Warstones Junior School

Great Chart & Singleton Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Great Chart & Singleton Pre-School

127208 Unique Reference Number 19 November 2006 Inspection date Clare Stone Inspector

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Great Chart & Singleton Pre-School

Hoxton Close, Ashford, Kent, TN23 5LB Setting Address

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E-mail

Great Chart Singleton Playgroup 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?

Great Chart and Singleton Pre-school opened in 1995.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

It operates from two rooms of a community hall on the outskirts of the town of Ashford. The pre-school serves the local area. There are currently 75 children on the roll, of which 55 are in receipt of nursery education funding. The group opens five days a week during school term time. Sessions are from 09:10 to 12:00 and 12:00 to 15:10.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven staff per session and ten on the roll. Over half the staff have early years qualification to NVQ level 2 or 3.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

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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. Good procedures and gentle reminders from staff encourage children to follow good hygiene routines. For example, children wash their hands before eating and after visiting the toilet. Topics on health help children understand how to keep themselves clean, the importance of good diet and that rest, as well as vigorous exercise, is part of a healthy lifestyle.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff gather good information regarding children's special diets, allergies, likes and dislikes on the registration form. This ensures children’s dietary needs are met. Children enjoy a range of snacks that are mainly healthy such as fresh and dried fruit, biscuits and bread sticks at the snack bar. Children can help themselves to a drink when they wish or have one with their snack. This encourages children to think about their own needs and promotes independence.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy physical play through music and movement, games sessions indoors and the use of a large field outside. Children show a good sense of space and move safely and confidently during physical activities. Children show good co-ordination and balancing skills when playing games such as basket ball. Children's fine motor skills are developing very well. They hold pencils correctly and show good control when writing. They have regular opportunities to use a variety of small tools such as scissors, glue sticks and different size paintbrushes.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The playgroup is kept secure. Once the children have arrived the door is locked. Staff are deployed appropriately both inside and outside to ensure children's safety. For example, when the children cross the car park to play in the field, staff are positioned to protect the children from being injured. Accurate times of children's arrival and departure are recorded, so a clear account of who is on site is available. There is an effective system in place for monitoring visitors and an arrival and collection policy to keep children safe. A daily risk assessment is in place to ensure the building and outside area is ready and safe for the children's to play. Staff have a good knowledge of child protection to ensure the welfare of children. However, this is not reflected in the current policy, which is not up to date. And all new information is cascaded to staff during staff meetings. All equipment and resources are checked each time they are set

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

out and removed if damaged. Regular fire drills help keep children safe as they become familiar with the procedures on how to leave the building in a quick and safe manner.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at playgroup and are making good progress in all areas of learning. They benefit from a wide variety of activities which are planned. They also share some equipment with the treasure chest to maximise resources to extend children's learning.

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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 The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and plan a daily programme of activities to cover the six areas of learning. Although, staff can identify children's achievements and use their assessments to plan and help children take the next step in their learning. They are not making it clear in the planning how they record differentiation for more and less able children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident in using number language in their play and can accurately count how many fruit they have used, whether they are big or small and how to follow sequencing. They listen well to a story read by a member of staff, answering question well and show a good level of concentration. They have the opportunity to explore and investigate the natural world by using the interest table and visiting the nearby fields to collect items for the table. They also visit local businesses such as the paper shop and estate agent helping the children learn about their immediate community. Children use their imagination and express their ideas in a variety of ways. They have fun playing shop keepers in the home corner and respond enthusiastically during movement sessions. Staff encourage children's individualism and promote self awareness.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use praise and encouragement to build children's confidence and self esteem. They manage behaviour well and teach children to respect each other and their environment. Staff talk to children about what they are doing and use appropriate questioning techniques to make children think.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued as individuals. They develop a positive attitude to others and gain a good understanding about the wilder world and community. This is achieved through celebrating festivals and tasting food from a variety of cultures. There is a good range of resources which show positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The playgroup has effective arrangements to care for children with learning difficulties. And there is allocated member of staff works in conjunction with outside agencies to ensure the individual needs of all children who attend are met. Children behave well. They are beginning to understand the difference between right and wrong through clear and consistent boundaries. This includes distraction for younger children and explanation for children that are older.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. The playgroup values parents contributions and children benefit from parents involvement in their learning. Clear and understandable information for parents on the Foundation Stage ensures parents can feel involved. Parents receive extensive information via newsletters, notice boards, coffee evenings and informal daily chats. The playgroup fosters children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development well.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Most documentation required for the safe and effective management of the playgroup is in place. However, there are some policies and procedures that are not up to date with current child care practice. There are effective recruitment procedures in place, and the committee are

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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 supportive in reaching good outcomes for children. Staff are able to attend further relevant childcare training. This means that suitable, experienced and qualified persons look after children.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. Clear aims show a commitment to providing good quality care and education. Staff work well as a team and clear communication and guidance allows them to provide a stimulating well-balanced programme. Staff hold regular meetings to discuss planning and contribute to in-house training sessions. There is a formal appraisal system in place which enables the supervisor to identify training needs by monitoring practice and discussing staff's preferences for development. This ensures any training undertaken is relevant to the playgroup and promotes good progress towards the foundation stage. The playgroup meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the following recommendations were made:

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Improvements since the last inspection

Ensure the complaints procedure include Ofsted contact details. This is now on the parent's board and in the information folder.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Review and up date policies and procedure in line with current practice. Most policies and procedures have been completed but some still need to include current legislation. This remains a recommendation.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Update knowledge and understanding of child protection procedure and provide this information in written format. Some staff have attended child protection training and the playgroup has a child protection officer who ensures all current practice is cascaded to staff. There is now a child protection policy in place but this still lacks detail.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The playgroup have made sufficient progress in promoting positive outcomes for children.

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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. 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 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 policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, and promote the welfare, care and learning of the children are updated regularly

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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): • further develop the planning to include differentiation and evaluation

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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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