed as staff keep clear records of their developmental observations of children. Staff also identify specific learning aims when planning some activities for children. However, at present these learning aims are not linked to staff's assessment of children's current stage of development. Activities and experiences are therefore sometimes not well matched to children's learning needs to provide consistently high levels of challenge and progression for individual children. Children are often confident and busy in their play, handling toys appropriately and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

beginning to take some responsibility for their surroundings as they help staff tidy up. They start to learn about their own and different lifestyles as they make visits in the local neighbourhood, or learn songs and rhymes in different languages from visiting parents. They begin to cooperate with each other, for example as they take on different roles in simple pretend play. Resources are not always used to best effect to promote their independence. For example children cannot routinely get drinks for themselves and cannot readily access a good selection of different mark making materials, for example crayons, drawing pencils, felt tips or paint. Children are often confident in using spoken language to talk about their preferences or experiences, for example as a small group of children talk informally with an adult about recent holidays. They are regularly encouraged to share books and stories with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff or parents, and sometimes choose to look at books independently. Children are usually able to access one or more forms of mark-making, such as chalking on chalk boards or colouring in photocopied pictures at most sessions. However, they are not yet consistently encouraged to extend their own independent and purposeful writing, for example by trying to write their own names on pictures. Children often count in sequence together, for example when counting the number of children in the group. They sometimes recognise numerals when looking at books or in play. They take part in a range of activities through which they are able to learn about pattern, shape and size, for example as they thread coloured reels or fit different sized plastic blocks together. They less frequently take part in challenging and purposeful activities helping them solve simple problems by comparing and combining numbers. Children often enjoy building simple structures with commercial construction sets and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are sometimes able to use small tools such as hole punches and ribbon to join different materials in craft activities. They become familiar with some aspects of everyday technology in their play, for example as they use telephones or tills. Topic based activities sometimes help them learn about their own and different communities, for example as they visit the local fire station or mark different festivals. They begin to learn about the natural world as they grow tomatoes, and begin to recognise how different substances behave, for example as they play with soapy water. However, activities and experiences are not yet planned to fully extend children's observation, problem solving and thinking skills.

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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 Children begin to learn about colour, texture, form and shape as they are introduced to a range of different art and craft materials and techniques, for example collage or printing. However, they are not consistently encouraged to explore and develop their own imaginative ideas. They frequently enjoy varied role play, for example in a pretend office or café, although resources are not always well used to help extend their purposeful play, for example by ensuring that there is sufficient play crockery and cutlery to match place settings to the number of 'customers'. Children are introduced to a selection of songs and rhymes and are able to experience various types of music, for example when handling different instruments.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are confident and relaxed within the setting. Most children, including younger ones who have only recently started at the group, settle readily on arrival. They approach adults freely to talk about their experiences, for example events on a recent holiday. They are often busy and occupied in their play, for example as younger children fill and empty containers with sand, or as school aged children are absorbed in electronic games. Children are able to exercise some choice over their activities at most times, for example as they move between the selection of items put out by staff, or when older children ask for particular games or resources to be made available. Children show an awareness of why particular behaviour is expected of them because staff are calm and consistent in their dealings with them and take time to talk with them. For example, pre-school children talk with staff about the need to

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Helping children make a positive contribution

hold hands and stay together on the pavement in order to stay safe when walking through the town. Children are sometimes involved in establishing expectations for their behaviour, as when school aged children help draw up agreed rules for tea time routines. They sometimes take part in activities helping them understand how to contribute to the wider community, for example as children attending over the school holidays undertake projects linked to recycling. In these ways they begin to take responsibility for their own behaviour, and to consider how their actions affect other people and their environment. There are sound arrangements to take account of children's individuality. Methodical records are kept regarding children's individual care and dietary needs, so enabling these to be met. Children and families from different cultural heritages are encouraged to contribute their experiences to the group, for example by introducing

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Helping children make a positive contribution

games or nursery rhymes in different languages. Use of some resources such as dolls with different skin tones or dressing up clothes linked to different cultures helps them begin to recognise and respect diversity. Some inclusion of stories and creative activities linked to religious festivals helps introduce children to spiritual beliefs, for example as they listen to a simplified retelling of the Easter story. Effective systems are in place to support the inclusion of children with identified special needs, and staff recognise the importance of liaison with parents and other relevant professionals to help support such inclusion. Overall, children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Parents speak favourably of the friendly environment which helps them feel

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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 confidence in the care offered to children. Prospective parents receive concise written information about the setting and are encouraged to visit to enable them to gain an understanding of the arrangements for their children's care. Opportunities for informal discussion at the start or end of sessions enable staff and parents to share relevant information on children's experiences and activities. Photograph albums and attractive and well captioned displays in the foyer enable parents to see how particular activities contribute to their children's development and learning. Newsletters help inform them of significant changes and events. Systems to respond to any parental complaints are in place and are being updated to be fully in line with current national guidance. The partnership with parents and carers of children

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Helping children make a positive contribution

receiving funded nursery education is good. They are able to discuss children's progress with staff at regular meetings, making use of developmental records which show how children are progressing through identified stepping stones towards the early learning goals. Parents are encouraged to contribute their own comments on children's progress. They are encouraged to make links with their children's learning at home, for example through participation in a book loan scheme whereby children are able to share and enjoy stories with both staff and parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. A well established and well qualified staff team work well together to create a stable and secure environment which helps children feel settled and confident. Good adult-child ratios enable staff to spend time working closely with children as individuals or in small groups, so helping establish secure relationships. Management recognise their recently increased responsibilities in ensuring the suitability of any new staff and are establishing clear procedures to deal with this. Staff have a practical awareness of how to implement the readily available policies and procedures to promote children's welfare. Appropriate contact and personal details are usually methodically maintained, so helping staff ensure children's individual care needs can be met. The leadership and management of the funded nursery education programme is satisfactory. Staff use the support of local authority development staff to work

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Organisation

towards improvement in areas they have identified for on-going development, such as more effective use of outdoor play and supporting children's independence. Systems, such as staff appraisals, are in use to help evaluate the continuing training and development needs of the established staff group. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection of day care the provider was asked to increase the amount of information recorded for children's hours of attendance, procedures for lost or uncollected children, and contact details of the regulator within the complaints procedure. Registers now show children's hours of attendance and staff are familiar with the procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost or uncollected so helping to underpin arrangements for children's care. The complaints procedure has

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 been revised to include contact details for the regulator, and the provider is taking steps to complete further revisions to bring the complaints procedure fully into line with recent relevant changes in legislation and to further changes in contact details. At the last inspection of day care the provider was also asked to assess the risks of using additional toilets, which, at the time, were shared with other users of the centre. The provider now has sole use of the premises during hours of operation so this is no longer relevant to maintaining children's safety and security. At the last inspection of funded nursery education the provider was asked to continue to develop planning to present all aspects of the curriculum in an integrated manner. The provider was also asked to ensure there were consistent opportunities for

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Improvements since the last inspection

children to be independent and use their own imaginations. Longer term planning is now linked to specific aspects of learning within the Foundation Stage, with focused activity plans for individual activities identifying how they relate to particular learning objectives. This helps to ensure that most aspects of learning within the curriculum now receive generally balanced coverage. The provider has taken some steps to increase opportunities for children to exercise their independence and imagination. For example older children are able to pour their own drinks or slice bananas to help prepare their afternoon snack and more use is made of varied role play settings or music and movement activities to enable children to use their imagination in different ways. However, as yet such activities are not consistently well planned and presented to extend children's independence and imagination to full effect. A further

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Improvements since the last inspection

recommendation has therefore been raised linked to this issue.

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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 all 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

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

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 take account of the following recommendation(s): • develop use of the 'Birth to three matters' framework to improve outcomes for younger children • review arrangements to enable children to access fresh drinking water to encourage them to take sufficient fluids, and arrangements for hand washing to minimise risks of cross infection

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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): • develop more effective use of assessments in short term planning to ensure activities and experiences are well matched to individual children's stage of development to offer high levels of challenge and progression • develop presentation of resources and activities to more effectively encourage children's independence and purpose, including more consistent opportunities for them to extend their own creative ideas and to experience large physical activity

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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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