Heald Green Methodist Pre-School

Heald Green Methodist Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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307155 Unique Reference Number 03 July 2007 Inspection date Anne Drinkwater Inspector

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Heald Green Methodist Church, Brown Lane, Heald Green, Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire, SK8 3RR

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E-mail

Heald Green Methodist Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day 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 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?

Heald Green Methodist Pre-School has been registered since 1989. The Pre-school operates from Heald Green Methodist Church Hall in the Heald Green area of Stockport. The group has access to the main hall, room one and two outdoor play areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school is open from 09.15 to 15.00 Monday to Friday, term time only and caters for children from both Stockport and Manchester. There are currently 51 children on roll who attend for a variety of sessions throughout the week; of these 49 are in receipt of nursery funding. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are eight staff working with the children, four members of staff hold Level 3 qualifications, one member of staff has a teaching qualification and the additional staff are working towards gaining a National Vocational Qualification Level 2 in childcare.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school gain support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and is a member of Stockport Pre-School Providers and the National Day Nursery Association.

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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 good. Consistent routines and good practice help children learn about the importance of good health and hygiene. Children take responsibility for their own personal care as they wash their hands at appropriate times. For example, they wash their hands before snack time and know the reasons why. However, hot water for effective hand washing is not always available. Staff implement good hygiene procedures because they routinely clean toys and tables, which reduces the risk of cross contamination. There are good procedures in place for recording accidents and medication, two members of staff are qualified to administer first aid, which promotes children's safety and well-being in the event of an accident.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from healthy nutritious snacks, which promote their growth and development. They learn about healthy eating and tooth care through discussions and activities with the oral hygienist and staff. Children's independence is fostered as they relish being the V.I.P of the day and assist during snack and lunch times, they are able to choose their favourite fruits, sliced raw vegetables, and cheese or pita breads accompanied by milk or water. Children enjoy eating their snack, which is a relaxed occasion where children develop their social skills through conversation with their peers and adults.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, which contributes to their good health. They benefit from daily fresh air in the enclosed playground. In addition, staff plan a daily physical activity which is available in the hall; this consists of a good selection of apparatus which enables them to practise their climbing, bouncing, crawling and jumping. Children show respect for each other's space as they confidently manoeuvre around the large hall and as they partake in the activities, which they thoroughly enjoy. Children relax their bodies on the comfortable seating provided in the book area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children and their parents have a good sense of belonging as they are warmly greeted by members of staff. Children are cared for in two large rooms, which are child focused with an abundance of quality toys and resources, which are accessible to all children. The setting is pleasantly presented with colourful posters and displays. These are complemented by children's art work. Children benefit from the good amount of space available. As a result, they move around with confidence between rooms, which are well organised to provide different areas for play and learning, including quiet activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Regular risk assessments are routinely carried out and work extremely well in practice, which minimises the risk of accidental injury. Appropriate safety measures are in place. For example, external doors are locked, which ensures children do not leave unsupervised and staff are appropriately deployed at all times. This promotes children's safety and well-being. Children are also developing a good awareness of safety. For example, they take care of their environment as they help sweep up the rice and lentils and they regularly practise the fire evacuation procedures. This helps them develop an awareness of how to protect themselves in the event of a fire.

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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 are safeguarded well because clear guidelines and procedures are in place. Staff have a good knowledge of child protection issues through continuous training and development. They are aware of possible signs and symptoms displayed by children suffering abuse. A designated member of staff is aware of her duty to safeguard children and takes responsibility for liaising with child protection agencies. All required procedures are in place, which ensure children's welfare is promoted.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and content in the care of the supportive staff team. They enjoy close and warm relationships with adults who know them well, which increases their sense of well-being and security. Children are relaxed and confident and enjoy chatting excitedly with their friends and adults. They show great interest in their recent theme, showing life in different countries, exploring foods, costumes and songs. For example, children develop their communication and language as they chatter constantly about the different countries on the globe and table cloth, cook and taste foods and make displays, which are proudly displayed for all to see. The staff are very caring in their approach and spend time playing with the children and interacting with them. This means children have good self-esteem and enjoy their time at the playgroup.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children engage in a broad range of stimulating activities, which enhances their development. They actively explore the different textures of water, paint, rice and lentils, which provide sensory stimulation and interest. Children develop their creativity as they make interesting models in the creative area, such as the papier mache fruits and as they engage in meaningful role play, making cups of tea for staff and engaging with the puppet theatre. They develop their language and social skills as they play cooperatively with their peers. They are forming a good repertoire of familiar and foreign songs, such as the Inuit song Okki Tokki Unga, they enthusiastically join in daily singing sessions and the additional planned sessions for their annual concert.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use effective planning and assessment systems. This includes detailed observations, which are used to inform planning for individual children. The planning is used extremely well incorporating elements of the frameworks which tracks children's progress. As a result, planning is in place for children's next steps to ensure their developmental milestones are successfully met.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and use this to plan an exciting range of activities across the six areas of learning. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children have a good level of independence in selecting and carrying out activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They are confident speakers with a wide vocabulary and learn successfully that print carries meaning. They make their own passports, enter their name and confidently put on the official stamp to enable them to travel, they recognise their own name at snack time and they use a good range of words to express their thoughts and ideas. Children have good opportunities to become aware of the world around them as they record the weather and observe the insects, such as the stick insects and frogs spawn. They celebrate most cultures and festivals, staff are well informed of the traditions and celebrations through visits into the community. Children

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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 are becoming familiar with using information technology equipment and magnifiers; they confidently name countries around the world and know what foods they eat.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children make good progress in their mathematical development. They show interest in counting, sing number rhymes and compare weight and measure. Children have various resources and play environments to promote their physical development. Their fine motor skills are developing well as they frequently use pencils, finger puppets, scissors, paint brushes and malleable materials with increasing control. Children have a good level of independence in selecting and carrying out activities. For example, they develop independence in their self-help skills as they fasten their own aprons and put on their coats.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children have a good sense of belonging as they are warmly welcomed into the setting and are treated with equal regard. Their individual needs are well met because staff use detailed registration discussions to find out children's likes and dislikes. Children settle extremely well because staff are consistent and have a nurturing approach with them. Staff are very supportive to children who speak English as an additional language. They take time to learn key words and provide good opportunities for all children to use songs and words from different languages as part of their learning and development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well in the playgroup because they are given meaningful praise and encouragement. For example, children are praised with kind words, which increases their self-confidence. Children share toys and resources with each other and respond well to consistent techniques as staff successfully implement the behaviour management policy. Consequently, children are beginning to understand responsible behaviour and play cooperatively together. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents speak highly of the care and learning their children receive. Parents are confident in approaching staff who regularly share information by written and verbal means, which ensures continuity of care for children. Relevant information about the curriculum is displayed on a parent's notice board and parents have free access to their child's development file. This keeps parents informed of their child's progress and development. Parents are able to become fully involved in their child's learning as staff extend pre-school activities for children to do at home.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for in a pre-school, which is well organised to offer a variety of stimulating activities to promote children's play and learning. There are clearly defined areas for different activities, which staff spend time preparing to ensure they are set out in an appealing manner for children. As a result, children are able to initiate their own play and learning in well resourced and stimulating areas. Children are cared for within required ratios, which supports their care and enables staff to consistently interact with them. Consequently, children feel happy, safe and secure.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. The manager works alongside the dedicated staff team providing them with effective support on a day to day basis. They all attend regular training to develop their childcare knowledge and skills, which promotes positive outcomes for children.

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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 For example, staff have used their knowledge from recent training to enhance their planning and observations of children. However, children do not have a dedicated key worker.

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Organisation

The manager has good systems in place to monitor and review the delivery of the Foundation Stage curriculum, which ensure children make good progress.

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Organisation

Detailed documentation is in place, which is in line with the requirements of the National Standards. This supports children's health, safety and well-being. A detailed range of policies and procedures is understood by the staff and are consistently applied to ensure the playgroup operates smoothly and efficiently. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the playgroup was asked to: ensure all fire exits are kept clear at all times and ensure appropriate records and documentation are in place. Fire exits are free from obstacles and all the required documentation is in place. These improvements promote children's health, care and well-being.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 1 2004 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. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint 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 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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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 hot water is always available for hand washing.

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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): • ensure each child has their own individual key worker (this also applies to care).

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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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