Jack & Jill Pre-School (Stannington)

Jack and Jill Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

300849 Unique Reference Number 11 June 2007 Inspection date Yvonne Victoria Facey Inspector

p.1

Church Hall,School Lane, Stannington, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S6 6DD

p.1

E-mail

Jack and Jill Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Jack and Jill Pre-School was first registered in October 1973. The pre-school operates from the church hall in the Stannington area of Sheffield. A playroom and an additional room are used. There are also outdoor play facilities.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school is registered to care for 23 children. There are currently 36 children on roll aged from two years to five years. This includes 30 children receiving nursery education funding. The group cares for children with learning difficulties and disabilities. The pre-school opens every morning, Monday to Friday between 09.15 to 11.45. There are afternoon sessions Monday and Tuesday until 15.15. The pre-school operates during school term times only.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are eight members of staff employed and three have an early years qualification. Two members of staff are working towards a qualification. The group receives support from the Early Years Development Childcare Partnership.

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children's health is supported appropriately by staff who have a suitable knowledge of health and hygiene procedures. There is a clear sickness policy which is shared well with parents in the welcome booklet and the notice board. This ensures children who have an infectious disease do not attend and as a result they are suitably protected. There are suitable systems for recording accidents and medication administered to children. Staff hold current first aid certificates, ensuring that their knowledge is up to date to in order to provide appropriate care to injured children.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children have some understanding about the risk of infection. For example, they know they need to wash their hands before snack and after painting. However, all children wash their hands in the same bowl of water and after messy play they use the same towel for drying their hands. This does not prevent the risk of spreading infection. Children enjoy daily periods of outdoor play. They participate in a range of outdoor activities where they can develop a sense of space. For example, they can manoeuvre bikes around obstacles and are able to stop and start appropriately. Children are developing good coordination, and resources such as scissors, pencils and puzzles help to promote their fine physical skills.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Staff are aware of children’s individual dietary needs and plan snacks accordingly. Children are provided with suitable snacks, including fresh fruit, milk and water to drink, which they pour themselves. This encourages them to eat a healthy diet.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from playing in a spacious and secure environment. This allows them to move around freely and safely both inside and outdoors. The setting is mainly safe with some good safety measures, such as the outer door is locked and a buzzer is used to gain entry. There are appropriate procedures in place to ensure children depart with appropriate adults. Visitors are monitored when on the premises and children cannot leave the premises unsupervised. Children are carefully supervised and there is an appropriate procedure to follow in the event of a child being lost or not collected. Risk assessments are conducted on a regular basis and adequate security arrangements are in place. The children practise fire drills on a regular basis and adequate recording of practices are up to date. This helps children to become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A sufficient range of age-appropriate toys, furniture and resources is presented on the floor and table tops to encourage children to independently access them. Children's welfare is safeguarded in the group because staff understand their role in child protection. A clear policy is in place which includes procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse being made against a member of staff or a volunteer. The policy is supported by the local authority guidelines for safeguarding children and some members of staff have recently attended up to date training in child protection.

p.3

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

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy their time at the playgroup; they are happy and settled within the setting. They arrive talking happily about events from home and are excited to see each other. Children are interested and eager to become involved in the broad and appropriate range of activities provided. Staff generally interact well with children and ask questions that help them to think and express their ideas in their own way. This helps to promote their language development. Although staff are familiar with the curriculum for children over three years, they are not yet using the 'Birth to three matters' framework to plan for younger children, and the assessments of children's progress are not appropriately based on their developmental needs.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals as staff have some knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Children are provided with a sufficient range of activities in each of the areas of learning. Staff have a reasonable understanding of the different ways children learn as activities are set up so that children can play in small groups and alone. They generally support children's learning though asking questions that encourage them to think and respond. Staff use observation and assessment to plan children's next steps in learning but this is not always seen to be effective to extend individual children's learning by building on what they can. Some activities are very adult-led, with adults putting too much emphasis on the end product. Children do have some opportunities to select play equipment in order to make choices for their own

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

learning experiences, although the planning of activities sometimes misses opportunities for children to be fully engaged in a full curriculum. For example, singing and music activities are not always available. Children do respond in a positive manner and are eager to adopt new skills and ideas.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are forming friendships with their peers and approach adults when they need any support. They are beginning to work well together and are able to cooperate and take turns during activities. Most children's language is developing well. Older children confidently talk about their likes and experiences with adults and their peers. They access books freely, are aware that print carries meaning and are able to sound letters. Children suitably recall events and experiences, talking about home freely and telling staff about their holidays and their families. Children spontaneously use number names and mathematical language in their play. They enjoy counting as they play and show suitable awareness of the order of numbers. For example, children count up to eight as they count the legs on a spider and an older child counts the 11 balloons she has drawn. Children enjoy the imaginative play when they play in the

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

hairdressers. For example, they pretend to put perfume and lipstick on and put curlers in each other's hair and pass the mirror to have a look at their new hairstyles.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They have some opportunities to investigate and explore with the mixing of different coloured paints and use information and communication technology equipment such as the computer and telephones. They enjoy creative activities but there are few opportunities for children to be spontaneous and freely express their creative skills. For example, most of the creative activities they are involved in have a specific outcome that they have to achieve and an adult is usually at the craft area directing them. Children show a good interest in living things and how to care for them. They eagerly look for insects when playing outside and ask questions about where insects live and what they eat.

p.4

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 The children's physical development is encouraged because they are provided with appropriate outdoor activities on a daily basis, although this is an area the pre-school are developing to provide children with a wider range of experiences. Suitable activities provide children with the chance to balance, climb and pedal bikes. They confidently use tools, such as pencils and paintbrushes, to create recognisable pictures. Children are encouraged to practise their writing skills as they attempt to write their names on the drawings. Some of the older and more able children have good pencil control and can accurately form the letters of their names. They are encouraged to write for different purposes as they are provided with pencils in the role play area.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are learning to acknowledge and respect differences and they are provided with a satisfactory range of toys reflecting positive images of race, culture and gender, and staff encourage all children to participate in a range of activities. Appropriate procedures are in place for the identification and assessment of children with learning difficulties or disabilities. They are well supported, with close links with other agencies, parents and staff to meet their individual needs. Children generally behave well and staff are consistent in their approach to managing behaviour, which helps children to understand right from wrong. There is a clear behaviour management policy in place and staff use positive methods for managing children's behaviour. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents are welcomed into the pre-school by friendly staff who take the time to talk to them about their children. However, parents are not effectively informed about their child's progress in the setting and there are few opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning. This means that staff and parents do not work together to plan for the child's next steps in learning. Parents receive some satisfactory information about the Foundation Stage and the educational programme within the nursery. The setting's policies and procedures are accessible to them.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The playgroup is reasonably well organised, with all members of staff working in the provision for a number of years. This provides children and their parents with familiarity and stability and parents voice their appreciation of this fact. A record of children's and staff attendance is maintained. However, it does not include the actual times of children's daily attendance. Staff are suitably deployed to meet the required adult to child ratios, which ensures that children are well supported as they play. The group have an adequate understanding of the National Standards to ensure most regulations are suitably met. However, the complaints procedure is not up to date and consequently parents are not fully informed of what they should do if they have a complaint. This is a breach of regulation.

p.5

Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education are satisfactory. Staff meetings are held to evaluate the setting's provision for the care and education of the children. The managers aim to support and monitor the quality of teaching to ensure the children receive a broad and balanced curriculum. However, this is not effective and gaps in the assessment and planning system mean that staff are not consistently making a full assessment about the next steps in

p.5

Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 children's learning. The staff have an adequate knowledge of the Foundation Stage to enable them to help most funded children to make steady progress.

p.5

Organisation

Overall, the provision does not meet the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

The last inspection recommended that the pre-school review their policies and procedures. The pre-school have reviewed the child protection policy which includes relevant details. They have developed snack times where children are able to choose and help themselves.

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery education inspection recommended that the pre-school develop the area of maths and problem solving. They continue to develop this area and staff have attended some training to use maths in everyday experiences.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

Concerns were raised under National Standard 14 regarding changes in circumstances not being reported to Ofsted. A visit was made by a childcare inspector to the provision to discuss the concerns. Appropriate actions were agreed to meet the National Standard. Ofsted are satisfied that the provider remains qualified for registration.

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • review the complaints policy to provide up to date information for parents and improve the procedures to be followed for recording and investigating complaints in line with the National Standards These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

p.6

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): • extend children's creative activities to enable them to freely express themselves and develop outdoor play experiences

p.6

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 • review the curriculum planning, assessment and observation records to clearly identify children's next steps in learning and their progress in the six areas of learning • provide opportunities for children to develop their skills and interest in music • improve the partnership with parents with consideration to involving them in their children's learning.

p.6

The quality and standards of the nursery education

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

p.7

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

p.7