Misson Pre School

Misson Pre Schools Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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253060 Unique Reference Number 25 September 2007 Inspection date Beverly Kemp-Russell Inspector

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Community Hall, Vicar Lane, Misson, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN10 6EG

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E-mail

Misson 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Misson Pre-School has been registered since 1984. It operates from the community centre situated in the heart of the village.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 28 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 38 children from two to five years of age on roll. This includes 18 funded three and four-year-olds. The setting can support children with special educational needs and there are no children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Pre-School opens Monday to Friday 09:00 to 11:30. There is also a lunch club Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:30 to 12:55 hours. Term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Seven staff work directly with the children. Five staff have an early years qualification. The setting receives support from Early Years Development partnership.

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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 outstanding. Staff follow clear procedures for maintaining hygiene which ensures that the children are cared for in a clean and healthy environment, for example, tables are wiped with anti-bacterial spray prior to being used for snack time. Children are encouraged to become independent in promoting their own good health such as routine hand washing before food and children show confidence in using this ability. Children's health is promoted by comprehensive health and medication records. Staff hold current first aid certificates which helps maintain children's health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered an excellent choice of snacks which include carrot and peppers, cheese and pineapple, and bananas and raisins to ensure healthy eating choices are promoted. Children are able to recognise snack menus by pictures and menus are also displayed for parents. Children have access to milk and water throughout the session to ensure they are well hydrated.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy innovative opportunities for physical activities and are highly skilled at using a range of small equipment to promote co-ordination skills. There is superb provision for children to use equipment such as a climbing frame, bikes and balancing beam to develop their large body skills. Children have access on a daily basis to two well-equipped and exceptional outdoor play areas. Children have frequent opportunities to exercise in a variety of ways which are inspiring and motivate them to learn and develop. Staff plan and discuss topics, which include health, to promote children's awareness.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are able to rest according to their needs and the wishes of their parents. Staff provide a carpeted area with scatter cushions for children to rest and relax.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm, well-maintained environment which is safe and secure. Children have excellent opportunities to play safely outdoors. The risk of accidental injury to children is minimised through the active supervision of children, regular safety checks and on-going risk assessments.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use appropriate equipment such as low-level tables and chairs to sit, eat and play safely. They also use a suitable range of developmentally appropriate resources which are regularly checked to ensure they are safe. Staff use explanations about safety so that children are able to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. The building is kept properly secure so that unwanted visitors do not gain access to the setting or present a risk to the children. Most fire fighting equipment is well-maintained and children frequently practise emergency evacuation procedures. However, the smoke alarm is not fully operational which could compromise children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected well by the staff. They have a good awareness of child protection procedures and know how to put these into place should they have concerns about the welfare of a child. Children are protected by staff's awareness of child protection guidelines and some staff have attended training. Children are never left alone with persons who have not been vetted and the staff know who will collect children at the end of each session.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The care and play experiences for children in the setting are good. Children are supported to deal with the separation from parents and carers and develop close relationships with staff caring for their age range. Staff discuss with parents to ensure that young children benefit from and experience familiar home routines helping them to feel safe and secure. Children show interest in what they do, such as using the computer, and are often interested by resources such as construction kits. Children have opportunities to develop their creative skills and to use freedom of expression during painting and collage activities. Children make choices from a good range of resources provided each day to ensure they are absorbed throughout the session. Staff provide worthwhile activities and use assessments to ensure children are moving towards the next step. Staff include younger children in activities to develop their skills and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are making full use of the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning for nursery education is good. Children make their own choices and are supported by staff. Staff's knowledge of the Foundation Stage is good and they fully understand how children learn and develop and they put their expertise into practice to provide challenge for all children. All staff have experience of caring for children, they gently guide children and use questioning techniques which extends their language. Staff meet with parents initially to discuss children's starting points to ensure they are aware of observing progress. The assessment of children's progress towards the early learning goals and planning and assessment records clearly link to how all aspects of the stepping stones are covered. However, observations are not regularly completed to identify the next steps for children. The planning of how activities and resources are presented ensures that children are fully inspired

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and motivated to learn and encourages children to reach their full potential.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and keen to get involved in activities. They form good relationships with staff and other children. Children are confident to try new activities such as creating pictures from a range of materials. They are able to sit and concentrate when using resources such as small world toys and the computer. They sit and chat happily to each other when completing jigsaw puzzles and offer support when building with construction equipment and using the computer mouse. They understand right from wrong and children's behaviour is very good. However, staff miss some opportunities at snack times to help children develop independence skills. Children are able speakers using clear sentences to explain and recall past events. They listen carefully and talk confidently during registration and activities. There is a mark making table set up with opportunities for children to write for a variety of purposes. They have

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

opportunities to enjoy books and participate in story telling. Children count by rote well with more able children eager to count well beyond 10. They know the names of common shapes and use size language in their play such as large and small. Staff provide opportunities to say and use number names in familiar context with the children and there are some opportunities for children to use methods to solve practical problems. Children have a growing awareness of other cultures as they celebrate many festivals and have resources to enable them to explore and learn. They explore and investigate in the natural world and enjoy growing seeds such as sunflowers and there is an investigating table set up with magnets and magnifying glasses for children to access. Children enjoy moving in different ways such as climbing, running, balancing and jumping and their ability to make strong progress in developing their large body movements

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

is enhanced by inspiring challenging planned activities. Children know most colours and have good opportunities to create and design for themselves. They have opportunities to use their

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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 imaginations through role play in the fruit and vegetable shop. Children access information, communication technology on a daily basis and are well supported by staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Children are cared for by staff who work with parents to meet individual needs and ensure all children are fully included. All children and parents receive a warm welcome from staff who are sensitive to each family's circumstances. Each child is known as an individual and time is spent making sure their needs are met and continuity of care is offered. Parents' views about their child's needs are actively sought before the child starts at the setting, and on a regular basis throughout their time there. Parents receive excellent information about the Foundation Stage and are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning. Staff ask them to contribute ideas to planning and regularly share information. Staff ensure that parents know how their child is progressing and developing by regular meetings, written and verbal contact. Parents are included in social events and enjoy

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff have consistently high expectations of children's behaviour and through acting as positive role models and using appropriate methods, such as consistent and gentle reinforcement of rules, children learn exceptional manners and to care for others. Children gain an excellent understanding of right and wrong through the clear, consistent messages and explanation they receive from staff. Children receive a wealth of praise and encouragement from staff, building their confidence and self-esteem. Children are extremely confident and self-assured within the pre-school.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's knowledge of the local community is promoted through discussion, visitors to the group such as the doctor, school teacher, local farmer and outings such as nature walks. They regularly share news about their own lives and their thoughts during circle time. Staff build close links with the local school to ensure children have a smooth transition from the pre-school. Children's opinions and achievements are recognised and praised by everyone in the group. Children's social, moral, cultural and spiritual development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are well cared for and protected by a caring staff team. Three staff are suitably qualified and all staff have experience of caring for children in a variety of roles. Staff maintain very good ratios to keep children safe and support their care and play to meet the needs of the children. Most policies and procedures are known by the staff and are in the main effective in promoting children's health and well-being. Records are well-maintained and are shared with parents to ensure continuity of care. Children are cared for in a secure environment and staff are effective in supervising children. Children feel secure and develop a strong sense of their own self-worth through the relationships they share with staff.

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Organisation

Leadership and management for nursery education is good. The nominated person and the leader's commitment is bringing about effective improvements in the pre-school. They are committed to improving staff's knowledge to ensure they have a purposeful focus for future improvements for children's learning and development. All staff contribute to the planning of the children's curriculum and they have a high level of awareness of how children learn. Overall children’s needs are met.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting was asked to: ensure the induction process for new staff is developed further. The committee and staff have developed and introduced a clear and informative induction process for new staff which includes information such as health and safety, policies and procedures and the National Standards.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the setting was asked to address two issues to improve the quality of teaching and learning for children; improve the effectiveness for monitoring and evaluating the provision for nursery education and to ensure assessments are used effectively to inform future planning and to include extension for more able children. The setting has made very good progress in addressing the issues. Staff regularly meet to evaluate planned activities and how the objectives and early learning goals are being met. They feed back information from children's assessments into the planning and incorporate extensions clearly for more able children. The management committee ensures additional staff time is spent on key worker files and that additional staff cover is provided to ensure ratios are well-maintained.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are 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): • ensure all fire fighting equipment with specific regard to the smoke alarm is well-maintained.

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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): • ensure regular observations are carried out for each area of learning to identify children's progress and their next steps.

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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 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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