Eslington Primary School

Cumnor Pre-School Nursery (The)

Inspection report for early years provision

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Cumnor Pre-School Nursery (The)

Unique Reference Number 133397 Inspection date 13 September 2006 Inspector Jill Milton

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Cumnor Pre-School Nursery (The)

Setting Address Playgroup Building, Cumnor C of E Primary School, Oxford Road, Cumnor, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 9PQ Telephone number 01865 864614

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E-mail

Registered person Cumnor Pre-School 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?

The Cumnor Pre-School Nursery opened in the 1960s and has operated from a purpose built unit in the grounds of Cumnor village primary school since 1990. The nursery is managed by a voluntary committee of parents and carers and the intake of children is from the local area. The children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery opens on weekdays in school term times, from 09.00 to 11.45 and from

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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 12.45 to 15.15. An optional lunch club is offered from 12.00 to 12.45 and children attend may attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 26 children may attend at any one time and there are currently 42 children on roll between the ages of two and five years. Of these 15 children are in receipt of nursery education funding. There are five members of staff employed to work directly with the children and all of the staff have appropriate qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are developing positive attitudes at pre-school about healthy living. They choose to spend time in the fresh air on the school field when staff present them with options. Children enjoy the outdoor play area and exercise their growing muscles with a range of movements like crawling, bouncing and climbing. They develop confidence at balancing and they are able to pedal and steer wheeled toys around a circuit. Children receive good messages from staff about healthy eating. Displays show posters and examples of fruits and colourful books such as 'What's so good about vegetables?' During cookery activities and snack times the children learn about healthy choices. They show a good awareness of their own needs when they announce how hot they are after activity and they freely access fresh drinking water for themselves. The staff take effective care of the children's health. The adults ensure they refresh

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Helping children to be healthy

their first aid training and renew medical supplies. They also monitor recorded accidents to identify any patterns or specific problems. Parents and staff work well together so that they meet children's special dietary or medical needs. Children play in a clean environment and they are familiar with routines for regular hand washing throughout the day. Staff have a number of effective procedures in place to ensure good hygiene standards are met, for example covering outdoor sand when not in use and the use of antibacterial spray. However, the area in use for food preparation lacks some attention with regard to hygiene.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in an exciting and colourful environment where there is plenty of natural light and ventilation. Staff make good use of displays and posters to present the children with interesting items to view. They arrange the setting to create areas for play that the children want to use. Children make choices about whether to engage in active play outdoors or to be more restful. Children like to spend time on the soft seating of the cosy book corner looking at the colourful range of books. The children use an extensive range of good quality equipment that supports all areas of their development. Staff take into account their particular needs and make

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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 some good choices for new resources, for example the exciting new climbing frame in the outdoor play area. Staff supervise the children closely whilst they play to ensure they are safe. Children and adults talk about safety issues, for example a discussion about the careful use of the pretend kettle in the play house. Older children going on a walk to the school field are familiar with the routine to 'stop by the gate and listen for cars'. Staff are competent at monitoring the security of the premises and they adopt measures such as obtaining passwords from parents to ensure the children's safety. Children's welfare is safeguarded by the staff since the adults have a good knowledge of the area of child protection. Staff attend courses to update their background information of how to address concerns and they have all the necessary

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

documentation to hand. Children play in an environment where the adults undergo checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle quickly on arrival at pre-school, tempted by the interesting range of activities set out ready for play. They express a lot of their own preferences about what to play with and they can explore a good number of age appropriate resources. The staff are sensitive to the needs of children attending, particularly new younger members of the group who are not yet three years old. The calm atmosphere and regular routine helps children to feel secure and they talk to each other about what comes next. The staff are aware of the Birth to three matters framework which focuses on the needs of children under three years. However, they are not yet using this in practice in planning or assessing development of the younger age range. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children immerse themselves in an exciting environment where they can learn as they play. They are developing good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

social skills, supported by the friendly staff. The adults become involved in children's games and have fun with them, for example when playing hide and seek in the garden. Children learn to be kind to each other and staff support this with brief conversations to explain the reasons for such actions. Children who act as helpers are proud to receive a round of applause at the end of the session for their efforts, reinforcing their self-esteem. Children receive good support to their early language development since the adults frequently engage in conversations that encourage them to think and express opinions. Children enjoy repeating rhyming words and learning the meaning of new words. Story times are fun and children's listening skills are good. Children are learning how to use writing as they play with a wide range of resources in the 'Cumnor Pre-school Post Office'. They can recognise their own names and staff

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

suggest that older ones name work by themselves. Children play with an extensive range of equipment that helps their early mathematical development. An array of suitable games encourages sorting, counting and matching. Children see numerals around the setting and use them in play with telephones, keyboards and calculators.

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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 Staff encourage mathematics in spontaneous activities, for example when children count apple slices at snack time or use words to compare lengths of play dough. Children learn about the world around them and they explore the textures of different materials in their play. Outdoors children engage in sand play or sometimes use a garden area for digging and planting. They are confident at using the computer and like to see examples of their work from the colour printer. Children learn about different cultures through effective use by the adults of books and topics to support learning. Children enjoy expressing their imagination, both with art materials and in their play. They have easy access to many resources to encourage them to make up stories and play together. Staff ensure music is part of the curriculum and present

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

different instruments to the children, such as a French horn or viola, along with the more usual selection of percussion instruments. Children use a range of tools and writing materials with increasing confidence and control. Staff make effective use of planning to match the children's interests and they work in conjunction with staff at the adjacent primary school on the choice of topics. Staff base plans on the six areas of learning of the Foundation Stage and the weekly sheets reflect a wide range of opportunities for the children. Staff are knowledgeable and have experience in providing a curriculum that meets the needs of pre-school children. They extend planning to the outdoor area so that children do not use the area solely for physical play but can engage in writing, counting or creative activities too. Staff regularly observe the children's development and they record dated progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. Whilst this

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

provides a good overall picture the staff do not use any other ways to capture progress, reflecting the individuality of the children, for example their likes and dislikes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children play in an environment that promotes diversity in a positive way. The children play with a wide range of resources that reflect different cultures and they celebrate festivals from all around the world. Staff value the contributions of families attending the group, enlisting parental help to write captions in four languages in a photographic record of the pre-school session. Children receive a warm welcome by staff and gentle explanations of routines help new children to settle. Although no children currently attend who have learning difficulties or disabilities the staff are in a good position to offer effective support. They have previous experience of working with parents and other professionals to meet children's special needs. They undertake extra training and are proactive in seeking funding to adapt the premises to offer children the best environment for enjoyable play and learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well at pre-school, guided by the good role-models of the staff. The children are learning how to be part of a group and even though some attending are young, they display many examples of positive behaviour like sitting quietly for a story. Children learn good manners, asking politely to leave the table after snack time and they respond well to prompts like a timer for turns at popular games on the

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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 computer. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children is fostered. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff provide a relaxing atmosphere at the start of sessions so that parents can spend time with their child, sharing a game with play dough or reading a story. Parents involve themselves in the setting through attendance on a parent helper's rota or by joining the committee. Staff ensure parents can talk to them on a regular basis about the children's progress in learning. This partnership starts as soon as a child joins the group when parents and their child's key worker spend time together. Parents can access a wide range of information from displays and policy documents that staff make freely available.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The team of adults work well together and organise a welcoming pre-school setting for young children. The staff have a good range of qualifications and experience between them. They meet together to discuss plans and evaluate activities. The team identify training needs through appraisals and they use ideas to improve the setting. An example of this is with the development of the outdoor play area where recent additions have a positive impact on the children's enjoyment and use of the area. The leadership and management of the nursery education are good. The staff have a strong background in education and support the children well. Staff have effective systems in place to ensure those working in the setting are suitable to do so. The committee are aware of the checks that need to be in place to protect the children's welfare. The committee and staff work together to review the

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Organisation

policies and procedures of the setting. They promote an open-door policy with parents and all documents are available on the premises. Staff ensure confidential information is stored appropriately. The use of time, space and staff deployment contribute to children's good health, safety and well being. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the staff were required to address three recommendations, all linked to the area of documentation. Staff have appropriately addressed all the issues suggested and the impact on the children is to ensure good quality care during their time in the setting. Staff now have a clear written policy to detail the procedure to follow if parents should have a complaint. This information is helpfully on display on a new weather-proof notice board outside the setting. Secondly, if staff should have to intervene to prevent a behavioural incident they have a procedure to address and record any such event. Finally, the organisation of documents is appropriate for the successful running of a sessional pre-school. Staff are able to locate documents required for inspection and all paperwork, such as registers, are up to date. At the last inspection of nursery education one point for consideration was raised

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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 suggesting staff use planning to reflect the children's next steps in learning. Staff do take into account the ages and stages of the children in their care. They move children on with aspects of learning, for example encouraging early reading for those who are ready. Staff make small written reminders for themselves of what to include though in practice they know the individual children well and bring them on accordingly.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. 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): • improve the hygiene standards in the area used for food preparation • incorporate the Birth to three matters framework into the care for the children under three years.

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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): • explore alternative ways to record children's progress to provide a richer picture of their individuality.

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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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