Newhall Theatre Project

Broadhill Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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134458 Unique Reference Number 07 June 2007 Inspection date Janet Maria Moutter Inspector

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Hailey Road, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 1HL Setting Address

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E-mail

Broadhill 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?

Broadhill Pre-School opened in 1974. It operates from new purpose-built premises adjacent to the local primary school in Witney. The pre-school serves the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 62 children from two to five years on roll. Of these 44 children receive funding for nursery education. They attend for a variety of sessions. The setting welcomes and supports children with special needs, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 08:45 until 11:30 and from 12:30 until 15:00. The pre-school offers a lunchtime club every day from 11:30 until 12:30.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs four permanent staff and two temporary staff. All of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from a development worker from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy because staff follow current and appropriate environmental health and hygiene guidelines, polices and procedures such as hand washing before the children prepare snack. This routine of hand washing helps the children to understand simple good health and hygiene practices. Staff ensure the tables are clean and the placemats. Sun cream and the wearing of hats in the hot weather, and Wellington boots and coats in the rain, allows the children the opportunity play longer outside. Children know to take their boots off when entering the playroom and put their shoes on. However, the staff share one hand towel for drying their hands which can cause cross-contamination of infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are nourished and have the chance to chop, slice and cut up fruit provided by the parents, for their café style snack time. A member of staff is on hand to discuss likes and dislikes and challenge the children to pour and serve drinks. Drinking water is available at all times. Children learn about healthy living through discussion at snack time and general comments on well-being as they play. The topic this term is 'Summer Mini Beasts and animals'. Children have their health and dietary needs met because staff work well with parents to record and any allergies and there is a clear reminder for the staff on the children's individual placemats.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have regular, daily chance to play inside and outside. The playgroup has an extensive outside area that is enclosed and offers choices to climb, slide, roll, dig and sit on and ride trikes. The new ducklings got to the children's play area and it offered lots of golden opportunities to stand still or lie down and watch the duckling and they found their way back through the hole in the bushes. Children have ample opportunities to develop their large muscle skills during a wide range of physical activities. Children demonstrate how well they can balance on the stepping-stones during free-play, showing how they have learned to stretch their arms out to help them balance. Children are beginning to recognise the changes to their bodies during and after physical activities. For example, they talk to each other about being thirsty after running around and needing sun hats.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in bright, welcoming and child friendly premises, where space has been well organised to meet the needs of the children attending. The playgroup room has been organised into clear learning areas, so children have a quiet area, areas for messy play, pretend play and plenty of floor space for construction and general play. There are plenty of displays of the children's art work on the walls and also named pegs for their personal belongings. This helps the children develop a sense of belonging in the group. Children have access to a wide range of stimulating toys and equipment that promotes their development in all areas. These are all stored in low level shelves to encourage the children to make choices in their play. These free choice opportunities encourage the children's confidence and independence, as they choose the toys they wish to play with. For example, construction sets, pirate ships, castles, the train

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play in safe premises, free from risks as staff check the premises daily for potential hazards and implement a range of safety measures to promote safety daily. For example, sockets are covered, toilets are checked. A wide range of suitable and safe equipment is used, which

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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 is risk assessed prior to the children using it, both inside and outside such as the climbing frame. The slide for example, on the day of inspection, had to be wiped dry after a child tried to make it into a water slide like he had visited on his resent holiday. Children do not have access to the kitchen and the premises are all secure. Children are, therefore, able to move around the playgroup with confidence and play in safety. The outdoor area is checked daily prior to the children's use, to ensure there are no hazards. All fire precautions are in place and the evacuation plan is practised with the children and monitored for its effectiveness.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children learn to keep themselves safe and avoid accidental injury so they are reminded not to run inside playgroup. They are kept safe on outings as there is a clear procedure and policy for both staff and parents to follow. At present the staff are working their way through a tough logistic plan to ensure the children have fun on their playgroup visit, with staff and parents, at the Cotswold Wildlife Park that is a car drive away.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected because staff understand their role in safeguarding children and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice when necessary. Children are cared for by adults who are vetted and have relevant experience, knowledge and skills. Parents often volunteer to step in for a session to help the established staff but the environment allows unchecked adults never to be unsupervised with the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children benefit from the good organisational skills of the staff team, they arrive before the children to set up the room and the day's activities. Children are able to freely access resources from low-level storage units around the room. They self-select items and show high levels of independence, which is actively encouraged by all staff. Children thrive in this stimulating and exciting environment. They are extremely eager to try new things and enthusiastically participate in the extensive range of activities on offer. Children are happy and settle quickly on arrival, talking openly about their own experiences. Staff know the children well and are able to ask open-ended questions, encouraging the children to share their ideas and thoughts with confidence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff find new and innovative ways to ensure the children are focussed, interested and motivated, for example, children are talking about the caterpillars turning into butterflies. Staff were planning some observation activities. In order to interest the children, staff decided to use fir cones, wood chippings, leaves and other natural objects as a resource, the children enjoy feeling them, describing the differences or explaining what they think lives in this environment and what the mini beast looks like. The children are thoroughly engrossed, discussing the different sizes and shapes, seeing which ones are heavier or lighter and which cone still has seeds inside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff get to know each child and their level of understanding extremely well. This enables them to differentiate all activities to meet each child's understanding. Children flourish because they feel valued and are able to reach the achievable targets, building their self-esteem and creating confident learners. Children are able to self-select resources to use their imaginations, creating their own ideas. Staff ensure that not all craft activities are adult led, providing children with extensive opportunities to familiarise themselves with the materials and begin to understand their different properties and uses.

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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 quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. The whole staff team have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and stepping stones. Children are making rapid progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas. The curriculum is extremely well balanced and staff implement the learning objectives in new and exciting ways. The planning is clear and easy to use and all staff are aware of their own roles and responsibilities. Children take part in an extensive and challenging range of activities, learning through play and having fun while they are making progress. The planning is extensive and caters for the children's individual needs but is also flexible, allowing for spontaneity to extend the children's own ideas. Planned learning aims and objectives are then revisited at a later date to ensure all areas of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

learning are covered effectively, whilst meeting the needs of the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have an exceptionally clear and detailed system in place to assess the children's achievements and identify their next steps effectively. They continually observe the children throughout the day and staff are given time to complete individual play plans for every child, with small achievable targets each half term. The children's needs are then incorporated into the curriculum planning, ensuring the programme meets the needs of the children who attend. Staff extend the children's ideas and allow them to create new activities from their own ideas. Staff question the children extremely effectively, encouraging them to think about what they are doing and what they are hoping to achieve. The children are confident and have high self-esteem because the staff really value their contributions and listen to all of their ideas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a fantastic time during their outdoor play and are developing a keen understanding of the natural world. They hunt mini-beasts, grow produce for snack time, have visiting pets such as the ducklings who entered the children's play area through the fence, watch tadpoles develop, study fir cones and explore their surroundings, turning over logs and digging under bark to see what is hiding underneath. Children use magnifying glasses and torches to investigate further, trying to count the legs on a wood louse, watching a stag beetle run and seeing how long it takes a snail to climb up the wall.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are extremely confident speakers, they are happy to stand up in group situations and tell others what they have been doing, or to suggest ideas for games and songs. They are able to clearly express their feelings and explain their ideas fully, for example during role-play as they negotiate roles and characters. Staff are fully aware of the children's needs and know when to stand back and let play develop naturally and when to discreetly guide their play to calm it down or move them to another area without interrupting the flow of creativity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count freely at every opportunity and are beginning to calculate using groups of objects and are comparing numbers during their play. Staff set up exciting activities to teach the children new shapes, for example, seeing which shapes they can use to make a caterpillar in their pictures, or how many circles they could use to make a picture of a train, counting the wheels. Children use mathematical language throughout the day, describing shape, position, quantity and size all the time. Children use numbers with confidence, even counting backwards, children spontaneously measure each other on the 'height tree' and ask for more sticks to represent candles to add to their clay cakes which were saved by one child for Mum to take home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individuality is well respected by staff who know the children in their care well and support their individual needs. Hence, they promote children's self-esteem effectively. Support

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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 for children with learning disabilities is excellent and children have their development extremely well supported in the group. The trained Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator implements detailed play plans for the children including parents in the process and taking account of their views. Achievable targets are set and these are regularly reviewed and outside advice is sought where appropriate. Children for whom English is an additional language are fully included in all aspects of the nursery and have their language development fully supported by staff. They liaise with parents regarding children's language development in their first language, gain key words and offer pictorial support, encouraging children's confidence in developing their language skills. This makes the child feel valued, respected and part of the group. Staff have attended

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Helping children make a positive contribution

training and have an exceptionally clear understanding of their role, closely liaising with parents and other agencies effectively to support the children and their families.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is good. Staff are excellent role models to the children and treat them with respect. They use sensitive and age appropriate methods for managing unwanted behaviour including the use of praise and encouragement. Children become aware of the rules of the group, as they tell one another, for example, 'Stop running, we are not allowed to run indoors'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children regularly explore the local environment, collect natural objects and use these to represent what they have observed. For example, through making collages. They have made lovely displays that reflect the diversity of the children attending, including maps showing where children come from around the world. Parents are invited in and share their customs of celebrating festivals and of the kinds of foods they prepare at home. This helps the children to both understand and respect the lives and cultures of others.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents of children who receive funding for nursery education is outstanding. Parents receive a detailed and comprehensive group prospectus, which includes information about the curriculum and policies, ensuring they are fully informed of the group's aims and objectives. The curriculum planning is clearly displayed on the informative notice boards and newsletters are sent out giving details of forthcoming events, such as open days and fundraising activities. Parents are able to talk to their children's key workers at any time and have access to their children's comprehensive achievement files on request. They are able to make written contributions to their children's records. The group actively encourages parents to stay as long as they like, fully involving them in their children's learning. This open door policy enables the parents to be very active in the setting and serves to strengthen the links

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Helping children make a positive contribution

between home and pre-school, providing a supportive and trusting environment for the children and their families.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Daily routines are organised exceptionally well and run smoothly. The children move freely from one activity to another, never having to wait around. This ensures they are fully occupied, interested and stimulated throughout the sessions, which has a positive effect on behaviour. The ratios are maintained at all times and staff deployment is extremely effective, enabling staff to provide high quality support and supervision for all the children. Comprehensive procedures are in place to ensure all adults are checked and new staff complete an in depth induction programme, ensuring children are safe.

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Organisation

Children are well protected because all policies and procedures are implemented effectively. All of the required paperwork and documentation is maintained to an extremely high standard

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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 and is readily available for inspection at any time. The staff team work exceptionally well together providing a stimulating and vibrant environment for the children. The entire staff team are extremely committed and dedicated to ensuring the quality of care and education is continually improved for all the children.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the setting is outstanding. The management committee, mainly parents of children who attend the group, are very active in the setting and fully support the staff team. Extremely clear roles and responsibilities are defined, enabling the day to day organisation of the group to run seamlessly, greatly benefiting the children who attend. The staff are enthusiastic and motivated, continually attending training to increase and develop their knowledge of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals. They are keen to share their expertise with other practitioners, for example, inviting other staff in to see how they organise the paperwork involved with the curriculum planning and children's assessment records.

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Organisation

The setting successfully assesses its own strengths and weaknesses through continually monitoring, evaluating and reviewing practice as a whole. Staff complete self-assessments which are discussed during the appraisal process. The assessments are used to identify strengths, weaknesses and training needs. Staff see this as a positive experience, and they are pleased that the supervisor organises a great deal of training to enable them to further develop their own individual knowledge. The curriculum planning is monitored effectively to ensure children receive a well-balanced programme covering all six areas of learning in depth. The delivery of the activities is observed and staff meetings ensure any minor issues or points for improvement are addressed quickly to continually improve the children's vast experiences within the group.

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Organisation

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 care inspection the provider was asked to improve safety by devising a procedure to be followed in the event of a child being lost. The provider was also asked to ensure the welfare of the children by maintaining that all records, including consent forms for activities and information from parents about children's cultural backgrounds, are accessible on the premises. The provider was asked to ensure snacks are healthy and nutritious. These recommendations were all in place and available for inspection. As a result, children's health, safety and welfare have been improved by staff devising procedures. The record keeping of the nursery and safety of the children has been improved.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the provider was asked to provide more opportunities for children to use their writing skills for their own interests. Children's opportunities to write have improved through the provision of an area where children can write and draw freely. As a result, children's independence has been improved and they are able to use writing to express themselves.

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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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Complaints 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

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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): • ensure staff hand drying procedures are hygienic

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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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