Branston Pre-School Centre

Branston Pre-School Centre and Holiday Club Inspection report for early years provision

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218101 Unique Reference Number 03 July 2007 Inspection date Elaine Poulton Inspector

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The Village Hall, Clays Lane, Branston, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ES Setting Address

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07974 818144 Telephone number 01283 500391 home Number E-mail Branston Pre-School Centre Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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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?

Branston Pre-school Centre opened in 1968. It operates from two sites, the Village Hall and the Scout Headquarters. The Village Hall site has use of three rooms. There are a maximum of 32 children can attend at any one time. The pre-school group serves the local and surrounding areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 58 children aged three to four years on roll. This includes 30 children in receipt of nursery funded education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Both groups are run by the same management committee and staff work at both sites.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school group at the Village Hall opens Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 09:00 until 11:30; and Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 12:30 until 15:00 term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are six full time staff who work with the children. Five staff have appropriate early years qualifications. The Branston Pre-school Centre is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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 learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-planned routines such as hand washing before eating, after visiting the bathroom and using tissues to wipe their nose. Children understand that they wash and dry their hands to 'keep germs away'. All children are learning appropriate hygiene procedures after messy activities and move confidently to the wash hand basins after activities such as sticking and gluing. Children observe staff wiping surfaces over with anti-bacterial spray to stop cross-contamination and the spread of infection. Staff also carry out regular bathroom checks to ensure that pre-requisites such as soap and paper towels are readily available. This means children's good health is well promoted in the setting.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are good procedures in place for sick children and administering prescribed medication. Staff are effective in ensuring that children’s individual health needs are met and that children are well cared for. All of the staff hold a current first aid certificate and the first aid box is stocked appropriately. There are effective procedures in place to record any accidents and to gain written parental consent to seek medical treatment and advise should there be an emergency. This means that children's good health is promoted in the setting.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet and a choice of freshly prepared snacks. Drinks are available through the session and children know they can ask for a drink when they are thirsty. Staff work in partnership with parents and share information to meet individual children's dietary needs. All snacks comply with any special dietary requirements to ensure children remain healthy. They have a good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and snacks to choose from. For example, they enjoy sweet corn and sliced apples. This means that all children enjoy a range of healthy and nutritious snacks and drinks in the setting.

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Helping children to be healthy

They have good opportunity to use a varied range of indoor equipment and this active play helps them to develop their physical skills well. They also enjoy and join in with a good balance of age-appropriate games, movement sessions and free play activities indoors. All children benefit from physical activity inside the setting or during trips out to the local community. Children are active according to individual needs and are able to take a rest if they choose, some opt to sit quietly and build with construction blocks. This means that they are developing a positive attitude to exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are kept safe through written policies and procedures that are understood and followed consistently by staff. For example, risk assessments are completed on activities together with regular safety checks for indoor resources and equipment. Security is good with staff being vigilant with external exits, ensuring that all visitors to the group are greeted, show their identity card and sign the visitors book. There are effective procedures in place for the safe arrival and collection of children. Children sometimes access the setting's outdoor area during planned small key group activities such as observing the wild bird feeding table, and staff supervise them well. This means that children are kept safe and secure whilst attending the group.

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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 There is a board range of equipment, resources and games to choose from that are in good condition, are well maintained and conform to appropriate safety standards. The toys are well organised on low units and in clear storage boxes to allow good accessibility which enables children to have free choice and make decisions about their play. This means that children are able to play safely with a range of toys that promote their learning and development well.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are encouraged to take part in activities that heighten their awareness of keeping safe whilst outdoors. For example, they take part in themed activities to promote road safety and invite the local 'lolly-pop lady' to their group to discuss crossing the road safely. They are learning about leaving the building quickly and safely through emergency evacuation procedures which are practised regularly. This means children have a growing awareness of keeping themselves and others safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are suitably protected from harm because staff are knowledgeable about vetting procedures and child protection issues. The child protection policy links sufficiently well to the Local Safeguarding Children Boards guidelines and is available to share with parents. Staff are aware of whom to contact and the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child in their group. The child protection policy is clear about roles and responsibilities. However, the policy it is not clear about what happens should there be an allegation made against a member of staff or volunteer and therefore it is not fully effective.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are learning by taking part in the first hand experiences promoted in the setting. Younger children are beginning to participate in discussions and are confident to initiate conversations in small group situations. Children are confident to answer to their name during registration and talk about their family and things of interest to them. This means they are becoming confident young communicators.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They are introduced to a good variety of stimulating sensory play activities that help them develop use of all of their senses. For example, they explore dry sand and feel the different textures of sea shells. They are introduced to different foods and smell and taste new fruits and vegetables. They wait patiently for their turn on the bikes and this is helping them to share toys and games and take a turn with popular resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are encouraged to take part in energetic play although there are ample alternative art and craft activities and games available for children who choose to be less active. Children confidently use a wide range of equipment indoors to promote their muscle development and are beginning to understand how exercise helps to keep them fit and healthy. All children use the equipment and resources with skill and negotiate space well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning for children in receipt of nursery funding is good. There is a varied balance of adult-led and child-initiated play, ensuring children are motivated and engaged in a broad range of developmentally appropriate activities. Staff have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage and how children learn, to provide a stimulating learning environment. Staff use an effective range of teaching methods to motivate children so they are keen to learn and make progress. However, not all planned activities provide children with realistic challenges. Generally, staff use successful strategies to engage and interest children.

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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 For example, children's enthusiasm and attention is maintained through imaginative and lively activities such as the 'magnetic fishing game' and 'show and tell story-time' which in turn encourages their participation.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Planning is based on topics and is balanced across the six areas of learning. Planning links sufficiently well to the stepping stones and early learning goals. Learning intentions and differentiation is clearly recorded in the children's individual profiles. Initial assessment, is based upon meaningful observation and gives a level of attainment on entry. This system introduces parents to the setting's development profiles and encourages sharing information to support children's all round development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are skilled at managing children's behaviour and provide them with good strategies to help them learn what is right and wrong and to manage their own behaviour. Children enjoy their time at the setting. They have a positive attitude to learning and are becoming confident and self-assured young learners.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are interested and absorbed in their free play as they select and carry out activities. They are building good relationships with staff and peers and approach activities with enthusiasm. Children's independence skills are growing and they can make their own way to the toilet, and are learning to put on their own coats and outdoor shoes. Children are encouraged to help tidy activities and resources away after use and often do this spontaneously. This means they are assuming responsibility for managing and initiating routine tasks on their own.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are lively and friendly and respond positively to the learning environment. Many children show emergent writing skills and some practise mark-making skills with different materials and resources such as crayons, pencils and paint, and with their fingers making wavy lines in damp sand. Children have good opportunities to recognise their written names. On arrival children confidently select their 'name card' and have opportunity to do this again at snack time. They enjoy listening to stories, especially at 'show and tell' time. They happily listen to songs and join in with rhymes and actions. Resources and items of furniture are labelled clearly. Some toy boxes have pictures on them and this helps children to identify what belongs in that box. They sit at together at snack time in small key groups and excitedly share information from home with staff and each other.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children begin to see connections and relationships in numbers, shapes and measures. They match and sort and are using mathematical language such as more and less, heavier and lighter, small, medium and large. They are helped to solve problems across a wide range of practical planned activities, such as through stories, rhymes, games, puzzles and in their imaginative play. They begin to use number in a meaningful context and understand that numbers represent sets of objects. They count during activities and games, the number of children present, and do basic calculation at snack time. For example, children problem solve by counting out how many bears are needed each side to make the scales balance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are beginning to make sense of the world around them and they investigate and explore through taking part in first hand experiences. They play with a good variety of equipment which develops their curiosity. For example, they eagerly mix water and icing sugar together and watch to see what happens. They use programmable and battery operated resources that help them identify different shapes and colours. Children enjoy chatting on 'mobile phones' and they use cameras to take pictures of their friends. They organise themselves well into small groups and are supported to observe, explore, question and be curious in a broad range of activities. For example, they find and collect outdoor 'natural treasures' such as leaves and pine

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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 cones. They experiment with magnets, plastic, wood and metal, and enjoy finding out what 'sticks' to the magnets. They invite visitors to the pre-school group to talk about their experiences and this helps them to develop an understanding of other people’s life styles.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. They walk to the local supermarket and have a wide range of activities indoors to develop and strengthen their growing bodies. They are able to use an wide range of equipment which provides them with physical challenges to develop their climbing and balancing skills. Children enjoy a good range of planned activities that help them to develop their confidence and skills when using large and small apparatus, tools and equipment. For example, they aim and throw different shaped bean bags into baskets. They are developing a positive attitude towards physical exercise and a growing awareness of how being active can help them to stay healthy. Children join in music and movement sessions where they develop large skills to manoeuvre their bodies. They particularly enjoy joining in with 'Spaceman Sid', a real favourite. They move freely inside from room to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

room and have a good sense of the space around them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy role play as they participate in their own imaginative games and activities. They access a good range of equipment that allows them to create and expand their own ideas. For example, the imaginative play area, with some thought about the arrangements of chairs, becomes a 'bus' to take them on holiday. They are active participants in music activities, this is done using a range of instruments including tambourines and shakers. They dance and sway and wave an array of colourful ribbons imaginatively. Children use a range of resources and materials, enabling them to explore using all of their senses. For example, they taste and smell different foods, and feel the texture of sand and sea shells when making their '3D pictures'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are learning about their local community and the wider world around them. There are good procedures to ensure that children have meaningful opportunities to learn about different peoples cultures and religions. For example, they take part in events and festivals that celebrate their own and others beliefs such as Chinese New Year and Easter. Staff have a good understanding of equal opportunities and use this to introduce activities to interest children in different people's life-styles. This ensures children learn about diversity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are good systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and staff have systems in place to work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure all children are included. There is a good level of support ensuring that all children receive individual attention so that their needs are effectively met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are building good relationships with peers and staff. They are polite and well mannered, particularly when engaged in circle time discussions as they are encouraged to speak in turn. They actively participate at tidy away time. Children are encouraged and supported during activities to select their own resources. For example, they choose from a wide range of materials such as shells and sand to sick and glue onto their 'seaside pictures'. They share resources well. For example, one older child commented to two younger children whilst rolling play dough 'she's not got any, lets give her a little bit from each'. There are consistent boundaries of expected behaviour which children understand owing to clear explanations. For example, staff explain to one child waving a building block that 'wood is hard and if it hit someone it would

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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 hurt them'. Children are praised and consistently encouraged to behave well, this in turn reinforces good behaviour and promotes confidence and levels of self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are invited to take part in the sessions and are active in organising activities and supporting children's play. Newsletters and display boards are used to provide information to parents about their child's activities and current topics and themes. There is a complaints record should parents wish to log any concerns, however some staff are unclear about the procedure.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of nursery funded education is good. Staff are continually developing systems to ensure that parents are kept fully informed about their child's progress towards the early learning goals and so that they are actively involved in their child's learning. They discuss their child's progress with the key person and profiles are shared with them each term. Children benefit from this as staff work closely with parents and carers to ensure individual learning needs are met.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting has appropriate vetting procedures in place for those having direct contact with children. This means that the pre-school group provides a warm and friendly environment, where children's general well-being is well promoted.

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Organisation

Space is well organised, ensuring that children have good opportunities to play and move around the setting safely. The group do not have sole use of the Village Hall and so staff work hard to ensure the centre is made a welcoming and interesting environment for children when they arrive. Staffing levels and adult to child ratios are well maintained and exceeded in some circumstances. Staff and volunteers are valued and respected for the skills and knowledge they bring to the setting. There is a good commitment to staff development and training and staff are fully aware of their responsibility to provide a safe, stimulating and caring environment for children. This benefits children's all round development.

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Organisation

Registers of daily attendance are complete and well maintained. All required documentation is made readily available. There is a comprehensive range of policies place and most procedures comply with changes in legislation. This means that children's welfare is generally promoted well in the setting.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. There is a supportive committee and a focussed staff team who are committed to improving the quality of care and learning. Discussions and staff meetings take place regularly to monitor and evaluate the funded nursery education and identify areas for improvement. Staff appraisals are carried out to identify individuals strengths and weaknesses and areas for professional development. The group work closely with other professionals such as staff from the local education authority and the early years unit and act upon advice given. Overall children's needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There was one recommendation from the last inspection to promote children's independence at snack time.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Two children are chosen to be helpers and are given responsibility to offer snacks to the seated children. They are encouraged to set out plates, cups and name cards for snack time. The seated children are confident to choose their snack whilst staff ensure they follow procedures for

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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 children with known allergies. Children pour their own drinks out at snack time and regularly spread their own bread and butter. This positively promotes children's independence at snack time.

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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): • ensure all staff are fully aware of the settings child protection policy including guidance to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer • extend knowledge of the complaints policy and update procedure in line with current regulations

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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): • provide appropriate challenges to extend children's 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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