St Mary's CofE Junior School

Wigginton Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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129409 Unique Reference Number 13 July 2007 Inspection date Naomi Bold Inspector

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The Village Hall, Chesham Road, Wigginton, Tring, Herts, HP23 6EH Setting Address

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E-mail

Wigginton Pre-School and Toddlers Committee 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 outstanding. 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?

Wigginton Pre-School opened in 1974. It operates from two rooms within a village hall in Wigginton near Tring. It serves the village and surrounding areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 29 children from two to five years on roll. This includes 12 funded three year olds and two funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and no children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens four days a week, Tuesdays to Fridays during school term times. Sessions are from 09:30 until 12:00. The committee runs a parent and toddler group within the premises on a Wednesday 10:00 until 11:30.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are five part-time staff who work with the children, two staff have a NVQ 3 and one staff member has an NVQ 2. The setting receives support from a local teacher and the area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator team.

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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's health is rigorously promoted by contentious and sensitive staff who take every opportunity to teach children about the importance of personal care. Children are encouraged to be independent in their personal care at all times by extremely supportive staff. For example children have access to tissues and anti-bacterial gel so that they can take responsibility for wiping their own noses and understand the importance of keeping their hands clean. Children consistently support each other's personal hygiene, for example reminding each other to put a hand over their mouths when they cough.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are learning about the importance of a healthy, varied diet as staff provide an extremely wide, constantly changing range of snack foods, exposing children to a vast number of different textures, tastes and cultures through food. Children are visibly excited by the food offered and enjoy choosing their snacks from the range provided. Children clearly understand the need for a healthy diet as they are constantly exposed to positive images of healthy food. Annotated and child-lead displays around the room promote images of different food groups and children are able to make independent choices with regards to their nutrition. Children have unlimited access to myriad resources including role play equipment for the doctor or dentist, fact and fiction books and activity sheets to underpin lessons regarding healthy food choices and practices to keep themselves well.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are kept safe while they attend the pre-school because staff have implemented an extremely rigorous set of procedures and carry out daily tasks such as detailed risk assessments to make sure the environment is safe and suitable for the children who attend.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have an excellent knowledge of current safeguarding children guidelines and are confident to implement any steps that would safeguard a child's welfare if they had concerns. The managers of the setting have implemented a series of meticulously thought out plans to ensure that there is a constant exchange of information between parents, management and staff to ensure that if there are any safeguarding issues regarding a particular child at home, these can be confidentially transferred to protect children and staff. Staff have constant access to information that will help them protect the children in their care, for example regular training courses and current best practice guidelines.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A series of well considered steps have been taken to ensure that children's safety is constantly maintained. Parents and carers use passwords when collecting children and the pre-school cannot be accessed without the cooperation of staff. The visitors book is constantly maintained, all visitors to the premises are recorded and unknown persons are always asked for identification.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected in emergency situations as the managers have taken great steps to ensure that evacuation procedures and fire safety precautions are well thought out and that all staff and children are fully aware of the evacuation procedure. Smoke alarms, fire blankets, extinguishers and fire doors are regularly checked to ensure that they are in good working order, to protect all those in the building. Visits from local fire fighters, police and other 'people who help us' guarantee that all children enjoy learning how to keep themselves safe.

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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 outstanding. The pre-school provides an extremely happy and caring environment for children to develop securely as individuals. Well thought out routines and child-centric displays make sure that children feel part of a 'family' and ensures that they feel a strong sense of belonging to the pre-school and their fellow pupils.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are confident to take all opportunities to explore spontaneous play, responding to child initiated conversations and ideas and adapting existing routines to allow children to develop imaginative ideas and make connections fully.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The flexible and open layout of the main play-space means that all age groups can mix together. This cements children's idea of the pre-school as a 'family' and that younger children are able to learn from the older children, which contributes to the extremely rapid progress of all.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. All children are exposed to a wide range of meticulously planned activities that carefully cater for all six areas of learning. Children are making extremely strong progress in all areas of learning as a result of detailed and perceptive observations that are consistently used to inform planning for next steps. Children thoroughly enjoy the range of activities offered to them and settle to tasks quickly upon arrival, showing high levels of concentration for extended periods of time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff support children's rapid progress through a series of well-considered, open questions. Staff interact incredibly well with all children, encouraging the development of meaningful and close relationships with staff and each other. Children cooperate very well together, assisting each other in a range of construction and mental tasks, completing jigsaws and enjoy identifying themselves and their friends on a large photograph board that welcomes each of them into the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Large moveable display boards covered in children's work warmly promote their sense of ownership and belonging in the pre-school. Children are able to identify their own work and can recognise the letters of their name, selecting a paper apple with their name on and attaching to an apple tree that they have constructed using card, paper and paint. Staff take every opportunity to encourage children's learning. At snack time a range of colour, number and shape activities are introduced. A staff member draws different shapes on paper and places these on the floor. Children try to guess the emerging shape with excitement as the staff member draws these. They are then requested by name to place their cup in a requested shape. All children are given the opportunity to do this and are praised warmly for their efforts and success.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrably enjoy learning about the world around them. Child lead displays, programmable toys, construction activities, home made play-dough and exploratory activities encourage children to investigate a range of sounds, sights, textures and indoor and outdoor experiences. A treasure hunt in the sandpit and a 'musical washing line' suspended between two trees in the garden area, give children simple resources to explore complex ideas. Children enjoy searching for insects under stones and logs and staff ask pertinent question to develop children's inquisitive minds.

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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 have excellent working knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum which fully underpins children's rapid progress towards the Early Learning goals. Plans comprehensively cover all six areas of learning. All activities are planned carefully to cater for the differing abilities within the group and the setting takes numerous steps to fully assess children's starting points to place all future assessment in context. Staff take time to adapt activities for the needs of individual children and this development can be traced clearly through thorough and highly systematic long, medium and short term plans.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Staff act as excellent and accountable role models for all children. Children behave towards staff and each other with extreme courtesy and have high regard for others feelings, for example children respond with care and concern when another child cries.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have many opportunities to learn about diversity and the wilder world around them. They have access to numerous positive images and ideas of a wide variety of cultures and religions, through displays, books, dolls, set activities and special days. Children have the opportunity to participate in a number of annual fundraising events and, with the gentle support of staff, have prepared books that remind them of the activities they took part in during 'Red Nose Day' with photos and stories. Children have many opportunities to interact with the wider community. A variety of visitors come to the pre-school, including local emergency services and elderly members of the community, who come to hear the children sing several times a term. Children also have many opportunities to visit local schools to reassure them about the transition to 'big school.'

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Outstanding provision is made for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Extremely well trained staff and a comprehensive policy work together to ensure that all children are catered for, regardless of their ability and that plans are constantly adapted to allow for individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Parents are highly complimentary about the care that the children receive and the support that they receive from the staff at the setting. Parents are fully informed about everything that happens in the pre-school through daily verbal feedback, monthly newsletters, child diaries and an annual video that covers 'a year in the life in our pre-school.' New parents receive a comprehensive welcome pack that covers all policies, procedures, requirements and expectations. Detailed letters are regularly used to communicate important information, for example staff changes and planned outings. An informative notice board offers information regarding the setting's child protection policy and also thanks parents for donations to recent charitable activities. Parents have the opportunity to experience the setting for themselves as they are invited to regular weekend activities, for example messy play

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Helping children make a positive contribution

days, organised by the pre-school managers.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Leadership and management is outstanding. Both managers cooperate fully and have a clear understanding of their individual roles and responsibilities.

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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 Recruitment procedures are extremely thorough and new members of staff have settled into the setting with great success. Staff hold suitable qualifications and their combined experience provides a calm and orderly environment in which children thrive.

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Organisation

Continuous assessment enables the pre-school to improve constantly. The managers have a clear vision for the progression of the pre-school and have set a range of achievable goals for the future. Resources are chosen with care and extreme regard for the needs of all children in the setting.

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Organisation

All documentation is habitually maintained and updated, allowing the setting to run smoothly, even in the absence of either manager. Incredibly detailed policies and procedures ensure that the welfare of all children in the setting is continuously upheld. The considerable commitment and individual knowledge of the staff undoubtedly leads to children meeting their potential in all outcomes. 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 inspection three recommendations were set. These related to fire drills, hand washing procedures and informing parents of the uncollected child policy, complaints procedure and the child protection policy. All improvements have been made and the setting has shown extremely high regards for children's safety when implementing changes, ensuring that current best practice guidelines are included in policy making wherever possible.

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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 outstanding. 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

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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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

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 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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