Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School

Yarburgh Community Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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113845 Unique Reference Number 13 February 2007 Inspection date Felicity Gaff Inspector

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Highfield Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 2DX Setting Address

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E-mail

Yarburgh Community 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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?

Yarburgh Community Pre-school is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children at the pre-school and members of the local community. It opened in 1982 and operates from purpose-built premises in the grounds of Yarburgh House in East Grinstead, West Sussex. The setting shares an enclosed outdoor area with a day nursery and opportunity playgroup on the same site. The pre-school opens from 09.15 to 12.15 on Mondays to Fridays during term times with additional afternoon sessions from 13.00 to 15.30 as required. A maximum of 26 children aged from two to under five years may attend the setting at any one time, and there are currently 41 children on roll. Of these, 32 children receive funding for nursery education. The preschool currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as a number who speak English as an additional language. Children are

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

drawn from the local urban area. There are 10 members of staff, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. 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. Children enjoy very good opportunities to follow an active lifestyle and are able to play outside under a shelter in all weathers. There is a very wide range of ride-on toys and apparatus for climbing, sliding and balancing, which provide challenge for children of different ages and abilities. Children begin to learn how to care for themselves because staff explain the reasons for the good personal hygiene habits they encourage, and arrange for visits from health professionals. Children develop their independence well as they use accessible toilets and wash basins; they use 'one use' flannels as towels, which helps prevent cross-infection. Staff maintain all the required records to promote children's welfare. Children are suitably nourished and staff work closely with parents to ensure individual dietary needs are met. Children have access to fresh drinking water at all times, which is kept fresh as it is stored in an insulated container.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy sharing snacks of fruit, bread sticks and crackers. Staff provide foodstuffs associated with different festivals, and promote a positive attitude to unfamiliar foods by encouraging children to taste them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Staff have an acceptable understanding of child protection issues as they routinely attend training. However, the written child protection statement does not include procedures for dealing with allegations against staff or committee members. This is a breach of regulations, and the lack of authoritative guidance significantly restricts the ability of the setting to safeguard children. Children are cared for in a secure environment and there are good procedures for monitoring the condition of the premises to ensure they are well-maintained. Effective staff deployment ensures children are appropriately supervised. Children use suitable toys and equipment, and staff monitor the condition of toys and play materials to ensure they are safe. Children begin to learn to keep themselves safe as staff teach them how to use utensils such as knives safely and explain the reasons for safety rules. They ensure accidental spillages are

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

cleaned up promptly, but do not always organise role play areas to prevent toys becoming scattered, which causes tripping hazards. Although staff are aware of hazards to children from hot drinks, they do not routinely keep them out of the play room, which puts children at risk of accidental scalding.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children settle readily into the secure and welcoming atmosphere. They develop their confidence and independence well as they select what they want to do from an attractive range of interesting activities. This promotes their self-assurance and they learn to plan, negotiate and manage disagreements successfully. Staff work closely with the children and know them well as individuals. They take a genuine interest in what children do and say as they engage in wide-ranging conversations together. Staff encourage children to develop their curiosity as they explore the colours and texture of paint using an interesting selection of brushes and sponges as well as the hands to make marks. Children enjoy daily opportunities for outdoor play. They are able to enjoy feeling the wind and rain on their faces and delight in splashing in puddles because staff ensure they have suitable clothing in rainy weather. Staff do not always

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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 organise group sessions such as story time and singing to fully include all the children by meeting their developmental needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are generally eager to participate in planned activities, and staff provide a suitable range of activities to promote children's learning adequately. Children cooperate well with staff and each other at snack time, developing both their social and physical skills as they help set out plates, pour drinks, clear the table and wash plates. However, the progress children make is erratic because of weaknesses in the way staff assess what they achieve and plan for their future learning. Although staff plan a broad range of age-appropriate activities, they do not clearly identify what they intend children to learn from them. They make some observations of what children do and occasionally record these on children's profiles. However, records are undated and incomplete; staff do not use them to plan for children's future learning and to ensure individual needs are met. Staff use

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

incidental opportunities well to talk to children about shapes and to count and compare numbers. Children take pleasure in listening to well-read stories and most children participate enthusiastically in singing sessions. Staff organise role play areas to promote children's creative, social, literacy and mathematical skills, and to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. However, they do not plan how they might best be used. Children lose interest in the activities quickly because staff are insufficiently prepared to develop and extend their play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The setting takes positive steps to make children feel included. For example, they mount children's work carefully and display it attractively to show it is valued. Children make choices and take decisions as they select their own activities. They behave well and treat each other with respect, reflecting the courteous example of the staff as they use social conventions such as 'please', 'thank you' and 'excuse me' spontaneously to each other. They learn to understand and respect their own cultures and those of other people as they share significant events in their own lives, such as christenings, and celebrate a range of festivals. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Staff liaise with parents and other professionals to make sure they understand the individual needs of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, they do not monitor how well they meet children's needs as they do not keep clear

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Helping children make a positive contribution

records of how these are met or of the progress children make. Partnership with parents is good. Parents receive detailed information about the setting and the education offered through well presented notice boards. They have unhurried opportunities to exchange information with the staff informally at the start and end of every session. Staff organise regular meetings with parents to discuss their child's progress individually. These are arranged at times that enable all parents to attend. Parents appreciate the warm and welcoming atmosphere, and feel their children are very happy.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. There are suitable procedures to safeguard children by carrying out sufficient checks to ensure staff are suitable to care for them. Effective deployment of time and staff means that children are well supervised at all times while enjoying a great deal of choice in what they do. Committee members understand their responsibilities as a provider of day care and minimise risks to staff

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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 and children on the premises by carrying out regular comprehensive safety checks. However, the committee has not ensured that the child protection statement includes all the required elements. As a result, there are no clear procedures for dealing with serious allegations of abuse or neglect, which adversely affects the ability of the setting to protect children. The setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Leadership and management of the nursery education are satisfactory. Although the education is acceptable overall, its quality has not been effectively monitored to ensure the individual needs of all the children are fully met. As a result, some areas of learning receive less attention than others, children are not always sufficiently challenged and their progress is inconsistent. However, the

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Organisation

manager has already identified the weaknesses in assessment and planning, and has sought training and advice from the local authority in order to develop practice in this area.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider agreed to review and update the written policies. The staff and committee have worked together to review all the policies and procedures for the setting, and have shared these with parents. However, the child protection policy still lacks details of the procedure to be followed in the event of a serious allegation against a member of staff, which restricts the ability of the provider to protect children. At the last inspection of nursery education the provider agreed to develop strategies to improve children's learning, and to improve opportunities for children to write and explore mathematical processes. Assessments of children's progress are undated and incomplete and staff do not use them to inform their planning. As a result, children do not make steady progress in all areas of learning. Plans are often vague and provide insufficient guidance to support staff in promoting children's

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Improvements since the last inspection

emergent literacy and mathematical skills.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure that the child protection procedure complies with those of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and includes the procedure to be followed should a serious allegation be made against a member of staff or committee member

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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 These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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): • plan how role play areas will be resourced, introduced and developed to promote children's development in creativity, literacy and mathematics • improve planning, assessment and recording systems to provide sufficient challenges for all children and to monitor the effectiveness of the teaching

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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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