Arden Grove Pre-School

Arden Grove Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Arden Grove Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY292310 Inspection date 27 April 2005 Inspector Tessa Margaret Betts

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Arden Grove Pre-School

Setting Address Arden Grove First School, Arden Grove, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 6QA Telephone number 01603 404553

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E-mail

Registered person Arden Grove Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Arden Grove Pre-school registered in 2004 and operates in a classroom within Arden Grove First School. It is situated on the outskirts of Norwich and serves the local community. A maximum of 20 children may attend at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09.10 - 11.40 during school term-time only. All children attending have use of the school hall and outdoor enclosed playground during designated times.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 There are currently 19 children aged 2 to under 4 years on roll. Of these seven children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and is able to support children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs six staff. Five of the staff, including the supervisor hold appropriate early years qualifications. Further training has been identified and staff are awaiting places on relevant courses. The pre-school receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are learning good personal hygiene routines through a range of daily activities. Well presented written procedures, such as how to deal with children becoming unwell and ensuring parents are fully informed, contribute to children's well being. Children benefit from a healthy diet. Fresh fruits are prepared daily for snack time and drinks are offered and available throughout the morning. Older children make choices about the timing of their snack, which encourages their independence and gentle reminders are given to younger children to ensure their inclusion. Specific dietary requirements are respected by staff, who ensure snacks comply with children's individual dietary needs, so that children remain healthy. Children enjoy a wide range of physical activities, which contribute to their good health. There are daily opportunities to enjoy physical play both indoors and out,

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Helping children to be healthy

which helps them to develop control of their bodies, for example as they use the outdoor climbing frame and play together with hoops, balls and bean bags. Children are beginning to develop progressive skills in early letter formation, show appropriate pencil control and hand/eye co-ordination as they thread coloured beads and mark make with different materials.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children's risk of accidental injury is minimised in the well planned layout of the classroom, which has good safety and security precautions, such as a clear system for arrival and departure and high door handles. Staff help children to keep safe because they understand and comply with their written procedures, which include a risk assessment of the premises and clearly identified roles, to ensure children are well supervised throughout the morning. Children use a sufficient range of safe, good quality, developmentally appropriate resources. These are well organised in child height furniture, to encourage independent access and stimulate imagination. Some staff use opportunities to

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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 explain safe practices, such as why children should not throw toys and this helps them learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Children's safety is supported by a clear written child protection policy, however not all staff members are secure in their understanding of child protection and as a consequence, there are instances where children's welfare may not be fully safeguarded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are confident in their relationships with staff, as a result enter the pre-school with enthusiasm and a keen interest to take part. Learnt routines, such as joining tables to look at books on arrival contribute to their sense of belonging and security. They begin to play happily together and with adults and enjoy using the age appropriate resources, such as table tops activities, books, craft, painting, topic work and outdoor equipment. They have regular opportunities to enjoy a range of purposeful activities, many of which are accessible in low level storage units to build on their own ideas and develop their independence and choice. Children enjoy a variety of first hand experiences, such as a role play café and exploring the sea project, which provides opportunities to use a range of different materials and sources of information. Children are settled and familiar with the daily routine and of the high expectations of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the adults around them, as a result their behaviour is good. An effective key worker system and clear written information contributes to children's individual needs. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff understand children's needs and provide a sufficient range of activities and experiences. Some staff have a reasonable knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum and demonstrate an adequate awareness of how children learn, whilst others are less confident and as a result some children's progress is slower. The level of challenge is sufficient to interest most children, however more able children's learning is not fully extended. Staff use some observation and assessment in order to monitor children's progress, although this is not consistently used to inform planning for the next steps in learning for each child. Children's behaviour and attitude to learning is good. They come into pre-school

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

enthusiastically and are motivated to learn. Staff are on hand to smooth the transition from parents leaving to starting the session. Children are starting to link sounds and letters and this is reinforced in certain activities, such as using a weather board and linking how letters sound. Children are attempting to write their own names and are confident in finding their own name on arrival and at snack time. They listen attentively at story time and are beginning to use books appropriately. Children count in everyday situations, such as at register time, in action songs and

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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 rhymes, they compare shape and size and are starting to look at differences. Children are using programmable toys with increasing confidence and competently explore objects with magnifying glasses and binoculars. They are beginning to use a range of malleable materials to explore colour and texture, such as exploring the effects of paint on bubble wrap.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children benefit from a meaningful range of activities and resources to promote a positive view of the wider world and increase their awareness of diversity. All children are valued as individuals and children with special needs receive appropriate help and support because staff work well with parents and outside agencies. Children are well behaved and learning right from wrong, this is due to positive role models and staff's ability to manage a range of behaviour effectively. Children benefit from the positive relationship with parents. Parents comment favourably on the care their children receive, they feel reassured and able to raise any issue with staff and as a consequence children are settled. Nursery Education The partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents receive some information about the educational programme and their children's progress and achievements but this is limited and as a result they are not fully involved in their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children's learning. Children take turns in group games and are showing an awareness of the needs of others. The pre-school fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development appropriately.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from a high ratio of qualified and experienced staff, who continue to show good motivation towards training. There is an appropriate appraisal system in place, which ensures that the pre-school's well written policies are consistently applied. Activities are well organised within the classroom and outside, to maximise play opportunities for children. Clear, well presented documentation is in place to support children's health, safety and well being and this is further supported by a detailed risk assessment, to monitor the provision and ensure children's safety. Overall, the pre-school is meeting the needs of the range of children attending. Nursery Education. Leadership and Management is satisfactory. The committee provides valuable support to the group, which ensures that staff time is used effectively, to promote the developmental needs of the children attending. Staff work well together as a team

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Organisation

and are clear on their roles within the session and this contributes to the children's sense of belonging. They are able to demonstrate some understanding of the

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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 strengths and weaknesses within the provision and plans are in hand to implement changes to improve their current practice. The committee is active in encouraging staff to attend training to further their professional development, however opportunities within the session to share new ideas and explore a greater range of teaching methods are limited and this impacts on children's learning.

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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 satisfactory.

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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 that all staff understand the child protection procedures and the referral process to promote and safeguard the welfare of children

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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 staff's understanding of the foundation stage curriculum and how children learn to improve the quality of teaching • develop an effective assessment and planning system to further support children's individual learning needs, which ensures that the next steps in learning for each child is identified and met • continue to develop the information available to parents, to raise their

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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 awareness of the early learning goals to promote children's learning

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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