Broughton Under Fives Association

Broughton Under Fives Association

Inspection report for early years provision

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Broughton Under Fives Association

Unique Reference Number 220031 Inspection date 12 September 2006 Inspector Susan Marriott

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Broughton Under Fives Association

Setting Address Village Hall, Gate Lane, Broughton, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 1ND Telephone number 01536 791009

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E-mail

Registered person Broughton Under Fives Association 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?

Broughton Under Five's Association opened in 1981 and is a committee run playgroup, which operates from Broughton Village Hall, in the village of Broughton, near Kettering. The accommodation is divided into two sections, one area for activities, the other for physical play and riding 'sit and ride' toys. The group also have use of the surrounding playing fields for outdoor play. The playgroup opens five mornings a week during school term times. Sessions take

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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 place from 09.15 to 11.45 and there is a daily lunch club facility from 11.45 to 12.45. There are currently 34 children on roll, of whom 27 receive funding for nursery education. The group accept children from the age of two-years and nine-months. There are currently no children attending who have learning difficulties or disabilities or for whom English is an additional language. There are four core staff who work with the children, three of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification. The playgroup is affiliated to the Pre-School Learning Alliance and has been awarded a certificate by the Early Years Childcare Partnership as part of their quality strategy scheme. The group also have good links with the local primary schools.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy because staff follow effective health and hygiene policies and procedures. Sick children are excluded from the provision to minimise the spread of infection and the premises are maintained in a properly clean state. Tables are regularly sprayed with anti-bacterial spray to prevent cross contamination. Children receive appropriate treatment in medical emergency because all staff hold suitable first aid qualifications and the first aid box is accessible. However, the contents are not checked regularly and some dressings are old and exceed the use by date. Staff record accidents and include the relevant details, although accidents are not yet monitored as part of the risk assessment process. Children wash their hands before snack and staff always remind children to wash their hands after visiting the toilet. Children can access tissues easily and a bin for disposing of the soiled article is

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Helping children to be healthy

provided nearby. Children therefore learn about germs through the daily routines because staff remember to promote discussion about the reasons for hand washing and keeping noses clean. Children benefit from a healthy diet where all snacks are nutritious and prepared on site. Snack time is being used to good effect as a learning time for children, promoting literacy, numeracy, social skills and independence. For example, children talk about one cake for each child and whether fruit is good for you. Snacks include a healthy range of fruit, toast and breadsticks and children have the choice of milk or water, which they mostly pour themselves. Children do not become thirsty whilst playing because they can ask for a drink at any time and can freely access a jug of water and cups. All the children enjoy daily indoor and outdoor activities, which enables them to develop control of their bodies and improve their physical skills through a generally

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Helping children to be healthy

appropriate level of challenge. For example, the children practise their hand-eye co-ordination as they throw large balls through plastic hoops held by staff. Children have access to wheeled toys and large climbing equipment.

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Helping children to be healthy

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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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Staff give high priority to the security of the premises and the supervision of the children. Staff record fire evacuation procedures and carry out drills with suitable frequency to ensure the safety of the children. Staff monitor visitors to the setting and the record of visitors provides space for recording the actual purpose of the visit to the premises. Relevant risk assessments are completed for specific activities, for example, a walk to the local church. Staff complete an annual risk evaluation on the occasion of insurance renewal. They do not currently record monitoring of the record of accidents and link this to risk assessment. Children learn to keep themselves safe in the setting because staff give good explanations as to why, for example, a child should sit still on the chair whilst listening to the story of 'Elmer'. Children are warmly welcomed and well cared for in a pleasant, suitably safe and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

secure indoor and outdoor environment. Staff have to set out the equipment every morning and clear it away at the end of each session. However, they make every effort to overcome the difficulties this presents and set the room out thoughtfully to facilitate children's choice and developing independence. The large village hall is creatively divided into two areas. One for riding bikes indoors, and one for activities relating to the six areas of learning. Equipment and resources are safely stored and clearly labelled so that children and staff can access them easily. The staff put up posters and pictures to make the room attractive for children and set out the equipment enticingly before the children arrive. Bright displays of children's work enhance the environment and reinforce and consolidate topical learning. Children's welfare is safeguarded because they are protected by informed adults who understand current child protection policies and procedures in line with those of the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Local Safeguarding Children Board. All staff have received suitable training in this field.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are making good progress in learning, leisure and personal development because practitioners are confident, enthusiastic and highly skilled in their childcare practice. Children actively participate in purposeful activities and clearly enjoy the harmonious atmosphere. They become confident, independent learners as they freely access the pre-selected resources set out for them. Staff provide positive role models for children and give sensitive support to all children. Children are happy, settle quickly and relate well to other children and staff. Practitioners encourage and build children's vocabulary through constant praise and recognition as they support play. Staff skilfully adapt their level of language and questioning to reflect each child's stage of development. This helps them to meet the needs of all children. For example, younger children freely experiment with red and yellow paint and a staff

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

member gently asks 'What happens when the red and yellow mix?'. Self-evaluation

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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 documentation refers to the 'Birth to three matters' framework and shows how the setting takes general heed of the framework when introducing children to pre-school before the age of three years. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a competent knowledge of the Foundation Stage and deliver a varied programme of play-based activities which provide an overall balance across all six areas of learning. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals given their ages and starting points. Children are happy and settle quickly in the gentle and nurturing environment. They generally display high levels of involvement and gain a sense of achievement, self-confidence and self-esteem through self-chosen activities. Older and more able

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children maintain their interest in the activities due to the skilful intervention of staff who re-direct their learning appropriately. Staff work together as a very effective and committed team deploying themselves to support children's learning with sensitivity and respect. Snack time is a generally effective learning time for children. Children learn about signs in the environment as they observe whether the snack bar is open or closed. They develop their hand-eye coordination as they pour drinks and share the fruit. The children fetch their name card from the self-registration board to identify their own place at the snack table. They learn to recognise the letters which make up their name as they sound them out to the staff member in charge of snack. Staff use clear and highly skilled teaching techniques which they confidently adapt to suit the various ages of children at this setting. Children enjoy good, trusting relationships with staff who get down to their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

level and engage in meaningful questioning, conversation and discussion which develops learning through play. Excellent priority is given to the development of children's speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Children share books with staff and their contributions are valued and affirmed during story time. For example, the children offered suggestions as to who they love the most during a story entitled 'Guess how much I love you'. Plans show that children learn about numbers, use mathematical language and solve simple problems. Song and rhyme is used well to promote learning about numbers and calculation within the daily routine. For example, children calculate how many teddies left during a song of 'Five brown teddies'. Children explore damp sand and show curiosity as they manipulate and observe. Staff ask open questions to make children think and encourage a response. 'How does it feel, will it pour, will it flow, will it mould?'. A wide range of construction toys

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

enables children to build and fix pieces together, improving manual dexterity. Photographs show how the pre-school uses the outdoor environment. For example, during the colder autumn, winter and spring months they wrap up warm and take walks into the village, looking at buildings as part of a topic, or for shapes and colour in the environment. Photographs and plans show a wide range of visits, visitors and special events. For example, a topic entitled 'All about me' provided the opportunity for a hairdresser to demonstrate a hair cut and promote discussion about how to keep hair clean. Children enjoy a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities to promote physical development. They explore paint and glue and use their own ideas to create their own pictures. Staff model how glue is used where needed. Children

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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 begin to use imagination playing alongside others in role play situations such as a shop and home. Staff extend ideas as needed, model roles they might use, ensure all can join in and that children share resources fairly. Planning is simple but manageable for the setting and generally effective, because it builds on the Foundation Stage guidance. Staff are intuitively able to interpret the basic plan and adjust appropriately to the developmental stage of each child as they work. Every a half term a topic is identified and activities are planned to support the chosen theme. For example, the current theme is 'All about me'. A simple colour coding system ensures that activities are planned and provided to cover every cluster within all six areas of learning. The system identifies specific skills and targets for

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

focussed observation. However, plans do not identify specific stepping stones to be covered by the planned activities. Potentially this means that the programme does not cover a sufficiently broad range of the stepping stones to fully address the needs of children who learn at different rates. The potential impact of this weakness on the children is currently minimised by the high quality of practical teaching skills exhibited by the staff team in this provision. Plans acknowledge the needs of those who learn more quickly or slowly but provide only general guidance in terms of 'Challenge older children'. This is especially noticeable in physical activities. For example, a challenging circuit is provided for children to negotiate, including a barrel for crawling through, a trampette for jumping, an upturned bowl stepping stone sequence and a low wooden balance bench. Staff know that the activity promotes physical

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

development and incorporates some elements of personal, social and emotional development as children learn to wait their turn. However, staff are vague about the specific stepping stones being aimed for because this is not clearly identified on the plans. Conscientiously kept assessment folders are based upon dated observations, arranged under the six areas of learning and parents and carers are able to make their own contributions. Photographs and examples of work are dated and stuck into scrapbooks which provides evidence for assessment. Play plans identify aspects of learning requiring development and dates are set for review. However, the system does not enable children’s progress to be tracked easily against the stepping stones because it does not use the appropriate terminology of the stepping stones. Therefore, assessment is not yet fully effective in securing children's progression in learning and informing the next steps in the learning programme. Nonetheless, the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

excellent skills of the staff team limit the potential weaknesses of the planning and assessment system to ensure that the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children from the local community are warmly welcomed and included in all activities. Children develop their understanding and appreciation of others through simple activities that promote a greater awareness of the wider world. Plans for activities connected with 'Festivals of light' show that children make clay divas, coconut ice, taste naan bread and play a spinning top game like the Jewish 'Driedels' game. This

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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 enables the children to develop a positive attitude to others. Children who have varying needs receive excellent support. For example, when staff hand out the children's work at the end of the session, a child is very upset because a picture is too wet with glue to take home. Staff reassure the child and ensure that the next day, they show the child that the picture is still on the drying rack in a safe place. Children who may have learning difficulties receive appropriate intervention and referrals to suitable professionals outside the provision. Staff provide excellent role models for children by being calm and polite. Staff praise children freely, ensuring that they develop confidence and self-esteem and understand when they have done well. This positive approach actively fosters children's spiritual, moral,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

social and cultural development. Children are well-behaved in response to the consistent expectations of caring staff. Staff develop a very positive partnership with parents to support children’s progress in learning. There is a wealth of information which is easily accessible which includes general care and educational literature. Parents are warmly welcomed into the provision and are well-supported by staff during the settling-in process. Staff and parents share important information about the children who receive nursery education. Parents are able to see their child's records and regularly contribute to them. This two-way sharing benefits the child and enhances their learning. This underpins their progress in the pre-school and consequently their ability to fully contribute to the provision. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is good.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The staff team are well-supported by an active committee of parents who oversee the management of the group. The management role is shared between two staff and this safeguards and promotes children’s care and welfare. They both work alongside their assistants and therefore have a 'hands on approach' to every aspect of the pre-school operation. The mature and stable staff team are extremely well-qualified and dedicated to the concept of quality childcare and education. They follow children to the activities which engage their interest and provide effective support to draw the learning from play. This promotes highly positive outcomes for children. The committed and dedicated staff team ensure that children benefit and enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school. Staff demonstrate a genuine affinity with children; they

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Organisation

respect children's feelings, value their comments and clearly enjoy their company. Documentation is clear and generally accessible. Staff clearly and confidently speak about their procedures to follow in the event of a range of scenarios. Planning and assessment systems continue to evolve, and increasingly secure and progress children's learning. Overall, the pre-school meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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 At the last care inspection the setting was asked to continue to develop strategies to ensure the existing high standard of care and education is maintained. At the last inspection of funded nursery education, the setting was asked to ensure there are no gaps in the planning of the curriculum, with specific reference to technology. The setting has taken a constructive approach to the issues raised and has continued to develop this practice. This ongoing development has secured highly positive outcomes for children.

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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 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): • ensure that the first aid box is suitably stocked, that items are checked frequently and replaced as necessary.

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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): • strengthen the planning and assessment systems ensuring they link closely with the stepping stones to secure children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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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:

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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 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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