St Luke's CofE Primary School

All Saints Pre-School Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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All Saints Pre-School Playgroup

109970 Unique Reference Number 05 December 2006 Inspection date Susan Mann Inspector

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All Saints Pre-School Playgroup

All Saints Church Hall, Petersfield Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 0JD

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Setting Address

01962 849881or 07919 893345 Telephone number

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E-mail

All Saints 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 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

All Saints Pre-School Playgroup is a committee run group and opened in 1991. It operates from a church hall in the Highcliffe area of Winchester and it serves the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 35 children from two to four years on the roll. This includes 18 funded three-year-olds and five funded four-year- olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports both children with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens five days a week during school term time. Sessions are from 09:00 to 11.45 each morning and there is an afternoon session from 12:45 to 15:15 each Monday.

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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 Seven staff work with the children. All staff have an have early years qualifications to level 2 or 3. The pre-school has access to support from the Local Authority Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are learning about how to be healthy. At snack time, they are encouraged to make healthy choices from a variety of nutritious snacks and drinks, which they help prepare. Children are beginning to understand how exercise affects their bodies, such as making the heart beat faster. They are able to participate in spontaneous activities that promote large muscle skill development such as outdoor play, as well as in planned activities such as a weekly aerobics session. Through these activities children are learning how to move their bodies in a controlled way.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are confident to use the toilets independently, and most wash their hands before and after eating, showing an increasing awareness of the need for hygienic routines. However, most children do not wash their hands in the wash basins provided. Instead, staff encourage them to use a bowl of water provided for hand washing in the pre-school room. Although this water is changed several times each session, shared use of water increases the possibility of the spread of infection amongst the children.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health and welfare is supported by the maintenance of appropriate documentation such as accident and medication records.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a warm and welcoming environment that is well organised to allow them the space to develop their play. The room is equipped with a suitable range of furniture and resources. This enables children to develop their independence by allowing them to choose from a selection of well maintained toys that are rotated regularly to provide variety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff are vigilant in their supervision to ensure children are protected from possible hazards and danger which means children are safe. They are encouraged to have regard for their own safety through staff providing clear explanations of what they need to do, such as moving carefully around the pre-school room.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected from non-accidental injury because staff understand their roles and responsibilities with regard to safeguarding children. This includes a good knowledge of referral processes, and clear documentation which enables parents and carers to have an understanding of the duties of the pre-school.

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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 quickly settle when they arrive at pre-school. There is a good humoured rapport between children and staff, and this provides a relaxed and happy mood. Children enjoy themselves, and engage in a broad range of play opportunities, which they are able to experience at their own pace. They particularly enjoy making Christmas tree decorations, and measuring and pouring at the water tray.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are encouraged to be self-sufficient through choosing activities and selecting their own resources. They build caring relationships with one another and with members of staff. Staff show genuine interest in what the children are doing, and this in turn gives children the confidence to ask for help, or talk about what they are doing. Staff are beginning to incorporate the use of the Birth to three framework to provide planned learning for the younger children, which promotes their overall development. Children and staff are enthusiastic about what they do, which creates a cheerful and purposeful atmosphere.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Overall, most children are making progress towards the Early Learning Goals. However, there are some weaknesses in the assessment of children's learning which means that children are not able to progress sufficiently, and some children do not access the whole curriculum.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The daily learning environment is organised well and basic planning ensures that children can experience variety each day, although some areas of learning are missed because children choose to play elsewhere, and staff do not always encourage them to try different activities. For example, some children choose to play with their favourite construction and puzzles, and so do not attempt to try the other activities. As a result, much of the children's learning is spontaneous and the lack of consistent procedures for observation and assessment means that children's progress through the stepping stones is not tracked, and so gaps are not identified or addressed when planning future activities. Therefore, children, especially those who are more able, are not given suitable challenge to enhance their knowledge and skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum which means that children are given suitable activities and support. All staff work well as a team and are deployed effectively which means that they are able to support children's needs and activities in an unhurried and appropriate manner. They encourage the children with praise and are genuinely appreciative of the children's efforts. This in turn allows children to become proud of their achievements and to develop their self esteem.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children engage easily in conversation with adults and with each other. Most are confident speakers and enjoy talking about what they are doing, and about events that have occurred. For example, they talked about how Father Christmas visited their pre-school, what he looked like, and how they felt when they saw him. Some children enjoy using pencils to make marks and draw, and a few are able to write their names. Most children enjoy counting, and many incorporate this into their play, counting bricks or trains. They enjoy activities that extend their

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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 mathematical thinking, such as measuring and estimating quantity at the water tray. However, because the next steps of learning have not been identified for individual children, not all children benefit sufficiently from the activities offered.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to use the computer on a daily basis, and benefit from using appropriate software, as well as from using it for day-to-day tasks such as choosing and printing photographs of themselves. Daily routines encourage them to think about time, such as using an egg timer to monitor turn taking at popular activities. Children have opportunities to develop their small muscle movements through using tools to manipulate clay, and to play with a variety of construction materials. They enjoy a suitable range of creative activities: they paint and use collage materials to make Christmas decorations, and are able to complete their handiwork at their own pace, which allows them to be satisfied with the end product.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are respected as individuals by pre-school staff who adopt an inclusive approach to families whose children attend the pre-school. Children are encouraged to participate in the routines of the session, such as tidy-up time, and spreading butter on crackers for their snack, enabling them to develop their independence. They help one another willingly, without adult direction. For example, children help one another put on their shoes after dressing up. The setting welcomes children who have English as an additional language, and provides basic support. However, no effort is made to provide signs in their home language, nor are there sufficient positive images of their cultures represented in the equipment and displays of the pre-school. This means that some children are not able to be in surroundings that reflect their own ethnicity, thus hampering their full integration into the group. In addition, the lack of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

resources representing our diverse society further inhibits the children's understanding of other cultures.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Overall, behaviour is good. Staff manage instances of disruptive behaviour very well. All use consistent and effective strategies which are put into practice quickly and effectively when there is an instance of challenging behaviour. The way that staff manage behaviour is a strength of the setting. Children receive appropriate support, and are developing a clear understanding of what constitutes acceptable behaviour. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities make sound progress. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and staff work together with other agencies to provide a consistent approach which ensures that children receive appropriate extension activities, although a lack of regular observation and assessment of children's development means that there is not always accurate information available with regard to how children are progressing.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is being fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parent and carers are happy to approach members of staff to discuss concerns, or to share information about their child. Staff value this verbal information and use it to promote the general well-being of the children. When a child starts at the pre-school, parents and carers are not asked for any information concerning their child's abilities, and so the staff do not have an accurate picture of the child's starting point.

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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 and carers are aware that children's learning is observed and recorded and that they are able to see their child's records if they wish. However, they have little opportunity to contribute to these assessments, nor do many see what has been recorded, and they are not actively encouraged to do so by the setting. In addition, the pre-school does not help extend children's learning by providing suggestions of activities that can be done at home. This means that the pre-school does not gain valuable input from parents and carers with regard to relevant learning opportunities, and so the individual needs of children's learning are not promoted sufficiently, and overall their learning is impeded.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Children enjoy the sessions, and are familiar with the flexible routine which allows them to feel secure. The generous staffing ratios permits children to enjoy unhurried adult company and support, which enables them to engage in conversations and discussions. Staff are deployed to ensure maximum supervision and the room is well organised to help children enjoy and achieve. All staff work agreeably with all children, although the system of allocating children to a key adult who will oversee their care and education is inconsistent. This means that not all children have their own keyworker when they start at pre-school, and some parents and carers do not have an agreed individual member of staff to liaise with.

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Organisation

The setting has a wide range of policies and procedures which underpin the care of children, and these are shared with parents and carers. Most of these are effective, although the attendance register does not consistently provide an accurate record of hours of attendance for children and adults at the pre-school. Procedures for vetting adults who work with the children are suitably robust, and appropriate checks are made. Systems for induction of new staff and students working in the pre-school are sufficient to ensure that adults working with the children have sound knowledge of policies and procedures.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The supervisor is given active support by her deputy, and works coherently with the parent management committee. She liaises with staff from other pre-schools and schools through attending local cluster meetings. In this way she shares professional expertise with others, and so gains ideas for improvement. The staff team meet regularly to plan and to discuss relevant issues. However, they are not supported in their development by an appraisal system, which would encourage development and identification of training needs, and would enable the supervisor and chair to monitor staff performance effectively. All staff participate in planning the curriculum, but supervision of the educational provision is done verbally. This informal system means that the education provision is not effectively monitored, and children's progress is not fully assessed. This allows children to miss

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Organisation

out on learning opportunities and causes their achievement to be limited.

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Organisation

The supervisor and management committee receive support and guidance from the Local Authority and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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 inspection two years ago, the pre-school was asked to address three recommendations for care, and three which related to the provision of nursery education. Two of the recommendations for care have been satisfactorily addressed, but there has been no progress in addressing the remaining care recommendation or those relating to the nursery education, and these remain areas of development for the pre-school.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children are now protected from possible harm and upset by the development of a policy which details the procedure to be followed in the event of a parent failing to collect a child. Parents and carers are able to read policies and procedures when a child starts at the setting, which allows them to learn about the way the pre-school will manage situations.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children are able to use a limited range of resources and equipment representative of our wider society, but this has yet to be sufficiently increased to provide children with a meaningful selection that will promote their understanding of other cultures and beliefs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The management of the pre-school has not yet implemented systems to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the setting, nor has it begun a system of appraisal to monitor staff performance and assist with staff development. This means that management do not have an overall view of which areas of development the pre-school should prioritise next, and staff performance is not effectively measured.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Parents and carers are not given suggestions of how they can progress their children's learning at home, which means that parents miss opportunities to become involved in their children's learning.

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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 satisfactory.

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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 the register provides an accurate record of the attendance hours of children and staff • improve arrangements for hand washing to further protect children from risk of infection • increase children's access to resources and equipment which reflect a diverse society to promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.

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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 that parents and carers are given the opportunity to contribute to their children's learning and are offered suggestions of how to continue activities at home to support their children's development • develop and implement an effective appraisal system to allow staff to develop their skills and to enable them to extend children's learning • establish a rigorous system for carrying out observations and assessments of children's learning and for monitoring the provision of nursery education to provide suitable challenges for all children who attend the setting.

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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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