Ad Astra Infant School

Sunbeams Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Sunbeams Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 113742 Inspection date 23 June 2006 Inspector Michele, Karen Beasley

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Sunbeams Pre-School

Setting Address The Pavillion, School Lane, North Mundham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 1LA Telephone number 01243 787671 E-mail rob@vankoolbergen.ssnet.co.uk Registered person Sunbeams Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

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Sunbeams Pre-School

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?

Sunbeams Pre-school has been registered since 2000. It is run by a volunteer management committee and operates from the village hall in North Mundham. Children from the local community attend and those wishing to enrol in North Mundham Primary School. A maximum of 29 children may attend the group at any one time. The pre-school offers sessions term time each weekday from 09:00 to 12:00 and a lunch club for children three to five years runs on a Tuesday and

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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 Thursday from 12:00 to 12:45. A French club also operates on a Tuesday morning. A rising fives club is available the last term before the children go to school from 12:00 to 12:45. Children have use of an enclosed grassed and wooded outdoor area. There are currently 36 children aged from two to five years on roll. Of these, 17 children receive funding for early education. The children attend for a variety of sessions. Currently the setting supports a child with special needs and no children with English as an additional language. Currently there are five members of staff working in the provision, one of which is a bank member of staff. Of these, over half hold a recognised childcare qualification or equivalent. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children engage in a range of physical activities on a daily basis each session, helping to develop their understanding of the importance of taking regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. They develop climbing skills as they climb trees and appropriate apparatus in the outdoor area and learn to confidently ride bicycles and other wheeled toys. Children begin to learn about healthy eating as they are introduced to a range of fruits at snack time. Children are given the opportunity to help in giving out cups and bowls and return them when they have finished. However, their self care skills are not fully promoted because practitioners prepare and serve snacks and pour children’s drinks, which limits opportunities for them to fully develop their independence. Children learn to follow personal hygiene routines as they are reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet and before snack time. Staff encourage the children to

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Helping children to be healthy

wash their hands themselves. However, children use a communal towel to dry their hands on which promotes cros-infection. Children’s health is maintained because all practitioners have relevant first aid training and know how to deal with accidents and the administration of medication, which are recorded.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from a relative safe environment, however children's safety is not fully promoted in the premises as a makeshift barrier which divides the walkway from one room to another is unsecured causing potential hazards to the children. Daily informal safety checks are carried out on the provision, however no written records of daily risk assessments are in place. This impacts on the practitioner's ability to fully safeguard children.

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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 made aware of dangers through general conversation and consistent rules, for example, they know they must not run in the setting. Children learn how to keep themselves safe by practising fire drills, although these need to be more frequent. The front door is kept locked and visitors have to sign in and out of the building, keeping the premises and children secure and ensuring that no unvetted visitors have access to the children. Children feel at home in a comfortable and welcoming environment. Their work is valued as it is displayed around the walls promoting children’s confidence and sense of belonging. Children use a varied range of suitable and safe equipment, which they self-select from open shelving units, enabling them to be independent and make their

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

own choices about what they play with. Children are well protected because all staff have a clear understanding of child protection and the procedures to follow if concerns are identified, keeping the children safe. Policies and procedures are in place and shared with parents to ensure they are aware of the settings responsibilities. All existing injuries and incidents are recorded and parents sign to acknowledge the entries, helping to keep children safe and protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children interact well with practitioners keen to share their experiences with them. They become skilful communicators as they are encouraged to talk about experiences such as birthdays and gain in confidence because practitioners value their ideas and contributions. Children have many opportunities to make their own choices about the resources they play with and confidently choose from the selection practitioners make available as well as independently accessing jigsaws and construction equipment. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. All staff have a very clear understanding of the Foundation Stage. This enables them to plan a stimulating, well-balanced programme overall, which covers the six areas of learning. Observations of children's progress are ongoing, however the systems to record children's achievements are not fully developed. This information is not used

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

effectively to plan the next stage in children's individual learning. As a result, older and more able children are not sufficiently challenged across all areas. Most resources are used effectively throughout the day, children have opportunities to self-select resources for emergent writing. However, staff write the children's names for them on their own work such as paintings and colourings, which limits children to progress with early writing skills. Children are beginning to understand that text has meaning as they handle books independently and make good use of the book area. Children hold the books correctly and pretend to read stories to each other.

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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 Daily routines allow opportunities for children to focus on one-to-one tasks and in small group activities. Staff promote children's understanding of sounds and letters during the session. Staff have an understanding of the development needs of all children, they know when to stand back and let play develop naturally and when to step in during planned activities, offering guidance and support as necessary to help children reach their full potential. However, children's free play is not used effectively by staff to consolidate their knowledge and promote their learning. This sometimes impacts on their behaviour and safety. Children's social skills are developing well, they are keen and eager to join in the activities, asking questions to learn more, showing curiosity. Children show good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

levels of concentration and become engrossed in the structured activities provided such as tile printing and painting, confidently suggesting new ideas, co-operating well and sharing their feelings. Children's vocabulary is developing and staff introduce new words during practical activities such as playdough. Children count and learn about shapes and numbers through planned activities. However, insufficient attention is paid to developing their understanding of the comparison of number and concepts of size, weight and measure through their independent play such as making duplo models and playing with sand and water.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children have a positive attitude towards themselves and others and develop a sense of belonging as they form very good relationships with practitioners and their peers. They negotiate, share resources and take turns as they involve themselves in their play, showing a caring attitude towards each other. Children are valued as practitioners praise them continually and show good confidence and self-esteem, for example as they share their achievements. Younger children and children with needs develop self assurance and are well supported by practitioners who are sensitive to their needs and value them as individuals. Children develop an understanding of different cultures and explore the world around them as they learn about themselves and others through activities, discussions and visitors to the group. This helps them to value their own culture and those of other people, and increase their understanding of the differences and similarities between

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Helping children make a positive contribution

themselves and others. This positive approach fosters children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children’s behaviour is satisfactory. During free play some children flit from one activity to another without being fully occupied by practitioners, which impacts on the relationships they build within the group. Practitioners help children to understand why some behaviour is not appropriate, this approach is consistent, enabling children to develop an understanding of why some of their actions are wrong. Children benefit from positive informal relationships between practitioners and parents. Children's progress is discussed informally and formally. Opportunities to encourage parents to be fully informed and discuss children's ongoing progress and

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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 achievements are well developed. The partnerships with parents is good. Links with parents and outside agencies are fully secure to support children with special needs and English as an additional language to ensure achievable goals are provided to all children. Parents are informed about topics and the curriculum through the prospectus and regular newsletters. Details of daily activities their child is involved in are provided, which gives opportunities for them to contribute to their child’s learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit because practitioners work adequately as a team and communicate through regular meetings and daily discussions to ensure the children’s care and wellbeing is promoted. The management structure is satisfactory and all practitioners have clear roles and responsibilities on a daily basis ensuring they understand what is expected of them, which promotes team work. Children are not always fully occupied. Free flow has been introduced in the setting, however this is not managed effectively as staff are not deployed adequately to maintain child and staff ratios at all times. Most children flit from one activity to another without being fully occupied which has an impact on children's behaviour, which can be disruptive at times. This limits their ability to participate fully in all the activities. Consequently, the setting adequately meets the needs of the range of the

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Organisation

children for whom it provides. Staff have an adequate understanding of the requirements of their registration and most legally required documentation is in place, however most policies and procedures have not been reviewed since implementation several years ago which has an impact on promoting the children's welfare in those areas. Practitioners are supported by management both formally and informally through daily discussions and opportunities to review staff performance and development, for example through appraisal meetings which are not on a regular basis. Effective systems are in place to ensure checks are carried out on practitioners and they have relevant qualifications and experience of working with children. Procedures to recruit, appoint and induct new staff are satisfactory and ensure ongoing suitability, which maintains children’s safety. Leadership and management is satisfactory with strengths being recognised within

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Organisation

the preschool and some areas for improvement identified. However, the systems to record children's achievements are not fully developed to ensure all children are sufficiently challenged. Learning opportunities for the children to practise writing skills and mathematical language are limited.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provision was asked to address the following recommendations. Continue to work to the action plan to ensure that staff who deputise have completed a relevant qualification and at least half of all staff hold a level 2 qualification. The Deputy has obtained a suitable qualification relevant for the

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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 position of Deputy and over half of the staff hold a level 2 qualification or equivalent. They were also asked to ensure that the child protection procedure complies with the local Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) procedures and that this includes a procedure to be followed in the event of allegations of abuse or neglect by staff. The procedure for Child Protection has now been updated in line with local procedures to include a procedure to be followed in the event of allegations of abuse or neglect by staff. The setting was asked to keep a written record, signed by parents, of medicines given to children and ensure that parents understand the permission for emergency treatment form. A written record is in place, signed by parents for administering medication. On discussion with parents they fully understand the permission for

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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 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): • ensure children follow effective hygiene procedures and improve opportunities for children to develop their independence and self care skills across the session • ensure daily risk assessments are carried out on the premises identifying potential hazards and fire drills are carried out frequently • develop the procedure for making complaints to include a complaints log.

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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

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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): • improve the systems to record observations of the children's achievements and use this information to plan the next steps in their individual learning, ensuring sufficient challenges are provided to all children • improve the use of time and deployment of staff to ensure all children are fully involved and effective learning takes place in all aspects of the session, particularly with regards to the development of children's early writing skills, and mathematical language.

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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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