Small Saints Pre-school

Holiday Play

Inspection report for early years provision

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Holiday Play

253758 Unique Reference Number 18 October 2006 Inspection date Marianne Gascoyne Inspector

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Holiday Play

The Chase, High Street, Holbeach, Lincs, PE12 7ED Setting Address

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E-mail

Small Saints Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day 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?

Small Saints is a committee run provision which is also a registered charity. It opened in 1985 and operates from three classrooms in the former infant school in Holbeach. There is a large, secure outdoor play area and environmental area. A maximum of 78 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The setting is open from 08.30 to 18.00 for 50 weeks of the year. Pre-school is open daily from 09.00 to 11.30 and from 12.30 to 15.00. Children are also able to attend for the full day. A maximum of 32 children may attend Kid Zone, the after school club which is open from 15.00 to 18.00 during term time. A maximum of 48 children may attend the play scheme which operates from 08.00 to 18.00 during school holidays.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 121 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these 71 receive funding for early education. A varying number of children aged from five to under eight years are on roll at any one time. Children over the age of eight years also attend the after school

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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 and holiday clubs. Children come from the local and surrounding rural area. The setting currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports a small number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting employs 21 members of staff who work on a full or part-time basis directly with the children. Of these, 20 hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two administrators are also employed.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's good health is promoted because the setting has effective systems in place to maintain the premises and equipment in a clean and hygienic condition on a daily basis. Children throughout the setting take responsibility for meeting their own personal hygiene needs as they are easily able to access the toilets and hand washing facilities to practise their independence skills. Activities are planned, based on a story, to develop children's understanding of the need to wash their hands and younger children are reminded of the need for good hygiene practices through the daily routine. Clear nappy changing procedures reduce the risk of cross infection. A detailed health and safety policy is in place which is followed by staff to ensure good hygiene practices. The policy with regard to sick children reduces the risk of cross infection and children are able to rest and relax on comfortable settees in the out-of-school

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Helping children to be healthy

club room while waiting for parents to collect them. Floor cushions in the book corners enable children to fulfil their own needs with regard to rest and relaxation.

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Helping children to be healthy

A high proportion of staff have undertaken first aid training to ensure children's well-being in the event of an accident and clear, confidential records are maintained. Effective procedures for the administration and recording of medicines are in place and staff have undertaken training to enable them to give emergency medication if necessary to safeguard children. Details of any allergies are obtained on registration and known by staff to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy nutritious snacks of dried or fresh fruit to help develop their understanding of a healthy diet. They learn about growing healthy food as they grow vegetables in the vegetable garden or tubs which they enjoy. This understanding is not reinforced at lunchtime when children eat a variety of foods directly from their lunchboxes. Children have access to fresh drinking water at all times and snacks are available for a major part of the morning to enable them to take responsibility for their own need for refreshment. Children attending the after school club are well nourished by freshly made sandwiches followed by fruit and enjoy carrots they have dug from the garden.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have access to the outdoor area whenever possible and this helps develop a positive attitude to fresh air and exercise. A wide variety of physical play activities are planned to develop skills and provide children with the necessary exercise. When the weather is not suitable for

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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 outdoor play, a climbing frame is made available indoors to enable them to practise their physical skills. The after school club enjoys games of football on the grass area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. All the rooms are attractively laid out prior to the children's arrival. Interesting activities and colourful wall displays in the hallway and playrooms create a welcoming environment and children are eager to attend. Two of the three rooms enable children to move spontaneously between the indoor and outdoor environment and the outdoor area is used to good effect in fine weather. Children have access to a comprehensive range of toys and equipment which provide sufficient choice and successfully promote their development. Brightly coloured tables and chairs enables children to sit and play or eat in comfort. Children attending the after school club are able to relax on large settees in their designated room or use the play room for imaginative play or creative activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Good security measures and the vigilance of staff enable children to play in a safe, secure environment. Any hazards are identified immediately and action taken to minimise the risk to children. They layout of the rooms allows children to move safely and freely between equipment. Recently installed safety surface on much of the outside area reduces the risk of injury when playing with outdoor equipment. Children are supervised adequately and fencing around the environmental area ensures children are only able to explore this area under staff supervision. Children are kept safe in an emergency because fire drills are clear, practised regularly and staff are aware of their responsibilities. Children's welfare is safeguarded when going on outings by consent obtained from parents and information and equipment taken by the staff who accompany them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children attending Kid Zone learn about road safety procedures as they walk to and from school. Planned activities help children learn to keep themselves safe by being taught basic information such as name and address and use of a phone in an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well safeguarded by the sound knowledge of staff and understanding of their role in protecting children. Parents are made aware of the setting's responsibility through the child protection policy and clear procedures are in place for the referral of any concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are all very happy in the day nursery, pre-school and after school club. Staff are starting to use the 'Birth to three matters' framework with children aged under three who are very confident and communicate effectively with the adults and each other. They are very interested in the activities on offer and eagerly play with the developmentally appropriate toys and enjoy using paint, water, play dough and glue in their play. They use their imagination to look after their 'babies' or dress-up in a variety of good quality dressing-up clothes. They join in with conversations with the adults, for example, recalling memories of a worm found in the garden.

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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 benefit from warm relationships with the caring adults who sit at the children's level and encourage and develop their play. Children are keen to involve them in their play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children in the after school club enjoy taking part in appropriate activities being able to choose to play indoors or out. They help plan the activities and enjoy helping the younger children become involved. Warm relationships are in place with the adults. They are confident and secure and eager to share experiences from school, benefiting from their time in the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff work very well together and plan activities based on a theme, currently Divali, which develop children's knowledge and, together with the continuous provision, provide for all areas of learning. Children are very well motivated, concentrate for long periods at activities of their choice and are provided with challenges by the activities provided. The rooms are set up by staff prior to children's arrival and children have access to a good range of appropriate toys and activities. However, children are not able to easily identify the contents of the storage units and are not encouraged to choose from a range of equipment and materials, not immediately accessible to them, to help develop their decision making skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and use observations and children's assessments to identify children's interests and plan for their learning. Plans ensure activities provide for children's differing abilities and identify the vocabulary to be encouraged. They effectively use discussion, demonstration and questioning to help children learn. Children are well behaved and productively occupied throughout the day. They respond to the kind, caring role models provided by staff and involve them in their play and learning. Children get on well and enjoy playing imaginatively together, for example, a child makes a decision to go on a picnic, collects together the food and tablecloth and several other children join him for a picnic sitting around the cloth and chatting together. A child 'drives' the play box while another carries out 'repairs'. Children willingly help tidy away the toys to go outside or for group time at the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

end of the morning. They sit and attentively listen at group time as activities available are described to them at the start of the day. At the end of the session they are encouraged to recall what they have learnt with the use of visual aids, for example, the reason for lamps and pattern making at Divali, encouraging their thinking skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident communicators, sharing information with members of staff and talking to each other particularly during imaginary play. There are many opportunities for children to mark make in the shallow sand tray, chalk boards or with pencil and paper. They enjoy recognising rhymes as they listen to a poem and join in with action songs enthusiastically. They handle books with care. Children concentrate for long periods completing shape puzzles and are starting to count with confidence as they work out the number of children and adults present at registration. Children learn about change as they collect conkers and other items for the nature table and staff use opportunities provided by the environmental area to develop their understanding. They are confident in using the computer operating the mouse to follow instructions as they play games, for example, to help their understanding of numbers. Their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

imagination is encouraged in the role play areas. Children's self-esteem is enhanced as their creative work is valued by use in displays.

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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 outstanding. Children are confident and secure in the care of staff who enjoy their role and have a high regard for the children in their care. The sympathetic settling-in policy helps children cope with separation well and feel happy in the setting. The need of younger children for comforters from home are recognised and children are given time to learn to cope without them. Children have a strong sense of belonging assisted by photographs used, together with children's own art work, in the exceptional displays. Their self-esteem is enhanced because children are valued and this is evident by the displays of children's own creative work. Children are being helped to understand their own and the feelings of others through displays which depict opposites such as happy and sad. A three year old looks at a picture of clowns, points to one and says 'he's sad'. Access to activities ensure children enjoy equality of opportunity and planned

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Helping children make a positive contribution

activities help develop their understanding of their own and other cultures. The setting is accomplished in obtaining resources to help children with English as an additional language gain a sense of belonging and develop their understanding of the English language. Good quality books and other resources help children develop a positive attitude towards differences in people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The premises are suitable for people with disabilities and the setting is proactive in caring for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The group is committed to supporting all children and works closely with parents and other professionals to meet their needs. Staff are skilful at ensuring every child is fully included and assisted in their development and learning. Children are helped to reach their full potential because the experienced staff team are quick to recognise any developmental delay and help children to make progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children respond to the clear guidelines and positive role models provided by staff who are calm and polite. They are well behaved and enjoy playing together. The positively worded behaviour management policy is shared with parents and the need to use different strategies suited to children's developmental stage is recognised. Children in the after school club have written their own set of simple rules and designed a poster to display the rules as a reminder to all the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is outstanding. Parents are provided with clear, easily understandable information in the brochure to help them understand the Foundation Stage and areas of learning. Plans are displayed on the notice boards together with information to help them extend children's learning at home. Excellent displays made up of photographs are used to good effect to advise parents of the activities the children have undertaken. Parents know they are able to access their children's assessment records at any time and find staff approachable to talk to informally. They are invited to open evenings every term to formally discuss their children's progress with their key worker. At the end of the year an open day is held on a Saturday for parents whose children are leaving to start school when they are given their children's records. This ensures they are fully aware of their children's

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Helping children make a positive contribution

progress throughout their time in the nursery or pre-school. Parents are asked their opinion of the education provided in a questionnaire and express their satisfaction with many describing it as 'excellent' or 'very good'. They feel able to be fully involved in their children's learning and speak extremely positively about the setting describing it as 'fantastic' and 'brilliant'.

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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 Parents are involved in all aspects of the operation of the setting and are very happy with the care and education their children receive. This partnership benefits their children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are confident and enjoy good relationships with staff and each other. They play harmoniously together and show mutual respect. Planned activities and resources help them to appreciate other cultures and broaden their knowledge. They are currently enjoying the interesting activities planned to celebrate Divali.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. All but one member of staff has an appropriate qualification to work with children and the robust procedures in place for the recruitment of staff ensures they are all suitable to work with children. There are many years of experience within the staff group and children therefore benefit from the knowledge and experience of staff and their commitment to provide effective care and education. The key worker system ensures children's assessments are well maintained and provides consistency for children and parents. The premises are used to good effect to provide appropriate activities for the children and ensure they are able to access an inviting variety of play opportunities. Registers recording children's attendance are held but times of arrival and departure are not all recorded in a way which makes them easily accessible in an emergency or to provide evidence of when all the children arrived and left the premises to

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Organisation

Policies and procedures are effectively implemented to provide positive outcomes for children and give clear guidelines for staff and parents. All the documentation necessary to meet regulation, safeguard children and promote their health and well-being is well maintained and stored confidentially.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. The committee chair and manager work closely together to support staff and ensure the effective operation of the pre-school and after school club. Staff work well together with clear roles and responsibilities. Training needs are identified at annual staff appraisals jointly carried out by the chair and manager, and staff are encouraged to access four training events a year to develop their knowledge and understanding for the benefit of the children. Staff are valued and the committee and manager recognise the contribution made by them as a strength of the setting. The committee is effective in managing funds to constantly improve the provision and have plans in place for future developments. A variety of methods is used to monitor the care and education provided by the setting including a questionnaire asking parents for their response to enable the committee to assess their

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Organisation

satisfaction with the provision. Consequently children are able to make good progress in all areas of their learning within a rich play environment.

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Organisation

Overall the range of children’s needs are met

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider was asked to ensure incidents are recorded in a way which maintains confidentiality. The incident book now provides a confidential record and is stored in a locked filing cabinet to safeguard children. They were asked to prevent access to hazardous materials and children in the after school club are now able to access the kitchen safely.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The education inspection asked the provider to ensure all observations are dated which is now done. The provider was also asked to enhance opportunities for spontaneous, imaginative responses in art, design and music. This particularly related to access by the children to musical instruments and each room now has a box of musical instruments and children are therefore able to access equipment and use them to respond imaginatively.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 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

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): • record times of arrival and departure of the children and staff and ensure registers are easily accessible in an emergency

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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): • label storage units and encourage children to self-select activities and materials to assist their decision making 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 set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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