Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School

Kingsway Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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119492 Unique Reference Number 03 July 2007 Inspection date Jenny Howell Inspector

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Chalkwell Park Methodist Church, Eastwood Lane South, Westcliff on Sea, Essex, SS0 9XH

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E-mail

Kingsway Pre-School Committee 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Kingsway Pre-school has been established for many years. It operates from a hall on the first floor of the Methodist Church building in Westcliff-on-Sea. The pre-school serves the local area. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:15 until 11:45 Monday to Friday and 12:15 until 14:45 on Monday and Wednesday.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 52 children from two to five years on roll. This includes 21 funded three-year-olds and 19 funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports a small number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and a small number of children who speak English as a second language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Eight members of staff work with the children. Over half the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 2 or 3. One member of staff is currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority. The setting is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PSLA).

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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 learn about health and hygiene as they visit the toilet and wash their hands independently. Children learn further as staff act as good role models, wiping down tables before snack time and regularly washing their own hands. Children are very well cared for if they become ill. Staff show them a high level of concern and make sure they are comfortable. Parents are contacted quickly and medical advice is sought if necessary. Most staff have up to date training in first aid, allowing them to act quickly should children become ill or have an accident. Health records are well-kept and are shared with parents, effectively ensuring that they are well-informed about any health issues relating to their children.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about healthy eating as they enjoy a wide range of nutritious snacks, including fruit, cheese and crackers. They enjoy talking with staff about the variety of foods they taste and how they can help them to grow and stay healthy. Staff are able to meet individual dietary requirements as they work closely with parents to find out about children's likes, dislikes and allergies. Children enthusiastically exercise as they have daily access to large play equipment and take regular walks around the local area. A large climbing frame provides children with opportunities to climb, balance and slide. Children learn ball skills as they are regularly visited by Southend Football Team. Children exercise in the fresh air as they take frequent walks around the local area, visiting the library, shops, parks and schools.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for by staff who give a high priority to safety and security. A thorough daily risk assessment of all areas used by children ensures that all hazards are minimised. Short term plans clearly identify any potential health and safety issues, ensuring that staff are able to take effective action to keep children safe at all times. Arrival and departure times are well-organised to ensure that all children can be accounted for at all times. A secure gate effectively ensures that children are unable to leave unsupervised. Children are kept safe when walking around the local area as they are accompanied by an appropriate number of staff members and learn about how to cross roads safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are starting to learn about how to keep themselves safe as they practise fire escape routines and follow the simple rules which are in place. Toys and equipment are carefully organised, allowing children to move freely around the pre-school and access activities with ease. Most members of staff have attended training in child protection and as a result of this they have a good understanding of how to promote the welfare of all children. The child protection policy is shared with all parents and staff are clear of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are well cared for in an environment where they feel secure and confident. Staff help children to settle as they warmly welcome them and their parents at the start of each day. Children play and learn in a friendly and stimulating environment where they are surrounded by pictures, posters, their own artwork and plants they have helped to grow. Children take part

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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 in a wide range of activities which are carefully organised to meet the needs of children of different ages and with different interests. The organisation of activities also provides children with opportunities to play alone and with friends as well as with adults and as a whole group. These opportunities allow children to develop a range of social skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff effectively help children learn through nature and the outdoors. Children write and post letters, visiting the local post office, they walk to the library to choose books and hear story-time and enjoy picnics in the local park. Staff arrange for fish, snails, crabs and other creatures to visit children as well as helping children to plant and grow seeds. They re-create a forest with piles of autumn leaves for children to rake, pile and explore. Children under the age of three are very well cared for as staff take an approach in line with the 'Birth to three matters' framework. This ensures that the youngest children are accounted for in all planning and toys and activities are available which allow them to enjoy and develop according to their own abilities and interests.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff use their strong understanding of the foundation stage to deliver activities and opportunities which help children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children are able to access activities which help them to make progress in all areas of learning, although this is not always clearly identified in planning. Assessment records clearly identify what children can do and the progress they are making towards the early learning goals. They are regularly updated by children's individual key workers, using information and observations gathered by all members of staff. Key workers use assessment information effectively to help them plan what individual children need to do next in order to make progress. As a result of this learning opportunities can be tailored to the individual, helping each child to make the best progress they can.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop independence and self-care skills as they practise putting on their own shoes and socks, make their own sandwiches and snacks and help to wash up painting and printing materials. They develop social skills as they take part in 'friendship week' and act out real-life situations for example in 'hospital' role-play. Children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their communication skills as they put on puppet shows and talk to the whole group about special events from home. They have frequent opportunities to write with purpose as they take down the details of 'emergencies' at the fire-station, take orders for the café and write letters to their future teachers at school. Staff help children to link sounds and letters and children learn to recognise simple words, and their own names, in print. Children learn about numbers and counting through a range of everyday activities, such as, getting cups and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

plates ready for snack and sorting toys. They learn to recognise and describe shapes as they talk about the posters on display and play with large shapes. Children enjoy learning about measuring as they arrange each other in order of height and see who can build the tallest ladder.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop a good understanding of the world around them as they regularly walk around the local area, visiting shops, parks and schools. They enjoy topics about countries around the world and help each other to learn as they talk about places they have visited on holiday. Children learn about wildlife and caring for animals as fish, snails, crabs and other creatures visit the pre-school. They learn about where food comes from as they grow their own beans, tomatoes and peas and also enjoy tasting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Children learn through technology as they use a digital video and camera to record their activities and achievements, including shows they have devised.

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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 Children develop a wide range of physical skills as they climb, balance, crawl, throw and ride using the wide range for equipment provided on a daily basis. Children improve their ball skills as they are regularly visited by the local football team to develop soccer skills. Children have daily access to activities and resources which help them to use their imagination and express themselves. They create pictures with natural materials such as leaves and twigs and model with boxes and tubes to create large pieces of art-work. Children sing and dance daily and use musical instruments to create different sounds and rhythms. Messy activities, such as, play with jelly and mod-roc modelling help children to explore different textures, while a wide range of dressing up clothes help children to express themselves through role-play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have equal access to a wide range of toys and equipment which meet their individual needs. All children are fully included in all activities and staff work closely with parents to ensure that they know children as individuals and can cater for their needs effectively. Children develop a strong sense of belonging as they see their pictures on display, help to grow flowers and vegetables for the pre-school and contribute to suggestions for future activities. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are very well cared for. Staff work closely with parents to identify individual needs and liaise with the local authority special needs co-ordinator for further support and advice. Staff provide one-to-one support where appropriate and have attended training, for example in sign language, to help them to provide a high level of care to all children. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well. The effective use of frequent praise and encouragement helps to ensure that children are able to play in a supportive and rewarding environment. Children are frequently applauded for achievement and effort, helping them to build confidence and self-esteem. Children are beginning to learn the boundaries and guidelines for safe play and follow these happily as they have the reasons for them explained.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive good quality information about the Foundation Stage. Information about the six areas of learning clearly explain how children will be helped to learn by the pre-school and also supports parents in exploring different ways of helping their children learn at home. Displays help to keep parents up to date with recent learning opportunities and current and future plans are available for parents to read at any time. Information on children's progress is shared informally with parents on a regular basis and more formal records are shared at the end of the year. Records are detailed and informative, effectively illustrating what children can do through the use of children's work, photographs and staff comments.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents become involved in the pre-school as they are invited on trips and all picnic at the park together at the end of term. They are fully consulted about the care and education their children receive, with staff obtaining all relevant information before providing care for individual children and ensuring that the necessary parental permissions are kept on file. All written policies and procedures are available in the entrance hall for parents to view at any time, including information on complaints. Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive, commenting on the community atmosphere, staff's commitment to children's all-round education and social well-being, as well as their dedication and approachability.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Time, space and resources are very well organised to provide children with a stimulating and imaginative range of play and learning opportunities. Toys and resources are effectively arranged to allow children to move freely, independently selecting the activities which interest them. Staff are well deployed to provide all children with adult attention and support. As a result of this learning opportunities for individual children are maximised.

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Organisation

Children are cared for by a stable and experienced group of adults, all of whom have undergone relevant checks, including through the Criminal Records Bureau. Staff have relevant training and experience, allowing them to deliver good-quality care and education to all children. A full range of written polices and procedures have been developed by the pre-school and these are used to effectively support staff in the care they provide. Records and documents are well organised and kept up to date. As a result of this staff are able to access all relevant information about children with ease and information can be shared with parents as and when appropriate.

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Organisation

The quality of leadership and management is good. Senior staff work well together to provide good quality nursery education. They effectively identify areas in which they wish to develop and take action to make improvements. They ensure that all staff are valued and included for example, by including them in the planning of future activities and learning opportunities. This combined with regular staff meetings and training opportunities ensures that staff are highly motivated and enthusiastic in providing children with meaningful learning experiences.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the pre-school was asked to request written permission from parents for seeking any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment and to make contact details for Ofsted available to parents in the event they may wish to make a complaint. All relevant written parental permissions are now kept on file and as a result of this staff are able to care for children in line with parents' wishes, especially in the event of an accident. The complaints policy has now been updated to include the contact details for Ofsted, ensuring that parents are fully informed about the process to follow should they have a complaint.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the pre-school was asked to consider recording evaluations of the activities. Planning now includes an evaluation of completed activities, giving staff the opportunity to reflect on the learning opportunities they provide and plan what to do next in order to help children make progress towards the early learning goals for nursery education.

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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 good.

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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): • continue to develop activities and routines to help raise children's awareness of how to stay safe.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to develop planning to ensure that all areas of learning are included.

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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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