Beauchamp Middle School

Little Angels Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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109692 Unique Reference Number 03 May 2007 Inspection date Lisa Ellis Inspector

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Gosport Road, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 0QW Setting Address

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E-mail

Little Angels Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional 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?

Little Angels Pre-school is situated in a Christian church on the outskirts of Fareham in Hampshire. The pre-school is owned by the church, is run by a committee, serves the local community and has been registered for many years.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school is registered to provide care for 26 children. There are currently 47 children on roll of which 41 are in receipt of government funding for nursery education. It is the policy of the group to begin caring for children once they reach the age of two years and nine months. The group supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school offers sessional care and opens Monday to Friday from 09.15 to 11.45 and from 12.15 to 14.45 during term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven members of staff who work directly with the children, all of which hold relevant childcare qualifications. The group gained Pre-School Learning Alliance accreditation in 2006 and receives support from the local authority.

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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 are developing very good self care skills and are learning the importance of personal hygiene. For example, many independently go to wash their hands before cooking activities and all children use wet wipes to clean their hands before they have their snacks. Staff promote this further by talking to children about hygiene and by cleaning the tables with anti-bacterial spray in between activities to minimise the spread of germs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are protected from the spread of infection as the group has a policy to exclude those with contagious ailments. Their health is well promoted as over half the staff team hold current first aid certificates and a well stocked first aid kit is stored accessibly so children can be treated appropriately in the event of an accident. Parents have provided the group with permission to seek emergency medical treatment where necessary to ensure children can be dealt with promptly following more serious incidents. Documentation relating to children's health is well maintained although parents are not currently signing their acknowledgement of when medication has been administered which may lead to confusion as to whether it has been given or not.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's dietary needs are well met as parents are asked to provide details of any allergies or intolerances. Staff are vigilant at making sure children get the correct food and use laminated sheets on the snack table to remind them of individual dietary requirements. As children only attend on a sessional basis, they do not have meals in the group. However they are provided with a healthy and nutritious snack, consisting of a variety of fresh fruit and savoury biscuits. Children play an active part in snack time, pouring their own drinks from small jugs, chopping the fruit and talking about changes in their bodies, for example, when they are hungry or thirsty and hot and sweaty after exercise. Children have constant access to a water dispenser throughout the sessions to ensure they remain suitably hydrated.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have daily opportunities to exercise. The group makes excellent use of the facilities that are available to them, using an additional play room and the church hall to participate in physical activities to promote a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy taking part in team games and regularly make use of ride on toys and equipment such as ball pools and parachutes. Children are taken on trips in the local area, including a play park where they practise their gross motor skills .

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children's safety is given the utmost importance with staff following very clear procedures ensuring that risks and hazards are minimised. Daily risk assessments are carried out before the children arrive to ensure they are coming into a safe environment. Safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of accidents, such as socket covers, stair gates and radiator guards. Children are cared for in a very secure environment where visitors ring a bell to gain entry and doors are locked to prevent visitors entering unannounced and children leaving unnoticed. High staff ratios ensure that children are very well supervised at all times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are learning highly effective safety procedures for themselves, for example they practise fire drills from different areas of the building on a regular basis and learn about potential

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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 hazards, such as the hot cooker, when participating in baking activities. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe through well planned topics and regular visits from people who talk about safety with them, for example, the road crossing lady and representatives from the police and fire service.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a very well laid out environment which is bright and clean and decorated with their art work to make them feel valued within the group. They have access to an exceptionally good range of equipment which is rotated to maintain their interest and provides them with a wide range of learning opportunities. Children are able to self-select many of the resources from labelled boxes which show words and pictures of the contents to help children make choices in what they would like to play with.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's well-being is very effectively promoted as all staff have completed child protection training. There is a nominated member of staff who deals with child protection issues and who works closely with social services to promote children's welfare. All staff are very clear of the procedures to follow to safe guard children. The written child protection policies and referral system are available for parents to view at all times. Existing injuries on children are recorded and monitored to further promote children's welfare, with changes in children's behaviour being recorded to highlight any potential problems. Accurate records are kept relating to the attendance of children, staff and visitors to promote children's safety.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Young children are very well supported in their play and are extremely happy in the group. They learn to be skilful communicators, chatting and listening to the staff who play with them on the floor or at table top activities. Staff extend children's learning by asking them relevant questions about what they are doing to make them think. Children are becoming competent learners as they initiate their own play, for example, taking great delight in playing with large boxes, hiding themselves in them and talking about how many they use to make tall towers. Children enjoy dressing up and showing their creativity and greatly benefit from the high staff ratios where they receive very good levels of care and high quality interaction from the staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a clear understanding of the Birth to three matters framework and implement it successfully alongside the Foundation Stage to provide young children with activities similar to those for the older and more able children. Written plans show differentiation so children can be catered for as individuals who make progress at their own speed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff have an excellent understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and how to use it effectively to help children make progress in their learning. Written plans are very clear and detailed, showing the learning intention for each activity. Staff make worthwhile observations on children as they play and evaluate activities thoroughly to highlight the next steps in individual children's development. Key workers know the children in their groups exceptionally well. They make detailed notes in children's progress reports providing worthwhile evidence of how each of the stepping stones has been reached. This helps them to set new targets for future learning to keep the children interested in their experiences, providing them with sufficient challenges. The high quality and wide range of activities provided on a daily basis motivates the children and gives them choices in their play

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

which greatly contributes to them achieving their full potential. Children thrive in an environment

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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 which strikes a very good balance between adult and child initiated activities. This is overseen by a dedicated and enthusiastic staff team who facilitate inspirational learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making excellent progress in all areas of development. Staff ensure a varied programme of activities are planned to cover all areas of learning to prepare children well for the next steps in their education. Children show high levels of confidence and self-esteem, which is very well promoted by them taking turns to be the group helper for the day. Children thoroughly enjoy the responsibility this brings, showing true delight as they are selected to help. Children are very independent, they are able to take themselves to the bathroom and cope very well when pouring their drinks and cutting their fruit at snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's early reading, writing and mathematical skills are extremely good. They show a high awareness of number, taking part in worthwhile planned activities with staff, enabling them to recognise numerals and count out numbers confidently and correctly. They learn a number, letter, colour and shape each week with staff allowing them to consolidate this learning by displaying relevant items around the room to remind the children of them. Children confidently use positional and mathematical language in their play, showing a very good understanding of mathematical concepts. Children have many opportunities to recognise their written names, they self register on arrival, identify their name badges and use name cards during the sessions. Many children can also write their names and make the most of opportunities to practise their emergent writing skills by freely accessing clip boards, paper and pens and moving around the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

room with them to use in their play. Staff provide many opportunities for children to develop their understanding of linking sounds and letters. For example, they play games in a large group where the staff give the children clues to try and guess a word. The children really enjoy this fun way of learning, they sit giggling as the clues are given then applaud each other when they guess correctly.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have wonderful opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. They demonstrate an excellent understanding of the current topic which is greatly due to the staff preparing it so well. For example, children are able to talk at length about the life cycles of tadpoles, showing a fascinated interest in how they turn into frogs. One child was very keen to fetch models of the tadpoles at different stages to demonstrate how this happens. She was so pleased the next day when staff brought in live tadpoles for the children to observe the real thing. Children make very good use of reference books to do their own research into the topics. These are attractively displayed to encourage children to visit the topic table.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show great skill when using ICT equipment. They competently use the computer and printer on a daily basis and have regular opportunities to take photographs in the local environment when they go out for walks. Children are well supported by staff when using this equipment who step in to assist when children request them to. Once they have helped, staff step back and allow children to carry on in their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children receive plenty of opportunities to use their senses and explore a wide range of media and malleable materials, such as soil, corn flour, sand, water and dry pasta. Currently grass seeds are sprouting in the soil which delights the children as they use magnifying glasses and binoculars to hunt down plastic insects hidden in there. Children's fine and gross motor skills are developing well as they competently use equipment such as scissors and a marble run and take part in team games where they manoeuvre their bodies around basic obstacle courses. Children show very good spatial awareness as they participate in whole group physical activities. They demonstrate their excellent imaginations through a wide variety of planned activities and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 incidental learning. Staff keep the craft trolley incredibly well stocked which enables children to express themselves freely through art, using a wide range of man made and natural resources. Children enjoy experimenting in craft activities by mixing their own paints and working out how to stick materials together. Children are keen to dress up and show their imaginations, particularly when using the role play area which is used in a variety of ways, for example, being made into a grotto, a dentist surgery or an igloo, depending on the topic.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children show a strong sense of belonging to the group. They all know where the different equipment is stored and help each other to tidy up after activities, showing good team work and familiarity within the group. They are all valued as individuals with staff ensuring all children's work gets displayed on the wall, which children are very proud about. Children's input to group discussions is greatly valued, for example they have the opportunity to take a toy fairy or teddy home with them and can then talk to the group about what they did with it. Children's understanding of different beliefs and cultures is very well developed through planned activities and a good range of resources that reflect diversity. They learn about different religions and festivals from a variety of means. For example, they watch a short video about Chinese New Year before they taste Chinese food and benefit from visitors coming in to show them

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Helping children make a positive contribution

money, traditional costumes and flags from around the world which are related to their topics. As a result, children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The needs of children with English as an additional language are met in consultation with parents. Staff learn key words and use Makaton signs to help all children with their communication within the group. Staff are currently supporting a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and work closely with the parents and other professionals to ensure they are kept fully informed of how best to meet these children's needs. Individual education plans have been drawn up in consultation with parents, other professionals and the children's key workers, setting realistic targets to help children make progression in their learning and development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well, they are aware of the behavioural boundaries and are helped to understand them, for example, they are reminded of the group rules at registration time before they go off to play and always get a five minute warning before it is time to tidy up so they can prepare themselves for the end of activities. Children are incredibly responsive to praise and positive comments from staff, for example, the staff often comment on children's good sitting and good listening which encourages them for the future. Staff are skilled at distracting children away from unwanted behaviour and use a persona doll to help children learn about and understand feelings and the consequences of unwanted behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are very well informed about the group from the outset. They are provided with a detailed and extremely informative prospectus prior to their children starting in the group and have access to all the groups, policies procedures and operational plan which gives them further information about everything to do with the group. Parents are also provided with written information about support networks that are available for them locally. Within the past year the group has set up home link books as an aid to communication with parents. As well as being able to have verbal daily feedback from staff, the home link books are an additional tool in helping to exchange information. Staff and parents use the books to promote good relationships to help ensure consistency of care for the children. Children benefit from the flexible settling in arrangements which can be as few as a couple of visits or may last many weeks. Staff are

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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 very aware that as each child is individual, they all take different amounts of time to feel confident for their parents to leave them alone in the group. Parents are aware of how to make a complaint and feel that the staff are open and responsive to their comments.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The quality of the partnership with parents of children in receipt of government funding for nursery education is outstanding. Parents receive ongoing information about the early learning goals and the stepping stones that the group will be concentrating on to help the children make progress in their learning. When their children first start receiving the funding for nursery education, parents receive written information about what the Foundation Stage curriculum is and are asked to supply information about what their children can already do. This information is well used by staff when highlighting children's starting points and planning activities for them, to ensure that they are pitched at the right level. Children's learning is well promoted as parents are kept exceptionally well informed about their children's individual progress. They are invited into the group each term to look at their children's work and to talk through their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children's progress report which clearly identifies individual strengths and areas for further development. Parents are able to get further involved in their children's learning by coming into the group to share their own skills. Activity books have been introduced which contain a weekly piece of work connected to the theme which children can choose to take home to do with their parents. This gives parents an insight into the type of activities their children do and makes the children feel very grown up, although staff stress that this is not compulsory. In addition the group runs a library scheme which enables children and parents to share books together at home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The high level of satisfaction from parents is reflected in the comments they make about the staff being professional, caring and showing a commitment to improving the group for the benefit of the children. All comments received by parents during the inspection are deeply complimentary and full of praise for the superb quality of care and education that the children receive in the group.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit enormously from the consistent, qualified and experienced staff team who work very closely together to ensure the group runs smoothly. Communication between the staff and the committee is very good with regular meetings taking place to discuss and address issues as they arise. Effective systems are in place regarding the recruitment and vetting of staff and very detailed inductions are in place for new staff to ensure consistency across the setting. Additional induction procedures are in place for students and volunteers to ensure they are aware of the way the group is run to promote the welfare of the children. Deployment of staff is very well organised to allow a floating member of staff to move around the provision as needed. Consequently the group meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides care.

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Organisation

Staff are formally monitored through annual appraisals and take part in peer on peer observations which are used to improve practice by highlighting their personal strengths and areas for development. A training plan is in place with all staff being actively encouraged to participate in workshops to increase their childcare knowledge. The manager and deputy of the group are currently studying for degrees, often bringing their new knowledge and skills back into the group to share with colleagues to enhance the already very high standards of care.

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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 Procedures are in place to review documentation and policies on a regular basis which helps to ensure they remain relevant and continue to be used as working documents to ensure continuity of care for the children. All personal paperwork is stored confidentially, is very well recorded with the vast majority of it being shared with parents as necessary to promote the welfare of the children.

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Organisation

The quality of the leadership and management is outstanding. Children's learning is greatly enhanced as staff work so well together, planning a wide, varied and exciting range of activities that are tailored to each child as an individual. Very comprehensive action plans are regularly reviewed to constantly improve the provision of nursery education as well as the care provision. Staff constantly monitor and evaluate their own and each others practice to continuously strive for improvement. Comprehensive self evaluations are carried out termly to address potential weaknesses and implement further action plans which are then re-evaluated to ensure progress is being made. The manager is very hands on and monitors the quality of teaching on a regular basis as she is often counted in the ratios and can oversee daily practice. She completes termly reviews on the key workers files, assessing the quality of the observations they make on each

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Organisation

child to monitor whether they are being successfully used to inform future planning to allow individual children to reach their full potential.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection one recommendation was raised relating to care. It was for the group to provide opportunities for the children to self select their own resources.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This has been effectively addressed by making a very good range of resources available to the children throughout the sessions to encourage their independence and extend their imagination. The group has also developed the use of storage, allowing the children to select their own craft materials as well as a range of other equipment covering all areas of learning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were two key issues raised from the nursery education inspection. They were to develop children's calculating skills, such as subtraction and to investigate ways that children can learn about and identify features in the environment they live in.

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Improvements since the last inspection

These issues have been addressed by greatly improving the planning to provide a full range of activities on a weekly basis to encourage calculation and allow children to problem solve. Children have benefited from numerous visits to the local environment such as parks and shops to ensure they do not spend all of their time within the pre-school building. While they are on outings, they often take photographs to make a display when they get back to the group, helping them to identify features in the local area.

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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): • improve medication records to show parents acknowledgement of when medication has been administered

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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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