Oughtrington Pre School

Oughtrington Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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315230 Unique Reference Number 24 April 2007 Inspection date Anne Drinkwater Inspector

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Oughtrington Community Centre, 1 Oughtrington Crescent, Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 9JD

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Setting Address

07808 111278 or 01925 754307 Telephone number

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E-mail

Oughtrington 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Oughtrington Pre-School is run by a committee and registered in 1974. It operates from rooms within the Oughtrington Community Centre on the edge of Lymm Village. The children are cared for in two playrooms, they also have occasional use of a large hall for physical play. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area available to the children weather permitting.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The provision is registered for 24 children and currently has 70 children on roll on a part time basis. This includes 54 funded 3 and 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions and the group supports children who have additional needs.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school is open five days a week term time only, and the sessions are from 09.15 to 11.45 and 12.30 to 15.00, though the afternoon sessions may not operate every day

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are four staff plus a parent helper on duty at each session to work with the children. Three have early year’s qualifications to National Vocational Qualification Level 3. The pre-school receives support from Sure Start.

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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. Consistent routines and good practice help children learn about the importance of good health and hygiene. Children take responsibility for their own personal care as they wash their hands at appropriate times. For example, they wash their hands before snack time which promotes children's independence. Staff implement good hygiene procedures, clothes and bowls are colour coded, and a procedure for nappy changing is displayed which reduces the risk of cross contamination. There are good procedures in place for recording accidents and all members of staff are qualified to administer first aid, which promotes children's safety and well-being in the event of an accident.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from healthy nutritious snacks, which promote their growth and development. Children enjoy eating their fruit at snack time, which is a relaxed occasion where children develop their social skills through conversation with their peers and adults.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy activities, which contributes to their good health. They benefit from daily exercise in the enclosed outdoor play area or the hall when it is raining. Children are able to be active and rest according to their needs in the comfortable book corner. They become aware of their individual needs as they help themselves to fresh drinking water, which is accessible at all times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children and their parents have a good sense of belonging as they are warmly greeted by members of staff. Children are cared for in a large playroom and ante-room, which are child focused with a good selection of toys and resources, which are accessible to all children. The setting is pleasantly presented with colourful posters and displays. Children benefit from the good amount of space available. As a result, they move around with confidence in their play areas, which are well organised to provide different areas for play and learning, including quiet activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Regular risk assessments are routinely carried out and work extremely well in practice, which minimises the risk of accidental injury. Appropriate safety measures are in place. For example, external doors are locked, which ensures children do not leave unsupervised and staff are appropriately deployed at all times. This promotes children's safety and well-being. Children are also developing a good awareness of safety, for example, they take care of their environment as they help to sweep up the sand and they regularly practise the fire evacuation procedures. This helps them develop an awareness of how to protect themselves in the event of a fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded well because clear guidelines and procedures are in place. Staff have a good knowledge of child protection issues through continuous training and development. They are aware of possible signs and symptoms displayed by children suffering abuse. A designated member of staff is aware of her duty to safeguard children and takes responsibility for liaising with child protection agencies. All required procedures are in place, which ensure children's welfare is promoted.

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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. Children are happy and content in the care of the supportive staff team. They enjoy close and warm relationships with adults who know them well, which increases their sense of well-being and security. Children are relaxed and confident as they enter the playgroup and enjoy chatting excitedly with their friends and adults. They show great interest when given the opportunity at snack time to share a memento or special toy from home. The staff are very caring in their approach and spend time playing with the children and interacting with them. This means children have good self-esteem and enjoy their time at the pre-school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children engage in a broad range of stimulating activities, which enhances their development. For example, they actively explore the different textures of paint, sand, water and dough, planting in the outdoor play area give opportunities to provide sensory stimulation and interest. Children develop their creativity as they engage in meaningful role play, making cups of tea for the inspector. They develop their language and social skills as they play cooperatively with their peers. They are forming a good repertoire of songs as they choose and then sing their favourite song.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children in the final year of pre-school are offered more specifically designed sessions to encourage their independence and make links with the local school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have an understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and use this to plan a balanced range of activities across the six areas of learning. As a result, children make some progress towards the early learning goals. However, staff do not carry out initial entry assessments, and observations of children's learning are irregular, which means the next steps in their learning are not identified or included in the planning of the curriculum.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a good level of independence in selecting and carrying out activities. They are confident speakers with a wide vocabulary and learn successfully that print carries meaning; they recognise their own name at greeting time and they use a good range of words to express their thoughts and ideas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have some opportunities to become aware of the world around them as they observe change in the weather and use tools for a purpose when playing with dough. However, children do not have regular opportunities to use information technology. Children make progress in their mathematical development. They show interest in counting as they sing number rhymes and count the children at the table. They are inquisitive about age; staff use this opportunity to count to their age with the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have various resources and play environments to promote their physical development. They develop their fine motor skills as they frequently use pencils, paint brushes, scissors and malleable materials with increasing control. Children have a good level of independence in selecting and carrying out activities. For example, they develop independence in their self-help skills as they fasten their own aprons and when chosen to be helper of the day they carry out their tasks in a mature manner.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children have a good sense of belonging as they are warmly welcomed into the setting and are treated with equal regard. Their individual needs are well met because staff use detailed registration discussions to find out children's likes and dislikes. Children settle extremely well because staff have a nurturing approach with them and they actively encourage comforters to be brought from home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well in the pre-school because they are given meaningful praise and encouragement. For example, children are rewarded with stickers for doing something particularly well, which increases their self-confidence. Children share toys and resources with each other and respond well to consistent techniques as staff successfully implement the behaviour management policy. Consequently, children are beginning to understand responsible behaviour and play cooperatively together. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Staff and parents work together to meet the children's needs. Parents are confident in approaching staff and regularly share information by verbal means, which ensures continuity of care for children. Relevant information about the pre- school operation is displayed on the noticeboard and information on the Foundation Stage curriculum is included in the welcome pack.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for in a pre-school, which is well organised to offer a variety of stimulating activities to promote children's play and learning. There are defined areas for different activities, which staff spend time preparing to ensure they are set out in an appealing manner for children. As a result, children are able to initiate their own play and learning in stimulating areas.

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Organisation

Children are cared for within required ratios, which supports their care and enables staff to consistently interact with them. Consequently, children feel happy, safe and secure. However, the registration system for staff and children does not fully meet with requirements.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The manager works alongside the dedicated staff team providing them with support on a day to day basis. They attend regular training to develop their childcare knowledge and skills, which helps promote positive outcomes for children. However, there are no systems in place to monitor and review the teaching methods of staff or the delivery of the Foundation Stage curriculum to ensure children make good progress.

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Organisation

Detailed documentation is in place, which is in line with the requirements of the National Standards. This supports children's health, safety and well-being. A detailed range of policies and procedures is understood by the staff and are consistently applied to ensure the pre school operates smoothly and efficiently. Rigorous recruitment, selection and vetting procedures are in place to ensure the suitability of all staff. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection three recommendations were made, these were to provide fresh drinking water so that the children can help themselves; ensure that all the documentation for the

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Improvements 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 pre-school gives consistent information with specific reference to child collection procedures and obtain parental permission for emergency medical treatment.

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Improvements since the last inspection

All the recommendations have been met. Fresh drinking water is available throughout the session for children to help themselves. All policies and procedures give consistent information and permission for emergency treatment is in place. These improvements promote children's health, care and well-being.

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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 complaint 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 satisfactory.

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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): • develop systems and share with parents, initial assessments and ongoing observations to plan for children's next steps in development.

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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 children have regular opportunities to use information, communication and technology equipment to promote their learning. • develop systems for monitoring and evaluating the teaching methods and the educational provision to secure a clear focus for future improvements in children's learning.

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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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