Bodiam Pre-School

Bodiam Pre School Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Bodiam Pre School Playgroup

Unique Reference Number EY309603 Inspection date 03 March 2006 Inspector Liz Margaret Caluori

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Bodiam Pre School Playgroup

Setting Address The Parish Rooms, Parker & Ashcomb, Almshouse Trust, Bodiam, East Sussex, TN32 5UJ

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E-mail

Registered person Bodiam Pre School Playgroup Committee 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Bodiam Pre-School Playgroup opened in 2005. It is committee run and operates from the Parish Rooms in Bodiam. A maximum of 10 children attend the pre-school at any one time. It is open each morning from 09:00 to 12:00 during term times and serves the local area. The group has sole use of a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. There are currently 16 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 8 children receive funding for nursery education. The group serves the local community

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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 and is able to support children with special needs as well as those with English as an additional language. The pre-school employs 3 members of staff although, depending on the number of children attending, only 2 may be present for some sessions. The manager and deputy hold appropriate early years qualifications and the third staff member is working towards a qualification. The group has links with the local primary school, receives support from the local authority and is also member of the Bexhill and Battle Under-Fives Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children play in a clean, tidy environment. They are developing good personal hygiene through the support and encouragement of staff. They wash their hands after toileting and are learning how to avoid spreading germs. Staff with first aid qualifications are present at all times, ensuring that children are appropriately cared for in case of an accident. Similarly, procedures relating to the care of sick children and the administration of medicines are appropriate. Snack times are extremely relaxed and sociable occasions. Children eat a healthy mid-morning snack made up of a wide variety of fruits, much of which is contributed by parents. Children enthusiastically discuss the items that they have brought in to share with their friends. They use very descriptive words such as ‘juicy’, ‘sweet’ and ‘sharp’ when trying new tastes and are learning about the benefits of healthy eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

They are also given a choice of crackers or rice cakes and are encouraged to spread the margarine for themselves. Children’s individual dietary needs are understood and respected by staff. Children benefit from very good opportunities to develop their physical skills. Staff are committed to ensuring children enjoy time playing outside on all days that the weather permits. Children have lots of fun running and playing in the garden. They make very good use of the low level equipment provided to practice climbing and balancing; they are developing co-ordination and confidence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are protected by a range of effective safety precautions. These include the use of a safety gate to restrict access to the kitchen area and a fire guard which covers the heater. There is also a daily health and safety check undertaken by staff. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe. They are very well supported to understand and remember the basic safety rules in place within the pre-school. These are discussed regularly and are re-enforced by the use of pictorial symbols

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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 reminding children that there should be no shouting and no running. This understanding of symbols is extended to include teaching children to recognise the running figure which indicates a fire exit. Children confidently remind each other of these rules during activities, for example, telling their friends not to wave knives around during snack time. Children play with a good range of toys and resources. These are well maintained, easily accessible and appropriate for their ages. Appropriate procedures are in place to protect children from the risk of fire. Fire fighting equipment is in place and emergency evacuation drills are practised regularly. The manager has a clear knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and of her responsibility to report any concerns. As a result, children are effectively

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are welcomed individually on arrival and enthusiastically greet the staff and their friends. Their individual emotional and general care needs are very well respected. They are happy, settled and secure in their surroundings. There are flexible but clear routines which are very well understood by the children. A well balanced mix of stimulating and more relaxing activities are provided and staff competently identify any child who needs additional support or attention. Children confidently select an activity from the wide range on offer and show very good levels of concentration as they explore and experiment. There are planned activities each session and these are very skilfully presented to capture the children’s interest. As all children are cared for in the same room, younger children take part in the same range of activities as the older children. However, staff very competently

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

ensure that each individual child is provided with an appropriate level of challenge. Planning for the older children relates to the foundation stage of the national curriculum, whilst the Birth to three matters framework is used to meet the needs of the 2 year old children. A range of resources are provided to help the younger children progress. These include mirrors which are placed around the room and encourage them to recognise themselves in the setting, helping to develop their sense of belonging to the group. There are also pictures stuck on all cupboards which indicate what is stored inside. This helps younger children to become more independent as they access equipment for themselves. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. There is a key worker system in operation and staff have a very good understanding of the individual personalities and developmental needs of the children attending. They have a sound knowledge of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the foundation stage and competently assess and monitor children’s progress through observations and written records. This information is used to plan the next step for each child.

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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 enjoy long periods of free play. These are very well supported by staff who competently provide resources, support and encouragement without taking over. There are also regular adult lead activities aimed at teaching children about specific subjects, for example planting and growing. These offer a good level of challenge and are very well delivered. Staff are extremely competent at engaging and maintaining children’s interest. As a result children are becoming enthusiastic and independent learners and have very good levels of concentration. Children listen with great interest to the information they are given through planned activities as well as during the many interesting conversations with staff. They are developing very broad vocabularies and are well supported to explore language.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy listening to stories and often sit looking at books. They are learning to recognise written letters and have regular opportunities to practise writing; some are beginning to form recognisable letters. However, at times, they are not sufficiently encouraged to practise writing in their free play. Whilst mark making equipment is set out each day, this is not used by all children. Children enjoy a range of well planned and well resourced activities specifically planned to address their mathematical development. They practise skills such as weighing and measuring and are beginning to count confidently and use mathematical language in their play. Creatively, children are also progressing well. They make very good use of the home corner to play imaginative role play games with their friends. They also regularly take part in craft activities, often becoming engrossed in producing very expressive pieces

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of art, using a wide range of materials. Children are making particularly good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world. They enthusiastically take part in activities aimed at teaching them about the local environment and the wider world. They are well supported by staff to make good use of the countryside around them. They look at the lambs in the field adjacent to the nursery garden and discuss their development and also observe the comings and goings of the rookeries in nearby trees. In addition, they enjoy activities aimed at teaching them about different cultures.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are made welcome and are respected as individuals. All children confidently make independent choices and approach staff readily for support or attention. They thrive on the praise and positive re-enforcement they receive and are developing very good self esteem. They are sociable, polite and caring. Whilst there are minor disputes over sharing and turn taking, these are consistent with the ages and stages of development of the children and are dealt with positively and patiently by staff. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are well supported to develop good social skills and to learn right from wrong. They are provided with a range of activities and resources aimed at promoting positive images of people from throughout the community and are learning to respect others.

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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 The pre-school has good arrangements in place to care for children with English as an additional language as well as those with special needs. The staff team has a very positive attitude to meeting the needs of all children. The manager acts as the special needs co-ordinator and has a very good understanding of the responsibilities of this role. Partnership with parents is good. They are greeted warmly by staff and are familiar with the procedures and routines of the setting. They are informed about the life of the nursery through regular newsletters, notices and informal conversations. The manager is pro-active in seeking the opinion of parents by using questionnaires and inviting comments and suggestions. Parents are free to speak with their child’s key worker at any time and look in their individual files. In addition, regular parents

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Helping children make a positive contribution

evenings are planned to formally discuss each child’s progress. The parents of older children are shown the written records indicating their child’s achievements against the stepping stones of the Foundation stage. Similarly, younger children’s progress is recorded against the components of the Birth to three matters framework. This evidence is very well supported by digital photographs included in each child’s file, showing them involved in a wide range of activities. Staff take time to ensure that each parent understands the aims for their child and are able to discuss the ways in which they will be supported to continue in their progress.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. There are three members of staff working in the nursery, although there are two days when only the manager and deputy are present as fewer children attend. The manager and deputy hold appropriate childcare qualifications and the third staff member is working towards a qualification. Good recruitment and development arrangements are in place to ensure the suitability of staff. There is a comprehensive range of written policies and procedures in place and these are fully understood by all staff. Registers of attendance are maintained although these do not include sufficient detail about the times of attendance of staff and children. Other than this, all required documentation is present and appropriately maintained; this contributes to the effective management of the setting. The pre-school operates from a single room. Space, although limited, is very well used to enable a large variety of activities to take place at the same time.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the pre-school are good. A good relationship exists between the chair of the management committee and the manager and both are clear on their individual responsibilities. The manager and staff work extremely well as a team and communicate effectively to ensure that the individual needs of children are identified and addressed. This creates a harmonious, comfortable environment for the children. In addition, the staff team are very positive about identifying any possible areas for improvement in the service as a whole. They work with the local authority to develop action plans showing how these will be achieved. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. 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

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 good.

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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): • review the maintenance of attendance registers to show the times of attendance for children and staff

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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): • consider increasing the encouragement for children to practise writing in their freely chosen activities

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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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