Chantry Infant School

Union Corner Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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109533 Unique Reference Number 19 July 2007 Inspection date Stacey Sangster Inspector

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Union Corner Hall, Hawks Road, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 1ND Setting Address

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E-mail

Union Corner 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 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?

Union Corner Pre-School opened in 1982. It operates from two rooms in Union Corner Hall which is located next door to Hawks Road Primary School. There are kitchen and toilet facilities and an outdoor play area. It serves families from the local community.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 39 children on roll. This includes 27 funded three and four years olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting makes provision for children with special needs and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 38 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 09.10 until 12.00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are six members of staff who work with the children. Five members of staff have a recognised early years qualification. A registrar is also employed to handle the finances. Five members of staff hold a current first aid certificate. 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's health is effectively promoted by the hygiene routines practised daily in the setting. The premises are checked for cleanliness before children arrive and staff routinely clean and clear throughout the session to maintain a high standard. Staff explain while they clean tables before snacks why this is important and encourage good hygiene through daily routines. Children know that washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating can help to prevent them from getting tummy aches. They talk about putting tissues used to blow their nose in the bin to stop the germs in the tissue affecting others in the group and can list other preventative measures to minimise cross infection such as covering their mouth if they cough.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from the positive impact of a clear sickness procedure which is shared with parents. This ensures children are suitably looked after when they are ill. The setting's policy of not permitting children with infectious illnesses to attend helps to reduce the risk of cross infection. Registers are monitored for absence and contact is made with parents if children are absent for more than a couple of days. This enables staff to alert other parents to outbreaks of childhood illnesses such as chicken pox or measles quickly if they occur.

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Helping children to be healthy

Sufficient staff are qualified in first aid to ensure that children can receive prompt and appropriate treatment in the event of illness or injury. All accidents are recorded , however, parents do not always sign accident sheets acknowledging the record that has been shared. This leads to confusion about whether the parent has been told or not.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular opportunities for energetic physical play, fresh air and exercise, which contributes to a healthy lifestyle. They have access to a secure outdoor area and a large indoor hall.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have access to a satisfactory range of snacks including fruit and drinks which comply with their dietary needs and can access fresh drinking water freely throughout the session.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are protected by vigilant staff who assess risks appropriately and as a result provide children with a safe environment in which they can explore and play. The premises are very secure with effective measures in place to prevent children from leaving unsupervised or unauthorised people being able to enter the building. Staff closely supervise children's arrivals and departures to ensure that children leave the premises only with adults who have parental consent to take them. A signing out sheet records parental permission and any changes to the usual collection arrangements.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Toys and equipment are safe and well maintained. They are carefully selected to ensure that they are suitable for the ages and stages of the children using them. Resources are organised to enable children to make choices and they are able to make choices safely because items are stored at child height and presented on child sized furniture. Children receive gentle reminders about how to use equipment safely, such as to be careful not to throw sand about while playing. The explanations provided by staff relating to such safety matters enables children to build a knowledge of what might be hazardous to themselves and others. This encourages them to take responsibility for their role in keeping the setting a safe place to play.

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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 A comprehensive health and safety policy guides staff and informs parents of the practices which safeguard their children. Many children are able to describe the procedure to follow if there is a need to evacuate the building quickly as these are practised as part of the fire drills. This knowledge helps to promote their safety as they understand what to do in an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The clear and detailed child protection policy is familiar to staff and the setting are clear about their role and responsibility with regard to recording and reporting concerns. This ensures that children's welfare is appropriately promoted and the setting would act quickly to safeguard children if they felt they were at risk.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time in this setting, they arrive eagerly, are happy to come in and can be heard to laugh and chat happily to staff and their friends. Staff greet children warmly and talk to them about the activities available, they work at the children's level providing assistance where needed and step back to promote independence, where appropriate.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's individual needs are met by staff who demonstrate that they know the children well. Early on in the child's time in the setting staff identify the children's likes and dislikes and work out how to motivate individuals to participate and join in. Children's welfare is promoted. Staff demonstrate care and affection towards the children and children approach them without hesitation if they have a problem or need help with anything. The atmosphere is relaxed but busy, with children fully engaged in a range of either self chosen or adult supported activities. Children settle quickly here because of the support they receive from caring and professional staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff provide challenges which are appropriate for the children as a group and adapt activities to ensure that all children are working at a level suitable for them individually. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and demonstrate a good understanding of the way children learn. The pace of activities is good. Children have time to enjoy and practise the new skills they have learned and are then moved on to build on this knowledge so that learning does not loose momentum. Children's attitudes towards learning are very good, they are inquisitive and enthusiastic to answer questions and ask about why things happen. They take part in a broad range of activities which support their development in a balanced way. Assessment is used to monitor and provide activities to fill any gaps in their learning. This results in children making progress across all areas equitably.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs are catered for. Staff know the children well, enabling them to identify ways to encourage and motivate them to take part in activities and plan routines that will interest them. Every child attending has their religious and cultural needs acknowledged, valued and catered for. This enables them to develop respect for diversity among their immediate society. However, limiting the celebrations and festivals to those shared by children in the group, misses opportunities to explore the views and beliefs of the wider world.

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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 The setting have a special needs policy which is detailed and meets the requirements of registration. The setting have experience of offering care to children with additional needs and do this well. Children are offered one to one support where needed and staff are committed to ensuring that all children receive sufficient support, to make their time in the setting a worth while experience. Inclusion is given high priority and resources and activities adapted to ensure that all children whatever their interests and abilities are provided with interesting and appropriate challenges.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Behaviour is managed well. Children are polite and courteous to each other, staff and visitors. Staff provide children with consistent messages which results in children developing a good understanding of the codes of behaviour that is expected of them. Fairness and being kind are traits which are praised and rewarded frequently and this promotes good behaviour. Any negative behaviour is dealt with sensitively taking into account children's age and understanding.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Children's care needs are frequently reviewed because the setting encourage parents to approach them and share details of any changes which are relevant to a child's care. Parents questionnaires give parents an opportunity to make suggestions and raise issues about all aspects of the provision. Children's education and progress is recorded and the details made available to parents, although a more formal approach to recording parents observations of children's progress and more regular updates for parents on the next steps identified for each child would improve what is currently in place.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The quality of leadership and management is good. The team meet regularly and are all involved in planning and organising the setting to ensure that there is a strong focus on the personal development and achievement of all children. There is a management team in place who oversee and monitor the overall provision. They are supported well by the staff and the commitment to improvement is strong. Policies and practices are reviewed and updated and systems for recording are regularly monitored to look at ways to improve them.

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Organisation

Documentation is well kept and most meets the requirements of registration in full. The records of accidents have been improved now that the setting no longer hand children over to another group operating in the hall in the afternoons. However, it still requires better monitoring to ensure the system set up, of asking parents to countersign each entry, is adhered to.

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Organisation

The organisation of the provision is effective. The space is used imaginatively and allowed children to work in small groups. The children make good use of the outdoor area and routines are effective in ensuring that children's time is productively spent.

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Organisation

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

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Improvements since the last inspection

The setting have made good progress in addressing the recommendations of the last inspection report. At the last inspection they were asked to ensure at least one member of staff holds a current first aid certificate that includes training in first aid for infants and young children. The setting took action to ensure that a rolling programme is now in place to enable all staff to

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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 update their first aid qualifications and rotas are organised to ensure that first aid qualified staff are always on duty.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The setting had the wrong contact details for Ofsted at the last inspection, this has now been updated and the setting have also kept up to date with changes of contact addresses that have occurred since then.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last inspector recommended that the setting review all policies and procedures to ensure they reflect practice in the group and that they contain all necessary detail. This thorough review has taken place and the setting's policies are clear and detailed.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve the system for recording accidents to ensure records are clearly set out and that parents sign to acknowledge that the information has been shared with them on every occasion.

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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): • improve the partnership with parents in relation to the children's formal assessments • increase the frequency with which parents are kept up to date with where their child is in their learning

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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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