King George V Pre-School

King George V Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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206134 Unique Reference Number 06 February 2008 Inspection date Lesley Jane Bott Inspector

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174th Derby Scout Group, 82 Brayfield Road, Littleover, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 6GT

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E-mail

The Trustees of King George V 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 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?

King George V Pre-School opened in 1987. It operates from The Scout Headquarters in Littleover, Derby. A maximum of 24 children may attend at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday during term times from 09.15 to 11.45 and 12.45 to 15.15. Lunch time provision is from 11.45 to 12.45. The pre-school operates for occasional days within the summer holidays. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 62 children from two to five years on roll. Of these a total of 27 children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school supports a number of children with disabilities and learning difficulties and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs six members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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. Children are beginning to understand simple health and hygiene practices through daily routines and planned topics and themes. Children wash their hands at appropriate times, for example after going to the toilet, with 'reminder signs' in the toilets for the children. Younger children are given wipes to clean their hands as they get ready for snack time and lunch. However, some children arriving for lunch club are not always encouraged by staff to wash their hands prior to eating. Therefore, children's understanding and awareness of good health and hygiene is not always promoted within the setting. All the required documentation for the administration of medication and accident recording is in place. Medication is stored safely and a first aid box is available for dealing with emergencies.

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Helping children to be healthy

Topics raise children's awareness of healthy choices and they know that fruit and vegetables are good for them. Children generally have toast and a piece of fruit for their snack during the session. A choice of water or milk is provided to accompany this; also children are able to independently access drinking water throughout the day. Children enjoy being involved in preparing the batter for the pancakes and watch with great enthusiasm as staff cook and flip the pancakes, which they taste as part of their snack time.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy all aspects of physical activities indoors and outdoors. Parking bays and petrol pump for the wheeled toys encourage children to develop their co-ordination as they position equipment into a directed space. A wide range of equipment for physical play experiences on the grass and paved area promote children's balancing and physical skills.

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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 staff take positive steps to minimise risks. For example a policy for a lost or uncollected child is in place and a stairgate prevents children's access to the kitchen area. Children and staff are aware of the emergency evacuation procedure of the building and this is practised regularly. Access to the building is closely monitored with secure doors and staff need to open the door for parents arriving during the session. All visitors are requested to produce identification before being permitted entry and sign the visitors book.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are able to play in a large, spacious room, which is organised into different areas of learning and provides ample space for the children to spread out, particularly when playing on the floor. A good range of resources and equipment are available to support children's play and learning and children are able to access these as they are set out prior to them arriving. As the building is used by other groups, staff prepare the room each day and ensure that they make the room look different as they change the equipment around. Staff ensure that a variety of different resources are available each day so that children are suitably interested and stimulated.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded and promoted, as staff demonstrate a good understanding of child protection procedures. A clear referral process is in place should they have any concerns, and the written policy is shared with parents. This means children are well protected from harm.

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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 good. Good routines help children to develop a sense of belonging. They know what happens next throughout the session, and a pictorial time line is displayed for children and parents to identify with this. All children move confidently around the room, being able to work and choose independently what they want to play with. Children are happy and settled. They benefit from taking part in a varied and interesting range of activities that promotes all areas of learning, for example painting and messy play, while others roll out play dough and make shapes with the cutters. The children particularly enjoy singing with actions to songs they know well, and use the musical instruments to change sounds. Staff plan a varied range of activities which includes daily outdoor play in the learning den. This is an enclosed area which allows the children to continue with all activities outside. They particularly enjoy singing in there when it is raining

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

outside. Once a week the children have the opportunity to experience a dance lesson by a professional dance teacher. Children enjoy noticing the difference in their bodies from exercising, feeling their heart beating faster and being thirsty.

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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 knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage of learning and plan a varied and interesting range of activities that promotes a balanced curriculum. The organisation of the space used is effective to provide children with free access to all activities. All areas of learning are addressed in the written plans, however extension or additional support for individual children is not included. Therefore activities may not always be appropriate to the children's level of understanding. Developmental records for children are maintained, and children are assessed at the commencement of funding for nursery education to ensure that staff know each child's individual starting point. Assessment is used to monitor progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have independent choice from the toys put out each day by adults. Children are beginning to recognise their name, as they self-register, finding their name on the table when they arrive and pegging this to the line. The children are very adept at using their name tag throughout the session to write their name on their work. The reading area is well presented to encourage children to want to use it independently. Children are able to choose books and handle these while they sit on the cushions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children confidently count in routine and play situations. They enjoy helping staff sort and count the eggs once a week, parents place an order with a local farm who deliver to the pre-school and children help prepare and put the eggs into boxes. When using the computer children are able to select the colour they want to use, they manage information technology well and able to complete simple programmes with little support. Art activities are child-led and their creativity is effectively developed. Children have the option of painting on the paper or onto the glass frame with different colours. Role play opportunities are being developed as the children operate the café, using the menu to choose and cook pizzas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Physical development is promoted well. Children have opportunities every day to be outdoors and use the grass and paved area. Children operate wheeled toys confidently and are able to stop, start and change direction when walking and running to avoid obstacles.

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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 good. Staff have a good awareness of equal opportunity issues to help children learn about the world around them and develop positive attitudes to others. Children are learning about their own customs and festivals, such as Christmas and Halloween, as well as customs of others, for example, Chinese New Year. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Resources to promote positive images of culture are good. There are appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that children with disabilities and/or learning difficulties are able to be fully included in the life of the setting and able to participate in all activities. Staff find out about children's individual needs through discussion with parents and carers and observing the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are generally well behaved. They respond well to adults and each other and are developing good relationships. There are appropriate strategies in place to help children learn right from wrong that are appropriate to the age and understanding of the children. Stickers are given out for children eating all their food at lunch time which they attach to their lunch box. Good behaviour is praised and encouraged, for example a child's name will go into the 'sun', helping them to develop self-esteem and confidence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers and have good relationships with them. They are encouraged to share what they know about their child and this helps staff to be able to meet children's individual needs with regard to routines for feeding and individual needs. Parents are given the opportunity to visit the setting prior to their child starting and the prospectus ensures that parents are made aware of policies and procedures. Staff exchange information verbally with parents each day to ensure that parents are kept up-to-date with activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers of children receiving nursery education is good. There are good arrangements in place to share information about the Foundation Stage of learning through display boards within the room. Parents receive regular verbal information on their child's progress with parents' meetings and step by step records being kept. Regular newsletters and displays are used to inform parents of planning and topics. The group makes parents aware of how they can make a complaint and are aware of their duty to log complaints, should they ever receive any.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are confident and happy in the setting. The robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure children are well protected and cared for by staff who have very good knowledge and understanding of child development. The well-organised environment and effective staff deployment enhances children's enjoyment and achievement and ability to take an active part in the setting. Sessions are well organised with clear routines which help children settle and become confident. Staff work together as an effective team, each aware of their roles and responsibilities to support children's care, learning and play. Children to adult ratios are maintained and registration systems are effective to enable staff to know which children and staff are in the building at any time. The hours of children and staff attendance are recorded. A record of visitors is maintained.

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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 Leadership and management are good. Staff appraisals conducted annually identify strengths and weaknesses, professional development and future targets. Staff sign appraisals to ensure that nothing has changed in their circumstances. The system of evaluating and monitoring the provision of nursery education is effective as improvements since last inspection have been acted on and enhance the quality of children's care and learning. Overall children’s needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection, four actions were raised. These included the setting to add more details into the medication records, and include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation made against a member of staff in the child protection policy. As a result the medication forms have been changed to include all relevant details. The child protection policy has been revised to include details of how allegations against staff would be managed and this is in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Other issues were to implement a system for registering children and staff and to keep a record of complaints relating to the National Standard. Since the last inspection staff and children record their hours of attendance into the register, and anyone arriving or leaving outside of the core session hours records this on a separate sheet. This ensures that the setting is aware of who is in the building at any time. A complaints log is in place and prepared and parents are made aware of this.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery inspection, two recommendations were raised to improve children's opportunities to develop maths, and assessment records to show progress children are making. Staff encourage children to use numbers and count in everyday, routine situations, such as counting the number of children present and how many plates and cups are on the table. Half termly assessments are in place on all children and these are in-depth enough to allow staff to make sure they use this information to plan the next steps in learning.

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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 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 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

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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 consistently requested to wash their hands before eating.

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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): • continue to develop the assessment and evaluation of children's progress to identify the next steps in their learning and to inform future planning.

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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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