Constantine Preschool

Constantine Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Constantine Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY288659 Inspection date 27 June 2005 Inspector Linda Janet Chauveau

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Constantine Pre-School

Setting Address Constantine Pre-School, Trebarvah Road, Constantine, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 5AG Telephone number 07733 165052

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E-mail

Registered person Constantine Kids Club 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?

Constantine Pre-School is a committee run group. It opened in 2004 and operates from its own building in the grounds of Constantine C. P. School. It is situated in the village of Constantine, in Cornwall. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open from 09:00 until 12:00, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and from 12:30 until 15:00 on Thursday during term times only. All children share access to a secure enclosed play area.

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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 There are currently 33 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. Of these 19 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area and surrounding villages. The setting currently supports a number of children with special educational needs. The pre-school employs five staff. Over half the staff have early years or play work qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. One member of staff is currently working towards a degree qualification. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and Pre-school Learning Alliance(PLA).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children benefit from being cared for by staff who have a good understanding of the pre-school's health and hygiene procedures. They follow good practice for example when they prepare snacks and clean the playroom. Children's health is safeguarded by staff who hold current first aid qualifications. Appropriate record keeping systems for accidents and medication plus required parental consents ensure that children's welfare is promoted. Children develop independence in self-care skills, for example when visiting the toilets and knowing to wear sun hats in warm weather. Children learn about keeping healthy through regular exercise. The use of challenging physical play equipment and enthusiastic participation in strenuous team games promotes their physical development. They develop co-ordination as they throw balls into hoops. Children develop small muscle control using a variety of tools

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Helping children to be healthy

such as scissors and brushes and by completing complicated puzzles and construction activities. Children benefit from a healthy snack at break time. They choose from a variety of fresh fruit and pour their own milk or juice. Children help themselves to easily accessible individual water bottles throughout the session. Staff reinforce the need to take regular drinks, especially after vigorous exercise. The information provided by parents at the time of registration ensures that children's individual dietary needs are met. Children with restricted diets are fully supported by staff who adapt snack time to ensure that all children enjoy the same food.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are clearly aware of safety issues that may arise whilst at the pre-school. They know and follow safety rules such as not playing on the veranda unless an adult is present and forming "trains" when moving from indoors to the outside play areas. They benefit from being well cared for in a very safe and secure purpose-built environment. Staff are vigilant and diligently follow comprehensive safety procedures. Thorough and regular risk assessments are carried out. As a result risks to children

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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 have been minimised. Children move safely and confidently through all areas of the pre-school. They make their own play choices from the extensive variety of well cared for toys and equipment, which meet safety standards. Resources are displayed in accessible boxes and storage units so that children can make safe and independent selections. Outdoors children can confidently use the covered and safety surfaced veranda to access a good variety of large physical play equipment. Children are very well protected by the manager and senior staff, who have a clear understanding of child protection policies and procedures. All staff are made fully aware of what to do if they have concerns about a child in order to give top priority to children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. They achieve well because the manager has a very good understanding of early years guidance, such as the Foundation Stage, and uses this to provide good quality education. All children arrive interested and keen to participate. They settle well and are supported by staff who are sensitive to their individual needs. They socialise well and older children are thoughtful and caring of those younger than they are. Children become independent as they choose between a variety of toys and activities that are developmentally appropriate and appeal to all abilities. Children spend their time purposefully. They concentrate well at their chosen activity and take responsibility for tidying away after themselves. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and children's learning are good. Children benefit from access to a good range of stimulating and interesting planned activities related to their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

needs. Children are eager to learn, self-assured in their play, confident and motivated to try new experiences. Less able children are given sensitive support and help from key staff to enable them to develop and progress. Children are well behaved, know and follow the pre-school routines well. They are learning to look after themselves. They are supportive and caring of each other. Children enjoy listening to stories and contributing their thoughts and opinions in large group activities. They are able to recognise their own name and are aware of the initial sounds of words. Children that are more able can write their own name and all attempts at letter and word formation are praised and valued. Children are able to access a variety of small tools and equipment to develop their handwriting skills. Children use maths regularly during everyday routines; they count the number of children present and discuss how to write this using the correct numerals. They learn

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

simple addition when noting how many children are wearing sandals and then adding one more. They use a variety of games to learn about shape, pattern and sequence.

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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 Staff use the daily routines to develop children's awareness of a sense of place and time when they discuss the weather and record the days of the week. Children are becoming competent in using remote controlled toys and develop an awareness of computers in everyday life, when they use the till in the role-play area. Planned activities help children make sense of the world around them when they grow plants and seeds. Children's physical skills develop and improve through a wide variety of experiences and challenges. They develop their creativity using a variety of media, including, paint, wet sand and recycled materials. Children enjoy developing their imaginations in the role-play area and when they use recycled materials to make a "tent ride to go to visit the train station." They enjoy singing songs and rhymes from memory. Topics

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are planned to use their senses to respond to a variety of textures such as smooth, rough, soft and hard. Overall, children make good progress in all areas of learning. The manager plans a stimulating weekly curriculum, which is clearly linked to the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. She uses her strong knowledge of each child to ensure that sufficient support and challenge is provided for all children. Each day a good balance between adult and child-led activities is offered. Weekly attainment targets enable staff to record and monitor children's progress. Developmental records and examples of children's achievements are kept by staff and are available to parents; these are used to set progress targets for each child.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have good relationships with staff and each other. All children are welcomed and fully included due to the staff's good understanding of each child and their family background. Children's behaviour is good. They learn about right and wrong as staff gently remind them of the pre-school rules. Staff support younger children in sharing and turn taking. They have high expectations of children and lead by setting clear examples. Children have access to a range of resources and planned activities to learn about their local community; with visits to local places of interest, and of the wider world. Children with additional needs are fully supported at the group who liaise with professional agencies to ensure that good individual care and education is provided. The pre-school fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. A good partnership with parents and carers contributes to children's well-being at the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

pre-school. A detailed prospectus and registration pack for parents comprehensively covers all operational aspects of the pre-school. Parents' views about their child's abilities, needs and interests are sought before the child starts at the setting. However, this information is not used as a starting point to monitor children's progress when they begin to receive nursery education. Staff have good verbal relationships with parents and ensure that they know how their child is developing and progressing. Several parents have completed questionnaires about the setting;

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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 these indicate that they are very happy with the standards of care and education offered to their children.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are at ease and relaxed in the well-organised setting. They make very good use of the space available to initiate their own play, have time to complete their chosen activity, to be active or to rest. All legally required documentation, which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place and regularly reviewed. The records kept on site to provide evidence of emergency support cover and staff suitability are incomplete. The leadership and management of the pre-school are good. Children benefit from being cared for by a committed and qualified staff team, who are supported by effective induction and appraisal systems. Staff meet regularly to review and monitor the quality of the care and education. They are supported by a local early years development and childcare partnership teacher to evaluate their nursery education programme. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last nursery education inspection children's mathematical development has improved. Children are now able to develop their mathematical thinking during snack time. For example, they count the number of children at each table and then select the correct number of plates for each group. Staff use appropriate language to develop awareness of addition and subtraction during everyday routines and at planned activities.

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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 MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

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 care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve the systems for keeping staff information on site; to provide evidence of their suitability and qualifications. Ensure that evidence of suitability is available for any committee member used to make up adult to child ratios.

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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): • develop systems to ensure that information provided by parents about what their child knows and can do on entering the setting is fully utilised when creating developmental and progress records.

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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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