Brockholes Pre-School

Brockholes Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Brockholes Pre-School

311320 Unique Reference Number 20 November 2006 Inspection date Ann Law Inspector

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Brockholes Pre-School

C/O Brockholes (ECC) School, Brockholes Lane, Brockholes, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD9 7EB

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E-mail

Brockholes 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?

Brockholes Pre-School is a voluntary organisation managed by a committee of parents. It opened in 1976 and operates from a portable building in the grounds of Brockholes Junior and Infant School, in the village of Brockholes, near Holmfirth. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09.00 to 11.30 and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12.45 to 15.15 in term time only. There is the option of a lunch club on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 37 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 21 children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties. The pre-school employs six members of staff who work with the children. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a very clean and hygienically maintained environment. Staff give good levels of support and guidance in encouraging children to gain a secure understanding of health and hygiene. They actively encourage children to think for themselves and to make decisions regarding their personal care. For example, staff ask the question, 'what is the weather like, do you need your coat on to play out?' Children have a clear understanding of the setting's routines for hand washing after using the toilet and before snack. Accessible toilet and sink facilities ensure that all children can become increasingly independent in their personal care.

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Helping children to be healthy

A good variety of healthy snacks are offered to the children, including fresh fruit. The fruit is attractively presented for the children; it is chopped into small pieces and served in individual bun cases. As a result, the children are encouraged to try new fruits and develop healthy eating habits. Children attend the pre-school who have food allergies and intolerances and staff remain vigilant ensuring that the children's health is continually safeguarded at snack time.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy very good levels of physical activity which contribute to their good health and physical development. For example, there is free-flow access to the outdoor area for children to take part in physical play when they want to. This promotes a positive attitude to exercise. Children have access to a variety of large equipment to develop their gross motor skills, such as a slide, climbing frame and tricycles. They successfully pedal tricycles around the area, negotiating space well and they are able to stop before running into their friends.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a welcoming, newly refurbished environment where health and safety policies are fully implemented by all staff. They have safe and independent access to a wide range of good quality age-appropriate toys, furniture and resources, which are easily accessible for safe self-selection. Many safety measures are in place, such as radiator guards, plug socket covers and safety gates. As a result, children are able to move around safely, freely and independently and this encourages them to initiate their own play and learning.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff strategically position themselves around the setting to ensure that children are constantly supervised for safety, without hindering their development. All fire safety precautions are in place and children are learning about emergency evacuations because they are regularly practised and recorded to highlight any potential problems. Children are kept very safe on outings because staff take excellent measures to protect them, such as undertaking thorough written risk assessments prior to visits, ensuring that safety rules are discussed with children so they are aware of them and the children wear high visibility jackets to ensure they are easily identified.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is effectively promoted in the pre-school. The majority of the staff hold a first aid qualification and all the required procedures and documentation for child protection

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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 are in place to ensure that children's welfare is safeguarded. Accidents are well managed and the records are shared with parents to facilitate continuity of care for children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled in the pre-school because they are cared for by a consistent staff team who are sensitive to their needs and help them to feel at ease in the setting. Children who are upset when their parents leave are comforted and skilfully distracted by staff who talk to them about the routine of the morning to enable the child to understand what will happen before mummy comes back to collect him. The child visibly relaxes when he is reminded of the familiar routine and is able to enjoy and achieve because of the sympathetic intervention. Younger children respond imaginatively in the pre-school and enjoy playing with real items. Telephones and carpet sweepers provide them with a link with home and allow them to imitate home life. Children enjoy having 'conversations' in the home corner on the telephone and use the carpet sweeper to sweep all of the carpet in the setting, imitating what adults do. Children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

eagerly take part in story time and delight in joining in with the story which is enthusiastically animated by staff. As a result, children are becoming skilful communicators. Although staff have started to implement the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework and have added aspects to the planning, they have a limited awareness of how to use the framework to assess the learning of children under three years.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of the teaching and learning is good. Staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage and of how children are individual learners. They work closely with parents to identify children's interests and next steps in development and are starting to use this information to inform the planning for children's future learning. As a result, the planning systems are secure and are based on children's individual interests. The written plans cover the six areas of learning; they include the learning intentions for activities and there is a system in place to ensure that all stepping stones will be covered sufficiently over time. This ensures that children will be offered a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff complete written observations of children and they collect examples of artwork and photographs as evidence of children's progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are very confident when entering the setting and take part in the self-registration recognising their own name cards to label their drinks. They settle quickly into the familiar and trusted routine of the pre-school, displaying motivation and engagement as they independently select and take part in self-chosen activities. Although there are many opportunities for children to write for a purpose by the strategic positioning of paper and pens in areas of play, such as the home corner, children experience frustration at the mark making table with the blunt pencil crayons as they try to draw and write. Children demonstrate a love of stories and enjoy sharing books, both with staff and with their friends. They enjoy joining in with the repeated refrain of 'Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy'. Staff skilfully use story time to extend children's mathematical development by posing questions relating to the number and size of the three

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

bears' bowls, chairs and beds. However, the insufficient use of numerals in the setting does

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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 not encourage children to show curiosity about numbers and experience them in context in play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are many resources in the setting for children to show an interest in information and communication technology, such as calculators, interactive globes and an electronic keyboard. Children express great delight in informing staff about a significant personal event, such as when it is their birthday. They display a sense of pride as everyone sings 'Happy Birthday' to them and sweets are handed out to their friends in celebration. Children are adept in using construction resources to build a train track, connecting pieces together to complete a circle to drive their trains around. Children enjoy exploring media and materials in free-play. They independently access paint, water, sand, play dough and a variety of leaves, wood and fir cones, developing their hand to eye coordination and their senses through what they feel and see. Children deftly use scissors to cut out bat shapes and use glue to stick on wool, paper and pipe

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

cleaners to individually decorate their bat puppets. A musician regularly visits the pre-school and leads the children in fun music sessions where they sing their favourite songs and learn new ones, building a repertoire of songs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children enjoy many outings into their local community to observe where they live, for example, a walk around the village observing the train station, the churches and the school. Staff promote a love of the outdoors and nature to the children when they take them on a 'bat hunt' to search for roosting bats in a tunnel and when they recently planted their own pear tree in the school orchard. Children are becoming aware of the wider world because staff provide children with positive images of diversity and plan activities which encompass a variety of celebrations, including Diwali and Christmas, whilst respecting the beliefs of children from other faiths, such as Jehovah's Witnesses. However, there are limited positive images of disability in the setting.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties attend the pre-school and staff have a very good understanding of the importance of inclusion and work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that children who have individual education plans in place are cared for in accordance with their plans. Relationships between the children are good and they are learning responsible behaviour because staff give adult support to help children to share resources, such as torches on the bat hunt. Staff are very attentive and responsive to children and, as a result, children do not need to display unacceptable behaviour to gain their attention. Consequently, the behaviour in the pre-school is very good. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are provided with a variety of good information regarding the provision, for example, a prospectus, notice boards and newsletters to keep parents up to date. Parents have access to the pre-school complaints procedure, however, the pre-school are not fully aware of what they need to record if a parent makes a complaint. Parents are regularly consulted regarding their child's current interests and staff and parents complete an 'Agreed Statement of Achievement' agreeing the child's next steps in their development. Informative files are maintained for each child charting their progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and parents' evenings are held

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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 where parents can visit the setting and chat to staff at their leisure. These measures ensure that parents are fully involved in their child's learning, promoting effective relationships with parents by recognising them as the primary carer.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The pre-school is very well organised and all of the legally required documentation is in place. The majority of the staff team have worked in the pre-school for many years and this allows both children and their parents to experience a sense of familiarity and security from the stability provided. The management committee meet regularly to support the staff in the running of the group and undertake one to one meetings and appraisals to monitor the effectiveness of the staff and identify any training needs.

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Organisation

Very good links are held with the school. Staff regularly meet with the reception class teacher and plan similar activities, such as drawing a self-portrait, so that when children move on to school the familiarity of the projects helps to ease the transition process and promotes their emotional well-being. The recent refurbishment was undertaken with consultation with the school and similar furniture was purchased to also assist children's transition to school.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The pre-school are very pro-active in identifying areas for development and recently sent a questionnaire out for parents. Whilst the majority of the comments were extremely favourable, some parents commented on the lack of information provided regarding the educational provision. The pre-school have responded well to these comments by organising a display board with good information regarding ‘Birth to three matters’ and the Foundation Stage. Information regarding the educational provision is also now included in the pre-school prospectus. This evidences their commitment to continually improve the service that they provide.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the pre-school was asked to improve a number of policies. Additions have been made to the child protection, complaints and behaviour management policies which means that they are now fully compliant with the requirements of the National Standards and provide staff and parents with the necessary information. They were also asked to improve their system of registration for children, staff and visitors and their system for the induction of new staff. These have successfully been developed and clear records are now maintained contributing to the effective organisation of the group.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the pre-school were asked to make improvements to the areas of creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children now have greater access to musical instruments and to resources for information and communication technology (ICT). This has improved their opportunities to show an interest in the way musical instruments sound and to show an interest in ICT and learn how to operate simple equipment. The pre-school were also asked to encourage parents to contribute

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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 information regarding their child's development and to develop their short term planning. New systems have recently been put in place where parents have the opportunity to share information on a more formal basis with staff. This system, when successfully embedded, will be used to develop the short term plans ensuring that the planning meets the needs of the children who attend the pre-school.

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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

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): • extend the use of the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework to inform younger children's observations and to plan for their next steps in their play and learning • develop the systems for the recording of complaints to ensure that all the required elements will be recorded.

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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): • continue to develop the system for agreeing statements of achievements with parents and use this information to inform the planning for the children's next steps in learning.

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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

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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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