Croyland Pre-School

Croyland Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Croyland Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY312013 Inspection date 26 April 2006 Inspector Philippa Clare Williams

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Croyland Pre-School

Setting Address Croyland Youth Centre, 1 Croyland Road, London, N9 7BA

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E-mail

Registered person Croyland 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?

Croyland Pre School is run by a committee and was re-registered in 2005. It operates from Croyland Youth Centre in Edmonton, N9. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open from 09:15 to 12:00 Monday to Friday and from 12:30 to 15:00 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays during school term times. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 74 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 53

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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 receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area. The pre-school currently supports a small number of children with special educational needs and also supports children who have English as an additional language. The pre-school employs 6 staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is promoted well because staff implement good health and hygiene routines. Children benefit from a nutritious range of snacks. For example, they enjoy snacks of different fruits and have independent access to drinks. This helps to effectively maintain their health and well-being. Children's special dietary requirements are met well because staff have a good knowledge of children's individual dietary needs. Snack time is a social occasion where children enjoy sitting together, which helps to develop children's good social and communication skills. Children's health and physical skills are effectively promoted because they participate in a good range of physical play activities. They benefit from accessing a wide range of resources both in and out doors which are changed each day to provide children with varied play opportunities. Children have fun and enjoy activities like climbing up

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Helping children to be healthy

and down a climbing frame, pedalling bikes, travelling through a tunnel, throwing and catching balls, and learning to use a hoola hoop. This results in children's physical skills developing well.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have fun playing in a well organised, welcoming environment, different resources are set out daily, enabling children to independently choose from the toys provided. Children's art work, photos and posters makes the environment attractive and helps children to have a sense of belonging. Toys and resources are checked on a daily basis as staff set them up around the room, ensuring they are well maintained for children to use. Children's safety is further ensured because staff check the environment each day to ensure there are no hazards. Children benefit from taking part in regular fire evacuation drills which helps to effectively promote their understanding of what to do in different emergency situations. Children learn about keeping safe as staff explain the dangers to them, for example not to run, and to use the wheeled toys safely. However lack of appropriate supervision whilst children use

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the climbing frame may lead to an accident. Children are kept safe because the preschool is maintained securely, and because staff implement good security procedures. For example, staff monitor access to the premises and ensure children only leave with authorised people. Staff maintain current first aid certificates to ensure children's well-being is maintained at all times.

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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 Children are well protected by staff who are fully aware of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse. Staff have a clear understanding of child protection procedures to follow should they have any concerns, which ensures children's welfare is maintained at all times.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children have fun and enjoy their time at the pre school. The majority of children arrive happily and are eager to participate in all activities. Children who are unsettled receive good support from staff, helping them to feel at ease and settled in their environment. Children show a good awareness of the setting's routine and respond well at tidy up time. Children play happily together and are beginning to develop positive relationships with one another and this contributes to their sense of belonging. Children participate in a good range of activities which helps them make progress in all areas of learning. Although, children under three benefit from activities, age-appropriate resources and staff's understanding of their needs, staff do not yet make observations of their progress to use to help them in their planning. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The staff group as a whole have

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

a suitable knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and plan a programme of activities throughout the week. However, children are not always challenged in their learning as planning and assessments are not effective in helping move children onto the next step. In addition children's concentration and learning is on occasions hindered by distraction of other children in the setting. Children happily join in activities encouraged by staff who lead by example. Children's independence skills are developing and they tend to their personal needs, such as using the toilet, putting on aprons for messy play or pouring drinks. Children's behaviour is generally good and they are developing skills in sharing and taking turns, which encourages respect for others. However staff are not always effective in managing behaviour and this lead to distractions in children's learning. They show good levels of concentration and sit quietly at circle time participating in

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the songs and stories with enthusiasm. Children's language is developing well, many are confident communicators, they enjoy talking about their experiences with staff. Children listen and actively participating in stories. They begin to recognise their name in print as part of the daily routine. However they have less opportunity for writing as staff do not always support early writing in the role play area, and do not give more able children opportunities to attempt to practice writing their own name on their art work. Children are developing good understanding of number, they are learning to count and enjoy number rhymes and are beginning to recognise numerals up to ten. They learn to recognise and name shapes, through discussion during play and at circle time. They are using size language well and understand the concept of big and small. However, children do not have sufficient opportunities to use simple problem solving in every day routines and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities. Children explore using their senses, as they smell the strawberry play dough, feel the

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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 texture of the sand, mix paint on the table. Children have good opportunities to use information and communication technology through using a range of small computer toys. Children show an awareness of a sense of time as they confidently describe events relating to the weekend. They show curiosity as they discover a snail in the garden and watch how a magnet pick up objects. Celebrating festivals helps them learn about and value our multi-cultural society. Children respond well to the imaginative role play opportunities offered, as they play in the home corner they pretend to do the shopping and ironing. They enjoy acting out the story of the Gingerbread Man. Art activities are varied and children confidently make their own choice of group songs at circle time. Children are becoming skilled in their use of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

tools, such as rollers, cutters and paint brushes. They have daily opportunities to develop large physical skills, such as, climbing, bike riding and ball skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are supported well in the transition between home and preschool. This ensures that they feel secure and settle readily. Children access a good range of resources that promote a positive view of the wider world and this helps them to understand about their differences and similarities. However, some children with English as an additional language are not fully supported to help them feel included in the setting. Systems are in place to welcome children with special needs, which ensures they are supported appropriately. Children generally behave well, especially when they are engaged in activities, which are well supported by staff. Children know the routine well and understand what is expected from them in the way of behaviour. However staff do not always intervene quickly enough to manage children's behaviour. Children benefit from the good relationships between the staff and their parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents receive information about the setting so they know about activities and events, and they have daily opportunities to discuss their child with staff. This ensures children's individual needs continue to be met. Policies and procedures are in place shared with parents and carers. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Parents are happy with the level of information they receive, which includes information about activities. Parents are encouraged to support children's learning at home, through homework based activities which are linked to topics covered during the session. However, there is no system in place for gathering information from parents about their child’s existing skills and for parents to contribute to their child's assessment record. This means that children do not benefit from the sharing of information that would enhance their learning and build on their existing

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Helping children make a positive contribution

knowledge and skills. The provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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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 The organisation is satisfactory. The available space and resources are organised effectively to ensure children are able to move easily and accessing their chosen activity and toys. Children initiate their own play and learning well. The adult-to-child ratio promotes children’s care, learning and play and provides all children with satisfactory levels of support, however there are times at the beginning of the session when staff deployment is not effective in supporting children appropriately. Appropriate recruitment procedures are in place and staff have appropriate qualifications and experience to help ensure children's welfare. Children's needs are met because most of the appropriate policies and procedures are in place, although some do lack relevant information. There is a complaints policy in place, although it

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Organisation

has not been updated in light of recent revisions, and a complaints log is not in place. The uncollected child policy needs to be extended to include the procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost. The child protection policy does not include procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse against a member of staff. The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Staff are committed to continued development of their knowledge and practice through training opportunities. They are keen to make improvements to ensure that all children have access to quality learning experiences and have begun to identify areas for improvement. Staff work well together as a team and there are good communication systems in place. However, staff deployment and the system to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education and continuous play provision is not so effective, which leads to lack of challenge in some areas.

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Organisation

Overall, the setting meets the needs of the children who attend.

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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

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 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): • further develop effective systems to improve support for children with English as an additional language • ensure that policies are updated with reference to the behaviour management, complaints and lost child procedures and update the child protection policy to include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff • improve supervision of children whilst they use the climbing frame

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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 the system of assessment, to include gathering information from parents about their child’s existing skills and by giving parents opportunities to contribute to their child's assessment record, so that the details can be used to effectively to help staff to plan activities that build on what children already know and can do (also applies to care) • improve systems to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education to ensure that staff are effectively deployed and children have access to challenging learning experiences which meets their individual needs • improve systems for curriculum planning to include how activities can be adapted and extended to meet children's learning needs and ensure that children's individual assessments are used to move child onto the next step in

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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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