Broadwas Bumblebees Preschool

Broadwas Bumble Bees Inspection report for early years provision

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EY262606 Unique Reference Number 27 June 2007 Inspection date Valerie Fane Inspector

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Beehive Broadwas C of E Primary School, Broadwas, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR6 5NE

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E-mail

The Trustees of Broadwas Bumblebees Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Broadwas Bumble Bees is a committee run group that was established in 1981 and registered at its new premises in 2003. It operates from a portable classroom within the grounds of Broadwas Primary School and uses the school grounds for outdoor play. The group serves children from the village and surrounding rural areas. It provides a pre-school for children aged two to four and out of school provision (Buzz Club) for children of school age.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group is open Monday to Friday during school term times and operates a variety of sessions. The pre-school is open Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 15:15 and on Friday from 09:00 to 12:00. The out of school club is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 09:00 and Monday to Thursday from 15:15 to 17:30. There are currently 15 children on roll in the pre-school. Of these, 13 children receive funding for nursery education. There are 28 children on roll in the out of school club. The group supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Two staff work with the children in the pre-school. Of these, one has appropriate qualifications to Level 3. The pre-school receives support from a teacher/mentor from the local authority. Two staff work with children in the out of school club. Both are qualified to Level 3 or above.

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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 the importance of good hygiene routines as they wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. They use the facilities with increasing independence but staff provide support to younger children when necessary. They are safe in the sun in summer because parents are asked to apply sun cream and the outdoor area has plenty of shade. Children receive good care in the event of an accident or needing medication because two staff have current first aid knowledge. Staff keep accurate records of any accident that occurs or medication given and ensure that these are signed by parents. In most respects children are protected from cross-infection. However, their welfare is potentially compromised because the sickness policy does not clearly state recommended exclusion times for children following sickness and diarrhoea and this information is not made known to parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have excellent opportunities to develop healthy eating habits. Pre-school children enjoy an interesting selection of fresh fruit and vegetables for their morning snack. For example, they have a choice of carrot sticks, apple, pear or banana. They begin to exercise control over their eating because they are able to choose how much fruit they eat. Children attending Buzz Club after school select their snack on arrival from the interesting and varied menu that they have helped to create. They choose from a range of hot and cold snacks such as pancakes or toasted sandwiches with cheese or beans. They enjoy eating their snacks in a small group whilst chatting to friends. Children with special dietary needs receive suitable meals because a list of children with dietary restrictions is clearly displayed in the kitchen and known to all staff. Children in pre-school further develop their understanding of healthy foods because they grow

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Helping children to be healthy

some fruit and vegetables. They enjoy watching the progress of their runner bean plant and picking their first strawberry.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have extensive opportunities for fresh air and exercise. During the Spring term they spend one day a week in 'forest school' and explore the natural environment in all weather conditions from sunshine to snow. Throughout the year they make excellent use of the outside area adjacent to the classroom. Older children enjoy the challenge of occasional visits to the school's adventure playground where they develop good climbing and balancing skills on more demanding equipment. Children join in a wide range of physical activities. They run around outside playing games such as 'chase' or 'What's the time Mr Wolf?', they develop ball skills using bats and balls and they improve their balance and control on a range of wheeled toys appropriate to their age and stage of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children use premises that are suitable and are kept very clean and are well-maintained. The layout of the equipment is attractive and welcoming and creates an excellent learning environment. Children see many displays of their own work as well as photographs of themselves enjoying activities such as 'forest school' and posters to support topics such as Healthy Eating. They use a wide range of very good equipment that is suitable and safe. This is because the staff provide child-sized furniture, equipment and toys that are appropriate for their purpose and are of suitable design and condition and are very well-maintained.

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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 In almost all respects children are fully safeguarded because policies and procedures are in place to ensure safety and these are generally implemented rigorously by staff. However, children's safety is occasionally compromised because staff are not consistent in ensuring that hot drinks are placed out of reach of children. In other respects excellent safety measures are in place. The entrance to the classroom is alarmed as is the kitchen door so no one can enter or leave the premises unsupervised. Parents are required to name people who are allowed to collect their children and have to sign the collection book if someone different will be collecting that day. Children's safety in the outside area has recently been enhanced because the whole area has been laid with bark chippings to provide a suitable all-weather surface. Children learn

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to keep themselves safe as they play. For example, in 'forest school' they know that they must never step inside the fire circle and in their own outdoor area they learn not to run on the decking when it is wet in case it is slippery.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s welfare is safeguarded because staff have a good understanding of the symptoms of child abuse and the procedures to follow if they were to have concerns about a child in their care. Two staff have attended training to improve their knowledge in this area. Children develop their awareness of their personal safety because they learn not to talk to strangers and also about their right to maintain their personal space when they are playing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children settle extremely well in both the pre-school and the out of school club. They form excellent relationships with staff and thoroughly enjoy their time in the setting. The youngest children in the pre-school thrive because the staff have a firm understanding of the principles of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and provide extensive times of free play for these children alongside access to planned activities that are differentiated to meet their needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children attending the Buzz Club before and after school are very enthusiastic. They welcome the freedom to relax after a day at school or to join in interesting and varied activities. They often choose to play outside and thoroughly enjoy themselves during imaginative play such as making the climbing frame into a den with the camouflage nets. Indoors they enjoy a box of equipment dedicated to their use and sit down together to play games such as 'Jenga', play games on the computer or enjoy exciting creative activities such as clay modelling or bead-making. Other children prefer to tidy up the home corner for the pre-school children and write a menu for their café. There is a buzz of activity in the group and some children opt to stay by their own choice rather than because family circumstances require them to attend.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children make outstanding progress towards all the early learning goals because staff have an excellent knowledge of the Foundation Stage and fully understand the breadth of learning that children acquire from different activities. This is because they have attended recent training to update their knowledge. Children enjoy a diverse range of interesting planned activities that covers all aspects of the six areas of learning and arelinked to the stepping stones appropriate for their age and ability. Staff monitor and record their progress through regular observations. They know each child extremely well and are quick to notice when they have moved forward in their learning. They evaluate activities very effectively and use the evaluations to identify children's next steps in learning. Staff interact with children extremely well. They make excellent use of open-ended questions to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

encourage children to think and to develop their understanding. For example, when a child

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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 announces that 'It is going to rain', staff ask them 'Why do you think it is going to rain?' and they have a discussion about the weather.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's personal, social and emotional development is exceptional. Children attending the group regularly become extremely independent in their learning, they are very enthusiastic to initiate their own ideas and they show sustained concentration in their play. They thoroughly enjoy complex imaginative play; they decide to make a trap with the camouflage nets to catch one of their friends (who is equally enthusiastic). They use real tools such as a mallet competently to peg down the net. Children gain a high level of independence through their visits to the 'forest school'. They explore all aspects of the natural environment in a wide range of weather conditions; having great fun as they play in the snow. They look for mini beasts such as worms and examine closely. They help to design and build dens and they thoroughly enjoy toasting marshmallows over an open fire.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have superb opportunities to develop their mathematical and problem solving skills through everyday routines such as snack time. They take a number card and try to recognise it. Younger and less able children count the number of spots on the back of the card to identify the number. They then match their number to those on the back of each chair to make sure they sit in the right chair. They work out how many girls and boys there are and try to add the numbers together. They look at the number of cups on the table and more able children are extremely quick to see that there are too many cups and calculate exactly how many extra are out. Younger children extend their mathematical language as they count the cups and work out whether they need more or less for the number of children present.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop excellent speaking and listening skills. They take it in turns at circle time to hold the teddy and share their news. They recall things they have done recently such as coming to the school fête and a visit to the Sea Life Centre. They learn to wait patiently for their turn to talk and staff support and encourage children who are shy to help them gain confidence to join in. Children make good use of the extremely attractive and welcoming book area that is well-resourced with comfortable seating and a wide range of interesting books. They learn to handle books properly and love to sit with an adult to listen to a story.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are extremely competent in their use of technology. They use computer programmes to support their learning with confidence and enthusiasm. Younger children enjoy a car park game that supports their spatial awareness because they have to choose the correct size of vehicle to fit in each parking space. They talk about the size of each vehicle and decide whether it is too big or too small. Staff support their learning by providing help and encouragement when necessary. Older children need minimal help to find different programmes on the computer and use them independently.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They have excellent opportunities to improve their understanding of our wider society as they use books and play with toys such as card games and dressing up clothes that reflect positive images of other cultures. They learn more about other cultures and religions as they celebrate an interesting variety of different festivals in ways that are meaningful to children of pre-school age. At Chinese New Year they make 'lucky bags', dress up in costumes, use fans and chopsticks, taste Chinese food and look at their writing in books. At Easter they go into school to watch the older children enjoying egg rolling and look forward to having their own turn when they are

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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 old enough to go to school. They enjoy their own Easter egg hunt and join in the service at the village church. Children benefit greatly from the very close links with the primary school because this makes their transition to school very easy. During the summer term they visit school once a week to eat their lunch with children in the reception class. They are invited to school events and assemblies and get to know the school and the reception class teachers well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is exemplary in both pre-school and Buzz Club. They respond extremely well to the excellent role models provided by all staff and the very high standards that they set for children's behaviour. Children learn to be considerate of one another. For example, they choose not to 'catch' a child who has tripped over when playing 'What's the time Mr Wolf'. They politely ask people to move if they are in the way because they know they do not push. If they do not like another child's behaviour they go and ask for help from a member of staff to resolve the situation and they know that they must say 'sorry' if they have accidentally hurt another child.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive excellent care because the pre-school staff liaise closely with their parents and, if appropriate, with outside agencies. Staff are alert to identify children who are not making the progress they would expect and they encourage parents to seek advice from their health visitor. When a referral has been made staff work closely with outside agencies such as speech and language therapists to support the child's learning and development. They share individual education plans with parents and monitor and review them regularly. Staff have attended additional training in 'signalong' to improve their support for children with language delay.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the extremely good relationship that the staff have with parents. Parents receive an informative brochure about the pre-school or the out of school club before their child attends. They appreciate the warm welcome that they receive in the group and the excellent settling-in strategies used by staff to help each child. Parents receive ongoing information about their child’s care because staff always make time to talk to them when they collect their child from either pre-school or Buzz Club; they describe the communication channels as excellent. Children are protected because parents are made aware of how to make a complaint to the regulator and a log is in place to record any complaints that might be made.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is outstanding. Parents and carers are aware of the six areas of learning for the Foundation Stage because information is included in the brochure and displayed in the pre-school. They receive very detailed information about the topics and what their children are learning in pre-school through the information sheet that is inserted in the children's diaries each week. This enables children to develop their learning at home with their parents. Parents and carers are also able to help develop their children's love of books and reading at home because children take a book home each week to share with an adult, who is able to record any comments in the children's reading record. Parents and carers are invited into nursery when their child is first admitted to help to complete the parent page in the nursery profile. They have regular invitations to see updates to the profiles and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

know that they can always ask to see records at other times.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children thrive in the well-organised environment and benefit greatly from the experience and expertise of the excellent team of staff who work with them in both the pre-school and in Buzz Club. They are protected from harm because the recruitment and vetting procedures are

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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 thorough. This ensures that all staff have been vetted and are suitable to be in contact with children. Children's welfare is compromised because the system for registering children's attendance in the out of school club does not include their surnames. All other required documentation which contributes to the children's health, safety and welfare is in place and parents provide all necessary information and consents before their child attends the group.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the funded children is outstanding. Children flourish because the manager and her staff work extremely closely as a team to provide very high quality nursery education. Children benefit greatly from their commitment to attend regular training courses to update their knowledge and improve their already outstanding practice. The manager has an extremely good overall view of the strengths and weaknesses of the group and provides very clear direction to the staff team. They work very hard together to implement ongoing improvements to the provision. For example, they have recently introduced 'forest school' sessions for a term of each year and have also enabled children to continue related activities back at pre-school throughout the year. The committee understand their responsibility to monitor the provision of nursery education and provide strong support for their staff through

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Organisation

regular involvement and annual staff appraisals.

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Organisation

Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group was recommended to review and develop the arrangements for the recording and updating of risk assessments. Children's safety has now improved because risk assessments are used annually to review the assessment of hazards with regard to the premises and procedures.

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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 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 outstanding.

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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 • minimise hazards to children; ensure that hot drinks are not left unattended within their reach • update the policy for exclusion of children who have had sickness or diarrhoea and make this known to parents • improve the system for registering children's attendance in the Out of school club to include children's surnames.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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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