Christ Church Pre School

Christ Church Pre School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Christ Church Pre School

Unique Reference Number 219241 Inspection date 15 September 2005 Inspector Paula Durrant

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Christ Church Pre School

Setting Address Dudley St., Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 3SY

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Christ Church Pre School

Telephone number 01234 400715 / 07835845990 (pre-school mobile)

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E-mail

Registered person Christ Church Pre School Committee 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 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?

Christ Church Pre school has been open for over 25 years. It is a voluntary committee run group and operates from the Christ Church Hall, situated on the outskirts of Bedford town. The group has use of three main rooms in addition to a kitchen, toilets and a small enclosed outdoor area. A maximum of 28 children may attend at any one time. The pre-school is open four days a week, Monday to Thursday during school term time. Sessions are from 09.15 to 11.45.

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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 36 children from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 15 receive funding for nursery education. Children in attendance are from the local area, although admissions accept children from the wider geographical surroundings of Bedford. The setting currently supports children with special needs and children who have English as a second language. The pre-school employs four full time staff. Three of the staff including the pre-school leader hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). They are members of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PSLA).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn the importance of health and hygiene through following daily routines, which include washing their hands after using the toilet facilities and prior to eating food, such as at snack time. They know that a tissue is required to wipe their nose, but do not benefit from developing their self care skills as staff intervene to complete the task for them. Although there is good provision to ensure children have clean hands, such as a bowl of soapy water within close proximity of the snack area, children do not develop an understanding of the reason why they wash their hands, as staff do not introduce discussion about germs or the affects of poor hygiene in relation to keeping their bodies healthy. Detailed written health and hygiene procedures guide staff in their working practice. For example, staff wear disposable gloves when dealing with bodily fluids and rigorously abide to their sickness policy in

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Helping children to be healthy

relation to exclusion periods. This ensures children stay healthy as the spread of infection or cross contamination is minimised. Children benefit from a healthy diet where all snacks are nutritious and prepared on site. Individual dietary needs are complied with. An effective systems of recording dietary needs on the reverse side of the children's name cards ensure staff can access the necessary information at the appropriate time. Children remain fully hydrated. Drinking water is available at all times and supplementary choices of drinks are offered during snack. Children enjoy daily indoor and outdoor activities, which enables them to develop control of their bodies and improve their physical skills. For example, children access age appropriate wheeled toys, climbing apparatus and small equipment. Children rest and are active in accordance to their needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children stay safe within this secure and vigilantly monitored environment. For example, a dedicated deployed staff member meets and greets children and carers on arrival, securing the door at the commencement of the session. Visitors to the setting remain supervised and their presence documented within the visitors' log book. Compliance to comprehensive written procedures and the recent appointment

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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 of a health and safety officer within the staff team, ensures the suitability of the premises and activities offered. Parents have a clear understanding of safety procedures as there is a separate guidance for parent helpers. Relevant risk assessments are completed on a daily tick chart. Staff record fire evacuations and safety checks with suitable frequency. Children access a wide range of practical activities and resources that are age appropriate and maintained in good repair. Children's safety is high priority, especially when away from the premises. A detailed outings policy and the revision of adult to child ratios to exceed the national requirement, demonstrates a conscientious commitment to the overall care of children at all times. Staff give excellent priority to the supervision of the children. A

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

daily rota dictates deployment of staff and responsibilities to be undertaken during the session. Good teamwork means children receive high levels of support in their play and in having their individual needs met. For example, staff inform colleagues if they need to leave their position such as when leaving the room to assist a child with their toileting needs. Although children know the rules and boundaries of behaviour, such as not running inside, they do not develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe as limited emphasis is given to explaining the reasons why their actions are unsuitable. All staff hold Criminal Records Bureau checks and abide to supervising unvetted persons appropriately. A member of staff holds the responsibility of child protection in the setting and has received suitable training in this field. This ensures children are protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children arrive enthusiastically and are eager to participate in the activities on offer. They are confident in making independent choices as they freely access the pre-selected resources set out for them. However, opportunities for children to develop independent self-care skills are limited. Children remain fully engage and focused in their chosen activity. Levels of concentration are good. Children play together cooperatively, taking turns and sharing equipment. They actively contribute to large group activities such as, the 'moods to music' activity at circle time. Children thoroughly embraced the challenge of acting out being sad, happy and angry as the music changed tempo. Although staff are aware of the 'Birth to three matters' programme they have yet to implement this in practice. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making steady

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

progress through the Foundation Stage. Staff use their knowledge and experience to provide a suitable variety of play experiences. Vigorous planning systems ensure a balance of activities across all areas of learning. However, delivery of the educational content is highly dependent on upon the staff’s individual abilities and experiences. This means that limited emphasis is given to incidental everyday learning opportunities drawn from the daily routine. Although planning is thorough, staff do not make full use of children's individual assessment records. These are not used effectively to inform planning or set the next stages of learning. Consequently children's progress is restricted to staff's knowledge of individual children, which does

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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 not always draw the maximum learning potential for each individual. Children are happy and settled and show a strong sense of belonging. They are confident in both small and large group situations and demonstrate a caring attitude towards others. They are adept at taking turns when playing games. For example, they wait patiently until the child next to them has turned the card and identified whether they have a match on their list, when participating in a 'shopping game'. Caring staff ensure children with special educational needs and those that have English as a second language are fully involved and able to join in all activities. Children are beginning to assume some responsibility for their personal care. Children speak with growing confidence and share their experiences with others.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They listen well to stories, join in responsively, and have books readily available at all times. Children are beginning to assign meaning to marks, however, there is insufficient attention to developing their skills with sounds and letters. They are beginning to count and recognise different shapes, however, there is insufficient emphasis on comparison of number and solving simple mathematical problems. Children develop a sense of time and place through group and individual discussions and through the daily routine. They have many opportunities to observe natural objects both inside and outside, and enjoy exploring the world around them. Children use technological toys in their play, such as a battery operated microwave in the home corner. They are developing their knowledge of other cultures and beliefs through the celebration of festivals. Children develop their physical skills through a wide variety of activities both inside and outside the building. These include activities

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to develop hand eye co-ordination and large physical movements. However, there is insufficient emphasis on developing children’s understanding of health and bodily awareness. Children follow routines such as washing their hands but are not clear about the reasons for doing this. They experience a wide variety of media and materials when participating in various kinds of art and crafts. Children’s imagination develops through a variety of role-play activities, including a home corner, workshop, and office. They have regular opportunities to sing songs and move to music.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children from the local community and children with additional individual needs are warmly welcomed and included in this setting. Children develop a strong understanding and appreciation of other cultures. Access to a range of resources that reflect positive images and planned activities to celebrate festivals throughout the year enhances children's awareness of the various cultures in the wider world. This enables children to develop a positive attitude to others. Children are learning how to take turns and show concern for others. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effectively fostered. Staff develop very positive partnership with parents to support children’s progress in learning. Parent helpers are highly effective in the setting, enabling increased adult to child ratios which support children well. Staff and parents share important information about the children who receive nursery

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Helping children make a positive contribution

education. This two way sharing benefits the child and enhances their learning. Parents are warmly welcomed into the provision and actively participate in fundraising events. Parents are able to see their child's progress records on request

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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 and contribute to them. The partnership with parents is good.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Senior staff are qualified and have an appropriate understanding of the needs of the children in receipt of nursery funding and of the Foundation Stage. A strong compassion to establishing a thorough and cohesive planning programme such as, producing a rotational two-year curriculum means that children potentially receive a varied balanced educational experience. The group have previously gained support from the advisory teaching services and development workers. They have addressed the need to develop their educational programme for the under threes, currently reviewing their practice to incorporate the 'Birth to three matters' framework. However, limited emphasis towards evaluation or review of the nursery educational programme means that minor gaps have arisen. For example, assessments records

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Organisation

are insufficient in detail and do not plot the next steps of children's learning. Regular reviews, appraisals and monitoring of staff is in place. Although staff access regular training courses, none have undertaken training in the Foundation Stage. This means that delivery of the educational programme is highly dependent on the structure of focused activities and staff confidence in extending children's learning through open ended questioning. This is not proving effective in securing continued improvement in teaching and learning. Staff are keen to listen and learn and take on suggestions for improvement in order to continue to promote children's learning in the best possible way. Induction training and a sound set of policies and procedures ensure the children keep healthy and safe and have a wide variety of play and learning experiences. Taken overall, the provision does meet the needs of the range of the

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the group were required to ensure they inform the regulatory body of any staff changes. A dedicated administrator is now in post who holds the responsibility of corresponding with any required agencies, inclusive of Ofsted. Children remain protected as the group has complied with this request and all staff have undertaken appropriate checks in line with Ofsted requirements. The group were also requested to develop and implement a suitable procedure for new staff. Induction processes have been revised. Children are cared for by suitable adults as staff receive a vigorous induction of the setting's working practice and procedures. They were also required to ensure adult to child ratios were met at all times. A new staff member has been appointed. Children receive high levels of support in their care and learning as staff ratios comply with the required minimum in addition to use

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Improvements since the last inspection

of regular parent helpers. The group were asked to develop their awareness of equal opportunities to support the development of children's cultures and beliefs. This is now incorporated within the educational programme. Children develop a strong understanding and appreciation for other cultures. At the last educational inspection the group were required to review staff deployment

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Improvements 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 to ensure children received appropriate support. Children are well supported in their play and learning as staff abide to the deployment rota of responsibilities for the session. They were also required to extend children's knowledge of mathematics in everyday situations. This remains an area of development. They were also required to ensure opportunity is given to children to develop an understanding of books that can be used for information. Children now access a fully resourced library and topic books are selected for the interest table display. They were also requested to develop ways to introduce children to different cultures and beliefs. This is now in place. The group maintain a list of all cultural festivals which are incorporated into the annual planning programme. Lastly they were required to develop the evaluation and

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Improvements since the last inspection

review of sessions to improve practice and planning. Since the last inspection the group have a new play leader. New planning systems have been developed and review and evaluation remain an ongoing area of development.

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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): • extend children's understanding of healthy living such as learning about germs and the affects that exercise has on their bodies and how to learn about keeping themselves safe, for example through the implementation of the 'Birth to three matters framework' • extend children's opportunities to develop independence, especially in meeting self-needs

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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): • develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage

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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 • review your planning programme to encompass information gained from children's individual assessment records in order to set future targets and progress the next stages of learning • continue to implement a monitoring system to evaluate the curriculum.

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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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