Bethersden Playschool LtdOfsted inspection, 8 Jun 2006

Bethersden Playschool Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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Bethersden Playschool Ltd

Unique Reference Number EY270461 Inspection date 08 June 2006 Inspector Stacey Sangster

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Bethersden Playschool Ltd

Setting Address Bethersden School, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent, TN26 3AH

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Bethersden Playschool Ltd

Telephone number 07743 237933 or 01233 820823

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E-mail

Registered person Bethersden Playschool Ltd 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Bethersden Playschool Ltd opened in its current premises in 2004. It operates from one room within a modular building on the grounds of Bethersden Primary School in Ashford, Kent. The group serves the local area. There are currently 28 children from 2 to under 5 years on roll. This includes 10 funded 3-year-olds and 15 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special educational needs and those for

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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 whom English is an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 15:00 from Monday through Thursday and from 09:00 until 12:30 on Friday. There are seven part time/full time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is promoted effectively by the routines within the nursery. Children learn the importance of good hygiene and older children are beginning to take responsibility for keeping themselves healthy, for example remembering without prompting that they need sun cream and hats on before going outside. Children know that they should wash their hands after visiting the toilet to prevent them from getting germs and are reminded to wash their hands if they handle visiting pets. Sufficient staff are qualified in paediatric first aid to ensure that accidents can be dealt with appropriately. The setting have a clear policy of not admitting children who are suffering from infectious illnesses and this help to protect children and minimise the risks of cross infection. The premises provide a clean and hygienic environment for children to explore and play in. Cleaning routines are well established and most cleaning takes place when

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Helping children to be healthy

children are not present enabling all areas of the building to be cleaned thoroughly. Children's dietary needs are met effectively. The setting ensure that they have full details of any allergies, or forbidden foods. This information is made available to staff responsible for preparing food or carrying out cooking activities. As a result children are protected from coming into contact with foods which they are not allowed. Children have regular opportunities to access equipment to help them develop their physical skills and are taught the value of healthy living through topic work and discussions with staff. The children talk about the importance of eating fruit and vegetables and know that drinking milk will help them grow strong bones. Some know about limiting their intake of less healthy foods and looking after their bodies for example, by drinking milk to help develop strong bones.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The building is owned by the setting and the land leased from the county council. The

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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 physical environment is organised to ensure that it provides a safe place for children to play in and explore. Security of the building and garden is very good, ensuring that children cannot leave unsupervised and that uninvited persons cannot gain access. Risk assessments are carried out to maintain the level of safety and any problems identified are dealt with quickly. Space is well organised to provide pockets of activity and allow children the opportunity to engage in different types of play. Physically active pursuits take place in the garden, and school hall. Children receive gentle reminders to move with care and this enables children to work and play safely in all areas. Children learn about safety and staff and teach them the potential consequences of unsafe behaviour, as

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

a result they are beginning to use their knowledge independently and apply it to different situations. The equipment is suitable for the ages of the children using it and is checked regularly to ensure its safety as part of the routine risk assessments, this ensures that children do not have access to equipment that needs repair or is not age appropriate. The staff team have a sound knowledge of child protection. The systems in place to record and report concerns ensure that the welfare of the children is promoted and staff are aware that when dealing with concerns the welfare of the child is paramount.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle well at the nursery. They come into the setting eagerly and are greeted warmly by staff. Good relationships are formed between the children and staff. It is a small setting and as a result all staff get to know children well, and enables them to provide children with a range of activities suited to their age and stage of development and which staff know will appeal to the different personalities within the group. The children's individual needs are well met. They are encouraged and nurtured in a positive way, helping to promote their self esteem and help them to become confident and motivated learners. Nursery Education. The curriculum is well balanced with children making satisfactory progress in all areas of learning. Children are assessed throughout their time and the steeping stones they have reached are recorded on leaving the setting. This information is not collated to see if

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

all areas are being covered with the same success. Records indicate that children do not progress as well in Maths and Communication Language & Literacy as the other four areas of learning, but because staff had not monitored the assessment records they were unaware of this. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teaching methods are positive and staff are skilled at asking children questions to make them think and build on what they are interested in and already know. The assessment systems to record children's progress is developing well. It clearly identifies what children need to do next and the setting have identified that the

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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 assessment in general needs to be better linked to the planning of the curriculum in order to ensure that opportunities to focus on the next steps are not missed. Some of the planning is not followed precisely but plans are amended retrospectively and so accurately reflect what has been covered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. All children are cared for on an individual basis. Their care needs are discussed in detail with their parents and are well met by key workers who get to know the children well. The daily routines include enough flexibility to enable children to have time to follow their own interests as well as work together in small groups. Children have good access to toys and play materials that promote positive images of a range of different cultures, religions and disabilities. Topic work and projects to promote a better understanding of these matters and the setting utilise parents to share there experiences of travel and culture to enhance the experience for children. Regular visitors from the community such as police, fire officers and other community workers also visit to teach children about the people who can help them Children's behaviour is generally good. Staff are consistent in their approach and as

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Helping children make a positive contribution

a result children understand the expectations of the adults and learn right from wrong in a supportive environment. Positive praise and rewards such as smiley face stickers help children to understand the benefits of good behaviour and motivates them to work co-operatively for example sharing and taking turns. The partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents are given basic information about the setting, its aims and details of the routines their children will follow. Parents views are canvassed informally and where possible requests are met. Staff value parents input and maintain friendly, open lines of communication. There is limited formal records of parents input into their children's learning and some missed opportunities to share the targets that staff have identified to help children reach their next step, this can impact on the speed at which children made progress. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Staff work well together and are supportive of each other. Children gain security and confidence from the well organised routines and this helps them to relax and enjoy their time in the setting. The staff group are appropriately qualified and staffing rotas ensure that overall the required ratios of adults to children are being met. Leadership and management is satisfactory. The operations manual and most of the

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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 policies help to guide the staff and inform the parents. However the setting have identified themselves that their planning and assessment needs improvement to best meet the needs of the children and allow staff to better promote children's progress towards the early learning goals. The current appraisal and development system is weak with some staff not fully participating in the process. This hinders the settings ability to develop some staffs qualifications. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Good progress has been made in addressing the recommendations made at the last inspection.

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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 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): • encourage staff to participate more fully in the appraisal system and develop their existing skills

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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 partnership with parents in relation to the assessment of childrens

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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 progress. • review the information collated about children's group progress and ensure that weaker areas of learning receive greater focus

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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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