Happy Tots Pre School

Happy Tots Pre School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Happy Tots Pre School

Unique Reference Number EY316234 Inspection date 26 April 2006 Inspector Glenda Kathleen Field

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Happy Tots Pre School

Setting Address Landseer Road Methodist Church, Landseer Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 9LX

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E-mail

Registered person Happy Tots Pre-School Playgroup 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?

Happy Tots Pre-school Playgroup is a committee managed group originally opened in 1981. In September 2005 the group moved to their current premises in south east Ipswich. The group operates from a church hall with direct access to an enclosed outside play area. The pre-school is open during term time only, Monday to Friday from 09.15 until 11.45 and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 12.30 until 15.00.

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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 A maximum of 24 children may attend the setting at any one time. At present there are 44 children from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 20 children receive funding for nursery education. Children predominantly come from the local area. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs 6 staff, 4 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is promoted by effective hygiene procedures, for example, staff clean tables prior to snack time. In addition, staff follow the correct procedures for the administration of medication and recording of accidents. Written parental consent is obtained to seek emergency medical advice or treatment if necessary, and comprehensive information is gathered from parents to meet any medical needs of the children. Children are learning how to keep themselves well by wiping their own noses and disposing of the tissue correctly, and washing their hands before snack time and after using the toilet. Children are increasing their understanding of the importance of a healthy diet through a good choice of fresh fruit at snack time such as cucumber, apple, banana and grapes. Displays and information booklets in the foyer encourage healthy eating. Drinking water is freely available throughout the session, therefore a child is able to

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Helping children to be healthy

satisfy their own needs should they feel thirsty. Children enjoy a range of physical activities within the setting, for example, using stilts, slide, hoops, balls and a selection of ride-on toys. Music and movement and dance are also enjoyed by the children. They are able to move around the hall freely from one activity to another. Children are provided with good opportunities to develop their small physical skills through using a range of tools such as scissors, threading activities, pencils and brushes. Children learn about their bodies and health awareness through planned activities and daily routines, for example, topics, books and informal opportunities such as discussions at snack time.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean, bright and safe environment. The play room is well organised with dedicated areas for a good range of messy, role play activities and quieter activities, for example, the book corner. This enables children to move around safely. There is an excellent range of quality toys and equipment which are well maintained. Children are able to access these independently from tables, trays and boxes situated at their height. This enables children to make many of their own choices, increasing their independence, and helping them to learn to organise their

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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 own play. Children benefit from a good range of safety measures, for example, electrical sockets are protected and there is a safe procedure for the collection of children. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe, for example, through the regular practising of fire drills and gentle reminders from staff not to rock on the chairs as they may fall off and hurt themselves. Children are effectively safeguarded by staff having a clear understanding of child protection issues enabling them to direct any concerns appropriately.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy being in the setting. They arrive enthusiastically and separate from their parent or carer quickly and settle at an activity. If a child becomes upset at this stage, they are sensitively supported by a member of staff until they are ready to participate. Children respond well to each other and staff. They greet staff with familiarity who are attentive and respond back to them. Children have their particular 'favourite' activity to settle at when they first arrive such as the Duplo bricks or books. Children are confident to talk to unfamiliar adults in the setting. For example, a child approached the inspector with a book asking ' will you read this for me?' Staff are patient and give good one-to-one support in activities, for example, at the collage and painting activities. The staff join in with children's play and ask questions, such as 'what colour is this?' and 'how many handprints have you done?'. As a result,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children think for themselves and extend their learning. Children are encouraged to be occupied in meaningful play through the familiar but flexible routine of free play opportunities and focussed activities. Children concentrate well as staff make effective use of praise and encouragement to help them to persevere with challenges, for example, a 3-year-old child spent ten minutes completing a painting and collage. Younger children are encouraged to participate in the activities which are on offer. However, they are not always able to freely access painting, gluing and sticking. The setting does not refer to the 'Birth to three matters' framework in their planning for under threes. Therefore, the needs of this age group are not always met. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a good understanding of the early learning goals and the stepping stones within them. Children are making

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are very caring, know the children's individual needs and value each child's contribution. They show an interest in what the children do, respond appropriately to their requests and use questioning skilfully. Children are provided with an excellent range of activities to stimulate them. Planning covers all areas of their development, includes differentiating for the more and less able child and identifies specific learning objectives. Therefore, challenges offered to children ensure they develop their skills. Staff make observations of

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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 as they play, these are recorded in children's achievement records, however, observations are few in number. Therefore staff have limited information to plan effectively for the next steps in individual children's learning. Evaluations are made of activities provided, this enables staff to identify if their aims for children's learning are met. Resources are planned to ensure these are sufficient and readily available for children to explore and use. Children make good progress in learning about the world around them. They develop their imagination well in role play situations, for example, in the shoe shop. They learn about other cultures through celebrating Chinese New Year and Diwali. Children are developing a sense of their community through visitors to the setting

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as the police, dentist, and a parent who is a nurse talking to children about hospital. Staff introduce basic mathematical learning such as size and shape through practical activities, for example, construction, modelling and games. However, opportunities are missed to develop children's problem solving skills during daily routine activities, such as snack time. Children use a wide range of materials to create individual pictures which are displayed within the setting or taken home to share with parents. Children have excellent opportunities to develop their communication skills through handling books and the effective interaction offered by staff. The writing area is well-resourced and the use of labels throughout the setting helps children to see that writing is part of their environment. However, children are not given sufficient opportunities to develop their early writing skills in daily activities. For example, in the role play area or in the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are extremely highly valued as individuals and are able to make positive choices and decisions during their time at the setting. They are developing a very positive attitude to each other and gain an extensive understanding of the wider world through displays, visitors to the setting, topics studied and resources available that reflect diversity. Children are extremely confident in their relationships with staff at the pre-school. They play enthusiastically together and with adults, enjoying using purposeful resources such as number puzzles, sand play, small world toys and large equipment all of which are consistently challenging for their age and stages of development. Children co-operate extremely well together as they take turns on ride on toys and share popular resources such as the sand and dough. Children's individual needs are very well met, for example, the settling in procedure

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Helping children make a positive contribution

enables parents to stay with children until they settle. Children have a key worker who tracks their development. Children with special needs benefit from the effective systems in place to ensure their specific needs are met, for example, making necessary adjustments to ensure that all children can participate in planned activities. Children are very well behaved and polite in response to the expectations of the staff.

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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 Children are beginning to have an excellent understanding of responsible behaviour because staff use appropriate strategies and give the utmost priority to managing behaviour, for example, distracting children into meaningful play when they are disrupting other children's play. Children respond positively to encouragement and praise. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Children benefit from the two way sharing of information between parents and staff to enhance their learning and provide consistency of care. For example, daily chats, written information, parents' notice board and regular newsletters. Displays and information folders within the setting inform parents of the Foundation Stage, the early learning goals and the stepping stones within them. Regular open days are held when staff and parents

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Helping children make a positive contribution

discuss children's individual achievement records. Children's spiritual, moral, social and emotional development is fostered because they are developing confidence and self esteem, behave well and are developing an excellent understanding of right and wrong. Children relate extremely well to each other and staff, and are developing a good understanding of their community through visitors to the setting and trips made to places of interest. Children are beginning to show an appreciation of other cultures and beliefs through topics and activities offered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Systems are in place to ensure that staff working with children are safe to do so. Policies and procedures have been developed and work in practice to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. The attendance register shows an accurate record of the times of attendance of children and staff at the setting. The staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities within the setting and work extremely well together to create a caring and stimulating environment for children. The leadership and management of the setting is good. The management and staff team are committed to continuous improvement of the pre-school. Staff meet regularly as a team and, as a result, they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. They have a sound awareness of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage and how to apply this in practice to support children's development. Performance is monitored through support received from the Early

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Organisation

Years Education support teacher and annual staff appraisals. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Not applicable, this is the first inspection.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

There has been 1 complaint since registration. On the 1 February 2006, Ofsted received a concern in relation to National Standard 6 and the supervision of children. In order to investigate these concerns the registered person was asked to conduct and internal investigation and provide Ofsted with a copy with supporting records and documentation. As a result of the information received an action was given under National Standard 6 (Safety) ' to ensure children are supervised at all times'. A satisfactory response to this action was received on the 23 March 2006. The provider remains qualified for registration. The provider has made a record of the complaint. 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): • improve outcomes for children under three by using an approach in line with the ' Birth to three matters' framework

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • increase opportunities and resources for children to develop their early writing skills • provide opportunities during daily routine activities to develop children's problem solving skills • increase observations of children to enable staff to plan effectively for the next

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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 steps in individual children's learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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

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