Market Rasen Pre-School

Market Rasen Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Market Rasen Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY272440 Inspection date 22 June 2005 Inspector Gill Ogden

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Market Rasen Pre-School

Setting Address Market Rasen C of E Primary School, Mill Road, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 3BL Telephone number 01673 844484

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E-mail

Registered person Sally Jacklin 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Market Rasen Pre-school opened in 2003. It is privately run and operates from a community room in Market Rasen Church of England Primary School. It shares the school's outdoor play areas and has access to its swimming pool. It is open each weekday during school term time. On Mondays from 12:15 to 15:15, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 09:05 until 13:00 and on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 15:00.

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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 A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 28 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 17 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local rural area and the pre-school supports children who have social, as well as special educational, needs. There are six staff who work regularly with the children. Four of them hold an appropriate early years qualification and two are working towards gaining theirs.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Staff consistently implement procedures to ensure that cross-infection is minimised and children learn about personal hygiene. For example, tables are wiped with anti-bacterial spray prior to being used for food and children wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Information is gathered from parents when their children first start so that individual health and dietary needs are met. Children know that they should wear hats and apply sun cream to protect themselves whilst playing outdoors in the summer. A comfortable sofa in the book corner provides a quiet place for children to rest if necessary. Children freely access water from a dispenser throughout the session and this is particularly noticeable in hot weather which shows that children are gaining an understanding of their own bodies health needs. Snacks are both filling and nutritious so children learn which foods are good for them and are not hungry. They enjoy fruit

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Helping children to be healthy

regularly and also have, for example, cereal and milk, toast, crackers and cheese on a rotated basis. Children enjoy daily opportunities to develop their small hand skills and have regular access to excellent outdoor facilities for physical activities. They are especially fortunate to be able to go swimming each week in the school's indoor pool.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Overall, there are good measures in place to keep children safe and protected. Health and safety and risk assessment procedures ensure that the environment, toys and equipment are suitable for young children's care. The building is secured well through the use of locks and safety chains and staff can easily see who is outside. The outdoor areas are enclosed and staff are especially vigilant about children's safety when these are used by always making sure that they have first aid supplies and a mobile phone with them. The school has stringent procedures in place for swimming but although the pre-school practices good safety when using the pool this is not supported by clear enough procedures of their own, especially regarding parental consent. Children are safeguarded by staff who understand child protection procedures and who have working relationships with other agencies.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are keen to get involved with staff, activities and each other as soon as they enter the playroom. They thoroughly enjoy outdoor activities and show interest in their surroundings and soon notice any changes, such as masks that are displayed on a fence, and begin to investigate and talk about them. Although the lay out of the room is not totally conducive to supporting children's enjoyment and learning, they choose the activities they wish to take part in and are given as much time as they need to see them through to a satisfactory ending. Staff create a very relaxed and informal atmosphere, where there is a good balance of child initiated and adult led activities, so that all children are able to participate naturally at their own level and new children soon feel at home. There is a lively buzz of chat and action throughout the session with children understanding when it is appropriate to be quieter such as

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

at story time and snack preparation time. Children soon feel secure and confident and so are able to develop their interests and achieve. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children experience a varied range of activities that ensure they make progress in all the areas of learning. Children are able to communicate effectively with staff and each other and enjoy using language in singing and role play activities. They are interested in books, choosing them independently and sharing them with each other. They practice writing their names in a natural way, such as to identify their work, and can guess names from having initial letters sounded out to them. Everyday routines and practical activities help them gain an understanding of mathematical concepts. Most count easily through, for example, playing on stepping stones and identifying the number of children present. They calculate through working out how many more beakers they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

need at snack time and compare graphs they have made through activities such as talking about the different kinds of beds people sleep in. They begin to understand quantity through pouring and filling activities. They explore outdoors regularly, noting the changes in the environment and observing growth, for example they can see young chicks and compare them with adult birds. They have regular access to a computer and construction sets so that they learn about different kinds of technology. They are able to develop their physical skills through regular outdoor play and swimming as well as improving their hand-eye co-ordination by using all sorts of tools. They have lots of opportunities to use their imaginations through small world and role play, using a variety of materials to create collages and paint freely. Children's learning is supported by a staff group who generally understand the foundation stage curriculum and the purpose of activities. Staff involve themselves

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

appropriately in children's play to maintain their interest and gather evidence of their learning. Children are assessed clearly against the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and their progress is recorded well. Planning documentation shows that activities are evaluated and suggestions are included for extending activities for more able children. However, plans do not relate closely enough to the stepping stones to ensure that no aspects are missed, nor do they indicate the next steps for individual children's learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are warmly welcomed into the group and their individual needs are well-considered so they become confident and are then able to enjoy learning about their local community and wider world. The group has a selection of resources to help children develop positive attitudes towards all members of society. Children become involved in celebrating differing festivals and joining in with fund raising campaigns, such as for guide dogs. Children learn to respect each other and follow rules through staff acting as good role models and prompting and encouraging them. Any undesirable behaviour is handled calmly and effectively. Children are regularly praised for good behaviour, such as helping tidy up, and are keen to get stickers to prove it. Children who have additional needs are supported well by staff working closely with other agencies and advisory bodies. This open and positive approach

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Helping children make a positive contribution

ensures that children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. A good partnership with parents exists which contributes to children's sense of security and achievement. Staff are sensitive to the needs of individual families, spending time talking to them each day and ensuring that they receive ongoing information about the children. Each half-term parents receive a written report about their child's progress and are able to take their development records home. They are also kept up-to-date on activities in the group through newsletters.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The outdoor play spaces provide interesting and stimulating surroundings for children. For example, in 'the quad' there is a lot of fixed equipment to support physical play and children can also observe the wildlife area and pond and the chickens. The playroom offers plenty of space for children to move around easily but attractive areas to support particular learning aspects have not yet been created. Similarly, although children can help themselves to play resources from shelves, these are not stored and labelled in a way that makes it easy for children to find what they want. The group has sufficient qualified staff and has enough staff at each session to make sure the children are given good attention. The induction and appraisal systems ensure that all staff are aware of the everyday functioning of the group and help develop staff skills so that they can become more beneficial to the

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Organisation

children. The leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The manager ensures that staff can contribute their ideas at regular meetings and they share responsibility for recording children's progress and leading and evaluating key activities. However, children's experiences can be limited if the manager is not present because she has not yet developed a good enough system to ensure staff can confidently deliver the full curriculum in her absence. Overall, the provision meets the needs of all the children who attend.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

Some progress has been made since the last inspection at the beginning of the year. There is now a clear written procedure in place that supports all staff's understanding of what they should do if a child is lost. This has improved the overall framework for children's safety. A simple leaflet has been produced for parents that gives them basic information about the group. The manager is aware that parents need more information regarding the foundation stage curriculum when their children start to receive nursery grant.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • clarify the procedures that support children's safety whilst swimming

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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 so that it reflects more clearly the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and indicates the next steps for individual children • consider how the room is set out and how resources are stored to better support children's learning • ensure that staff, especially the deputy, are able to maintain the delivery of a quality curriculum in the absence of the manager

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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 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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