Whitechapel Preschool Playgroup

Whitechapel Preschool Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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309527 Unique Reference Number 19 October 2007 Inspection date Denise Sixsmith Inspector

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Whitechapel Village Hall, Church Lane, Whitechapel, Preston, PR3 2EP Setting Address

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E-mail

The Trustees of Whitechapel Preschool Playgroup 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Whitechapel Preschool Playgroup was registered in 1983 and operates from the Village Hall in Whitechapel. It is operated by a committee of trustees which is made up of parents of the children who attend the preschool playgroup. A maximum of 25 children may attend the group at any one time. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 09.00 to 12.00 during term time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 24 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 15 children receive funding for early education. Children come from a wide catchment area and attend for a variety of sessions.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The trustees employ a manager and three staff, all of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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. Children thrive because staff have highly effective systems in place that meet the children's physical, nutritional and health needs. The exceptional adult support and guidance helps children become increasingly independent in their personal care and to have a very good understanding of their bodily needs. Children are supported extremely sensitively to use the toilet and develop consistent hand washing routines.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's physical development is a high priority for the group. As a result, children play outdoors for a part of each session or use the indoor climbing equipment so get as much fresh air and exercise as possible. They put on their coats and wellington boots to protect themselves from the cold. Children play freely in the garden, choosing between domestic play in the play house, digging in the compost tray, climbing on the equipment, building a tower with the tyres or sitting in the den with a member of staff playing a table top game. Children delight in looking at the animals in the fields and laugh, jump and stretch as they try to catch the autumn leaves blowing in the wind from the trees. Staff are effective in ensuring that children have a variety of physical activities to ensure they develop their movement, balance and manoeuvring skills through planned sessions in the adjoining school playground, which enables sit and ride toys

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Helping children to be healthy

to be used. Children develop their fine motor skills very effectively, because the staff ensure that there is always a variety of small tools and mark making equipment readily available for them, including scissors, cutters, threading equipment and printing blocks.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have very good opportunities to learn about good nutrition and sociable meals. They frequently take part in making their own snacks, such as making bread and sausage rolls as well as choice from selections of fruit. Their knowledge about healthy food and drink is exceptionally well reinforced through topic work which also ensures that children learn a balanced view, and this is clearly made evident to them by the staff through stories supported with props, for example, 'Handa's Surprise'. Some children and staff join the school children in the dining room for lunch. They enjoy saying hello to their older siblings at this time as well as sitting around the table as part of a social group and eating their meal with the staff.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in safe, secure and suitable premises. Staff work hard to ensure that the environment, which is not purpose-built, is welcoming by putting out an array of posters and displays. They ensure that the play area is set up with a variety of activity areas, ensuring an inviting, pleasant and child-orientated environment. Children benefit from the range of good quality toys, games and other equipment, which is well maintained and suitable for their purpose. Toys and resources are easily accessed by children because they are clearly labelled and effectively distributed throughout the play area to provide appropriate challenge for the differing stages of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff ensure that children are safe. For example, they are very vigilant as they monitor the main door at home time and are well deployed throughout the room. They also use positive reinforcements, for example, reminding children to 'walk carefully' when going outside. Regular emergency evacuation drills take place to ensure that the children know how to leave the building safely and promptly in the case of a fire. Planned safety events also take place to

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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 enhance the children's knowledge, for example, first hand experiences of having the firefighters visit. Children are effectively encouraged and assisted in how to use resources safely, in particular cutting tools and scissors.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A comprehensive child protection policy and procedure is in place, which is being updated to reflect the up to date knowledge that the staff have gained while attending recent training courses. Staff are well aware of what to do should they have any concerns and understand their responsibilities in safeguarding children matters. This ensures that children's welfare is appropriately protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Activities and experiences for all the children are varied and imaginative and meet the needs of the individual children extremely well. Staff are very skilled and sensitive in their management of the children and their behaviour. They provide a highly stimulating and welcoming environment where each child's background and the local community are reflected. They make very effective use of their time and resources to support children's learning, and the continuous, rigorous monitoring procedures enable them to maintain high teaching standards.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff use comprehensive planning and monitoring to ensure the children have a wide range of stimulating learning experiences. They have an excellent understanding of the Foundation Stage, which they implement very effectively to support the children's rapid progress through the stepping stones. All the children enter the group very enthusiastically to see what is on offer, keen to learn and to try new things. They are all settled and have built excellent relationships with both staff and their peers. Each child has a key worker, with whom their parents exchange development information and whose role is to monitor their progress. All staff observe the children during the sessions and note any particular achievements or problems, which are then passed on to the key workers. Staff provide some excellent, very well planned activities that assist the children's learning and understanding

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

exceptionally well. For example, they help the children to make bread which they then eat at snack time. The story of the three pigs is acted out with the use of dressing up and props including twigs and building bricks. Staff think up innovative ideas that the children thoroughly enjoy and they use the indoor and outdoor environment effectively. For example, in the outdoor area the children enjoy pegging out the washing and making pretend hot chocolate in the play house, and digging in the garden or the soil tray before sitting and reading under the den canopy.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enter the group confidently and are very helpful to each other. For example, an older child brings a jigsaw to the table for a younger child from the storage unit. Children enjoy taking on small roles of responsibility and are very caring towards each other because staff provide very positive role models. Staff enthusiastically share the children's excitement and achievements and manage their behaviour in a positive way by offering lots of effective, meaningful praise, therefore children's behaviour is excellent. Children get on well with each other, they know how to wait and to take turns and they enthusiastically help to tidy up.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a wealth of excellent opportunities to learn how to communicate verbally and successfully; develop effective listening skills; learn new vocabulary; and write for a purpose. Children’s speaking and listening skills are very well developed; they thoroughly enjoy story

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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 time which is delivered by the staff with the use of dolls and other props that help children engage with the story. Children listen very well when one child decides that she wants to tell a story which she does confidently, from memory, using the book as a visual aid. They listen, understand and follow instructions very well. For example, children successfully follow staff’s instructions to choose a musical instrument, hold it still, then make as much noise as they wish and then stop. Children use a variety of writing tools and sizes of paper to practise their emergent writing skills. They thoroughly enjoy mark making on the large sheet of paper fastened to the outside fence as well as using a variety of printing blocks and shapes on the long roll of paper inside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

During their play children demonstrate a very good appreciation of mathematical language, using numbers and counting, comparing and matching. They help to set the table for snack, counting how many children and determining if there are enough cups, and decide they need more. Children enjoy counting forwards and backwards in songs and rhymes. They readily use positional language and determine the size and shapes of objects in their play. Children talk about building high when stacking up the tyres in the outdoor area. Numerals are displayed around the room for children to see and refer to while they play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have excellent opportunities to develop their understanding of the world around them. They explore the properties of sand and water and what happens to dough when it gets sticky and then what happens when more flour is added. The children listen to sounds on the tape to determine what they are, for example, identifying a pig, a sheep and a motorbike. Later in the session children talk about going on holiday and the noise that the car or ferry make and these are linked to the sounds on the tape. The children are developing a very good understanding of the use of technology as they access the computer and other programmable toys and eagerly take turns to start the 'tidy up' music tape. Children engage in local events in the community, looking forward to the village bonfire celebrations. They refer to the photographic display of Shrove Tuesday which depicts their trip around the village collecting

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

pancakes, which as part of local tradition turn out to be oranges.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Overall, children are making outstanding progress in all areas of learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children have a very good sense of belonging. They cheerfully greet each other and are warmly welcomed and valued by staff who highly value and respect each family who attend. The group has a comprehensive equal opportunities and diversity policy. The children learn about other cultures and customs during the year, with a variety of writing from different cultures being on display. A very wide range of resources is available including musical instruments, kitchen utensils, costumes and books. Children contribute to the local community by making a ‘Harvest of the Sea’ collage which is taken for display in the village church for the Harvest Festival along with a hamper for the community. The children know other people have different ways and enjoy learning about them and how they live.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children are very considerate of each other and behave very well. They share and take turns, and older children are effectively encouraged to look after the younger children when playing. The younger children ask older ones for help if they need it and ask that they look after them when playing outside. Consequently, children's self-esteem is very high.

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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 The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Staff and parents have extremely good relationships. Staff are very friendly and welcoming towards them as they chat and laugh together, which helps to promote a secure environment for the children. Parents complete 'All About Me' documents about their child, so that staff are well aware of children's individual needs. The pre-school and home links are excellent. Parents receive detailed information about the setting and educational provision prior to the children starting. Information is given to parents about the Foundation Stage and also the 'Birth to three matters' framework when their children start to attend, and they are kept informed of their children's development through excellent communication with key workers and the readily available development files. Parents

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Helping children make a positive contribution

are encouraged to share information about their child's learning at home which is used to inform future planning. Parents are invited to participate as 'rota parents', which provides them with an insight into the practical implementation of the operational plan and the curriculum. The library book scheme for older children enables parents to share reading with their children and contribute their comments. All parents spoken to are extremely supportive of the group and responses regarding the group and staff are highly positive. Some parents travel from the surrounding villages to ensure their children can attend the group. Regular questionnaires, a suggestions box and committee meetings ensure that parents' views are valued and known.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's safety is protected through the organisation's policies and procedures, both in and out of the setting. They receive a balance of activities in a well organised environment where appropriate good quality toys and equipment are in place.

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Organisation

Robust recruitment and selection procedures ensure that appropriate staff are employed and children are protected from potential harm. Arrangements for induction and an appraisal system are in place and implemented in practice. Clear policies and procedures meet requirements, with an update of the safeguarding policy in process to ensure that staff are well supported and children protected appropriately. The operational plan is in place but in a format that makes it difficult to obtain information quickly and easily because it contains some out of date documents and certificates of training alongside updated information and current documents.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is outstanding. They demonstrate a high commitment to improving the nursery education and outcomes for children. Staff are very clear about their planning and assessment systems. They have highly effective ways of monitoring children's progress, which ensures that their assessments link back to the planning and that children's progress is monitored very well. Staff are highly qualified, very experienced and motivated. They have an excellent rapport with each other, which promotes a secure and trusting environment for the children.

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Organisation

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

There was one recommendation set at the last inspection which required the staff to include the steps to be taken in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff in relation to safeguarding children. This has been included in the policy and procedure, consequently increasing the staff's knowledge and enhancing the safety of the children.

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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 There were no key issues raised in relation to the nursery education, however, a point for consideration was made for the development of the then recently acquired outdoor play area. The staff have worked hard to develop this area which is now an asset to the group and effectively enhances the children's learning and development.

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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 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): • review the format and contents of the operational plan, including the updating of the safeguarding children policy, to ensure that current information can be more readily accessed and out dated documents and materials are appropriately archived.

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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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