Ladybirds Pre-School

Ladybirds Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Ladybirds Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 511118 Inspection date 06 July 2006 Inspector Doreen Forsyth

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Ladybirds Pre-School

Setting Address Roebutts Close, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 7AP

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E-mail

Registered person Lady Birds 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 satisfactory. 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?

Ladybirds Pre-school is located near the centre of Newbury and serves the local community. The setting has sole use of the premises, which consists of a main room, a smaller quiet room, toilets and a small kitchen area. There is access to two outdoor play areas, one is covered and available all year round. The pre-school is a registered charity run by a committee. The setting is registered to care for up to 26 children up to the age of five; there are

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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 currently 50 children on roll. There are 40 children attending who are in receipt of government funding for Nursery Education. The setting supports children with disabilities or learning difficulties and those who speak English as a additional language. The pre-school operates during term time from 9:00 to 15:00 on Monday to Thursday, and from 9.00 to 11:30 am on Fridays. A lunch club is provided for children bringing a packed lunch. There are six permanent members of staff. Of these, two have early years qualifications at level three, three others are undergoing appropriate training at level two or three. The setting is a member of the Pre-School learning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are protected from infection and are well taken care of if they have an accident as staff mostly follow suitable health and hygiene routines and procedures and ensure all the appropriate records are kept up to date. The setting has suitable toilets and hand washing facilities but in some daily routines, for example by using shared towels, children are open to the risk of cross infection. Children begin to learn good health and hygiene practices, they understand the importance of washing their hands before eating or after using the toilet and are learning to drink water after exercising. Children bring their own drinking water into the pre-school each day, but the drinking bottles are not very easily accessible, and children are not always reminded to drink. Children are provided with healthy snacks when at pre-school; they bring pack lunches and often discuss with staff about healthy foods and what gives you energy.

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Helping children to be healthy

If children have any special dietary requirements, these are well noted and observed. If children need a quiet time or to rest the setting has some comfortable bean bags available in the quiet room. Children have good opportunities to take part in regular physical activity both in and outdoors. Each day children are invited to take part in 'warm-up' exercises, when they exercise and move to music. They play in the garden using a wide range of wheeled toys, they can climb and balance on the climbing frame, and run freely on the grass. When the weather is unsuitable for outside activities, there is a covered outside area where children can play in the fresh air.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in bright, child-centred surroundings that are kept safe,

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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 appropriately maintained and very secure. Children's work, posters and displays decorate the walls. Staff and committee members regularly risk access the premises identifying and minimising any potential hazards both indoors and outside. Good procedures are in place to ensure children are kept secure when in the setting or when on outings, including the use of alarmed doors and ensuring that the fences are well maintained. Children begin to learn to keep themselves safe, for example, they know they should not run in the playrooms, and understand the importance of using sun cream when playing outside. The pre-school is very well resourced. The toys and equipment for children are well stored at their level, so children can chose some of their own activities and some of the resources they use. The resources provided help promote children's learning in

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the Foundation stage. Children are safeguarded because the majority of staff have attended child protection training and understand their role in child protection. Staff are able to put appropriate procedures in practice when necessary. Parents are informed of the setting's child protection procedures in the parent's information pack.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children soon settle into the pre-school when they arrive for their sessions; they usually, with help from the staff, quickly begin to play and enjoy the activities set out. The setting values all children and endeavours to help them all to learn appropriately. Children enjoy being at the pre-school, and are interested in what is going on, they usually concentrate well on their chosen activities. Staff relate well to the children and are interested in what they do and say. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory. Most staff have an appropriate understanding of the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and are able to present activities that help children to learn. Staff plan some interesting activities although there are some gaps in children's mathematical learning and in children's opportunities to learn to write and link sounds and letters, these are not included

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

sufficiently in daily planning. Staff do not always work together to ensure all areas of learning are well promoted. Children's progress is observed and recorded on a local authority assessment scheme. These assessments are not used to help staff to meet children's individual learning needs. Children are confident, they understand the rule and routines of the setting, such as when to tidy up and the snack time routines. Children learn to take turns, for example in games such as sound lotto. Children enjoy stories and can usually sit and listen well, they are able retell aspects of stories in their own words. There is a comfortable book corner when children often sit and enjoy looking at books. They have some opportunities to recognise their own names such as self registration on arrival, but

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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 they are not encouraged to label their own work and do not have many good opportunities to practise their writing skills or to link sounds to letters. Children are learning to count, they enjoy helping count the children present at registration, but staff do not sufficiently use other opportunities that occur in the day to count and to use mathematical concepts and language. The setting has good resources to promote mathematics. Children use construction resources to learn about shape size and position. Through topic work and their daily activities children begin to learn about their environment and the wider world. For example, the setting plans for a fire engine to visit the setting as part of the current 'People that help us' topic. Children enjoy using the computers to support their learning, they can skilfully control the mouse. Children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

celebrate their own and others special events and festivals, such as Chinese New Year or Christmas. Children learn about the natural world, currently they are examining the life cycle of butterflies. Children explore a range of different materials such as sand, water and play dough. They enjoy free painting at easels and have some opportunities to use collage or use re-cycled materials for modelling. However, they do not have good access to other craft materials and equipment which limits their creativity. Children use their imaginations when role-playing in the home corner or the cafe and when playing with small world resources. Children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. They use a suitable range of resources such as bead threading or glue sticks to help develop their small muscle control. They play with a good range of resources outside such as the large climbing resources and bikes to develop their large muscle

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. All children are welcomed into the pre-school, staff endeavour to met children's individual needs. A key worker system is in place, so each child has an adult who is particularly available to them and their parents. Any children with disabilities or learning difficulties, or that speak English as an additional language are especially welcomed. The pre-school Special Needs Co-ordinator ensures all children's individual needs are meet, using outside agencies and advice if necessary. Children benefit from activities and resources which help them to learn to value diversity, such as small world figures in the dolls house, dressing up resources and suitable books. Children have contributed to an attractive wall display entitled 'We are all different' which depicts different skin tones and hair colours. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. Children are

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Helping children make a positive contribution

learning to be aware of the needs of others. There are 'ladybird rules' which many children know and understand, these include being kind to each other. Staff reinforced these with the children during the inspection when a child felt the others were being unkind. Children usually behave appropriately, but on some occasions are noisy and not engaged in meaningful play. At group times children are sometimes inattentive and do not listen to what the adults are saying or to the other children

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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 talking. The partnership with parents is good. Children benefit from the good relationship the setting has with parents and carers. Parents are involved in the pre-school in a number of ways. They serve on the management committee, they help with fund raising and take turns helping in the setting by being on the parent's rota. There are notice boards and newsletters to keep parents well informed. They receive a good information pack on joining the setting and are given copies of the pre-school policies and procedures to read. Parents are informed about the curriculum that children follow and the early learning goals in the parent's information booklet. Parents value the termly meetings with their children's key worker when they can discuss their children's progress and tell the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

setting about children's learning at home. Staff use the first of these meetings to assess where children's attainment is. Sometimes at the parent/key worker meetings staff give parents suggestions on how they can help children's learning at home. The weekly topics are displayed so that parents can help children bring in items related to the topic for 'show and tell' and feel involved in their pre-school.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are cared for by staff who are vetted and suitable to have unsupervised access to children. Some staff have appropriate training and qualifications, other are in the process of obtaining relevant early years qualifications. Children are well supported as the setting ensures good ratios are always maintained. Children's, staff and visitors attendance is recorded daily, but the records are not always accurate and children's attendance is not recorded into the register until well into the session, leaving them vulnerable some of the time. The policies, procedures and records necessary to promote children's health, safety and well-being are all in place. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. The leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. There is an active and supportive committee in place, many committee members have designated roles in

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Organisation

the organisation of the pre-school. The chair and other committee members are regularly in the setting, when they can monitor and evaluate the provision offered at the pre-school. Staff have regular appraisals, their training needs are identified and their development encouraged. The management committee have many ideas and vision for the future and development of the pre-school. They recently found out parent's views of the provision using a questionnaire, and are now acting on some of the comments made. Staff are good at identifying and reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the provision, and work hard to improve any issues identified.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting was set recommendations regarding documentation, and maintaining the correct ratios at all times. At this inspection all the required documentation that helps to ensure children's safety and well being was seen to be in

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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 place and good adult/ child ratios maintained. At the last Nursery Education inspection a point for consideration was to consider how impromptu activities could be recorded. These are still not recorded, which contributes to a lack of cohesion in the daily plans.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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.

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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 satisfactory. 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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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): • develop strategies to help children to behave appropriately, especially at group times • ensure the daily records of attendance are accurately recorded

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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): • use the observations and assessments kept on children to plan for children's individual learning needs • ensure that all staff work together to plan for all areas of learning, especially in promoting mathematics and linking sounds to letters in daily activities.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and

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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 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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