Beenham Pre-School

Beenham Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Beenham Pre-School

508015 Unique Reference Number 24 January 2007 Inspection date Sheena Bankier Inspector

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Beenham Pre-School

Community Room, Beenham Primary School, Beenham, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 5NN

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E-mail

Beenham Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Beenham pre-school is run by voluntary committee made up of parents. The pre-school was established in the 1970's and operates from the community room situated at Beenham Primary School. This is situated in the rural village, close to Reading. A maximum of 20 children aged two to five years may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open during term time on Monday and Wednesday from 09.00 to 14.45 and on Tuesday and Thursday from 09.00 to 12.00. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 31 children on roll aged from two and a half to four years. Of these 20 children receive funding for early education. Children come from the local and surrounding area. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties and is able to support children who speak English as an additional language.

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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 The pre-school employs four members of staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle is supported extremely well through the discussions, activities and healthy based snacks at the pre-school. A wide range of physical activities are offered, both in and out of doors. Children have free-access to equipment, such as an indoor climbing frame and undertake more structured activities, for example, an obstacle course. The play equipment offers challenge to children, helping them to develop and extend their physical skills. Children benefit from fresh air as they regularly play outside.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are cared for in a clean and hygienic environment. Staff take on responsibility for ensuring the premises is maintained to a high standard throughout the day. Two staff hold food hygiene certificates. This means that staff have a thorough understanding of how to prepare and store food correctly. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene, as hand washing routines, for example, before eating and after using the toilet are well-established. Staff discuss with children why good hygiene is important. This develops and supports their understanding very well.

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Helping children to be healthy

The pre-school has thorough and detailed paperwork in place to support children's health needs. This ensures they are fully aware of parents wishes and the children's individual requirements. This ensures staff have all the necessary information to protect children's health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children develop social skills as they sit together with staff at meal and snack times. They enjoy relaxed snack and meal times, where they can chat about what they have been doing at pre-school or at home. Good manners are well supported and encouraged, such as 'please' and 'thank you'. Children are offered healthy snacks of fruit and plain crackers, with milk or water to drink. Children have free-access to drinking water during the sessions. Staff remind children to help themselves to water, for example, when the weather is hot. This ensures the children drink sufficient quantities to maintain their well-being. The pre-school actively encourages the parents to provide a healthy packed lunch through the guidance it provides. This supports the children's good health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's safety is given high priority by the staff. Safe arrival and departure procedures for children are in place and children are only released to authorised carers. Daily safety checks are carried out by staff and detailed risk assessments are completed. Children learn about keeping themselves safe through discussions, reminders about the rules and boundaries and practising road safety as part of outings in the local community.

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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 warm and welcoming environment is provided through the posters and art work displayed. Children have named low pegs for their belongings which gives them a sense of belonging and independence. Children have areas where they can relax whilst playing, such as when putting together the train set, as comfortable rugs are set out. Children have access to a good range of well-maintained toys and equipment which are carefully chosen to meet the needs of the children attending, for example, the different types of scissors available ensure all children can be independent at the craft table.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are knowledgeable about child protection signs and symptoms and are up-to-date with recent changes to procedures. The staff understand how they can protect themselves from false allegations by working within sight of each other. However, home injuries are not recorded. All staff undertake first aid training which ensures children's minor injuries and accidents can be attended to promptly. This protects and safeguards children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at pre-school, settling quickly and confidently. They understand the routines well, such as sitting down for registration and tidy up time. Children have formed good friendships, for example, they enjoy outdoor play together, as they chalk and play with the balls, bikes and tyres. Children have confident relationships with staff as they enjoy talking with them and will ask for help when needed. Children have fun together and are enthusiastic about the wide range of toys, activities and play opportunities on offer. Children benefit from initiating their own play, they have access to the toys and activities, including the outdoor area for the main part of the session, on a free-play basis. This enables children to make their own decisions and choices, for example, they enjoy choosing their own materials from the art and craft unit, deciding what they will create.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are well-occupied through the wide range of activities and experiences available and develop good concentration skills. Children gain from the high ratio of staff to children. This means that staff spend individual time and attention with children, which provides additional support to the children's progress and development. A four plus session offers more structured and focused activities to aid children's learning and understanding in preparation for school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have relevant experience and have undertaken training in both the Foundation Stage and the 'Birth to Three'. Planning is effective and all staff contribute to this, using their knowledge and understanding of the individual children to plan for the next steps in their development. However, the evaluation of the curriculum, at times does not reflect the impact on the children's learning. Staff confidently support children in their progression through their positive interaction and use of skilful questioning to motivate children's thinking and understanding. Children's progress is well-documented in individual development files and regular records are made. The progress children make along the stepping stones to the early learning goals is securely underpinned with written observations, photos and samples of the children's work.

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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 Children make very good progress towards the early learning goals as they learn through play and structured activities. Children gain independence as they learn to put on their coats and visit the toilet by themselves. Children help prepare their snack, such as putting spread onto their crackers, learning physical skills as they use knives. Their understanding of different shape names is supported as they choose different shaped crackers. Children count out the snack, such as fruit segments and begin to understand about simple addition, for example, as they add one and one together. Children count regularly at activities, such as when making pasta necklaces. Songs and stories are used to good effect to promote children's language skills, understanding of number and positional language, such as up and down. The visual tools used

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

in number songs are not labelled, such as for the current bun song. This would support children's recognition of numbers and encourage understanding of sequencing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Print is used well within the environment, for example, the home corner is turned into a café which has a name, open/closed sign and a menu, displays are labelled with questions and statements and the children have named pegs and name cards for snack time. The book corner offers a good range of fiction and non-fiction books for children to use in a comfortable area. This develops children's understanding that print carries meaning and promotes their recognition of their names. Children mark make for a purpose, such as in the café and also use the art and craft self-selection area to make invitations and birthday cards, writing their names and using their emergent writing. This also supports their creative development as they use their imagination as they enjoy role play in the café and make pictures using a variety of materials. The pre-school uses a sounds system to encourage children's understanding of letter names

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and sounds and has a library where children regularly borrow books. This develops children's early reading skills and encourages parent involvement in their child's learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop understanding of the local community and the wider world through local outings, for example, to the Church and to visit the Wolf sanctuary. Staff encourage children to make observations, such as the weather and during activities, for example, the changes which happen to the bread mix as it is made into dough and then cooked.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from a wide range of activities which support their large and small physical skills. Children are able to explore and challenge their physical abilities in a safe environment, such as balancing on the wobble board, using the climbing frame and large tyres outside. Children develop small physical skills as they select tools to roll and mould the dough and use pencils, pens and glue sticks with increasing control.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children learn acceptance of others different to themselves as they have access to a good range of resources that reflect positive images of society. These include dressing up clothes, books and dolls which they use in their natural play. Children take part in different activities to broaden their understanding of traditional and other religious and cultural celebrations, such as Easter, Chinese New Year and Diwali. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Information about children's religious and cultural observances is not requested and therefore staff do not have information to fully support children's individual backgrounds.

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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 Children's behaviour is good. Children learn to share and negotiate with each other with support from staff, for example, they encourage children to take turns with a popular toy by discussing taking turns and offering ideas to the children, such as using a timer. Children learn about the rules and boundaries as staff apply these consistently and regularly discuss them, such as how many children can play on the climbing frame together. Staff provide very good role models to the children as they are kind, polite and calm. Children join in tidying up routines enthusiastically which helps them learn about responsibility. Children's self-esteem and confidence is fully supported through the frequent praise and encouragement they receive from staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff understand children's individual needs very well and all children are given consistent support and encouragement. This enables them to fully participate in the activities and play opportunities on offer. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities well. Staff work closely with parents and other parties to ensure children are given the support they need. Individual play plans are in place to help children learn and progress. Resources are accessed, such as equipment and one-to-one helpers to support the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Parents receive good information about the pre-school through the information booklet and access to the policies and procedures. Information about the curriculum is included in the booklet and weekly notices are displayed about the activities for each session. Parents are encouraged to be involved with the pre-school, such as helping during sessions or being a member of the committee. Parents are welcomed to share their skills and to bring in items relating to topics and activities. This encourages parents to be involved with their children's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Staff are well motivated and work very well as a team. The staff communicate well with each other and regular meetings are held. Staff attend regular training which extends and underpins their expertise. A high staff to children ratio ensures children are well supported and their needs are understood. Staff are enthusiastic and enjoy their time with the children, who are the focus of their time.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. Communication between the staff and committee is good. The pre-school supervisor attends regular meetings with the committee and keeps them well-informed of the pre-school's day-to-day progress. This ensures their roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and understood. The pre-school understands the strengths of the practice very well and is pro-active in ensuring they continue to develop further.

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Organisation

All regulatory required paperwork is in place. Information regarding home injuries and children's religious and cultural backgrounds are not requested at present. This would ensure staff have information to support them further in meeting these needs.

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Organisation

The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

One action was set regarding staff qualifications and one recommendation for documentation at the last childcare inspection. Two key issues were given for the Nursery Education inspection regarding parent involvement in their child's progress and improving staff knowledge of how children learn and what children already know.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The required staff qualification ratio has now been addressed. There are three qualified staff members who work with the children. All staff undertake regular training which develops and underpins their practice with the children. Staff are able to support children well in their learning and development.

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Improvements since the last inspection

All documentation is in place. This ensures appropriate procedures and policies are in place, such as procedures to follow in the event of a lost child, risk assessments, emergency treatment arrangements, information about the regulatory body and keeping parents informed of their child's progress. This provides necessary information to parents about their children and keeps staff informed of their wishes. Children are cared for in a safe environment which minimises risks to them as there are procedures to follow in the event of an emergency and risk assessments are completed.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The pre-school encourages parents involvement as it provides information about topics and activities and welcomes their input, such as bringing in items or sharing their skills. Parents help out during sessions and children's development records are made available. This encourages parents to be involved with their child's learning and share their knowledge of their child.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Staff have developed their knowledge of how children learn and develop and what children already know. Staff follow children's interest and their lead, enabling them to gain insight into their knowledge and understanding of events and activities. Comprehensive records of the children's development are maintained which ensures staff have a good understanding of what children already know and are able to plan for the next steps in their development. Children benefit from staff who have a good understanding and knowledge of them as individuals.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that require 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • gain information from parents to support children's cultural and religious observances • develop systems to record children's home injuries

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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): • develop the evaluation of the curriculum to reflect the impact on the children's learning and development.

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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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