Marsden Pre-School Playgroup

Marsden Pre-School Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Marsden Pre-School Playgroup

Unique Reference Number 311293 Inspection date 14 July 2005 Inspector Angela Margaret Ellis

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Marsden Pre-School Playgroup

Setting Address Lakeside, Marsden, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 6AE

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E-mail

Registered person Marsden Pre-School Playgroup 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?

Marsden Pre-School Playgroup has been open for 31 of years. It operates from ground floor premises rented from a nearby mill. The group has use of a play room, entrance hall, children's toilets and a kitchen area. There is an enclosed outdoor area available for outside play. The playgroup mainly serves children living locally.

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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 47 children on roll aged between two and four years. This number includes 17 funded three and four-year olds. Children with special needs are supported within the setting and the group has systems in place to support children who speak English as an additional language. The group is open during term times Monday to Thursday mornings. Sessions run from 09:15 until 11:45. It is also open Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 12:30 until 15:00 pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group is managed by a committee who employ four members of staff to work directly with the children. All staff members are qualified. The playgroup achieved accredited quality assurance from the Pre-school Learning Alliance in 2003 and receives support from the Local Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm, clean environment, where they are helped and encouraged to develop good personal hygiene practices. They hand wash before and after snack and after creative play. They are starting to understand the importance of good practice and are supported by staff to follow effective hygiene routines based on policies and procedures. Although they are not always consistently implemented, in particular in the presentation and organisation of the food at snack time. Children are developing an understanding of a healthy diet. Staff talk to them about healthy eating as part of the daily routine to help children understand what foods are good for them. Snack time is a pleasant social occasion where children can independently make a choice of when to take part. Staff take into account children's individual preferences and dietary needs and plan accordingly. Children enjoy a wide range of activities that contribute to them being healthy and

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Helping children to be healthy

develop their physical skills. They control their bodies well and enjoy using large apparatus such as bikes, climbing frames and balance beams to build confidence and learn new skills. The outdoor area is used to it's full potential to broaden the children's experiences. Children of all ages move around the play room confidently and show good co-ordination using large and small equipment. They enjoy building models using large and small bricks, chopping fruit for snack and carefully cutting paper to produce a desired result.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment where risks are minimised. Staff consistently follow good procedures, conducting daily risk assessments and are vigilant about monitoring access to the premises. Children move around the playroom independently and safely and are learning to keep themselves safe and avoid

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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 accidents as staff talk to them about safe practice. For example asking children to pick toys up from floor so as not to trip over them and hurt themselves or anyone else. Children self select equipment and activities from a wide range of easily accessible very good quality resources. These are very well organised in creatively defined areas of play which encourages children to make independent choices both indoors and outdoors. Effective policies and procedures are in place to support good practice and help children keep safe, however, insufficient guidance is available regarding the safety of children in very hot weather. Staff hold current first aid certificates and demonstrate a secure knowledge of child protection procedures and how to keep children safe. The child protection co-ordinator ensures that staff fully understand

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at pre-school. They make good progress in all areas of development as staff are knowledgeable and offer activities and experiences that are stimulating and keep children interested and motivated. Staff make effective use of the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage and are starting to familiarise themselves with Birth to three matters. Although their knowledge of it, is insufficient to confidently incorporate the framework within the planning for children under three at present. Children are well settled, happy and secure and they enthusiastically undertake a wide range of activities. They are confident and interested in their surroundings and have established good relationships with staff and children alike. Children make choices about their play, selecting activities and resources from the wide and interesting range available. They can plan their own time as well as take part in

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities with their key person, for example exploring musical instruments within their small group. Staff respond to the children's individual needs and adapt activities to follow their ideas and suggestions; they are well supported to extend and try out new skills such as using scissors. Children receive good levels of support from staff who use observations and their knowledge of the children to build on what they can do and extend activities at the child's own pace. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff's good knowledge of the Foundation Stage ensures that children progress well in all areas of development. Children are interested and motivated to learn using well planned activities and experiences which challenge and extend them. They use their imagination very well during role play activities, for example making a tent for their holiday from lengths of fabric. They are developing good concentration skills and have free access to tools

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and materials to make models. They build and design and extend their imagination when creating a collaborative fish collage using glitter and shiny materials for scales. Children are confident speakers and listen well to each other. They share experiences, talking about home and family and staff show interest by offering

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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 support and suggestions to enhance their experiences. Children are very confident and engage well with each other and visitors; sharing their achievements and negotiating roles in games. They play well together and alone and enthusiastically progress their ideas. Behaviour is very good and reflects the staff's high expectations. Children take turns, share and are supported to learn how to manage their own behaviour and respect others. They enjoy learning about the lives of others through topics and planned activities for example comparing the types of houses people live in different countries and what they are made from. Children are introduced to number and problem solving through daily activities, counting and sorting are part of daily routines and when singing. They make patterns

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and mix colours by using food colourings and baby oil and use their senses to explore textures. Staff use observations to monitor children's progress and use information from parents to complete the picture. These observations are effectively used to inform planning and progress children's learning. A variety of methods are used to offer a good balance of focused and freely chosen activities. Good opportunities are used to further extend children's independent skills. Staff have a secure knowledge of the early learning goals and use this to plan a broad based curriculum to include all areas of learning. Planning is flexible enough to respond to children's individual spontaneous ideas and interests. Staff use open ended questions well to extend children's language and develop their thinking. They value what the children say using positive responses, displaying their work attractively and promoting their self

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children build good and respectful relationships with staff, each other and other living things. For example children are interested and show care and respect for the creatures living in the nature habitat. They show good self esteem and confidently ask questions and make choices. Children are warmly welcomed by staff who are sensitive and value their individuality. They receive praise and encouragement for achievements. Meaningful activities and resources are used to help children become aware of similarities and differences and increase their understanding of the wider world, by talking about different countries, how and where people live. Resources, such as books, toys and pictures show positive images and visitors to the setting share their experiences and cultures. The provision effectively fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children's behaviour is good and reflects staff's high expectations. Children

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Helping children make a positive contribution

understand clear and consistent boundaries and demonstrate care and respect for each other, for example by not having the computer, too loud as the child next to them cannot hear their computer. They follow good role models in staff showing care and consideration for others. Partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff keep parents well informed about what the children are doing and use topics to help parents build on pre-school

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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 activities at home. They are particularly well informed of their child's progress in their very well presented individual books. Parents and staff work well together to meet the children's needs. They are given good quality information about the setting and encouraged to stay to sessions and share information about their child. Parents and carers confidently approach staff and demonstrate a high level of satisfaction with the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and learning are well supported by the effective organisation of the setting and good quality leadership and management of the educational provision. Knowledgeable staff who understand their roles and responsibilities ensure that all children's individual needs are met. Staff work well together and there are effective procedures in place to monitor and evaluate the provision. The leader supported by the management committee ensure that all staff are involved in reviewing practice and adopting new procedures. The setting is committed to training and development to consolidate their practices and enhance the provision. They have successfully achieved accredited quality assurance status through the Pre-school Learning Alliance. A very effective operational plan and a comprehensive range of policies and procedures is in place to support good practice and an effective service. Staff have many opportunities to

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Organisation

meet together, share information and develop working practices. They make good use of observation and assessments to monitor children's progress and identify gaps in the provision. Overall the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous recommendations have been reviewed and effectively addressed relating to documentation. These are clearly accessible in the operational plan and implemented as appropriate. Risk assessments are undertaken more regularly, at least once a term and the setting’s child protection policy in relation to allegations made against staff members is very clear and staff have an understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This supports the effectiveness of the organisation.

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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

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 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): • consider reviewing the presentation of the snack to children in order to prevent any risks of cross infection and to encourage children to learn more about good personal hygiene and self care at this time (also applies to nursery education) • consider reviewing the sun protection policy to ensure that risks to children are minimised • consider incorporating birth to three matters framework into the planning for children under three.

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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): • make improvements as indicated in the care section above.

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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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