Dunkery Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 12 Oct 2005

Dunkery Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Dunkery Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY289554 Inspection date 12 October 2005 Inspector Julie Neal

p.1

Dunkery Pre-School

Setting Address Cutcombe C of E Voluntary Controlled First School, Wheddon Cross, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 7DZ Telephone number 07984 023053 ps mobile E-mail cazoo6@aol.com Registered person Dunkery Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

p.1

Dunkery Pre-School

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Dunkery Pre-School is based at Cutcombe Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School in Wheddon Cross, Somerset. It is run by a voluntary committee and was first registered in 2001, although has been running at the present location since 2004. Sessions take place in the school hall and the provision has its own entrance. Children use the school facilities and playground. The pre-school is registered to provide care for 10 children aged from 2 to 5years. There are currently 10 children on

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 the roll, of which 6 receive funded nursery education. The provision supports children with special needs. Sessions are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 09.15 to 12.15, during term time only. There are three members of staff, all have appropriate early years qualifications.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from an environment where there are appropriate daily routines in place to support their health and wellbeing. Staff ensure the premises are suitably clean, and implement procedures well to keep children free from the risk of illness and infection. Children show high levels of independence in managing their personal hygiene needs, despite the distance between the pre-school and the school toilets. This is because the staff team have provided an easily accessible temporary toilet, that is suitably private and close at hand. However, appropriate advice was not sought about whether the location of this was suitable in terms of good hygiene practise. Children enjoy appropriately healthy snacks and drinks, and are beginning to develop an understanding of healthy eating. Children enjoy a wide range of activities that promote health and physical development. They benefit from daily access to a large playground with interesting

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

climbing equipment, where they run, climb, jump and balance. They run races, they play hopscotch and enjoy games with hoops, balls and beanbags. They confidently use bikes and cars and negotiate their environment well, as they are developing good physical co-ordination.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children experience a welcoming and child friendly environment. This is because staff use space and resources well to create a series of inviting play areas that children explore and investigate enthusiastically. For example, children enjoy using books in the cosy book corner, and develop a range of games and scenarios in the well equipped role play area. Resources are well maintained to ensure they are safe for children to use. Children are safe and secure because staff show a high regard for their safety. This is demonstrated by the effective systems of risk assessment, and the good safety checks and routines carried out each day. Children are able to enjoy exciting activities such as visits to local farms and regular swimming in the summer because staff are vigilant about children's safety. Staff show suitable understanding of child protection procedures, and this also adds to the overall safe environment

p.3

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

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy a good variety of activities that are interesting and stimulating. Older and younger children are enthusiastic as they independently choose resources and select activities. They show enjoyment of outdoor play and energetic games, they engage well in imaginative play, and very young children are developing a love of books and stories. Activities are organised to be broadly accessible to all children in the group, although there is at present no specific planning for children under 3. Nursery education. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and children make sound progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Staff demonstrate a suitable knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage curriculum, for example they are clear about the key learning objectives of activities. Planning is adequate, written plans identify learning objectives and staff meet at the

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

end of each week to evaluate these. Plans for the following week are then adjusted to take account of children who have not yet achieved these objectives, to ensure that all children have suitable opportunities to make progress. Curriculum planning generally covers most areas of the curriculum, however some aspects of some areas of learning receive less emphasis, such as information technology and calculation. This means that children are not experiencing a balance of learning activities. Staff record children's progress towards the early learning goals but these assessments focus on key planned activities. There is no process to record ongoing observations of what children do, and this means that assessment records do not reflect the progress children are making in all areas. Children are confident communicators who enthusiastically share their thoughts and ideas and speak up well in group situations. They show a love of books and handle

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

these well, and enjoy stories immensely. They are developing writing skills and some children are forming letters well. However children do not have opportunities to practise writing and mark making in a variety of contexts, for example in imaginative play. They are developing an understanding of letter sounds but they are not being challenged in this area. Children count well. This is because counting is promoted well and children do so in meaningful ways throughout the session, for instance they count everyday items used such as plates and pieces of fruit. They recognise numerals and use mathematical language confidently. They learn about weight and measure and use this knowledge in activities such as cooking where they measure out ingredients. Children are not learning effectively about simple calculation. This is because they are not being challenged in this aspect of mathematics. Children are developing sound understanding of the world about them. They learn

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

well about their local environment and rural culture and community and show good understanding of the natural world. This is because staff regularly take them out into the countryside, for example on farm visits, and encourage their interest in animals

p.4

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 and the countryside. Children have limited opportunities to develop their knowledge of simple technology. This is because, although they take part in some planned activities that encourage them to learn in this area, they do not have access to resources such as programmable toys to use in everyday play to consolidate their learning. Children are developing good hand - eye co-ordination as they use a range of tools such as scissors and cutters in a variety of activities. They take part in a suitable variety of creative activities, although many of these are adult directed which results in children's end products being very similar, and there is little scope to incorporate their own ideas. Imaginary role play is good. Staff ensure there are plentiful resources available to support this, such as a well organised home corner, and

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children delight in developing their own games and scenarios as they engage in complex role play.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children of all ages show high levels of confidence and self esteem as they participate in a range of activities that encourage learning and development. They arrive happily at the setting, they settle in well and have good relationships with staff, showing that they feel secure and confident. Children generally behave well within the setting. They benefit from staff who demonstrate a warm, calm and positive approach to behaviour management, which encourages children to feel confident and secure within the pre-school. Good use of praise and encouragement results in children being kind and helpful to each other. Where there are behavioural concerns regarding children, staff work well with parents to ensure a consistent approach. Children are fully included within the setting. Staff's good understanding of equal opportunities and inclusion means they ensure all children are valued highly and their

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

individual care needs are met. Children who have additional needs are supported well, with staff working in partnership with parents and external agencies to ensure full participation for all children. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are learning well about their own local community. They learn about different customs and cultures through celebrating festivals, and they have access to appropriate resources that encourage them to recognise cultural diversity. Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Staff develop good relationships with parents and children benefit from the ongoing informal communication about their individual needs that ensure continuity of care. However, there is no process in place to ensure parents are suitably informed of their children's progress towards the early learning goals, and children do not benefit from parental involvement in their learning.

p.5

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 The needs of the range of children in the setting are met. There are appropriate structures in place to ensure that staff working with children are suitable to do so. Children benefit from high staff ratios, which results in them receiving good levels of adult support. Processes of induction ensure that staff know and implement policies and procedures that support children's wellbeing. However, although regulatory documentation is in place, there is no process to ensure that written policies and procedures are reviewed and updated, so some do not reflect current practise. For instance, the complaints procedure does not have the correct information about where to go if parents have concerns about the provision, thus having an impact on children's safety. Leadership and management of nursery education is satisfactory. There is a positive

p.5

Organisation

attitude to staff development and training. However, lack of structured evaluation of the development needs of staff means that training is not focused on what will have most impact on developing nursery education for children. Staff know children well and use this knowledge as they plan activities. They discuss individual children's needs at regular team meetings and thus ensure that overall children are making sound progress in their learning. However, systems of monitoring children's progress are weak and this means that some achievements are not being noted.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. 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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 take account of the following recommendation(s): • seek advice from environmental health regarding the positioning of the temporary toilet, to ensure that hygiene requirements are being met appropriately. • ensure there is a procedure in place to review and update policies and procedures that underpin the care and wellbeing of children, ensuring that these reflect current practise.

p.6

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): • develop the breadth of learning opportunities available to children to ensure that they benefit from a balance of activities across all areas of the curriculum. Ensure that children have opportunities to practice and consolidate what they learn in everyday, informal activities. • develop systems of observation and assessment to ensure that children's individual progress towards the early learning goals is monitored effectively. • ensure parents are consistently informed of their children's progress towards the early learning goals and have opportunities to become involved in their children's learning.

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7