William Farr Pre School Ltd

William Farr Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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William Farr Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY295032 Inspection date 15 June 2005 Inspector Gill Ogden

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William Farr Pre-School

Setting Address St. Marys Primary School, School Drive, Welton, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN2 3LA Telephone number 07759 937556

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E-mail

Registered person William Farr Pre-School Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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 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?

William Farr Pre-School Group has been registered as a limited company since August 2004. They originally registered in 1970. The setting operates from a portacabin situated in the grounds of St Mary's Primary School in Welton, Lincolnshire. The building has a small cloakroom within the entrance, one playroom and storage space both indoors and out. The children use the toilets in the school and the school's grounds are used for outdoor play. On occasions the school hall is

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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 used for activities. The group serves the local community and surrounding villages. Sessions are from 09:00 to 11:45 and 13:00 to 15:30 each weekday during school term time only. The group is registered to care for a maximum of 20 children and currently has 45 children on roll, of whom, 35 receive funding for nursery education. The group supports some children with special needs . There are eleven core staff and four of them hold an appropriate child care qualification. A further three are working towards a relevant qualification. The group is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and one of the managers is on the county committee.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a range of activities and experiences that support their health and physical development. They have regular access to outdoor play space which allows them to run freely, ride tricycles and climb and balance whilst getting fresh air. Indoors they enjoy activities such as the climbing frame, ring games and moving to music. They also take part in an annual 'sports day' on the school playing field. Staff plan activities to ensure all children's physical needs are met and encourage them to learn to take care of their bodies through topics such as tooth care. Staff ensure children's dietary needs are met through working closely with parents and taking up training opportunities to ensure they can cope with potential situations such as anaphylactic shock. Children enjoy fruit for snack every day and are introduced to different types, like mangoes, that they may not have tried before. They

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Helping children to be healthy

know that food items such as biscuits and cakes are not for every day but for treats such as when birthdays are being celebrated. Children are encouraged to drink milk at snack time, with water as an alternative and for extra drinks through out the session. In the event of children having an accident they can be assured that they will be well looked after as a result of all staff being first aid trained. Consistent hygiene routines ensure that children learn the importance of washing their hands.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in premises that are regularly risk assessed and set out well to ensure that children can move around safely. All the necessary equipment, such as safety catches on doors and radiator guards, is in place to minimise accidents . Regular fire drills are carried out so that children understand what to do should a real emergency occur. Two staff always accompany children to the toilets because they

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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 are in another building and children quickly learn the routine for walking safely to them. Staff check all toys and play equipment regularly to make sure it is suitable for the children to use. Children are kept safe when they go off site, for example, to do surveys in the village, by a clear procedure for outings which is followed by staff. All staff have taken part in child protection training so that they are able to recognise and deal with incidents that may occur but there is not a clear enough procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. The building is kept secure to prevent any unauthorised access to the children and staff can easily see who is outside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children thoroughly enjoy themselves at the pre-school and achieve well because the staff like being with them and want to provide the best experiences they can for them. The children are keen to become involved in activities as soon as they get through the door and the variety they are offered meets all their learning needs. The sessions they attend are organised according to their developmental needs. Younger children enjoy the same activities as older ones but staff have realistic expectations of what they should be achieving and support children accordingly, such as by giving them more help to use scissors. Children have lots of opportunities to help them to feel cared for and to feel good about themselves. For example, the staff show genuine interest in what the children say and offer appropriate praise for their efforts, so that they can confidently go on to attempt more.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is good. The range of resources and activities ensure that children make good progress in all the learning areas. Children behave well which helps to create an environment where children are secure and so are able to take an interest in others, develop friendships and adopt a positive attitude towards learning. Children listen well to staff and each other which allows them to enjoy activities such as stories, sharing news from home and to learn new vocabulary. They regularly attempt to write and sound out words such as their names. Their conversations show that they are relating happenings in the group to events at home and in the community, for example a child commenting that flapjacks 'look like a sandwich that's been run over by a car'. They are developing good mathematical skills. Most of them can count beyond ten as a result of practising during daily routines such as register time and this experience also helps them to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

begin to understand calculation when they decide if there are more or less girls than boys. They enjoy activities that increase their knowledge of weight and measure, such as using height charts and collecting the correct ingredients for making bread or cakes. As a result of the group having close links with the school, and being part of a small community, the children are clear about their place in the world and so can comfortably enjoy learning about the wider world. They make good use of their surroundings to explore the natural world and make the most of experiences like visiting a staff member's home to see a real fire and learn how to make and light one.

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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 They enjoy playing with the computer and are becoming skilled at using the mouse. All activities allow them to develop their small hand skills and improve their hand-eye co-ordination, especially ones like gluing. threading and constructing. The playroom is decorated with many examples of their creative activities such as collages of the different seasons and alphabet lines. Children enjoy tasting different food stuffs and respond well to their likes and dislikes with appropriate facial expressions. They make good use of the role play area to pretend to be, for example, customers, waiters and chefs in a café. Staff work hard on planning and assessment systems to make sure that children make progress in all areas and their next steps are clearly identified. On the whole,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

this is successful, but it does not link clearly enough to the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and so it is not fully effective in ensuring that no steps are missed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. 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. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and through acting as good role models and using appropriate methods, such as consistent and gentle reinforcement of rules, children learn good manners and to care for others. Children are beginning to understand and respect differing needs and cultures through a positive staff attitude towards including children of all abilities and through activities such as celebrating Diwali and fundraising for Children in Need and Operation Christmas Child. Their knowledge of the local community is increased by them getting out and about in the village, taking part in church festivals and welcoming visitors to the group. They regularly share news about their own lives and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

their thoughts, opinions and achievements are recognised and praised by everyone in the group. All of this contributes to fostering children's social, moral, cultural and spiritual development well. The partnership with parents is good. Parents comment positively on their relationship with the group and the progress their children make. Staff pay attention to information parents pass on and to their initial assessments of their children's abilities, which they use as a starting point for their learning. Regular newsletters ensure that parents are fully informed about group activities and they are encouraged to contribute to their children's learning by, for example, bringing items for the interest table.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and learning is supported through the pre-school being organised well and good, clear leadership and management. The available space is used effectively and the necessary documentation is in place to provide a framework for

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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 the care of children. The staff's experience and knowledge enables them to work well together as a team to provide a secure and stimulating environment for the children. The managers are keen to improve the provision by taking up ideas and advice from training and through regular team meetings. All the staff are valued and encouraged to attend events and take up qualification training so that they feel more confident about their work and have even more to offer the children. Overall the pre-school meets the needs of all the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Recommendations made at the last care and nursery education inspections, before the pre-school re-registered in 2004, have been dealt with well. There are now four trained staff and a further four are currently undertaking training to ensure that at least half the staff have appropriate qualifications. All staff have attended child protection training to improve their ability to respond to any incidents and there is now written parental permission in place for each child, to enable staff to seek emergency medical treatment. The full staff team took up behaviour management training to help them handle any undesirable behaviour appropriately and to improve their skills in maintaining all children's interests in activities.

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Complaints since the last inspection

A complaint was received regarding the nappy changing policy at the setting. It was considered by a senior childcare inspector against National Standard 12 (Working In Partnership With Parents) and Annex A (Babies/Children Under 2). Ofsted was satisfied with the explanation given by the setting and therefore no further action was taken.

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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): • include in the child protection policy a procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff

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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

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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): • review the planning system and the system for assessing children's progress so that they link more clearly to the stepping stones towards the early learning goals

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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