Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Caerau

Hatfield Broad Oak Under 5's Inspection report for early years provision

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402138 Unique Reference Number 10 July 2007 Inspection date Kerry Freshwater Inspector

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School House, High Street, Hatfield Broad Oak, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 7HH

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E-mail

Hatfield Broad Oak Under Fives Committee 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?

Hatfield Broad Oak Under 5's opened in 1972 and operates one room in a demountable building in the grounds of the Hatfield Broad Oak primary school. A maximum of 20 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The setting is open from 09:00 to12:00 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 09:00 to 13:00 on Wednesday and Friday and from 13:00 to 15:30 on Tuesday and Thursday. The group operates for 39 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 29 children aged from two and a half to under five years on roll. Of these 23 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding villages. The nursery welcomes children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four staff. All of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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. Effective procedures and practices are in place to promote children's physical, nutritional and health needs. Staff obtain all necessary information and consents from parents relating to children's health and diet to ensure appropriate care can be given. Staff hold appropriate first aid qualifications. Children are excluded if they are unwell or suffering from a contagious illness so that others are protected from infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are learning the importance of good health and hygiene as they follow daily routines, which include washing their hands before food and after using the toilet. They confidently answer questions about the reasons for washing their hands explaining that 'otherwise the germs will get on our food and then we will get sick'. Children learn about healthy living as they talk about healthy foods and the need for regular drinks. They enjoy healthy snack foods, such as fruit and vegetables.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a broad variety of daily activities which enable them to develop control of their bodies and improve their physical skills. They confidently throw and catch balls, climb and balance on various equipment and ride wheeled toys around the garden area. Indoors children develop their fine physical skills as they complete puzzles, build with various construction toys, draw and manipulate play dough.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children use the welcoming, safe and stimulating learning environment very well. They are able to move freely and independently because care has been taken to minimise hazards and prevent accidents. Daily safety checks are carried out and a detailed risk assessment is in place to all areas. This means that children can play, learn and explore without danger and ensures any problems can be identified and rectified quickly. Children learn to keep themselves safe through frequent reminders and effective role modelling. Staff talk to them about keeping the sand in the sand tray so that nobody slips and falls and they are encouraged to pick up objects from the floor to prevent accidents. Children benefit from a good range of safety measures. For example, the premises are secure preventing children leaving unsupervised, or unannounced visitors from entering. There is clear play space with no obstructions and fire fighting equipment

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

is in place. Fire drills are practised regularly to help children become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from a wide range of good quality toys and resources that are stimulating and suitable for their stage of development. Resources are well-organised and attractively set out for children to access. Children enjoy the space to comfortably play with the small world equipment and explore in the messy play area. Children are very enthusiastic in their activities and enjoy the broad range of equipment available.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected from possible abuse or neglect because staff have a clear understanding of child protection issues. Some staff members have attended child protection training and demonstrate a clear knowledge of child abuse. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and all related information is easily accessible should a concern arise.

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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. Children settle immediately on arrival to the group. They are very confident in the setting and in their relationships with each other. Their interests are captured because staff provide varied activities throughout the session and enable them to develop their own ideas. They independently choose from the wide range of resources available and are gaining in confidence as they chat with each other and staff enthusiastically. Children play happily together, they are learning to take turns and respond to others as they develop their pretend play. They become confident communicators sharing ideas in their play, for instance, as they pretend to feed babies, prepare and post parcels and letters. They independently transform the post office play into a birthday party. Singing and musical activities improve their communication skills, children explore with different sounds and rhythms as they play musical instruments, they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

follow actions using props from the song bag to select the song to sing. Children make connections in their learning as they freely explore different types of technology. For example, as they operate the till and tape recorder. They learn about holidays, transport and different countries as they play with the airport and explore the talking globe. Children share their own holiday experiences with the group.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are generally progressing well, supported by the staff team's strong commitment to their early learning. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage and continue to regularly review their practice to support children's learning and extend their own knowledge in this area. Children's achievements are clearly linked to the stepping stones and ongoing observations are used to plan the next steps for their learning. Staff record the support and extension that can be offered based on children's abilities. This ensures that children are generally set sufficient challenge. Staff adapt activities to meet children's needs. Children clearly enjoy their time in pre-school. They achieve well because staff are highly skilled and use their strong grasp of the stepping stones and Foundation Stage to provide good quality care and education.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are engaged and motivated by a varied range of stimulating, practical activities related to their needs. Staff create a stimulating environment making good use of daily routines, activities, free play and incidental opportunities to extend children's learning. They interact constantly with the children to support them as they play and learn. Children enjoy the opportunities to instigate their own play and are provided with the resources and time to develop their ideas independently. Children are able to access a wide range of quality resources which support their learning across all areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's confidence and self-esteem are built up by staff who are sensitive to their needs and know them well. They are encouraged to be independent and to persist with difficult tasks. They freely select activities and resources and take care of their own personal needs. For example, they wash hands independently, pour their own drinks, feed themselves and tidy away their yogurt pots. Some children are able to fasten their own clothing. Children behave very well. They share, take turns and are polite remembering to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They calmly negotiate their roles in role play activities and listen to the suggestions of others about their play. Children extend their language developing strong communication skills as they chat to staff and their friends. They are confident to talk about home events and the things that they are playing. Most children recognise their first names as they find their name cards at

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

snack time. They practise their mark making as they pretend to write letters and address

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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 envelopes in the post office area and trace over the letters of their names. They begin to recognise different sounds as they listen to the sound of the week and point to different words that begin with the letter. However, children are not provided with sufficient opportunities to link sounds to letters which means that more able children may not be fully extended with their early reading skills. Children practise their own mark making through tracing and drawing activities. Children have access to a range of books and enjoy the story sacks which give a fresh dimension to story sessions. Children freely select books to look at themselves and are engrossed and interested in stories read to them by staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children recognise numerals as they complete the number puzzle. They enthusiastically count animals as they play with the farm, they learn to calculate as they respond to simple questioning, such as 'how many are left?' and 'if I put two more there how many will we have?'. They confidently count the dough buns that they have made and then sing the currant bun song. Children learn to recognise different shapes as they sort them into the ball sorter, they study the shapes and discuss the number of sides and corners. They discuss the cross shape being like a kiss and look around the room to find similar shapes. Children learn about measure as they compare their heights on the height chart. They develop their creative skills as they freely construct using boxes and different adhesive materials. Their requests for different materials, such as paint and cardboard tubes are met by staff enabling them to develop their own ideas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy drawing, printing and painting using a variety of textures and materials. They explore colour as they mix paints and look at books together. Children participate excitedly in music sessions experimenting with sounds and rhythms as they use their instruments. They clearly enjoy singing and are enthusiastic as they join in with songs and action rhymes. Children draw on their experiences and imagination as they play in the post office. They become very involved in their role play activities extending the post office role play to include the feeding of babies, cooking of meals, writing letters, preparing parcels and organising a 'pass the parcel' game. More and more children are welcomed into the very child-led activity as the play develops.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use a wide range of resources to develop their large physical skills. They manoeuvre bikes and other wheeled toys along the path, use slides and rockers, balance on the climbing equipment, crawl through the tunnel and walk on stilts. Children experiment on the equipment, trying new skills. For example, one child confidently rides the scooter before lifting one leg off and then the other announcing, 'that’s called balancing, that is'. Children learn to handle and control small objects. For example they confidently build with different construction, handle scissors, pencils and paintbrushes, complete puzzles and manipulate play dough with increasing control. Children are beginning to make sense of the world around them by investigating and exploring through first hand experiences in an interesting environment. They learn about the natural environment as they tend their tomato plants, water the flowers, watch, feed and care

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

for the guinea pig. They enjoy nature walks through the school grounds, looking at the creatures in the school pond. Through books and equipment children are beginning to make sense of the world around them as they celebrate Chinese New Year and look for different countries on the world globe. The group are planning to extend this area to provide children with a wider knowledge of beliefs and cultures outside of their immediate experience.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed into the setting and are highly valued as individuals. They develop a strong sense of belonging and learn about their own and other's needs through group discussion and interaction from staff. Purposeful books, posters and resources reflect the world and local community and give children an understanding of different cultures. Children begin

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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 to appreciate the customs and cultures of others as they learn about different festivals and celebrations. They learn about Chinese New Year, they try noodles, rice and seaweed and use chopsticks in the home corner. Children make a fruit salad using fruits from around the world and look at puzzles depicting different cultures and abilities. Staff know the children well and ensure that they all receive the required level of support. Overall, children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children work and play extremely well together and enjoy each other's company. They involve themselves in self-initiated play in the home corner and as they play with small world equipment. They chat to each other and staff as they play. Children receive constant praise and encouragement, they quickly learn what is expected of them and eagerly follow the consistent boundaries which are set and reinforced by staff. Children's behaviour is very good. Staff use appropriate methods to manage children's behaviour in a positive way as they provide praise and encouragement to help them learn what is right and wrong. Children listen carefully to instructions, they are encouraged to take turns as they pass the snack and remember their manners as they receive it. They show concern for each other and share resources with their friends.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are provided with good quality information about the setting and its provision through the notice board, informal discussion and regular written information. The prospectus keeps parents well informed of what children do and gives clear information relating to the Foundation Stage curriculum. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning by following staff guidance on ways to extend their child, participating in the themes of the group and recording home events for group discussion. For example, children going on holiday are invited to take 'Doogle the dog' with them, parents record in the diary and children talk to the group about their adventures. Parents are encouraged to share information about their children through discussion and completion of the 'sharing information' form. This provides staff with clear starting points for each child's learning as they

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Helping children make a positive contribution

commence their time at the setting. Parents are warmly welcomed and staff ensure that they are aware of all procedures and policies. Effective settling-in processes provide reassurance for parents and ensure that children are familiar with staff and the environment before being left at the pre-school. Parents are fully informed of the 'Birth to three matters' framework which is used to plan for younger children. A clear complaints procedure is in place and information is provided for parents should they wish to raise a concern. However, contact details for the regulatory body are not accurate which means that parents may have difficulty in raising any concerns and children's welfare cannot be fully monitored.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from being cared for by friendly and approachable staff. The managers and staff work closely together to ensure an effective team. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and work very well together to ensure that day to day duties are carried out and that they can be well deployed in the setting. This allows children to receive a high level of adult attention. Children enjoy whole group times, such as story time, music time and physical play activities and smaller groups for focussed activities. The premises are well-organised. Indoor and outdoor space maximises play opportunities for children. Staff training and a sound set of policies and procedures ensure that children keep healthy, safe and have a wide variety of play and learning experiences. Accident records do not respect confidentiality. This means that details about individual children may be unintentionally shared with others. Overall,

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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 The leadership and management of the pre-school is good. There is a good, clear leadership from the manager, whose warm and friendly approach is reflected by the staff. The manager and staff are available at every session to interact with the children, support each other and meet with parents. Staff are committed to the ongoing improvement of the provision and their own personal development. They regularly reflect, monitor and improve the quality of their care and education, they attend training and share their new knowledge with other colleagues to keep up to date with new ideas and initiatives. Staff are professional and their co-operative teamwork ensures the smooth running of the group. There is a sound understanding of the needs of the children in receipt of nursery funding and of the Foundation Stage. Activities

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Organisation

provided are well planned, stimulating and exciting. Organisation of the sessions and planning systems ensure that all areas of learning are covered effectively.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group were asked to improve planning to detail children's progress and identify ways of supporting less able children, develop children's understanding of shape, provide opportunities for parent's to share children's progress records.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Staff have considered and include shape in everyday activities and staff further develop children's learning through discussion. Planning has been adapted to differentiate how activities can be extended or simplified to support more able and less able children. Daily diaries have been implemented to include children's development, parents are requested to indicate to staff any achievements that they have noticed of their children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The group were also asked to improve documentation and develop some policies. The child protection, complaints and behaviour policies have been extended to include the required information.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • ensure that accident records respect confidentiality • update the complaints procedure to ensure that parents have accurate information about the contact details for the regulatory body.

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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 opportunities for children to link sounds to letters in everyday activities.

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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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