St Mary's Primary (Ruabon) School

Brayton Busy Bees Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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400459 Unique Reference Number 14 June 2007 Inspection date Jennifer Anne Marsh Inspector

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Brayton Methodist, Church Hall,Chapel Lane,Brayton, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 9EE

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E-mail

Brayton Busy Bees Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day 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 satisfactory. 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?

Brayton Busy Bees Pre-school has been registered since 1992. It is run by a voluntary committee and operates from the main rooms of the Methodist chapel in Brayton, Selby. The group serves the local village community.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The group is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 09.15 to 11.45. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons the sessions are from 12.30 to 15.00, term time only. A lunch club is also offered. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 38 children from two to under five years on roll of these, 22 children receive funding for early years education. The group supports children with learning difficulties and who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven members of staff who work directly with the children, all but one hold an appropriate early years qualification.

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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 satisfactory. Children benefit from a wide variety of healthy nutritious snacks including fresh fruits and salads which help them to stay healthy. The snacks are provided within a cafeteria system which the children fully enjoy being able to access at any time throughout the session. They successfully manage their own appetites and quench their thirst when needed. Children learn about the foods that are good for them as they take part in daily planned food preparation activities. These are supervised by staff and include fresh fruit and salad kebabs, vegetable soup and freshly baked cakes and buns. As a result, children are beginning to understand the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

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Helping children to be healthy

All children enjoy daily opportunities to engage in physical activities outdoors which contribute to their good health and well-being. The staff have successfully organised the sessions so that children can play outside whenever they want. They benefit from regular fresh air and freedom to exercise their bodies. Children engage in a good range of physical activities that support their growing bodies. They crawl through tunnels and successfully negotiate space as they ride wheeled toys. Coloured stepping stones and wooden beams are used often by the children, helping them to balance and gain control over their bodies. Children use a wide range of tools and equipment to promote their finer manipulative skills, such as scissors, paper clips, threading toys, rollers and cutters.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from playing in a clean environment. They have gained independence in managing their own simple personal hygiene routines to help prevent the risk of cross contamination. For example, they wash their hands after using the toilet, use the hand gel before touching food and clear their own cups and plates after snacks. However, staff's lack of up-to-date knowledge on current regulations for food handling compromises children's health.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are satisfactory arrangements in place to care for children who become ill or require medical attention. Staff are trained in first aid and relevant accident and medication records are in place. The actual policies and procedures are basic and are currently being updated to ensure children's individual needs are met.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play in a safe and secure environment which is welcoming and child friendly. They choose from the wide range of good quality equipment and resources available. Staff supplement the range of purchased resources by creatively making their own. These include pictures and props for stories and number activity games. Resources and equipment are easily accessible to children, stored in baskets and trays at floor and child-level. There is suitable and sufficient child sized furniture to support children in their activities and some comfortable seating with carpets. Plans are in place to address the lack of equipment at present to support children who require a nap during the day.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are learning about keeping themselves safe through daily routines, such as how to use the woodwork equipment and to manage the slide safely. Through daily conversation with staff children's awareness of safety is reinforced. For example, when making fruit kebabs

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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 children follow the careful instructions to ensure they are not hurt by the wooden skewer. Children enjoy a range of topics which help them learn about safety. For example, people who help them, the police and emergency services.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a suitable knowledge of child protection procedures to ensure children are safeguarded. Other policies and procedures are currently in the process of being updated to ensure the safe management of the provision and that the children's welfare remains paramount.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children's learning and development is enhanced very well by the recent changes the setting has made to children's play. They benefit from continuous play provision throughout the session. The planned activities give the children good opportunities to enjoy their play and become deeply involved on their own terms without interruption. For example, children thoroughly enjoy role play with sheets and blankets which they make into tents. Staff extend the availability of resources and the children soon use their imaginations to extend their play into a camping trip with torches and back packs. They soon fill their back packs with resources found around the setting which the children feel are useful for a pre-school expedition. Other children make their own choices to join in any adult-led activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making steady progress because staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Planning is becoming a team effort and staff implement long and short term plans. The daily routine is planned effectively to ensure that both indoor and outdoor play areas are well resourced and stimulating to the children. This results in children using all areas available to them imaginatively. Staff observe and note regularly children's achievements which they record within the children's individual assessments. These currently lack information on children's individual next steps to learning. The staff acknowledge this weakness and very recently devised a new system to ensure children are able to reach their full potential through the stepping stones.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The playroom is divided into areas of learning and is well resourced. Children self-select their play and are confident to try out new experiences. Continuous play provision results in children being curious and interested in the activities and they play for long periods alongside their peers. Children communicate and express themselves well to each other and adults. For example, they talk about their home life and are beginning to reason well and solve simple disputes over toys between themselves. Interaction with staff is appropriate as staff encourage children to share their experiences, talking about events at home and children are able to describe what they are doing during an activity. They listen with pleasure to stories told to them in small groups and are beginning to make up their own stories with the aid of pictures and puppets. A mark making table is available every day and is used well by the children to develop their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

emerging writing skills. Resources include a variety of pens, pencils, paper clips and sticky tape. The children busy themselves creating letters, writing on envelopes and making messages to take home. There are lots of other activities to assist children in mark making, such as chalking and painting with sponge rollers on the fence outside. Some more able children are beginning to form letters and write their name. They are gaining confidence in recognising letters as they identify their name card and are beginning to sound out the letter that begins their name.

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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 Many children count confidently to 10 and are beginning to recognise some simple shapes. They sort and match using a variety of resources and are introduced to measure during their regular water and baking activities. Children have opportunities to develop an understanding of simple calculation when they sing number rhymes. However, opportunities to extend skills in problem solving are limited because some of the puzzles do not provide sufficient challenge for them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are good creative displays of children's work which show that children benefit from a wide range of activities that extend their creative development. Children are given plenty of time to explore and create their ideas, finishing in their own time. Children explore what happens when they mix colours of paint and there are many different opportunities to experience different textures, such as shaving foam, sand in paint, and wet and dry pasta. Their imagination skills are fostered well, as the children particularly enjoy dressing up and making their own games and role play scenarios. For example, a tent made from blankets becomes a camping trip and for others is turned into a princesses castle. Opportunities to make music are available at all times and older children enjoy beating out their own rhythms.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning about change in a variety of ways. For example, they are fascinated by the current topic of tadpoles turning into frogs and they play with lumps of ice, watching how it changes as it melts. Children's understanding of simple technology is developed as they complete tasks on the computer using a mouse and they understand how to operate the printer.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children settle well into pre-school because there are good procedures to support children, and staff are warm and caring. For new children, the staff support children well with lots of cuddles and reassuring words that mummy is coming back. Children enjoy taking responsibility for tasks in the setting. For example, children enjoy taking part in setting up and tidying away the snack area with plates, cups, knives and forks. They are learning to share and with support from adults, are learning respect for each other. Through reasoning and discussion children are learning the consequences of their actions and how this affects the feelings of others.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children begin to develop an understanding of similarities and differences because they see and play with a suitable range of toys and resources which reflect positive images. Good systems are in place to promote the welfare and development of children with additional needs. There is a named member of staff who correctly helps plan for the children's ongoing progress and to make sure individual needs are met. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and careers is satisfactory, they are warmly welcomed. Children benefit from the positive relationships staff have developed with parents and carers as many stay and chat informally to staff. Parents are encouraged to join a rota where they take their turn to help out in the setting. This also successfully introduces children to some aspects of other cultures and beliefs through songs and baking activities. Parents access adequate information about the pre-school through a prospectus. However, information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and how the children progress through the stepping stones is very limited. Not all parents realise that their children's records are accessible at any time. A newsletter each term keeps parents updated with any current pre-school issues, such as fundraising events.

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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 satisfactory. Children benefit from an organised and interesting environment that suitably meets their needs. The pre-school have recently elected some new members onto the voluntary committee who are becoming familiar with their new roles and responsibilities. Staff recruitment and induction procedures to ensure children are well cared for are not fully robust. The committee are half-way through adopting changes to policies and procedures which ensure the safe management of the provision to make sure children are fully protected. Documentation supports the care of the children, complies with regulations and is stored appropriately.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The team are responsive to the needs of the children and are positive in their approach to achieve any improvements suggested. The key worker system is beginning to work well in monitoring children's learning and development. Staff are well qualified in child development, they understand the six areas of learning and regularly attend training. There is daily communication between staff about resources, activities, individual children and their abilities. However, there are no formal systems in place to monitor how effective the pre-school's systems are on meeting the educational needs of the children. Staff only recently identified children's strengths and weaknesses and are currently adapting planning and assessments. This ensures children make progress in their individual next steps to learning. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the pre-school agreed to amend documentation to meet regulatory requirements. There is a clear written policy regarding procedures to safeguard children and a policy to record any parental complaints. This ensures the safety and well-being of the children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take 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 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 satisfactory. 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):

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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 • implement robust systems for staff recruitment and induction • monitor and review food handling procedures.

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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): • plan and provide opportunities for children to solve simple problems through everyday fun activities • improve the quality of information given to parents regarding the curriculum and how their children are progressing towards the early learning goals • continue to develop systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the funded nursery education programme.

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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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