Collingham and District Pre-School (registration until: 14 Feb 2026)

Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Playgroup

253345 Unique Reference Number 11 October 2006 Inspection date Melanie Arnold Inspector

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Playgroup

Wesley Rooms High Street, Collingham, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG23 7NG

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E-mail

Collingham & District Pre-school Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of 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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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?

Collingham District Pre-School is committee run and has been open for over 40 years. It operates from a church hall in the centre of the village. The group has access to a large play room, kitchen and toilets. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open five mornings from 09.00 until 11.50 and on Friday afternoons from 12.45 until 15.15, during term times only. All children share access to an enclosed outside play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 54 children aged from two and three quarters to five years on roll. Of these, 29 children receive funding for early education. on roll, this includes 29 children receiving funding for early education. Children come form the surrounding villages to attend the pre-school. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and or disabilities and a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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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 The pre-school employs six staff to work with the children. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's growth and development is effectively promoted because the setting promotes healthy eating through providing a balanced range of snacks. Children enjoy and benefit because different fruits are provided at each snack time. Drinks of water or milk, also contribute to keeping children healthy and developing strong bones and teeth. Children sit at the table in small groups with a member of staff to have their snack. They come to the table when called, identify their name and sit down ready to choose what they would like. This helps to promote children's good social skills and manners. As children sit and chat to their peers in smaller, intimate groups this provides good opportunities for less confident children to communicate and become used to functioning in a large group. Children have independent access to fresh drinking water, ensuring they can obtain drinks should they become thirsty.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health and well-being is effectively promoted because the setting has good cleaning routines in place to maintain a clean environment. Clear procedures are in place to help protect children from illness, with poorly children excluded from the setting until they have recovered. Children are learning good hygiene practices as part of the daily routine. For example, children independently wash their hands after activities and before snack. Their understanding of health issues, including how exercise affects their bodies is promoted well through discussions and topic work.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are making good progress within the area of physical development. They move with confidence, control and co-ordination. For example, children confidently complete the different actions to a song and are able to stop with ease at the appropriate place, showing good skill and control. Children enjoy playing outside with a good range of resources, which are changed each day to provide children with greater variety and choice to help promote their all round physical development. They skilfully pedal bikes, run around, throw balls in to nets, kick different size balls and balance on the balancing equipment. As children play outside, they show a good awareness of space as negotiate around their peers. They also access a large climbing frame during the course of each term, enabling them to practise their skills of climbing over, under and through. Children's fine motor skills are developing well as they handle tools, objects,

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Helping children to be healthy

construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control. For example, older children can use scissors and skilfully cut round objects, all children are beginning to hold their pencils correctly when drawing, they build towers out of bricks and use rolling pins and cutters when playing with the play dough. This results in children progressing well.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's needs are fully met because space is used well. Children arrive happily and are greeted at the door each morning by a member of staff. A wide range of toys and resources are well

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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 laid out around the room, creating an accessible, stimulating environment, which is instantly appealing to children. All of these practises contribute to creating a warm and welcoming environment, where children play and develop.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is effectively maintained because the setting has good procedures in place to identify and minimise potential hazards. For example, clear risk assessments are completed each year and daily checks are completed to showing how staff check the premises each day to ensure its suitability. Children are released in to authorised people's care, with good systems in place to ensure staff are made aware if someone else will be collecting the child from the setting. This helps to protect children from harm. Staff are deployed well inside, which enables them to clearly supervise children, helping to prevent accidental injury. However, deployment of staff when children play outside is not always so effective to fully ensure children's well-being is not compromised. Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded because the settings detailed child protection policy is fully understood by staff. This results in staff being well aware of their

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

roles and responsibilities to protect children within their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are settled and happy. They arrive with confidence and are eager to play with the good range of toys and resources set out around the room. The good organisation of resources makes them easily accessible and encourages children to choose and explore. Children complete an interesting range of activities and are provided with a good range of play experiences to develop their skills. The setting is referring to the 'Birth to three matters' framework and they are beginning to link this to their planning to ensure younger children are fully supported. Children can attend the setting up to three months before their third birthday, with staff mainly using this time to help children settle and to assess their abilities. This provides children with confidence and sets the foundations for them to begin positive learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a clear understanding of the Foundation Stage, which enables children to make good progress in each area of learning. Although further accessibility of information communication technology resources and regular planned activities relating to other cultures and religions will help to further enhance children's learning in knowledge and understanding of the world. Children thrive in the well set up, stimulating environment, which helps to enrich children's learning by providing them with good first hand experiences to build on their natural curiosity as learners. For example, the topic table provides children with access to, and opportunities to explore resources and materials associated with the current topic. Interesting, intriguing play experiences, like providing children with access to real life tools and a wood bench, results in them being actively engaged in activities, while

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

maintaining their concentration for increasing periods of time. Planning is in place, which shows how children receive a broad and balanced curriculum. Although planning is basic, staff have a skilful and knowledgeable approach, which enables children to progress well. Children are well stimulated because staff ask good questions during play, which encourages them to think and learn. Assessments are in place, which are used to chart children's progress and development towards the early learning goals. During monthly meetings staff look through children's

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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 records and use them to inform future planning. Staff know children well, which helps them to support and challenge children within their key worker groups. However, planning does not fully identify which children require more challenge or how this can be achieved. This results in some instance where more able children are not fully challenged consistently, by all staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are interested and motivated to learn. They are confident in their surroundings and fully engage in the wide range of activities on offer. Children are aware of their own needs and they show their emotions during play. For example, children request their need for the toilet, ask for the drink they require at snack time and show enthusiasm and enjoyment in play. Children have developed positive relationships with staff and they socialise well with their friends. They communicate and interact confidently, answering questions in group discussions and chat to their friends in play. Children enjoy reading books independently, as well as listening to stories read aloud. They show a good understanding of how to handle books correctly as they turn the pages one by one and read them from beginning to end. Children enjoy accessing a good range of writing materials, which enables them to practise writing for a variety of reasons.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

For example, children independently select pencils and paper out of a storage unit and begin tracing over their names or writing independently, with some children forming clearly recognisable letters. They also show a good use of imagination as they use note books and pencils to 'write' down what people would like to eat in the home corner area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's understanding of number is well promoted during daily activities, like singing number rhymes. Staff also use visual aids during singing to help promote children's understanding of numerals and simple calculations. For example, children identify the numbers from 1 to 5, which are printed on to tabards. Children then wear the tabards and are encouraged to arrange the numbers in to the correct sequence. All children join in a decreasing number rhyme song, with children taking turns to sit down one by one. Each time a child sits down staff ask children how many are left now. Children confidently count the correct number. This helps to promote children's understanding of numbers and simple calculations in a fun way. Children have great fun exploring and investigating objects and resources. Their understanding of caring for living things is well promoted thorough topic work and hands on activities. For example, children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

have fun planting acorns and conkers and through discussions they show a good understanding what these plants will need to help them grow. Children's design and making skills are progressing well. They build and construct with a clear purpose in mind as they use the large wooden blocks to create bridges and road ways for their cars to travel over or on.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children freely explore different media and materials. They express themselves in art and design as painting resources are freely available to them. A good range of different craft activities are set up to enable children to explore different textures. For example, children enjoy playing with things like wood shavings, gloop and pasta, which introduces them to different textures. They have fun creating collages using a range of different resources, again allowing children to freely express themselves. Children enjoy participating in different musical activities, from singing to playing musical instruments. They sing songs from memory and confidently join in with actions when doing actions rhymes. Children use their imagination well during play. For example, children have fun in the home corner where they role play and enjoy pretending to make meals for people using the play dough, cups and plates.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs are effectively met because a key worker system is used, which enables staff to get to know children well. Continuity of care is effectively maintained because a consistent staff team work with the children. Children with learning difficulties, disabilities or English as an additional language receive good support to meet their individual needs are fully included in all activities. The setting has a special educational needs co-ordinator who provides children and staff with the support and help they need to ensure children are making progress. Children with English as an additional language are settled and confident because staff ask for additional guidance from outside agencies and they use verbal and non-verbal communication to help children to understand and learn.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's understanding of the wider world is promoted well through some planned topics and because children access a good range of toys and resources reflecting positive images of diversity. The also enjoy learning about their local community through outings to the local area and people of interest being invited in to the setting. For example, children go on trips to the local fire station, the shops and the residential home where they sing to the residents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is good because staff act as good role models and they use a positive approach to encourage children's good behaviour. Praise and encouragement is regularly provided to help promote children's self-esteem and self-confidence. Children are beginning to learn right from wrong as staff discuss their behaviour with them and encourage children to apologise for any inappropriate behaviour. Children are settled, happy and they show enthusiasm to get involved in play. They are provided with interesting, varied play experiences, which promotes their awe and wonder. Children are learning to take turns and share in group situations, forming good relationships with their peers and the staff. This results in children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development being fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Children greatly benefit because staff work well with parents. Parents receive good information on the setting, including information on the Foundation Stage curriculum, in a leaflet and an informative brochure, which contains more detailed information. Staff communicate effectively with parents to ensure they feel welcome when they drop their children off in the morning and to ensure they feel informed how their children have been when they collect them. Parents are kept up to date with current information, including topics their children are covering, through information displayed in the entrance and in regular newsletters. Staff have systems in place so parents can discuss their children's progress and development records at times which are convenient to them. Parents and carers are actively encouraged to regularly come in to the setting and help out as parent helpers. This contributes

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Helping children make a positive contribution

to forming positive relationships with parents and carers and enables them to see first hand how their children are learning and progressing.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's development and learning is effectively promoted because the environment is well organised to provide children with free access to a wide range of interesting, stimulating play

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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 experiences. Clear recruitment and induction procedures are in place to ensure children's welfare is protected. Children effectively benefit because they are well cared for by a consistent staff team, who have been employed at the setting for a number of years. Staff have appropriate qualifications and experience and they continually update their knowledge and skills through attending regular training courses. This results in children receiving a good standard of care. Children's welfare, development, care and learning are fully promoted detailed policies and procedures are in place and implemented well by staff. Records are thoroughly completed and stored with regard to maintaining confidentiality, helping to fully safeguard children's welfare.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of nursery education are good. The manager, committee and staff all work effectively together as a team to promote positive outcomes for children. Good communication channels are in place, with regular staff and committee meetings held, to ensure good information is passed on. The setting has a pro-active approach and is beginning to implement a continuous monitoring system to help monitor and evaluate the provision of nursery education. This will ensure strengths and weaknesses are fully identified, maintained and improved where necessary, to the benefit of children. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting agreed to implement a written procedure to be followed in the event of a lost child and to ensure medication records are signed by parents. A clear, written policy is in place relating to procedures to follow for a lost child. This contributes to keeping children safe. Medication records are signed by parents appropriately, which helps to ensure children's health is promoted.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the setting agreed to, link assessments to children's development more clearly, relating it to the early learning goals and to plan activities to provide children with opportunities to freely express themselves and use imagination in art, design and music. Improvements have been made regarding both of these areas. A new assessment system is in place which shows how children are making progress towards all of the early learning goals. Children use their imagination well and are free to express themselves in art, design and music. This contributes to children making good progress in all areas of learning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 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.

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Complaints 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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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 the deployment of staff is fully effective when children are playing outside

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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 planning is clear and identifies how more able children will be sufficiently challenged • ensure children have more regular access to a range of information communication technology equipment and make sure activities relating to different cultures and beliefs are regularly included in planning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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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