East Sheen Primary School

Trevorder R.N.Pre School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Trevorder R.N.Pre School

102885 Unique Reference Number 02 November 2006 Inspection date Linda Priest Inspector

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Trevorder R.N.Pre School

Trevorder Close, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 2NS Setting Address

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E-mail

RN Pre-School Learning Organisation 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 satisfactory. 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?

Trevorder Pre-school opened over 20 years ago. It operates from premises on the Royal Naval housing estate in Torpoint which are owned by the Ministry of Defence. The pre-school have use of two large playrooms, secure outdoor play area, toilets, kitchen and store room.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 19 children on roll which includes six funded three year olds. The setting supports children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language, but there are currently none attending.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group is open from 09.30 to 12.15 on Monday, Thursday and Friday and 09.15 to 12 noon and 12.30 to 14.30 on Tuesday and Wednesday during term times. Five members of staff work with the children. One member of staff holds a suitable child care qualification and three others are working towards this.

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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 setting receives support from the local authority and an area co-ordinator for all the Royal Naval pre schools in Plymouth and the surrounding area.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are kept healthy through the use of many good hygiene routines encouraged and promoted by staff such as washing hands and provision of a clean and healthy environment. However, children do not routinely use hot water for hand washing and cannot independently access tissues for blowing noses. Children have regular opportunities for physical exercise, either outdoors or through dance in the hall, although colder weather sometimes limits the full use of the outdoor play area. Children's health is further safeguarded by careful completion of all required documents and permissions to meet their individual medical needs. Children with specific medical needs are well cared for by staff who have received appropriate training such as administration of an Epi-pen.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy some healthy and nutritious snacks including fresh fruit and milk. They have constant access to water throughout the session to keep them well hydrated. Food is pleasantly served on plates to further promote good hygiene and encourage suitable table manners with children. They have learnt about cultural diversity through the enjoyment of different foods, although some of these are higher in salt content and therefore not as healthy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed into a bright and inviting pre school where their colourful work is attractively displayed. They have immediate access to a good range of interesting activities, well set out for children to self select. The room is well organised, for example children have a comfortable and cosy book corner where they snuggle in to read a book with staff. A computers is set up at another end of the room and sand and water play is provided on the washable floor area. Another room is almost ready for children to enjoy some good imaginative play opportunities. There is an interesting range of safe and suitable toys and resources available to support the activities provided for children to enjoy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept safe and secure through good systems in place such as guards around fires, regularly practiced fire drills, written risk assessments, a visitors book and secure exit doors. The outdoor play area is securely fenced to allow children to play safely in the fresh air.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded from harm by staff training and sound knowledge and understanding of 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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children really enjoy their time in the pre school. They happily take part in a good range of interesting, inviting activities that are well planned and laid out to attract children's attention as they arrive. For example, children can play with sand and water, be creative with paint and play dough, comfortably look at or share a book with others and learn how to use the computer and work the mouse. Children are well supported in activities through warm and comfortable relationships with staff who are very adept at encouraging and reinforcing their incidental learning as they play. For example, children count the number of holes in construction blocks as they build a house together, they are encouraged to name colours as they play and challenged to find objects to sink or float in the water tray. Their play is further supported by a good range of safe and suitable toys and resources. However, the setting up of the proposed new imaginative

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

play room limited the toys and resources available in the main room on one day. Children are developing their independence and social skills as they confidently make choices about the activities and resources to play with or share with friends. Young children are forming good relationships with other children. They play along side other children and their play is supported by staff who have a developing knowledge and understanding of the Birth to three matters framework. Children enjoy taking part in suitable physical exercise outdoors in the secure play area or through dancing to music inside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a sound awareness of the Foundation Stage curriculum and key workers are starting to use more focussed assessments and observations to guide their planning of activities for children. The adoption of a county-wide long and medium term planning and assessment process is flexibly interpreted each week for the younger group of children in the setting. As a result children are offered a good range of play opportunities which is helping them to make steady progress in all areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and happily make choices as they play. They listen well to staff and join in enthusiastically at group registration time, sharing past experiences and contributing imaginative ideas and suggestions for current activities. Children are able to recognise their name or picture, depending on their stage of development, when they collect their own name label for snack time. Staff have a good knowledge of each child's understanding and stage of development, for example for copying or independently writing their own name. Children are starting to recognise letters in their name and write for a purpose as they 'take messages' by the play telephone. They enjoy snuggling into a comfortable chair in the book corner to share a story or 'read' a book. Children are developing an interest in numbers as they enthusiastically participate in counting songs. They are encouraged to count or recite numbers together with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff as they play, they confidently name shapes and discuss bigger, smaller, less and more, for example when making shapes with play dough. Children use their imagination when dressing up, playing with small world toys and painting bonfire pictures. They had a wonderful time throwing bits of glittering paper into the air when pretending to be an exploding firework. Their physical development is well supported by outdoor play, and movement to music indoors where they are starting to gain more control of their bodies. Children have ample opportunities to use tools for a purpose, for example when cutting up glittering paper for fireworks or

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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 modelling play dough. They are starting to learn good control of the mouse as they explore the intricacies of the computer.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are fully included in the setting. Their individual needs and preferences are well known and met through suitable discussion and completion of records with parents. Children with specific physical or learning disabilities receive targeted care agreed through parents, staff and specialist services working in partnership together. Children's cultural diversity and an awareness of the wider world is promoted through pictures, books, puzzles and activities such as an outing to the local church and celebration of Divali. Children with additional languages are encouraged to share this with other children. Most children are starting to use some simple signing, for example 'good morning' at registration time. Their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered appropriately.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well in the setting. They are relaxed and very securely settled. They enjoy warm and easy relationships with staff and other children and as a result are learning to care and share with others. Children move confidently around the room, gaining maximum benefit from activities through the comfortable interaction and support from staff. Their positive self esteem is boosted through staff praise, for example when children proudly share their mark making work.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents receive suitable information about the care provided for their children through informal discussion with staff and a pack containing many of the setting's policies. Parents are positive about the care their child receives, feeling children are happy and settled in the pre school. Some parents would like more information about the progress their child is making in the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. Children receive care through a good staff ratio which allows for positive interaction and supervision of children and good support for their care and learning. Staff are good at engaging children in activities and guiding their incidental learning as they play. They work well as a team supporting each other which in turn benefits the support they give to the children. Planning is in place to direct children's daily activities, although this is sometimes flexibly interpreted. Some observations and assessments are being completed for older children and there are plans to include initial assessments of children when they first start in the setting. In this way staff can have a clearer idea of each child's achievements and therefore direct planning more securely to take children forward. The supervisor has a suitable level three qualification in child care and other staff are

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Organisation

currently working towards this. The area co-ordinator offers further external management support and has a very efficiently organised system for ensuring all staff are fully vetted and safe to work with children. Staff have accessed suitable training to support their work with

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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 children, including attendance on courses for the Birth to three matters framework, first aid and child protection. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Most documents are well organised and efficiently completed to guide and support the staff's care of children whilst others lack detail or are not completed appropriately. For example the policy file contains all required policies and individual children's records are well kept. However, some policies do not have sufficient detail or lack full procedural guidance, for example the procedures for child protection and for responding to complaints. The register does not routinely show hours of attendance, including when children arrive late or leave early. Ofsted have not been notified of changes to the setting, such as revised opening times. Policy documents are appropriately shared with parents to inform them of the care provided for their child.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last nursery education inspection staff have been working together to increase their knowledge of how to use everyday activities and routines to help children develop their use and understanding of mathematical language. This has included some training in the Foundation Stage for the supervisor and adoption of more focussed planning for children's mathematical activities. Staff generally make good use of incidental learning opportunities to use and discuss mathematical ideas with children whilst they play.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last care inspection the setting has made the child protection policy routinely available to parents as part of a welcome pack. There are more resources available to promote and reflect positive images of disability such as small world people and puzzles and books. Hazardous plants have been removed and a safety gate restricts children's access to the concrete steps in the outside play area.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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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 satisfactory. 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 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

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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 all required policies and procedures are in place to securely guide staff practice with children

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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 observations and assessments are used effectively to identify children's achievements and guide staff planning for their next steps towards the early learning goals.

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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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