Grange Park Pre-School

Grange Park Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Grange Park Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY285845 Inspection date 18 July 2005 Inspector Rosemary Moore

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Grange Park Pre-School

Setting Address Grange Park Community Centre, School Lane, Grange Park, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 5FZ Telephone number 0772 9151944

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E-mail

Registered person Grange Park 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 satisfactory. 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?

Grange Park Pre-School was first registered in January 2003 under the name of St Benedict's Pre-School. It operates from the Community Centre in Grange Park on the outskirts of Northampton The pre-school is open each weekday during school term times from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 12:15 to 14:45. There are currently 82 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 70 children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school currently supports

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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 children with special educational needs and children with English as an additional language. The pre-school employs 11 members of staff, of which 3 hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from the local authority and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a setting which takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection. They are learning from the good examples set by the staff, supported by discussions as to when and why they need to wash their hands. Children play with suitable toys and equipment which are regularly cleaned and tables are wiped down between activities, to prevent the spread of infection. Children enjoy a relaxed and social atmosphere at snack time where appropriate table manners are encouraged as they sit down together to eat. Some healthy choices of snacks are provided at each session and children are beginning to learn about healthy eating. They have drinking water available to them at all times and they are encouraged to drink regularly, therefore, they are beginning to develop an understanding of the need for regular fluids, especially in hot weather. Children have opportunities to develop their whole body movements daily, either

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Helping children to be healthy

playing outside or by using the indoor hall, as they practise skills riding on wheeled toys, rolling hoops and throwing a ball. They are learning to negotiate space, climb, balance and hop as they play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a secure environment where risks are generally identified and minimised to prevent accidents. Staff conduct visual risk assessments of both the indoor and outdoor areas daily, however, fire practices are not carried out regularly and therefore children's safety cannot be ensured. The premises are secure and children are unable to leave them unsupervised ensuring they can move freely and develop their play in a safe environment. Children are able to select toys from a range of good quality resources, equipment and use child sized furniture. They are monitored by staff to ensure that they are using all equipment safely and that it is suitable for individual needs. Children's well-being is safeguarded due to the staff's understanding of child protection policies and procedures.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children participate happily in activities from the moment they enter the pre-school. They are supported by staff who use a keyworker system to monitor small groups and ensure that a special interest is taken in each child's welfare and development. However children are not split into groups according to their age or stage of development and therefore younger children are not always provided with activities which support their progress. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are keen to participate in the range of suitable activities provided, however, staff do not have sufficient knowledge of the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage to develop children's ideas and promote their learning. For example during the play dough activity children enjoy using the material, as they choose a colour and roll it out, however, staff are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

not secure about the intended learning. Children do not have time to experiment with the texture or to be creative and imaginative because staff move children on too quickly to ensure each child is given a turn, in order to create an end product. Although three and four-year-olds make some progress along the stepping stones in most areas of learning, staff have limited understanding of the differing needs of children, and therefore the older and more able children are not sufficiently challenged and make limited progress towards the early learning goals. Children speak confidently with each other and with adults, they initiate and take turns in conversation. They enjoy listening to stories and show an understanding of how books relay a message, by picking out pictures. Children gain increasing skill in pencil control as they practise drawing around stencils, writing their names and using crayons. Children begin to explore the world around them as they play with activities, such as

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the sand and water, they experiment with the effects of mixing the two and use seashells and toy crabs as they play with their imaginary beach and relate to being at the seaside. Children make some progress towards the early learning goals, staff make observations of children's progress although methods used are not always systematic and are currently being redeveloped. Children rarely count spontaneously and there are limited opportunities for them to solve simple mathematical problems in everyday activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are welcomed into the pre school by staff who value and respect them all as individuals. They welcome each child by their name as they enter. They learn to play individually and in groups with growing confidence and independence.

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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 with special educational needs integrate well because suitable procedures are in place and activities are adapted to ensure children can participate to promote their welfare and development. They keep records of the children's progress. Staff work with the area co-ordinator and develop good relationships with parents. Children are well behaved, they understand the rules of the group and respond to the regular praise. Staff are positive role models and show consistency in managing children. Children are learning how they are expected to behave in a variety of situations during free play, at group time and as they socialise in the setting. The partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents are given a monthly newsletter which informs them of forthcoming events. However, only limited information about

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Helping children make a positive contribution

the Foundation Stage is shared with parents of children receiving nursery education. This means that parents are not able to contribute sufficiently to their children's learning. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered through daily discussions in a group session, where they take turns to share experiences, for example children talk about their recent group visit to Woburn Safari Park.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The leadership and management is satisfactory. An action plan is in place which sets out how sufficient staff will be suitably qualified to meet the national standards, however insufficient progress has been made toward achieving this and as a result, children are not making sufficient progress toward the early learning goals in all development areas. Children's welfare is generally promoted because an operational plan is in place which sets out staff responsibilities and explains how the nursery operates, some procedures are clearly displayed in the playrooms. Children generally benefit from activities which are pre-planned and set out to cover most areas of the curriculum. Their limited progress in some areas of learning are also linked to the weak systems for monitoring and evaluating the provision. Children are supervised by staff in both rooms, however, at times staff deployment is poor, this

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Organisation

affects the children's individual needs. Space and resources are sufficient to allow children to make choices in their play, developing their own ideas independently. Children's care and welfare is generally safeguarded by clear and well maintained documentation, although not all accidents records have sufficient detail. Children's care and learning is generally supported by the staff, however, this is not always consistent. The system to assess staff training needs and to appraise their working styles is not sufficiently developed. Staff discuss their practice at each planning session but the system in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching of nursery education is not effective and therefore there are gaps in some areas of learning. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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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

At the last inspection the provider was asked to ensure that the procedures in the event of a fire were displayed. To develop an action plan to show how staff qualifications will be achieved. The registers had the hours of attendance recorded, drinking water was available and there was a system in place for parents to receive information regarding their child's progress. Most of these have now been addressed to support the care and welfare of the children. However, the action plan and fire procedures have been followed through to this inspection report.

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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 satisfactory. 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 fire drills are carried out regularly and records are kept • ensure that all accident records are signed by parents • develop a suitable range of activities for the younger children, for example by using the Birth to three framework • demonstrate how staff qualifications levels will be met, including timescales.

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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 systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating the provision • ensure that a system is in place for staff appraisal and training needs • ensure that a range of activities are provided to cover all areas of the curriculum and provide sufficient challenge for the older and more able

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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 children • provide parents with details of the nursery education provision and provide opportunities for them to contribute to their child's development.

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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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