Base Zero Pre-School

Base Zero Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Base Zero Pre-School

EY311291 Unique Reference Number 10 January 2007 Inspection date Denys Rasmussen Inspector

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Base Zero Pre-School

Sedgehill Community Centre, 69-85 Sedgehill Road, London, SE6 3QN Setting Address

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E-mail

Happy Days After School Club Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care, Out of School 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?

Base Zero Pre-School and Happy Days After School Club is privately owned by Happy Days After School Club Ltd. It has been registered since 2005. It operates from Sedgehill road community centre and has use of a hall and two lobby areas. It is situated in a residential area of Catford. A maximum of 28 children may attend the service at any one time. The pre-school is open each week day from 09:30 to 13:30 term-time only. The breakfast club is open from 07:35 to 09:00 and the after school club is open from 15:00 to 18:00 term-time only. There is access to a secure enclosed outdoor area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 22 children aged from two to under five years on roll in the pre-school. Of these, there are 12 children receiving funding for nursery education. There are 30 children aged from four to ten years on roll in the after school club. The service serves children from the local community and supports children with learning difficulties.

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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 There are seven staff employed in the pre-school. Four hold appropriate early years qualifications and three are on a training programme. There are seven staff employed in the after school club. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications and four are on training programmes.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection focussed on the pre-school.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The setting maintain good records about children's health needs and dietary requirements. These are complied with to help keep children healthy. All accidents are recorded and there is written permission from parents to seek emergency treatment. Consent is sought from parents to administer medication to children, which is then recorded. There is at least one member of staff trained in first aid on duty at all times including when on outings. This ensures that accidents are dealt with appropriately. Staff use disposable gloves when changing nappies and dealing with any bodily fluids, helping to prevent cross-contamination. Children are excluded if they have an infectious disease or are unwell, this helps to restrict the spread of infection. Children are encouraged to develop good hygiene practices by washing their hands after visiting the toilet or before snack time, this is further promoted by pictorial routines displayed in the

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Helping children to be healthy

bathroom. The children are encouraged to look after their teeth by being involved in activities about brushing teeth and when the 'tooth fairy' visits the pre-school. The pre-school now provide a self-service snack area where children access milk or water and fruit or biscuits as they need to. This helps their independence and to be aware of their own physical needs. Parents are advised what to provide in the children's packed lunch to encourage healthy eating.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The premises is a large hall, two lobby areas and an out door area which both the pre-school and out-of-school club use creatively. This ensures there is provision to enable children to relax or play quietly and to give scope to separating groups of children for specific activities. The staff have ensured the premises are clean and secure by re-evaluating the service provided. The premises have been made welcoming to both parents and children by allowing parents to congregate in the lobby area with their children before the session starts, where toys and informative literature are available. The staff have worked hard at ensuring the environment is attractive with children's work displayed. There is suitable equipment and play resources available to the children which provide an accessible and stimulating environment. All equipment is safe and staff are vigilant in ensuring any broken equipment is discarded and inaccessible to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the children. The provider and her staff have taken steps to ensure that hazards to the children have been minimised. The fire doors are kept closed and the children in the pre-school are accompanied to the toilet ensuring they do not have access to any other part of the building. A fence has been installed in the garden area to restrict children's access to sharp vegetation and all electrical appliances have been tested for safety. Risk assessments have been completed and staff have had training in health and safety; this has improved children's safety. Regular

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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 fire drills help children become familiar with the procedures, so they learn how to leave the premises quickly and safely. However, the fire evacuation procedure is not displayed which impacts on the information available to people other than staff, on fire safety arrangements for the setting. Children are protected as the provider and staff are aware of their responsibility to the children in their care. Key staff have attended training in child protection which means their knowledge is up-to-date.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The staff plan stimulating activities using the birth to three framework and the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage. They have married the two skilfully and incorporated much of the activities offered for both. The children have times during the session where they are grouped to follow particular activities at the appropriate level for them such as during story-time. The staff observe the children and know them well. They use this information to plan for the next stage in children's learning to help them progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

In the after school club, activities are organised to follow children's interest. The children are encouraged to be involved in the routine such as washing up. There are usually art and craft and board games in one room, floor toys in the hall and children playing organised games in the outdoor area. Children visit the local park and adventure playground to experiment on more challenging equipment. They learn about road safety and following safety rules.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staff have a sound knowledge of the foundation stage. The plans have been greatly improved and now cover each area of learning. There is a planned yearly overview to ensure all learning areas have been covered. The medium term plan includes learning intentions and experiences; this has a theme. A target setting record is maintained for individual children which is then linked to the planning. For example these include objectives such as developing listening skills. There is an indoor and outdoor provision plan which ensures all staff work well together to provide a stimulating environment. This is evaluated daily to record children's responses, developments and future planning. The assessment system for tracking children's progress is very effective, this informs the planning ensuring children progress at an individual rate.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The pre-school have adopted a workshop approach which ensures the children have choices in their play, and time to explore and experiment with a variety of materials. Staff have attended training and the teaching has vastly improved. There is good support for children to develop independence and self confidence. There are orderly storage systems where children have access to materials and equipment. Activities have a clear focus and the physical environment has been given much thought. There are now defined areas of learning and workshop areas which mean the children are more focussed and are able to make choices in their play. There is a calm and busy atmosphere which provides a wide range of choices and opportunities for self-initiated activity. Staff are very positive and ask questions to make the children think. Staff have worked hard to provide interesting displays and photographs for the children to look at

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and be involved in. Children are eager to play and are confident, they come into the pre-school

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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 happily and engage in activities with enthusiasm. Children display high levels of involvement in activities and work cooperatively with each other. For example, a group of children make a train track, they spend time helping each other by finding the right piece and working out how best to design it. The children are proud of their work and are praised by staff for their efforts. There are a good selection of malleable materials such as play dough, paint, corn flour, pasta, shaving foam, sand, porridge, soap flakes and clay. Children use these to explore colour, texture and shape. Children combine resources from different areas. For example, a child took a pencil from the graphics area and dipped it in the paint pot, he painted with it to compare it to the toothbrush and paint brush pattern. The children play with a variety of objects, they sort, order

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and count them encouraging mathematical development. The children are offered good opportunities to investigate number, sequencing and shapes. For example, when they play matching games, dominoes, compare elephants and complete puzzles. They sing songs with props such as five little speckled frogs to introduce them to early calculation. Children play imaginatively and the staff organise the role play area to inspire play. The children were busy cooking, washing up and serving food in their restaurant.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Musical instruments are stored for self selection and there is a 'music time' board with pictures and words of familiar songs. Children clap rhythms and enjoy rhyming stories and songs. However, the activities are not fully exploited to provide opportunities to explore letter sounds. Children display good pen control and are confident writers. They are given good opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and some children write recognisable letters and words. Labels are used well for letter and word recognition and the self register process helps children to recognise their name. Children regularly access the graphics area and are confident using the variety of materials and media. For example, a child drew her name carefully on a small piece of paper, she then went to the trolley and took out the masking tape, she spent time tearing the masking tape and sticking the work all the way around until she finished and said, "there

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

I've done it" proudly, smiling. Children are given good opportunities to experiment with information and communication technology. They access the laptop computer and download their digital photographs which they print. They use programmable toys such as bee bop and dance mats. Children's physical development is well promoted. They have daily opportunities to take part in planned physical activities which include outings to the local park and adventure playground where they can practise climbing and balancing on challenging equipment. Children are introduced to their local community when they visit local shops, fire station and library. They are introduced to a variety of cultures and traditions through the celebration of festivals and positive imagery within play resources. Children are confident designing when using recycled objects, art media and construction equipment. They investigate natural resources when

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

outdoors, for example when they go on nature walks and by examining natural objects on display such as tree bark and pine cones.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children build good relationships with staff and are happy and secure in their environment. Children's self esteem and confidence is supported through the positive, gentle and friendly interaction of the staff. The realistic boundaries and consistent routine; coupled with the promotion of autonomy helps the children to learn self discipline and to behave well. The

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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 setting has a busy and calm atmosphere where children are confident and play harmoniously together. There is a comprehensive equal opportunities policy which states what the setting does to promote this. The setting encourages children to develop a positive awareness of others by providing positive images of race, culture, gender and disability within play resources and posters around the building. There is a good balance of male and female staff and differing ages; they complement each other well providing positive images for the children in their care. A variety of festivals and traditions are celebrated and parents are asked to support the setting by imparting their knowledge. Steps are taken to ensure that children with learning difficulties and or disabilities are supported and in partnership with parents their welfare and development

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Helping children make a positive contribution

promoted. Overall children's spiritual, moral, social and emotional development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with parents. Children settle well because of the calm atmosphere and the staff's flexible approach. Parents receive copies of the setting's policies and procedures which are all comprehensive except for one. The lost child policy has not been written fully in the parents booklet which means they do not have all the relevant information. All appropriate parental consents are in place ensuring parents wishes are known. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is good. The children benefit from a two way sharing of information between parents and the child's key worker on a regular basis, this is promoted through coffee mornings. Parents are given information about the Foundation Stage and this is discussed with parents when their child starts attending. Parents interviewed were very happy with the service provided and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

commented on the staff's approachability; the children's progression; the good outings; that the children are happy to attend and that the children settle well.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Space, staff and resources are well organised to create a clean, stimulating and accessible environment where children are busy learning throughout the day. One policy for parents lacks detail and the emergency evacuation procedure is not displayed. Nevertheless, all the required documentation, policies and procedures are in place and work well in practice helping the safe management of the setting. There are good measures in place to ensure the setting is safe and secure. Children are cared for by suitably qualified staff who have been appropriately vetted, due to effective recruitment procedures. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of child development and work well as a team. Leadership and management of the nursery education is good. Staff development is encouraged ensuring practice is up-to date. Staff have a sound understanding of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage and how to apply

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Organisation

this in practice to support children's development. The provider ensures the staff have regular appraisals to ensure any weaknesses are acted upon and strengths are developed. The provider has a clear vision for the setting and has worked hard with her staff to improve outcomes for children. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection the provision was judged to be inadequate and actions to improve were given for both the care and the nursery education. For care the provider was told to improve the operational plan; to improve the accident and lost child policy; to keep a written

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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 record of all accidents and to ensure risk assessments are thorough. For nursery education the provider was told to increase staff's knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage to improve the quality of teaching; to improve the planning and have clear outcomes for children's learning and to improve the assessment system.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider has devised an effective operational plan which includes an improved accident and lost child policy. This is available and understood by the staff. Risk assessments are completed regularly and provision has been re-evaluated. Measures have now been implemented; the fire doors are kept closed and children are accompanied to the toilet so they no longer have unsupervised access to other parts of the building. All electrical appliances have been checked for safety and a fence has been erected in the garden to restrict children's access to hazardous plants. This improves children's safety.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Staff have been given training in the curriculum guidance for the foundation stage and this reflects the improvement in the quality of teaching and learning. A new manager is in place who is enthusiastic and has a sound knowledge of the foundation stage. The planning and assessment system has been greatly improved and now support the provision of a range of stimulating activities and experiences to help children progress by providing individualised play that encourages autonomy. Children's observations are used effectively to plan for their next stage of learning. This means children progress well.

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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 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): • improve the fire safety precautions by displaying the emergency evacuation procedure.

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • improve the lost child policy in the parent's information by adding the procedure to follow in the event a child went missing from the premises.

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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): • give children more opportunity to link sounds to letters.

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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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