P.K. Preschool

P.K. Preschool Inspection report for early years provision

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507923 Unique Reference Number 26 April 2007 Inspection date Christine Clint Inspector

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Jubilee Hut, Whitmore Vale Road, Grayshott, Hindhead, Surrey, GU26 6LU

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E-mail

P.K. 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

P.K. Pre-school opened in 1987. The pre-school is a registered charity and run by a parent committee. It operates from purpose-built accommodation on the edge of the primary school grounds, in Grayshott, Surrey. The pre-school have a playroom, office, and toilets. Outside there is a secure garden and a covered veranda for all weather use. The pre-school also have use of the adjoining hall and kitchen. Children regularly use the larger hall in the nearby primary school and the outdoor apparatus in the play ground. The pre-school serves the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 36 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 27 children who are in funded educational places. Children attend for a variety of sessions, and those in their final year bring a packed lunch to the afternoon sessions. At the time of the inspection 17 children were attending. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting provides weekday morning sessions during term time only, from 09:00 until lunch time. Afternoon sessions are available on three days a week.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are nine part time staff working with the children, the majority of staff have early years qualifications. The setting has close links with the primary school, and with local early years

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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 support, this includes attending cluster group meetings with local schools and pre-schools in the area.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are clearly independent in managing their own personal care. They wash their hands readily after using the toilets and after painting activities. They follow the newly introduced snack time routines very well. Older children are entirely confident and younger children are learning to pour their own drinks with the help of staff. They help themselves to healthy choices of food and they happily enjoy a relaxed and informal snack time with each other. Older children respond well to the opportunities for socialising whilst eating, because they regularly include this at lunchtimes and younger children are quickly learning to follow their example. Children identify kiwi fruit and talk about how these can be eaten, they talk about the food they are eating and learn that bananas give them energy. Children with allergies or special dietary needs are fully considered because clear records are in place and information is competently shared

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health is well managed and efficiently recorded. All accident records are signed and witnessed, small bumps and abrasions are immediately recorded during the session. Children have dedicated attention when they hurt themselves and staff follow hygienic routines to maintain their health. There are comprehensive policies and procedures in place and available for parents. Staff show a prompt and responsible attitude to sharing information. For example, when hearing of a case of whooping cough in the area, they immediately display a notice for all parents to read at collection time.

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Helping children to be healthy

All regulatory requirements to ensure that parents provide written permission for children's health needs, are in place. There are detailed instructions to be followed for children with specific medical needs and all staff have attended training.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children play in a dedicated area of the building which is regularly cleaned and staff continue to tidy and organise throughout the session. Staff prepare the tables for snack and lunch time and children take their own cups and plates to the sink when they have finished.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have a wide range of outdoor play opportunities and freedom of movement during the session. They play with wet and dry sand on the veranda. They competently manage the steps to the garden and dig in the large sand pit. All outdoor sand is responsibly covered when not in use. Children use the school field for group games and extend their physical skills by climbing the larger wooden apparatus. They fully enjoy parachute games in the school hall and regularly practise a specific physical education programme. All children have their own water bottles and they can access these at any time. They recognise when they are thirsty and drink readily after physical play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are consistently safe in the purpose built premises because they are fully supervised at all times, there is a high ratio of staff to children and staff are continually aware of children's movements. Children move freely in the dedicated, self contained room, they can access all

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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 areas including the small secure garden. They are always supervised when they choose to play on the veranda, which is under cover, gated and enclosed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

An excellent variety of play resources are fully available to children and these can be accessed easily because all storage units are at a low level. The pre-school room is organised into different areas for each activity and children have freedom for most of the session to make full use of all areas. The low sink in the craft area can be easily reached by children for washing their own utensils and learning to manage. Older children can safely climb and stand to watch and identify the birds feeding, from the higher window.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is regularly considered because staff show vigilance and discuss any issues or concerns regarding equipment or hazards at the weekly staff meetings. This is supported by a written risk assessment and fully linked with the evaluation of each activity. There are thorough policies and procedures in place for safety and these are shared with parents. Children are frequently counted and checked during the session when they move areas for certain activities. They practise fire drills regularly and these are fully evaluated by staff, who show concern for introducing these gently when new children are attending. Children cannot leave the premises without their parent or carer because staff take turns to monitor the veranda gate and they frequently remind the younger children to learn the house rules of not running indoors.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is thoroughly maintained because there is broad information on safeguarding children available, this includes references to 'empowering young children' and 'building a culture of safety'. There are full procedures in place for responding to incidents or concerns and most staff have up to date knowledge and training. Parents are provided with clear information for contacting other agencies and this includes procedures to follow any allegations against staff. Records show that staff have a clear understanding of the signs and symptoms of concerns and these are confidentially managed across the provision.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are entirely happy and settled, they are very keen to attend. They fully enjoy making choices about their activities and move between activities in their own time. Younger children are gaining in confidence because they follow the well organised routines of the older children. They are learning to play well on their own and with others, they join in with imaginary play in the home corner and help to construct with large Duplo on the veranda. They are confident and able to take responsibility for managing themselves at snack time. They have an understanding of right and wrong and take responsibility for thoroughly tidying away the toys. Children offer their own ideas and show interest and concentration, they quickly respond when the story they know well is repeated in a different order; this is discussed and agreed before continuing. Children are making good progress in their learning and achievements, they are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

sharing, co-operating, initiating ideas and behaving appropriately. The close relationship with staff members and the strong partnership in place with parents, enhances children's confidence and ability to feel valued.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children talk and socialise continually. They are forming relationships with each other and have regular opportunities for relating and making attachments at social times and group activities. They practise parachute games and take numbered turns to use the computer. They are encouraged to show care and concern for living things and the environment, by watching the

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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 birds come to the bird feeders in the trees. They are learning to manage their own personal care and to take responsibility for dressing and undressing for physical activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have very good skills of linking sounds and letters, they can recognise and sound the first letter of many of the names on the paintings, until they recognise their own. They automatically write their own names on paintings and they are fully praised for their efforts. They find their own names at snack time. Children have a clear ability to listen and understand, they concentrate on stories and rhymes, they can promptly follow staff lead when singing, humming or tapping the rhythm to 'The big red bus'. Children readily read from pictures when they are preparing for group time and they know some stories very well. They learn and understand new words, they say 'the earth is a planet' and that the universe is 'all around'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn to count very frequently during the routines, they often count each other before going outside. They recognise number symbols and know when it is their turn to use the computer. They practise writing numbers and matching quantity. They can identify shapes and use positional language when constructing with bricks. Children can calculate very promptly when singing 'Five little men in a flying saucer', they know how many are left without counting. Children can count and match items that are the same and they can identify differences when playing computer games.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have purposeful opportunities to make books or join materials at the craft table. They use a wide variety of tools to punch holes, staple items together or join with glue. They learn how to cut with scissors and use a machine to make repeated indented patterns on paper. They fold, bend and glue card and paper to make their own designs. Children find out why the stapler will not work and they are encouraged to find the staples and fit them in themselves. They remember previous activities and talk about what happened at the weekend. They recall what they have enjoyed most during the morning session.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children flourish during their physical activity times, they climb the large A frame and go over and under this. They balance on the wire/rope apparatus, they hide in the bushes and try to climb the shrubs. Children run and chase, they hide with staff, they climb and balance on the different sized wooden stumps. They hang upside down on the wooden bar and balance on the beams. Children move spontaneously and show a growing awareness of their own ability. They learn about keeping healthy and taking care of skin in the hot sun and they practise getting their hands really clean with soap and warm water.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children paint freely and make hand prints, they watch the paint dribbling down the paper and talk about the pattern. They draw portraits of themselves when they first attend the pre-school and when they leave, they can then compare and see their own progress. Children respond enthusiastically to music, they recognise the music for tidying up and they confidently sing their own songs to the group. Children often have a visiting music teacher to encourage the use of different instruments and to create rhythm. Children readily wear the dressing up clothes and often remain in these throughout the session. They play imaginatively in the home corner and weigh the babies on the scales.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff have a sound understanding of how children learn, they have excellent knowledge of children's individual capabilities and they keep accurate records of children's abilities and levels of development. Staff have a fully collaborative approach to planning activities and to ensuring that these cover several areas of learning to enable activities to be extended. The assessment sheets provide opportunities for recording observations and for adding children, who may need extra attention in a specific area of learning.

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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 The weekly staff meetings are successfully used to evaluate the focus activities from the previous week and to improve the quality of their teaching. Staff make good use of time and resources, they organise children effectively to include a variety of learning experiences in one session. Children are listened to and valued, they are motivated because of staff enthusiasm and involvement.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have a variety of resources which reflect diversity within society. They are encouraged to have an open attitude towards including all children and broadening their knowledge of the wider world. They have books and puzzles with images of other cultures and they are learning about different religions and other ways of living. Children can count and respond to simple questions in French, they show interest and some children are very keen to pronounce words.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties or disabilities are fully supported from an early stage because there is a dedicated member of staff who has thorough knowledge and experience. There are sound procedures in place for identifying children's difficulties and for liaising with parents. These include arranging regular meetings, linking with other agencies and following individual learning plans. There are well documented records to show the good liaison with parents and other professional agencies. Children's needs are regularly evaluated and included in the discussion at staff meetings, which helps all staff to understand individual children's particular learning needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children generally behave very well. They relate to each other soundly, they accept each other and join each other's activities. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. There are good ratios of staff to children and staff are on hand to respond immediately. Most staff give clear instructions to children as they play and before the next routine so that they do not have surprises and can understand the routines. Staff are competent in anticipating and diverting children; if they are keen to gain children's attention they make eye contact, to say something important. Although there are some occasions when younger children receive mixed messages from staff and this confuses their understanding of the boundaries that are in place.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of funded nursery education is outstanding. Children are very happy and settled in the provision because their parents are fully welcomed and involved in the organisation of the pre-school. Parents have ample information about the setting and the Foundation Stage curriculum; there are clear displays in the entrance area and in the pre-school prospectus. Parents are fully encouraged to be involved during the sessions and to be included in the parent committee. There are very regular opportunities for parents to link with staff and learn about their children's progress, they can talk to key workers at informal lunches between the sessions. There is a full and comprehensive complaints procedure in place and records show that staff have already responded to parents' requests and re-arranged routines in the cloakroom. Parents have a comments and suggestions

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents give full information about their children when they first attend and this includes an assessment of their development. They can access children's records of development at any time as these are fully available in the pre-school. They are informed about the planned activities and the learning intentions for children, they are provided with suggestions for extending

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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 activities at home. Parents are entirely happy with the provision and the close links with the nearby school, the parent and toddler group and the community.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and the daily management of the pre-school is fully planned and organised. The committee are strongly supportive and recruited from the parents to manage the pre-school. There are clear records in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and most details are available. The supervisor and staff show a dedicated and committed attitude to sharing responsibilities, they each have a separate role in managing an area of support for children and parents. There is a very thorough self evaluation process in place with updates clearly recorded and sensibly linked with the National Standards, which show the pre-school staff and the committee have a competent understanding of the regulatory requirements.

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Organisation

There is a comprehensive operational plan in place which is regularly reviewed. All parents have a full prospectus which includes information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and the Birth to three matters framework. The pre-school has a high ratio of staff to children at all sessions and this enables staff to continually share in children's play and activities. The weekly staff meetings are soundly established and provide a strong base for a working team, who share the planning and evaluation of everything that takes place in the pre-school. There are ample training opportunities and close links with the early years network. New staff follow a planned induction process and records are in place, although not all staff have fully acknowledged the boundaries for children.

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Organisation

The registration certificate is displayed and there are clear registers in place to show when staff and children are present. The visitors book is signed on entry, all visitors are checked and timed on the premises.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education provision is outstanding. The pre-school supervisor and staff have a clear vision for children's education through play. They show total dedication to planning and providing a wide variety of play experiences to meet the needs of the children and to develop their knowledge and understanding. Staff complete regular appraisals and these fully identify their strengths and levels of expertise, they regularly attend training to enhance any areas they feel are required. The weekly staff discussions show the importance of sharing good, positive outcomes, whether these were spontaneous or planned; staff enjoy the process of sharing and retelling the events of the previous week. They each have responsibility for key children and link with parents to share children's assessments, although they share all knowledge and observe all children.

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Organisation

There is a fully proactive attitude towards ensuring progress for the pre-school and the ongoing evaluative process shows the commitment to making changes for children's benefit. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the pre-school was asked to ensure that all documentation relating to day care activities is in place. This is fully and comprehensively covered in the operation plan for the provision and in the policies and procedures to ensure children's safety and welfare.

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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 The pre-school was also asked to develop systems for assessing children's educational progress and to develop the activity planning to include challenge for children. There are clear records of assessment in place for each child receiving funded education. There are accurate and successful systems to ensure that children's progress is observed and assessed. Staff use focus activity sheets which show the learning intentions for each activity and these also show how activities are extended to include challenge for children.

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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 outstanding.

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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): • develop the induction procedure for new staff, to ensure that they are aware of the boundaries in place to promote children's welfare and learning

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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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