Nancledra Pre-School

Nancledra Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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EY216580 Unique Reference Number 14 September 2007 Inspection date Heather Tanswell Inspector

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Towednack & Nancledra Community Hall, Nancledra, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8NB

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Setting Address

01736 740 021 or 07745 102 637 Telephone number

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E-mail

The Trustees of Nancledra Pre-School 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 satisfactory. 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?

Nancledra Pre-School is a committee run group. It opened in 2002 and operates from the main room in Towednack and Nancledra Community Hall. It is situated near Towednack. A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9:00 until 11:30 during term times only. All children share access to a secure enclosed play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 15 children from two to five years on roll. Of these seven children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs three staff. Over half the staff members have early years qualifications to NVQ Level 2 or 3. Two staff are currently working towards qualification. Parents also help on a rota basis. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from the Local Authority Family Services and the Pre-school Learning Alliance(PLA).

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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 satisfactory. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks in sufficient quantities to meet their growing needs. The wide variety of foods supplied each day, for example, apple segments, grapes, dried fruits, tomatoes, cheese and bread sticks, ensures every child has a selection of healthy foods that appeal to their tastes. Children access drinks of water whenever they want them and choose between milk and water at snack time, which ensures children stay hydrated throughout the morning.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children play and eat in a mostly hygienic environment. The kitchen is hygienic, food is stored carefully to make sure it stays fresh, and the hall is clean and tidy. However, toilets are not checked for cleanliness before children arrive and the sand pit is left uncovered, which poses a risk of cross infection. Children learn good personal hygiene routines. Although accompanied, they independently use the toilet and know they must wash their hands thoroughly afterwards, and again before eating. Children are protected from catching each other’s illness as sick or infectious children are requested not to attend. They are also well protected in an emergency as staff hold first aid qualifications and systems are in place to guide their actions, in liaison with parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children play outside in the fresh air each day to promote their good health. They run and use wheeled toys, balance on stepping stones, and occasionally go on nature walks in the school grounds or nearby fields. They also take part in music and movement activities to develop creatively their physical skills and stamina.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play in a light, spacious, well-maintained and pleasant environment. They explore good quality resources, especially in the role-play area. Resources and furniture are thoughtfully organised to provide clear, safe spaces for different types of play. Suitably placed low-level mobile trolleys ensure children can access books, some tools and materials safely by themselves. Regular checks ensure toys remain in good condition.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept away from most hazards. Although the setting has highly detailed risk assessments, these are not fully implemented to keep children safe. For example, prickly brambles overhang the uncovered sandpit. The setting makes sure fire safety equipment is checked annually to ensure its continuing suitability. Staff keep a fire logbook. However, the practise of emergency evacuations are not always recorded. They are not sufficiently frequent to make sure children know what to do to keep them safe if a fire breaks out. The visitor book and register are not always promptly and/or accurately maintained.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded from harm as staff and the committee have a sound understanding of their roles and responsibility to identify and report child protection concerns. However, the procedure is not fully up to date with the latest guidance about who to contact if any concerns arise about a child in their care or if an allegation is made.

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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 enjoy their time in the setting. They are cared for in a calm and supportive environment, spending their time exploring and investigating the range of activities made readily available. They benefit from being cared for by staff who understand the Birth to three matters framework and Foundation Stage. They use their knowledge to plan a range of worthwhile experiences that interest the range of ages they care for.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children become independent, imaginative learners as they investigate textures of paint and glue for themselves, spreading, pouring and combining resources with their hands and tools. Children learn to use talk to organise their play and to share experiences about their home life. They also make connections in their play as they work out how to build train tracks that include straights, curved pieces as well as bridges.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make sound progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning and good progress in personal, social and emotional development. Staff understand how young children learn by doing and being active, sometimes alone or in groups. Group activities are used well to promote listening, sharing and communication skills. Songs that greet and say goodbye ensure children feel part of the whole group and feel valued as members of the group. Children are keen to learn and concentrate very well. They are sociable and keen to share news from home. They make marks and occasionally attempt to write their names. Staff lend a hand to help children complete drawings. For example, a child wanting to draw an elephant cannot remember what it looks like so the member of staff finds a small toy elephant for the child to draw around. This enhances the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

child's experience of drawing and inspires them to go on to colour in her outline, which helps to develop good hand-to-eye co-ordination. The lack of access to larger pieces of equipment means that children cannot develop their confidence, strength and ability to climb, slide, swing or experience their world from a different height.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn sequences and use low numbers, sometimes correctly, as part of their play as they predict how many eyes and ears to add to their drawings. However, they do not receive sufficient support in their play or through daily routines to help them learn more about specific numbers, match them to their symbol or use simple calculation to see what happens when one or two items are added to a group. Children make use of simple technological toys in role-play, such as telephones, tills, and toasters. However, they do not make everyday use of real equipment so they can learn how it affects their everyday lives and enhances learning. The computer is broken and other resources are only accessible on certain days of the week. Children are highly imaginative. They use small world toys such as families of tigers to re-enact scenes reflecting their home life experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Displays of plans clearly show the learning intentions of the activities. The plans also show that, over the course of a term, a good range of activities will be provided that will cover all areas of learning. Staff make regular notes on children's achievements linked to the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. The assessment system is not used well to identify gaps in individual children's learning or to influence planning. There is no indication of the next steps children might achieve or what the practitioner might need to do, being planned for to help individual children make progress.

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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 satisfactory. Children develop some sense of community and environment through outings and walks into the local countryside. They learn about the wider world they live in by handling resources and taking part in activities that reflect positive images of how other people celebrate and live. Staff are trained to recognise and support a range of additional needs and know where to go for assistance when they need it. They ensure planned activities meet a range of needs. The premises are fully accessible.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children settle in quickly, because staff take time to greet every one in turn, as they arrive each day and through special songs. These welcome and goodbye songs help children feel part of the group and form new friendships. Children follow the good example set by the staff. They speak politely to one another and take turns. A kindness tree celebrates and encourages children's good behaviour. Children accordingly, behave very well, knowing when it is their turn to speak and listen. Social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents play a large part in the running of the setting. They sit on the committee and assist in daily routines as rota helpers. A prospectus provides helpful information about the overall provision and outlines the six areas of learning. Although parents complete detailed registration forms to ensure care needs are met, there is no system to record what children know on entry to the setting. The information parents receive about their child's assessments records are not pro-actively shown to them or used to set shared targets for learning at home and at the setting, in recognition of the role they play as their child's main educator.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are cared for by well-qualified practitioners who are enthusiastic and interested in their work with young children. Children benefit from well-deployed staff, who consistently interact with them and give children effective support and encouragement, which helps them feels secure and settled. Most policies and procedures for the good management of the setting are in place and up to date. Although the registered person is in breach of a regulation by not informing Ofsted about the appointment of a new manager, the member of staff had undertaken the appropriate vetting procedure, which means children's safety and well-being is maintained.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Staff attend training to improve their knowledge of child development and are involved in planning a curriculum that helps children develop across all areas of learning. An appraisal system is used to identify staff training needs. Key workers who monitor children’s achievements update assessment records; however, they do not include plans for next steps in learning. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting agreed to; keep a fire logbook; keep a record of the time of arrival and departure of children, staff and volunteers; request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment and set up and use a system of appraisal.

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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 The setting now records fire drills to show if any problems arise during emergency evacuation practises. Although the group is organised to open and close at the same time each day, occasionally some children arrive early, are left by their parents, and the exact time of their arrival is not recorded. As a result, if an incident occurs records of attendance would be inaccurate. Written permission to seek medical treatment is now kept to ensure children receive prompt treatment in the event of an accident or emergency. An appraisal system is now well established and used effectively to identify staff training needs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the setting agreed to: develop the regular use of daily routines to reinforce and develop children's learning in meaningful ways, in particular in the areas of communication, language and literacy, and in mathematics; improve the planning of activities to ensure children are purposefully engaged and are able to develop their own skills in designing, making and creating; and, provide more opportunities for children to make choices and select their own resources.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The settling has re-organised the way it plans activities including routines, which has brought about some improvements. The provision of moveable storage units, well equipped with creative resources and tools, makes sure children can express their own ideas creatively. Routine large group activities are now used well to encourage children's literacy skills, but are not used as well to promote mathematics.

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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 satisfactory. 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): • check the setting is clean before children arrive each day • make hazardous plants inaccessible to children • carry out and record routine emergency evacuation procedures that have regard for the patterns of attendance of children and helpers to ensure everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire

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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 • set up a procedure to follow to ensure that Ofsted is informed of any significant changes or events that affect the day-to-day management of the setting.

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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): • provide access to a range of activities and challenging equipment that enables children to develop their confidence and ability to climb, scramble, swing and slide • find out more about the child's stage of development, home experiences and interests to use as a starting point for learning and teaching • analyse, review and share with parents what you know about each child's learning and use the information gathered to plan next steps to influence future planning and meet individual children's' development and learning needs, in liaison with their parents.

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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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