St Keverne Pre-School Playgroup

St Keverne Pre-School Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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St Keverne Pre-School Playgroup

Unique Reference Number EY290967 Inspection date 12 June 2006 Inspector Nicola Jayne Pascoe

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St Keverne Pre-School Playgroup

Setting Address St. Keverne CP School, School Hill, St. Keverne, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6NQ Telephone number 07891 291214

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E-mail

Registered person St Keverne 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?

St.Keverne Pre-School was originally registered approximately 27 years ago. It was registered to provide day care in 2004, due to a change of committee. It is situated in St.Keverne village, near to the town of Helston. It operates from a classroom in St.Keverne county primary school. Children have sole use of a classroom and toilet facilities and shared use of the secure, enclosed outdoor play area and school hall. St.Keverne pre-school serves the local and surrounding areas. A maximum of 16

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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 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09:00 to 11:45 during term times only. There are currently 15 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 13 children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties. The pre-school employs three members of staff. There are two members of staff, including the manager, who hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority and St.Keverne county primary school.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children benefit from following clear and consistent hygiene routines. They wash their hands regularly and at appropriate times, for example, before snacks and after messy play. Through discussion, children are developing a sound understanding of why following such practices has a positive impact on their health. Children have use of clean premises, toys and equipment. They eat healthy and nutritious snacks, such as sultanas, cucumber, apples and cheese, which are freely available in sufficient quantities. Food is stored appropriately and preparation areas are clean and hygienic. Fresh drinking water is made readily available for all children. All children are able to help themselves at regular intervals and are regularly reminded by staff to drink plenty during the hot weather. Children are able to play outdoors each day to enjoy fresh air and physical exercise. They run, jump, climb, ride bikes and play games outdoors. They use a large, level

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Helping children to be healthy

and secure outdoor playground area, which provides an undercover section for all weather play. They move confidently and with control. Indoors, children participate in music and movement activities and practise their fine motor skills through threading beads and use of small tools and equipment. Children's medication is stored appropriately and administered as required. Medication records are shared with parents. There is a sufficient number of staff who have completed paediatric first aid training. Accident records show that injuries are treated appropriately and that parents are kept informed. Suitable procedures are followed to care for sick children and prevent the spread of cross-infection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children benefit from the use of a small school classroom, which adjoins the reception class. This area is self-contained, child-centred, safe and secure. Children have use of their own toilet facilities and a separate entrance foyer. The classroom is organised well to provide comfortable areas for children to rest and play. Toys and resources are freely accessed by all children, as they are kept in low storage units,

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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 which are clearly and appropriately labelled. Children use age appropriate and safe equipment, tools and resources to support their development. Staff follow a written risk assessment to ensure children's safety and security is maintained. Staff check the safety of the outdoor area prior to children's use. Children are closely and appropriately supervised at all times. Children are protected from persons who are not checked for suitability. There is a written student placement policy available for staff and parents. Staff ensure that students are supervised with children at all times. Clear child protection procedures are shared with parents and followed well by staff, who demonstrate confidence in their ability to identify, record and report concerns appropriately. Children, visitors

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and staff entering and leaving the premises are monitored well. Staff follow clear emergency evacuation procedures and practise with children on a regular basis, to develop their familiarity and confidence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are busy, interested and involved in a range of worthwhile and purposeful activities at all times. All children are fully included to their own level of ability. Children enjoy time to play individually and as part of a group. They participate in a wide range of both self-initiated and planned activities. Staff offer high levels of support and interaction, praise and encouragement. All children attending the pre-school follow the same planning, themes and activities. Staff have developed their knowledge and understanding of the Birth to three matters framework. However, this has not been implemented. A familiar daily routine is followed, which provides children with security and a balanced range of activities. Children participate in enjoyable opportunities to play and learn. They are currently exploring 'summer' and 'holidays'. They are confident to offer ideas and suggestions

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to further develop their play. Children particularly enjoy pretending to be fishermen, when they are able to demonstrate their knowledge of the local traditions and are keen to promote safety at sea. They freely and independently access a suitable and interesting range of toys and resources and are also involved in daily planned activities. Nursery education. The quality of teaching and children's learning is good. Children follow carefully planned and routine activities. Children's individual profiles, observation and assessment records contain good levels of information. However, children's individual targets are not linked directly to future planned activities, to ensure children receive appropriate opportunities to be sufficiently challenged, in order to reach their full potential. Children participate in regular planned activities to scribe and use math to solve specific problems, but there are no opportunities for children to develop

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

these skills through daily routine activities. Children are skilled users of information technology, they use age appropriate computer programmes and are able to competently resolve problems with the computer printer when it fails to work, without the need for adult intervention.

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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 have developed their independence within the pre-school room. Resources are stored in low, labelled storage units and toilet facilities are freely accessed. Children have established their own role within the group and are respectful to others. Children are well behaved, polite, considerate and kind. They listen and concentrate well at group discussion time, when they explore the days of the week, special occasions and the weather. Children are actively involved in tidying away at the end of the session. They leap enthusiastically into action upon hearing the familiar 'tidying up' music and they quickly put away all resources and tools. Children are creative and enjoy daily craft activities. They concentrate well when making jelly-fish and junk models. They participate in music and movement and role

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

play activities. Children demonstrate high levels of imagination and are able to initiate and maintain role play with others harmoniously and for considerable periods of time. Children explore and compare the textures of man-made and natural materials, during whole group time. They use touch and sight to observe objects such as shells and stone. They use a 'metal detector' to establish if an item is made of metal or not. Staff promote children's language development well through this particular activity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are very confident, settled and happy. They have formed strong and trusting relationships with staff and other children. A key worker system is in place and is mostly used to ensure children's specific individual needs are identified. Staff are good role models and children respond well to follow their examples, they are developing their use of 'please' and 'thank you' and demonstrate good table manners. Children are clearly familiar with the codes of conduct. They are keen to explain to other children that they must share when they are at pre-school. All children demonstrate very high standards of behaviour and are effective in their ability to take responsibility, help and support others and work harmoniously and co-operatively. Children explore and celebrate their own and different cultures, beliefs and abilities through planned activities. They also have free access to a suitable and sufficient

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Helping children make a positive contribution

range of resources, with which to promote a positive awareness and understanding of people's differences. Children with learning difficulties are well supported and fully included in all activities. The partnership with parents is good. Staff are very aware of the importance and value of sharing information regularly with parents and of how this positively impacts on children's well-being at the pre-school. Information is shared verbally with parents at the beginning and end of each session. Children's progress records are shared formally on a regular basis. The parent notice board displays useful information and written policies, which are updated as required. A prospectus and newsletter are freely available to parents. Children's work is displayed to be viewed and admired by all. The pre-school fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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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 Children are well cared for by suitably qualified and experienced staff. Staff are committed to identifying and attending further training and development. They are proactive in ensuring they deliver high standards of care and education for children attending the pre-school. As a result, children are confident, independent, settled and happy. Children benefit from the staff's ability to provide a well-organised and safe environment. All staff are confident and competent in their roles and responsibilities. The pre-school follows robust recruitment and vetting procedures. Suitable contingency arrangements are in place to provide emergency cover. Clear registration systems are in place to show that adult to child ratios are met. Children's records and pre-school documentation is stored securely and confidentiality is

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Organisation

maintained. Staff demonstrate an awareness of the importance of updating records regularly and of storing these records for an appropriate length of time. Support is welcomed from external agencies. Parent questionnaires and staff appraisals are used to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the setting. The leadership and management of the setting is good. The committee and managers set clear directions, leading to improvements in the organisation of nursery education and the outcomes for children. The provision is managed and monitored effectively. There are good levels of support for staff from the school reception teacher, and as a result they are confident and competent in their role. However, there are ineffective links with the rest of the school. As a result, the pre-school children are not able to benefit from being fully included and integrated with the staff and children, at this small village school. The pre-school promotes an inclusive

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Organisation

environment in which every child matters. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This is the first care inspection since the registration of the setting. However, the setting has received a nursery education inspection. The key issues arising from that inspection were that effective systems should be implemented to establish children's individual abilities on entry to the setting and following on-going assessments, in order that individual learning intentions can be identified and linked to future planned activities. Also, they were required to provide opportunities to share these systems of recording children's achievements and progress, formally and regularly with parents. Staff have implemented an initial child profile, to establish children's individual abilities, but intend to develop this further to link more closely with the stepping stones. Staff now hold regular formal meetings with parents to share information regarding their children's progress and attainment. As a result, children's individual

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Improvements since the last inspection

preferences and abilities are known to staff, who respect and incorporate these into daily activities. It was recommended that staff make effective use of daily routine activities to fully support children's learning and development and include regular use of information technology and opportunities to explore letter sounds, problem solving and the passing of time. Also it was recommended that they plan, prepare and organise daily activities, to ensure that children are grouped and supervised appropriately. Staff have attended 'playing with sounds' training in May 2006. They have improved daily routine activities to promote most areas of learning well. However, daily routine does

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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 not yet provide sufficient opportunities for children to develop their letter formation or problem solving skills. Finally it was required that the registered body make effective use of the staff appraisal systems, in order to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the provision of nursery education. The setting has now developed and implemented an effective staff appraisal system, which is carried out regularly by the school reception teacher, who is an active and supportive member of the committee.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the 1st April 2004. 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): • implement the recently acquired knowledge of 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): • ensure that children's individual targets are used to directly influence future planned activities, in order to provide opportunities for all children to be sufficiently challenged and make appropriate levels of progress in all areas of learning • provide opportunities through daily routine activities, for all children to further develop their letter formation and problem solving skills.

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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 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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