Studley St Mary's CofE Academy

Radipole Preschool Inspection report for early years provision

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141000 Unique Reference Number 16 November 2007 Inspection date Carol Johnstone Inspector

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Ratcliff Hall, Queens Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 5EX Setting Address

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E-mail

The Trustees Of Radipole Pre-school 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?

Radipole Pre-school opened in 1982. It operates from a church hall in Weymouth, Dorset. A maximum of 26 children may attend the Pre-school at any one time. It is open each weekday from 09.00 to 12.45 and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 13.00 until 15.30, term time only. During the spring and summer term, the Pre-school is also open on Monday afternoons from 13.00 until 15.30. There are currently 53 children aged from two years to four years on roll. Of these, 29 receive funding for early education. The Pre-school employs eight members of staff, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The Pre-school receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are protected from the spread of infections as there are exclusion periods given to parents advising them of how long to keep children away when they are unwell. Children are

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 cared for appropriately in an emergency as all staff have current first aid certificates and keep their training up-to-date. The first aid box is always in the playroom and regularly checked to ensure that its contents are complete. Parental permission is obtained before giving any medicines to the children and the recording book is signed by staff and parents. However, the current method of recording accidents and medication does not maintain confidentiality. Children learn to wash their hands before snack and lunchtime and after using the toilet. They use liquid soap and paper towels to minimise the risk of cross infection. Children learn to cover their mouths when they are coughing or sneezing.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have milk or water each day at snack time. However, they are not able to independently access water throughout the session. On three days of the week, children have healthy snacks of fruit, raisins and cheese. However on the other two days they are offered biscuits which does not fully promote healthy eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are activities that help children learn about fruit and vegetables, for example when they make a fruit salad to take home. There are also topics where children cut out pictures of what food is good for them and make posters for the wall. There have been visits from the dental nurse and a doctor who let the children listen to their heartbeat through a stethoscope.

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Helping children to be healthy

The outdoor space that the Pre-school has is very limited. However, they use the space available very creatively and effectively to provide a wide variety of physical activity for the children. This promotes children's well-being and helps them learn how to use their bodies. Children are able to use bikes and trikes in the outdoor area and there are also ring games. The hall is also used well to provide an alternative play space and children enjoy music and movement exercises with the piano. Children are able to use a parachute, climbing frame, slide, balancing beam, play tunnel and trampoline. Children are able to jump, climb, wriggle, balance and bend. They have sound spatial awareness and can move one way, stop and then go the other way with competence. Children are able to practise their fine motor skills through the use of scissors, paintbrushes, pencils and glue sticks.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are able to play safely in the Pre-school. Staff make good use of the space available by using dividers, folding screens and carpets to provide a range of play areas for children to choose from. Consequently, children have adequate space to spread out construction toys and puzzles without other children treading on them. The toys used are clean, safe and age appropriate, and staff are careful to put unsuitable toys away to protect the very young children who attend in the afternoon.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are regular risk assessments carried out and staff do a visual check of the hall each morning as there are other users of the hall who occupy it intermittently. Staff are clear of the emergency evacuation procedure and this is practised on a regular basis with the children so that they would be aware of what to do in an emergency. The practice is alternated between mornings and afternoons so that all children will attend at some point. Children are protected from the dangers of unauthorised visitors as the front door is kept locked and, entry and exit is only possible via a member of staff. All visitors sign in and out, and are accompanied at all times. The gate to the outdoor area is kept locked when children are playing outside so that there is no risk of them escaping onto the road.

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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 Children learn about their personal safety through staff reminding them about the rules of 'we walk and don't run' and also when they are using scissors or cutting implements during play dough or cookery. Staff also prepare a tray of objects containing both safe and unsafe items such as bottle openers, knives and forks. Children discuss whether the objects are safe or not. There have also been visits from a local police officer, fire officer and coastguard who have talked to the children about safety in the community. Children also use a computer programme which follows the theme of how to be safe when they are out.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children would be effectively supported in the event of a child protection concern arising as staff have a knowledge of the types of abuse, the signs to be aware of, how to record concerns and who to report to. All staff have attended or will be attending refresher child protection training courses to ensure that their knowledge is kept up-to-date. There is a child protection policy available to parents which outlines the Pre-school's responsibility in this area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children have a bright and colourful range of toys to play with and there is a wide choice of sturdy and traditional wooden resources such as a cooker, washing machine and fire station. Children are able to choose from a variety of free play activities such as construction, play dough, painting, small world play, puzzles, books and, sand and water. There are also adult led activities such as cooking and circle time where children bring objects in from home for everyone to look at. Children can move freely between the activities and make their own decisions about what they want to do. Although the space constraints mean that children are unable to access toys independently from the cupboard, staff vary the resources each day to maintain children's interest. Children are settled and happy during activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making steady progress through the six areas of learning. They are confident to enter each morning and find their name tags to stick on the board to show that they are in. Some children also enjoy wearing the Pre-school sweat shirts which helps their sense of belonging to the group. They are happy to go straight to their chosen activity and start to play. Children are involved in the topic at circle time and answer questions from staff with confidence. They make firm friendships with each other and play co-operatively during activities and in larger groups. Children know what is expected of them and understand behavioural boundaries. Children can count up to 10 when asked, although little spontaneous counting is used by the children during play. Problem-solving, calculation and the use of positional language is not seen frequently during free play activities, although there is some number work in the large

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

group. Children are very confident in recognising colours and shapes, and can identify a rectangle, square, semicircle and diamond. Children enjoy role-play and there are frequent changes to the role-play area which becomes a supermarket, travel agency, nursery and doctors surgery. They enjoy singing nursery rhymes and are familiar with the words. Children can paint pictures and make their own designs using jewels and sequins. However, pre printed pattern sheets and pre cut shapes are sometimes used which can limit children's creative expression. Children are able to give meaning to marks during some activities and use their name cards to attempt writing their name on work. Most children are confident in their use of language during activities to talk about what they are doing with each other. Children have independent access to books during the session and know that at snack time the routine is that they have a book

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

while waiting for the snack to be brought around. However, the time given for looking at the books during this period is very brief. Children learn about their natural environment through

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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 the use of twigs and leaves that they look at on the interest table. There have been topics about tadpoles, a giant snail and the life of a butterfly. They have also planted sunflower seeds and made a miniature garden. Children have access to a keyboard and a laptop computer and learn how to use the mouse to access the programme. They also like to take pictures of their construction models using a digital camera.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Planning is very detailed and covers the six areas of learning. It gives a broad range of activities. However, it is not used to help facilitate children's individual progress. There are planned and unplanned observations carried out by staff during activities. However, these are not transferred into children's developmental records until each half term. Key workers do have understanding of their own key children and what stage they are at. However, there is no clear picture available from the records for other staff working with those children. Consequently, the assessment records do not give an up-to-date picture of where children are in their progress. This also means that the next steps for children cannot easily be identified by using the assessment records and children's progress is not fully and clearly facilitated.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage and the areas of learning. They use effective questioning and challenge during many activities, particularly group ones. However, across free play activities the levels of challenge are not consistently tailored and adapted to facilitate children's individual progress. This is linked to children's next steps not being clearly identified from assessment records.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff interaction with all children is very friendly and there are positive relationships between them. Consequently, all children are very comfortable and secure with the staff and approach them with ease and confidence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children behave very well in the Pre-school. They share and co-operate with each other and it is clear to see that firm friendships are being made. If there are any minor incidents, staff deal with them very gently and effectively, quietly taking the child to one side to ask what has happened. Children are praised frequently by staff when they complete an activity that has been difficult for them. This helps to build children's self esteem and confidence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn about the wider world and its variety of cultures and religions which helps them learn how to be tolerant and accepting of others. They are currently doing a topic of ' Around the World ' and have discussed different countries and how people live. Currently they are looking at Egypt and have investigated different types of dress and looked at objects specifically used there. Children also celebrate different types of festival such as Divali where they make lanterns and hand prints, and Chinese New Year where they use chopsticks and make dragons. Staff are very sensitive to any particular religious requirements of children that may attend. Children have their awareness raised of charities and held a sports day to raise money for Barnardos. They also discuss national events such as 'Children in need'. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. There are very strong and secure relationships with parents which help to support children at the Pre-school. There is an active parent committee who hold frequent fundraising events and there are regular committee meetings. Parents are very involved with the children's activities and readily send in show and tell items for their topic. There are parent evenings where staff talk about the activities and how children learn. In addition there

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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 are regular parent questionnaires sent to parents to invite feedback about the provision provided. For funded children, there is information about the areas of learning in the parent prospectus and an open invitation for parents to look at developmental records, which many do. Planning is available on the parent notice board along with other more general information about child related topics and the policies and procedures of the Pre-school. Parents feel that staff are very approachable and caring.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The Pre-school operates effectively and runs smoothly. Most documentation is well-kept, however, the current accident and medication records do not promote confidentiality. The necessary information regarding children's health and well-being is complete and staff are made aware of any medical needs that children may have. Parental permission is obtained for most aspects of care and there is a comprehensive parent prospectus.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The manager and her deputy are very clear of their roles and responsibilities. There are annual staff appraisals carried out and training is offered whenever it is available. Activities are evaluated by staff as are the results from parent questionnaires. The staff team have regular meetings and are involved in the planning of activities. The manager, deputy and the staff team are hard-working, friendly and approachable. They work well together and are very flexible.

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Organisation

The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

A point of consideration from the last nursery education inspection was to give children regular opportunities to initiate their own art and design, and express themselves. This has been partly met through the use of free painting and craft pictures. However, pre-printed colouring sheets and pre cut shapes are often used for children's art and craft work.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Another point of consideration was to extend opportunities for children to develop their personal independence. Children demonstrate their independence well in the Pre-school. They put on their own aprons, are able to put on and do up their shoes and they pour their own drinks at snack time.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Two recommendations were made at the last care inspection. One was to make sure that the register included the actual times of children's arrival and departure. This is now done so that an accurate picture could be obtained of which children are present if an emergency occurs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

It was also noted that the child protection policy did not include the procedures to follow should there be an allegation made against a member of staff. This is now included in the policy so that clear instruction can be obtained should this occur.

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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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Complaints 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

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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): • ensure that children are able to independently access water throughout the play session and that healthy snacks are increased • ensure that the records for recording accidents and medication maintain confidentiality.

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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): • increase the use of specific challenge to help children's individual progress (also applies to care) • ensure that children's assessment records show an accurate picture of children's progress and that the next steps for children's learning are clearly identified • use planning more effectively to facilitate the next steps for children's learning.

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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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