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Gipsey Bridge Preschool

Inspection report for early years provision

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Gipsey Bridge Preschool

Unique Reference Number EY277564 Inspection date 01 June 2005 Inspector Christine Hands

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Gipsey Bridge Preschool

Setting Address Gipsey Bridge Chapel, Leagate Road, Gipsey Bridge, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE22 7BU

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E-mail

Registered person Gipsey Bridge Preschool 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Gipsey Bridge Pre-School is a committee-run provision and has registered charity status. It opened in 2004 and operates from the chapel hall in the rural village of Gipsey Bridge in Lincolnshire. The pre-school has the use of an entrance hall, the main hall, an adjoining side room, the kitchen area and toilets. There is an adjoining, enclosed outdoor play space. There are parking facilities at the front of the premises for staff and parents.

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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 provision is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 11:30, during school term times. A maximum of 20 children may attend the setting at any one time. Of the 20 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll, 12 are in receipt of funding for nursery education. Children attending come from the village and surrounding rural areas. There are currently no children attending who have identified special educational needs or who speak English as an additional language. There are three members of staff who work with the children. The manager holds a recognised childcare qualification and the other two staff members are working towards a qualification. The provision is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance. The group receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are learning the importance of good hygiene and personal care within the pre-school through the effective routines and role models provided by staff. They are encouraged to wash hands, blow noses and dispose of tissues correctly. Children participate in and enjoy a wide range of activities and choose whether to play in the garden or the playrooms as they wish. They benefit from the good range of equipment provided in the outdoor play area to develop control of their bodies as well as increasing their physical skills. Children are aware of the importance of being in the fresh air and how this makes them feel. They make their own decisions as to when they play outside and are aware of the weather conditions and when they need their coats. Children take part in all large apparatus activities and staff offer good support to those who are less able to enable them to gain confidence.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's physical development is good due to the wide variety of activities such as balancing, climbing, jumping and pedalling. Children move confidently and have a good awareness of space. They move with control and co-ordination as they use the trampoline, stepping stones and balancing beam. Children's small hand skills are developing well through practise with scissors, pencils and cutters. They are becoming aware of their own bodies and how they feel after exercise. Children are beginning to understand the importance of a healthy diet and are encouraged to eat fruit rather than sweet alternatives at snack times. Staff provide children with drinks although these are not freely accessible. The pre-school takes into account parental wishes as well as the children's likes and dislikes with regard to the provision of healthy snacks.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a bright, safe and welcoming environment where they have

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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 the freedom to move safely both indoors and outside. Staff protect children well through the good security of the premises and procedures for ensuring adults having contact with children are appropriately vetted. Children freely access all toys and equipment kept in low level storage units or large cupboards. Regular risk assessments enable children to play safely with all equipment. Children are becoming aware of danger both inside and outside and are learning how to keep themselves safe. Children are safe during outings as staff take care to ensure that they identify all risks before children leave the premises. All the required documentation is in place to ensure children are safe and that staff promote their welfare. Staff protect and safeguard the children through the good

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

procedures and their understanding of child protection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled within the pre-school and are keen to participate in all the activities on offer. Staff know the children well and are aware of those who need extra support. The close relationships between staff and children ensure that they are confident and have a strong sense of self worth, and staff support the younger children particularly well. Children are developing good communication skills through the skilful questioning techniques of the staff. They work well together and have a sense of belonging. For example, when children arrive late they are spontaneously welcomed by others who immediately include them in whatever they are doing at the time. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and provide a wide range of activities. However, children are not always reaching their full potential in each area of learning due to staff deployment

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and the organisation of the space. Children are eager to learn and are confident to try new experiences. They display high levels of concentration and they listen intently to stories and participate fully in singing, action songs and rhymes. All children make marks for representation and some are able to write their own names. Children use their imagination when creating art and craft work, for example, junk modelling, and also during imaginative play both indoors and out. They are gaining an understanding of the world around them through the imaginative topics undertaken such as the stars and planets. Children have a good understanding of number and are able to use this in their play. More able children are gaining a good understanding of how to use number to solve problems and their mathematical vocabulary and skills are extending through both planned and spontaneous activities. Children are becoming confident in the use of a

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

variety of technology equipment for example tape recorders, karaoke machine and magnifying glasses and use these on a daily basis. Staff know the starting point and interests of children and use this information to inform planning. Less able children receive good support to move them on to the next

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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 stage, although monitoring and assessments are not always used effectively to ensure there is sufficient challenge to further extend the knowledge and skills of those who are more able. Assessment records do not show examples of how children have reached a stepping stone.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are developing a positive view of the wider world and increasing their awareness of diversity and understanding of others through the range of activities and resources provided. Children are becoming aware of a variety of different languages through books and discussion. They meet different people as they walk around their local community as well as when having visitors at the pre-school. All children are valued and respected as individuals and their needs are met according to parental guidelines. Children within the group have a real sense of belonging and demonstrate this in the welcome given to each other, especially if children arrive late. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. A good partnership with parents contributes to the children's care and progress in the pre-school. The pre-school staff share information with parents on a daily basis and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

offer opportunities for parents to talk to them confidentially. Parents on the committee are fully involved in the running of the group and all parents are aware of activities and the curriculum and their views taken into consideration. Children benefit from the involvement of their parents in continuing their learning at home, for example by taking a reading book home, asking questions to further their understanding and writing any comments in a notebook. The pre-school works extremely closely with the local school and has a representative from the school on the committee in order to support children’s progress. Children who have special needs are welcomed into the group with suitable arrangements made to accommodate them wherever possible. Children feel valued and included as a result of the good procedures to involve parents and other professionals in the planning of their care and education. Children are proud of their achievements as they have their craft work displayed on

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Helping children make a positive contribution

the walls to reinforce their value. Children's behaviour is excellent and they play together well. Staff have high expectations and set consistent boundaries for the children, encouraging them to take turns and to help each other as well as to care for their environment by putting toys and equipment away once it has been finished with.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are happy and settled in the well organised environment and staff promote their care, welfare and learning well through the policies and procedures in place. Staff hold these securely to ensure they treat children and families with

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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 confidentiality. Children benefit from continuity of care through the consistent staff group and the close working relationship between parents, the committee and staff which enables the children to fully integrate into the setting. Parents receive regular newsletters to ensure they are well-informed about the service and the children's activities. The close relationships between the staff and parents ensure that they meet the needs of all children on an individual basis. The leadership and management is good. Children benefit from the commitment of the staff to undertake further training to continue to improve the opportunities provided. The committee and staff have a clear vision for the setting and work together well as a team to ensure that they provide an inclusive environment, treating

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Organisation

every child as an individual. However, there are limitations in the setting's ability to monitor and evaluate its own strengths and weaknesses and as a result the organisation of the space and deployment of staff hinders children's progress. Overall the setting meets the needs of all children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the previous care inspection the group has improved the snacks offered to children to ensure that healthy eating is promoted and that children are also gaining an understanding of the importance of healthy eating and the types of foods recommended. Improvements have been made with regard to hand washing in that children now use the washbasins in the toilet areas to wash their hands after using the toilet which minimises the risk of cross infection, however, some children still use a bowl for washing hands prior to eating and this continues to be an area for development. Generally progress has been made to promote children's health. The fire officer has been asked to visit with regard to evacuation areas, however, no visit has been made to date. Children are made aware of current evacuation procedures which are monitored by staff in order to maintain safety.

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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):

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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): • Ensure that assessments fully identify the next steps of learning and that these are used to inform planning, especially for the more able children. • Use space, resources and deployment of staff effectively to ensure children achieve to their full potential in all six areas of 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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