Blagdon Under Fives Pre-School

Blagdon Under Fives Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Blagdon Under Fives Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY284606 Inspection date 19 July 2006 Inspector Rachael Williams

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Blagdon Under Fives Pre-School

Setting Address Blagdon School, Bath Road, Blagdon, Bristol, Avon, BS40 7RW

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E-mail

Registered person Blagdon Under Fives Pre-School 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Blagdon Pre-School was first registered in 1968. The group is located in the village of Blagdon in North Somerset. The pre-school moved to their current premises; a single storey purpose built Elliott building in December 2003. The pre-school is sited within the grounds of Blagdon Primary School and children attend from the local geographical area. The pre-school offers care Monday to Thursday 09:00 - 11.45 with an optional lunch

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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 time session from 11.45 - 13:00 term time only. The pre-school also offers full day care on Fridays from 09:00 until 15:00. At present 28 children are on roll and, of these, 22 are in receipt of government funding. The setting supports children with special educational needs. There are five members of staff who work directly with the children. All staff work on a part-time basis. Currently two members of staff hold a level 3 qualification and one is working towards a recognised level 3 qualification. The pre-school has close links with Blagdon Primary School. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is maintained through effective hygienic practices and procedures, such as appropriate hand washing. Children are aware of their own personal needs and access the toilets independently. Children are given clear explanations to ensure they learn good hygiene practices. For example, a child with eczema asks for a paper towel to dry his hands to ensure there is no cross infection to exacerbate his condition. There are good procedures in place to ensure that staff are well informed of special dietary needs. For example, photographs are displayed in the kitchen with emergency contact details readily accessible. Clear information is given to parents regarding the contents of children's lunch boxes to ensure children are not put at undue risk. Children confidently ask for drinks when they are thirsty and are offered them regularly through out the morning, especially after practising sports day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from healthy and nutritious snacks and take pride in the responsibility of sharing them with their friends. There is a wealth of information readily available to parents regarding health for instance, the group's sick children policy is clearly explained and supported by information on exclusion periods. Most staff have appropriate first aid qualifications which maintains children's health. Children benefit from daily opportunities to be outside in the appropriately equipped, spacious outdoor area. On the whole, there is a good range of toys and resources to encourage children's physical development. However, there are limited resources, such as ride-on toys, to further challenge more able children's development. The children are engaged in a range of activities to support their developing large muscle skills. For example, children enjoy using the climbing wall, beam and stepping stones

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Helping children to be healthy

to extend their climbing and balancing skills. Children are engaged in weekly physical education sessions where they are encouraged to undress and dress independently.

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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 The provision is good. Children's safety and physical well-being is maintained due to effective risk assessments and regular monitoring of health and safety requirements during planning meetings. On the whole, staff are vigilant about potential risks and hazards. However, two socket covers were observed to be unprotected posing a risk to the children. Well-written and relevant policies ensure children's safety whilst on the premises and when on outings within the local environment. Regular fire drills, in conjunction with the school and independently, are recorded appropriately. Fire-fighting equipment and fire alarms are tested regularly and information recorded. The premises are well-maintained and an appropriate temperature is maintained during the hot weather through the use of fans and good ventilation. Children benefit

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

from a safe and secure environment where they are closely supervised by vigilant staff. For example, a keypad restricts entry to the premises to ensure children's welfare is safeguarded . However, visitors are not sufficiently monitored through the use of the visitor's record as accurate times of arrival and departure are not recorded. Children's well-being is safeguarded through appropriate collection arrangements where parents identify, on the register, who is collecting their child and a back up password system is effectively used. Staff have adequate knowledge of child protection issues to ensure their well-being. They are aware of the possible signs of abuse or neglect and would refer to readily accessible literature to confirm the procedure to follow.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle quickly into the small and friendly group. Strong links are established between staff and children which ensures they are confident and happy. Children are provided with a stimulating range of activities which help them make progress in most areas of their development. Staff have developing knowledge of the Birth to three matters framework and are beginning to use this to further promote planned activities. The room is well-organised to encourage children to make decisions about their play. This is further extended as, during registration, children are able to decide what they would like out for the tabletop activities. A good range of resources are easily accessible and are labelled appropriately, both with pictures and writing, to encourage children's independence. Staff deploy themselves effectively to support children's interests and interact with them well to support their learning. For example,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children are encouraged to talk through the process of making a fish tank; with staff asking appropriate questions to encourage the children to think of how their junk modelling can be improved. Due to this, communication skills are extremely well supported through high-quality adult/child interactions. Nursery education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress towards

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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 the early learning goals in most areas of their learning. However, planned activities do not sufficiently cover all the areas as there are few planned opportunities to develop children's understanding of information, communication and technology, calculation and problem solving. Staff have good knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum observed through the stimulating range of experiences they provide for the children and their high-quality interaction with the children. For example, children are valued for their ideas and staff are exceptionally good at extending children's learning through developing these ideas, such as a drama production, initiated from a cardboard box prop, to share with the parents relating to their topic. There are inconsistencies in how children's achievements are recorded thus assessment

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

records do not clearly identify next steps in learning; although staff have good knowledge of children's needs and stage of development. Children are effectively challenged through staff's good knowledge and use of a variety of teaching methods and their understanding of child development. Children speak clearly and confidently. They are encouraged to talk activities through, reflecting on and modifying what they are doing. For example, whilst junk modelling children are engaged in meaningful conversations to encourage them to think about what they are building and what resources they need through effective questioning. A four-year-old is able to talk through the process of constructing a fish tank; realising that the glue was not going to be strong enough to join the two boxes together he confidently asks for some cellotape thus linking the cause and effect of his actions. Staff foster children's curious nature well through the use of the local environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

For example, when exploring construction materials children are invited to a local house which has a bridge in it's garden to see how it is made before they experiment for themselves using a range of challenging resources. Children construct for a purpose identifying which shapes they need next to complete their task. Children are engaged and eager to learn as there are very good opportunities for children to explore and investigate through the provision of a range of resources for instance, malleable materials such as gloop, clay and play dough.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are confident and settled within the setting. They are keen to learn and become engrossed in self-chosen activities. Friendly and enthusiastic staff support the children which encourages good self-esteem. Staff value and respect children's individuality and have good knowledge of their developing needs and family backgrounds. Close and caring relationships have been established through the use of an appropriate key worker system. Children enjoy the responsibility of having 'jobs' for instance, handing out the snacks. On the whole, children behave well. Behaviour is managed appropriately through the consistent use of varied strategies. For example, children are given clear explanations as to why behaviour is unacceptable for instance, throwing toys as they might catch someone and hurt them. When a child refuses to sit down her behaviour is ignored and a child sitting patiently is rewarded as she confidently shares her

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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 birthday experiences. When the child returns to the group and sits down she is praised and engaged in the conversation. Behaviour incidents are not consistently recorded to monitor the patterns in the unacceptable behaviour. Children are involved in a wealth of experiences that encourage their understanding of the diversity in our society. They celebrate a range of British festivals and learn about other cultures through topics, such as 'People of the world' . Children have regular access to toys and resources which reflect disability, ethnicity, gender and culture. Children receive appropriate support in the fully inclusive setting. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator attends regular training and is confident in her role to identify and assess children's needs. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Helping children make a positive contribution

awareness is fostered. Partnership with parents is outstanding. This contributes significantly to children's well-being within the pre-school. A robust system has been established to ensure parents receive a wealth of information about the setting, their child and their achievements. Although assessment records are not currently up-to-date there is a good exchange of information on children's progress and documentation is readily available. Parents are encouraged to be fully involved in the setting through the parent's rota, fundraising and committee involvement. Parents are also encouraged to contribute to their children's learning as they receive regular information, via the notice board and key workers, about the activities their children are engaged in. Parents receive clear information on the Foundation Stage curriculum through parent consultations and easily accessible literature.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by a team of well qualified and experienced staff who are skilled at meeting the children's individual needs. Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure that children are cared for by adults who are suitable and have been appropriately screened. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures, understood by staff, are used effectively to provide good quality care and education. All regulatory documentation is in place, stored appropriately with due regard to confidentiality. The well-organised setting encourages children to be independent, safe and healthy learners. Flexible routines and good use of space and the local environment ensures children are confident. Children are closely supervised and high ratios are maintained. However, the register does not clearly identify accurate times of attendance for staff and visitors. Leadership and management is good. The staff and committee work well together to

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Organisation

promote a conducive learning environment. They communicate well to ensure the continuity in care and learning. Staff have clear roles and responsibilities and training needs are addressed through annual appraisals. Staff are proactive in improving their practice for instance, partnership with parents as identified at the last inspection, and effectively use an action plan to evaluate their provision. However, this monitoring system has not been effective in identifying inconsistencies in the planning and

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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 assessments. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection recommendations were made to improve the use of observations, to monitor the provision and to inform parents of their child's achievements. Some observations are made, closely linked to the stepping stones, in order to assess children's progress towards the early learning goals. There are inconsistencies in observations as not all areas of learning are sufficiently addressed. A system has been established to monitor the provision for nursery education. Action plans have been put in place which identify some of the pre-school's areas for improvement. Parents are well informed of their child's achievements through the profile documents and through regular exchanges with their child's key worker. Parents are able to contribute to their child's learning and to add home achievements to the profile document.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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. There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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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):

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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 • enhance registration arrangements to ensure accurate times of attendance for visitors and staff are recorded effectively • record behaviour incidents confidentially, in order to monitor patterns and changes in behaviour, to share with parents

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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): • further develop a system to monitor the provision for nursery education • further develop planning and assessment arrangements to ensure children are engaged in a balance of experiences which show progress towards the early learning goals through regular observations

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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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