Shipton Bellinger Preschool

Shipton Bellinger Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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507983 Unique Reference Number 04 December 2007 Inspection date Doreen Forsyth Inspector

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Rear of Primary School, Parkhouse Road, Shipton Bellinger, Tidworth, Hampshire, SP9 7TW

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E-mail

The Trustees of Shipton Bellinger 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?

Shipton Bellinger Pre-school opened in 1975 and moved to its current premises in 1995. The pre-school is situated in a purpose built building in the grounds of Shipton Bellinger Primary School, near Salisbury, Wiltshire.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school is registered to care for up 24 children aged between two and five years old. There are currently forty children on roll; this includes twenty nine children that are in receipt of government funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school welcomes children with learning difficulties or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school opens five mornings a week during school term times. Sessions are from 08:50 to 11:50, with a lunch club available until 12:50. There are afternoon sessions from 12.50 until 14.50 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are eight full or part-time members of staff working with the children. Of these five have recognised early years qualifications at level 2 or 3, one member of staff has qualified teachers status. 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 very well looked after at the pre-school; they are protected from infection and are well taken care of if they become ill or have an accident as staff follow good health and hygiene practices and procedures and most have current first aid qualifications. Children learn very good daily hygiene routines such as washing their hands before eating and after using the toilet, and hygienically disposing of tissues when they have wiped their nose. All the required procedures records that help to promote children's health are in place, such as good recording of any accidents, any administration of medications and all necessary parental permissions.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with very nutritious, healthy and varied snacks each session. These include plenty of fruit and vegetables. Children are able to select their own snacks and pour themselves drinks of milk or water. Drinking water is available to children at all times during the play sessions. The children bring packed lunches if they stay for lunch club; their lunch boxes are appropriately stored. Children begin to learn about healthy lifestyles in their topic work, through displays and in discussion with staff. Children can rest if necessary using the cushions in the home corner; they are encouraged to have a quieter time after lunch when they look at books or watch suitable children's television for a short period.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have very good opportunities to play outside and take part in regular physical activities. Children are able to use the outside play areas throughout the day, they use a large variety of resources under the canopy area, can use wheeled toys on the playground, and use the larger school playground where there is space for children to run and move freely. Children can also use the grassed area next to the pre-school when the weather is suitable and visit the school's adventure playground, where there are some more challenging climbing and balancing resources for children to use to develop their physical skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are welcomed into a warm, attractive, child centred environment; which is well maintained, and kept safe and secure. Staff promote children's safety by regularly risk assessing the setting both indoors and outside, they are able to identify and minimise any potential hazards. All necessary fire prevention equipment is in place, children practise how to evacuate the pre-school in an emergency each term.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's work, posters and displays make the setting welcoming; the pre-school is well resourced, with the toys and equipment well stored and clearly labelled so that children can easily choose what they wish to play with. The setting has a very good selection of toys and equipment that children can use when playing outside.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded because most staff understand their role in child protection; some have attended relevant training; however, some staff have more a limited understanding of child protection issues and what they would do if they have safeguarding children concerns. All the correct policies and procedures in regard to child protection are in place and are shared with parents in the parent's pack.

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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 are happy and settled at the pre-school, they confidently leave their parents and carers and settle down to play. They enjoy the many interesting and worthwhile activities provided; for example, they very much enjoy taking part in a singing and movement session with a visiting music teacher. The pre-school has very close links with the adjoining school, helping children that will attend the primary school to make a smooth transition into the reception class. The children often visit the school and take part in joint activities there; the annual nativity play for parents will take place in the school hall. Younger children in the setting are offered a suitable programme of learning to meet their needs, this links into the Foundation Stage of learning as they settle and move forward. Most children are able to concentrate well and are very involved in the wide range of play opportunities presented.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning well across all the six areas; they interact well with the staff, some of the older children have made strong friendship bonds. They get along well with each other, they are good at sharing and are able to take turns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Teaching and learning are good. All the children's keyworkers have a good understanding of how children learn and how to promote children's learning toward the early learning goals. The playroom is well organised using learning areas where the different learning outcomes are promoted. Staff plan a very broad and balanced curriculum which is based firmly on the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. The learning intention for any adult directed activities are clearly shown. Keyworkers continuously observe and record the childrens progress; the assessment records are well kept and up to date, staff use these observations to set learning targets for each child, however, the short term planning does not show how these targets for individual children will be met. Staff obtain information about the children's learning from parents when they first join the pre-school and use this baseline information to build on what

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children already know and help them progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's independence is fostered very well at the pre-school; for example, at snack time they choose their own snacks and pour their own drinks. They attend to their toileting needs and put on their coats for outside play and their aprons for messy activities. They quickly understand the rules and routines of the setting, such as standing still and being quiet when they hear the tambourine. They co-operate well with each other, for example, when helping to tidy up or bring in the outside play resources. They are confident and are happy to share their experiences with the group or to sing to others. Children learn that print carries meaning, there is a lot of clear labelling in the playroom. They can all recognise their own names from the registration board, many can write their names or other recognisable letters. They enjoy writing and making marks at the well resourced writing area. Most children listen well to stories, currently they are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

enjoying listening to and acting out the Nativity Story.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children begin to count and learn mathematical concepts in their daily activities; such as counting how many pieces of fruit they may have at snack times, or how many children can use the role play area. They use resources such as water play and construction toys to examine position, size, shape and capacity. Through the different topics that staff plan they learn about the world about them; this term they are exploring different festivals, including Diwali, Hanukkah and Advent. They enjoy using technology to support their learning and are patiently waiting for the pre-school computer to be fixed.

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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 Children's creativity is well promoted, they have good opportunities to sing, use different instruments and move to music. At present they are busy making items for Christmas, but they can also freely paint at the easel or select their own resources at the craft table. They enjoy role play, dressing up and imaginative play; the role play area is currently 'Santa's grotto' where the children proudly wear pixie outfits. Children have many opportunities to explore a range of malleable materials such as sand water and playdough. Children develop their physical skills when they play outside, they can move freely and learn a spatial awareness in the playgrounds. Children's small muscle control is encouraged when children use different tools such as spades in the sand or pour with jugs in the water. They are very skilfully learning to control one-handed

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

tools including scissors, glue sticks and pencils.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are very valued and made welcome at the setting; staff know the children well and are able to recognise their individual needs. The pre-school has a Special Needs Co-ordinator (Senco) in place who has attended appropriate training. She works with parents, keyworkers and outside agencies when necessary to ensure all children, especially those with learning difficulties or disabilities, have their individual needs met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. They benefit from activities and using resources that help them to learn to value diversity. Recent topic work was aimed at helping children to explore the festivals and special events celebrated by others, they use a wide selection of resources including books, dressing up clothes and small world figures that show different backgrounds and cultures. Children are encouraged to behave appropriately, staff have a high expectation for children's behaviour. They praise and acknowledge the children's achievements and good behaviour. Each week there is a 'star of the week', when the photo of a child who has achieved that week and an explanation of why they are the star are displayed. Children are reminded of the pre-school behaviour rules, such as using 'kind hands'. Staff encourage the children to be polite, for example, to listen when other children are speaking

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and to say please and thank you when appropriate.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's wellbeing is promoted by the close partnership that the setting has with parents. Parents feel very much part of the setting; the parents interviewed at inspection were very pleased with the care and education their children received. Parents are welcomed into the setting and can talk to the staff about their children whenever they wish. They are able to take an active role in the setting by helping on the rota or serving on the management committee or taking part in fund raising activities. Parents are well informed, there are attractive notice boards, the names and contact numbers of the committee are displayed, there are regular newsletters. Parents can see the records that are kept on children's progress at any time. Parents are encouraged to share their skills and talents with the setting. There is a very good information pack in place which contains all the pre-school policies and procedures, including information

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers in regard to nursery education is good. Parents are given clear details of the curriculum that their children follow and can talk to the children's keyworkers about their children's progress whenever they wish. Each term there is an arranged opportunity for parents to meet with the keyworker and discuss their children's learning and achievements. Parents have some opportunities to be involved in their children's learning such as contributing items for topic work, but they are not given suggestions of how they can assist their children's learning at home.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The pre-school is well organised. All staff and relevant committee members have undergone appropriate suitability vetting, any adults that have not been vetted do not have unsupervised access to the children. The setting has good induction, vetting and employment procedures in place to ensure children's safety. All the records that are necessary to promote children's health, welfare and safety are in place including a very good record of staff, children's and visitors attendance.

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Organisation

Most staff are very experienced and well qualified; they attend regular training to update their skills and knowledge. The good adult/ child ratios that are always maintained ensure children are well supported and have very individual care and attention. The provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the pre-school is good. There is a very involved and supportive management committee in place, the chairperson and committee member are regularly in the setting enabling them to monitor the provision and to support the staff. Staff have regular appraisals when their developmental needs are reviewed. The staff form a very strong and supportive team; where individual strengths are recognised and valued. The setting is continually monitoring and evaluating the provision of nursery education provided and have positive goals and visions for the future of the pre-school.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the pre-school was asked to consider ways to extend the planning to show how outdoor learning takes place and to take into account the differing needs of the children. Children benefit from 'free flow' play and are encouraged to play outside, often under the canopy, for a large part of the day. The setting has very good planning is place which helps to promote each child's learning, staff are aware of the importance of planning to meet the needs of all children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the care inspection two recommendations were set regarding procedures for protecting staff from allegations of abuse and having an appropriate sickness policy in place which is shared with parents. All the necessary policies and procedures that help to promote children's health and wellbeing are in place and shared with parents; there is a suitable policy in place that would be followed if an allegation of abuse was made against a member of staff.

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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. 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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Complaints 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

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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 all staff are confident in how to use the safeguarding children procedures.

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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 that the targets for children's individual learning are clearly shown in the short term 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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