Gaddesby School Community Pre-school

Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 226349 Inspection date 22 May 2006 Inspector Judith Chinnery

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Pre-School

Setting Address Gaddesby Village Hall, Ashby Road, Gaddesby, Leicestershire, LE7 4WF

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E-mail

Registered person (Togs) Gaddesby Community 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Gaddesby Community Pre-School was established in 1997 and is run by a committee. It operates from a large room with attendant facilities in the village hall in Gaddesby. It is closely associated with Gaddesby primary school next door and has full use of the school grounds and other facilities. Children attending the group come from the surrounding mainly rural area. There are currently 37 children from two years to five years on roll. This includes 20

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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 funded three and four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports two children with special educational needs and no children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term-times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 12:00. There are three staff who work with the children. Two staff members have early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health and well being is promoted effectively through the provision of healthy food choices, good hygiene practices and detailed procedures for managing accidents and medication. Snacks are planned well and include fresh fruit and vegetables enabling children to grow healthily. There is a constant supply of juice and water throughout the day to ensure that children are unlikely to become thirsty. Well-established hygiene practices such as cleaning tables regularly between activities ensure that the spread of infection amongst young children is minimised. Children know routines for handwashing enabling them to learn about good health and hygiene practices for themselves, staff also support this learning with discussions and gentle reminders. Children's physical development and opportunities to exercise are given a high priority in this setting. They make extensive use of the school grounds and equipment

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Helping children to be healthy

so children are developing good skills with their bodies. They are confident in their use of climbing equipment, can balance and are adept at avoiding each other and obstacles. Staff enable children to continue to make good progress in this area through a variety of well planned activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The safety of the children is important in the setting. The room and equipment is arranged with children's safety in mind and staff use up to date risk assessment effectively to help them minimise hazards to the children. Children use a wide range of safe, good quality and developmentally appropriate resources. They can access limited resources themselves easily and safely from those placed around the room. Low tables and chairs and other suitable equipment ensures that children can eat, sit and play safely. Older children are beginning to take some responsibility for managing their own safety because some staff explain dangers clearly, the children can explain why it is dangerous to run. Security is good with external exits being kept locked. This ensures that unwanted visitors cannot gain

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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 access to the nursery or present a risk to the children. Children are protected in the nursery. Staff are well aware of child protection procedures and managers are clear in what they should do should any concerns arise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. The care, learning and play experiences for children in the nursery are varied and interesting. Children of all ages are content and well-settled enjoying warm and close relationships with their carers. The youngest children enjoy exploring play dough and sand, trying to find out what it will do and what it feels like. They happily build simple towers with blocks and persevere to fit the right pieces in puzzles. While staff provide worthwhile and stimulating activities for young children to enjoy and learn, they do not yet actively use the 'Birth to three matters' framework in planning an appropriate timetable for this age group. Many two-year-olds struggle to cope with activities and structure designed for older three and four-year-olds. Nursery Education Teaching and learning for funded three-year-olds is good. A broad range of activities are planned and provided across the Foundation Stage. All staff have a thorough

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

knowledge of the Foundation Stage and use this effectively in planning activities and in extending children's learning through play. Records show that most children are making steady progress towards the early learning goals in most areas of learning. Staff are using the assessment of children's progress well to identify and set targets for the next steps children need to take. These are linked clearly to plans so activities are usually based on children's interests and what they need to do next. Children are confident and enjoy good relationships with staff and each other. Most children are aware of the expectations of staff and respond positively to their interventions in any squabbles which might arise. While staff use appropriate strategies to manage children's behaviour they do not always actively look for ways of promoting positive behaviour. Most children are able to take care of their own needs and enjoy opportunities to help tidy away. Circle time is used effectively to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

greet each other and enable children to develop a sense of belonging. Children enjoy doing things for themselves such as putting on their own coats but miss some opportunities for making decisions in their play. This is often because the timetable for each session involves a number of changes and participation in large group activities. Children are developing confident language skills as they explain and make connections between experiences such as talking about what they like to eat at home. They enjoy some opportunities to make marks using lines and circles. Many children are starting to draw recognisable images with features such as eyes and mouths, whilst some very able children are writing recognisable letters and their names. Some children love to play with sounds and make up rhymes to other words.

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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 have access to a well-stocked book corner and enjoy looking at and talking about the pictures and story. In mathematics children are developing sound counting skills and most can count to ten by rote. They are familiar with common shapes and use size language such as big and little in their play, many older children are interested in solving problems and can add one and take one away with little help. Children become readily absorbed in joining and designing with construction such as towers and garages. Topics such as growing and mini-beasts are fostering children's interest in the natural world. They become fascinated at finding worms and watch crawling beetles with interest. Most children are able to operate simple machines such as the remote controlled car. They have a growing familiarity with other cultures

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and beliefs through books, activities and the celebration of festivals because staff actively use discussion and resources to explore differences and promote respect for others. Children move well in different ways, running and jumping easily, they are challenged to move on and develop their large body skills further. They handle scissors safely and deftly thread pasta. Children are developing an understanding of colour and are fascinated to see two colours making another. Staff offer appropriate suggestions and ideas to children when they are using collage materials so that they are able to freely create their own art work. They know a wide repertoire of songs and rhymes and enthusiastically recreate rhythms such as tapping out the sounds of their names as well as listening to different kinds of music.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are able to join in, take responsibility and play a productive part in the setting. The individual needs of most children are met by staff using information from parents regarding diet and sleep routines. Staff are committed to promoting equality of opportunity in this setting. Children have a growing understanding of other cultures and beliefs through the celebration of festivals and use of resources. Fun activities such as learning French are helping children to appreciate and respect differences. An evaluation of practice and subsequent development plans has enabled staff to plan activities which ensure that children are included in and have access to all activities. Children with learning difficulties are well supported in the setting. Staff ensure they meet their needs effectively through close liaison with their parents and other professionals. Children generally behave well in the setting. Staff support young children effectively

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Helping children make a positive contribution

as they learn to share, distracting them and redirecting them to other activities appropriately. Older children are well aware of boundaries and accept the support of staff in resolving minor squabbles. Some children are beginning to take responsibility for their own behaviour, but staff are less proactive in promoting acceptable behaviour through reminders, reinforcement and rewards. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Relationships between staff and parents are very good. Information regarding children's care needs is shared and used effectively. Daily discussions with parents keeps them informed about how their child has been during the day, contributing

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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 effectively to the care and well-being of their child. Parents are actively involved in the setting volunteering and contributing activity ideas and suggestions. Partnership with parents and carers for nursery education is good. Parents are well informed about the educational curriculum in the setting through leaflets and notices. There are good opportunities for parents to be informed about their child's progress through the early learning goals because staff make time to make this information available. Effective systems are in place to enable parents to share, contribute to and become involved in their child's learning, so they are able to support their child's learning and progress in meaningful ways.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting is well managed. The staff team are appropriately qualified and led by an able manager and her deputy which ensures that children are well cared for and protected. The setting is also effectively supported by a management committee. Staff are encouraged to update their child care skills as they access relevant training. An effective appraisal system assists managers in identifying the nursery's main strengths and weaknesses in child care. The suitable staff to child ratios appropriately supports children's care, learning and play. Staff are placed effectively around the room according to their skills and qualifications, ensuring that children are able to develop and take an active part in the setting. Policies and procedures support practice well to promote children's health, safety, enjoyment and ability to make a positive contribution. The provision meets the needs of the children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Leadership and management for nursery education is good. The manager and staff work closely together to develop a clear vision and focus for the group to continue improving the personal development and achievements for all funded children. Staff are knowledgeable about the Foundation Stage and continually seek to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff evaluate and monitor the educational provision regularly and put development plans in place to enable them to implement continual improvements. They are committed to ensuring that the children make good progress in their learning across all areas.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection in October 2004 the setting was asked to ensure that all staff were vetted and that fire evacuation procedures conformed to Fire safety Recommendations. Since the last inspection the setting has ensured that all staff are cleared and vetted appropriately with effective systems in place for checking suitability to ensure that children are protected. Evacuation procedures have been suitably updated to conform with recommendations ensuring that children and staff can leave the building safely in the event of an emergency. At the last nursery education inspection in November 2002 the setting was asked to ensure that all staff were included in planning and to ensure good deployment of

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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 those staff; ensure all staff and volunteers were informed about the Foundation Stage and their stepping stones and improve children's access to technology. Since the last inspection staff have increased their knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage effectively, they all participate in observing and getting to know the children and bring this information to planning to ensure that activities are built on children's interests and what they need to do next. The Foundation Stage curriculum is now well planned to include provision for technology such as cause and effect toys and remote controlled cars as well as a computer. Staff are now appropriately deployed around the group to ensure that children receive sufficient support.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since April 2004. 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): • adopt an approach in line with the 'Birth to three matters' framework to improve play activities and the organisation of the session to meet the needs of children aged under three years • continue to develop and use positive strategies for managing children's behaviour to enable them to take responsibility for their own behaviour (this also applies to nursery education).

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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): • make more opportunities in the daily time table for children to make choices

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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 and decisions and be actively involved in their own 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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