Treasure Children Forever Pre-school

Treasure Children Forever Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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404628 Unique Reference Number 19 March 2008 Inspection date Jenny Howell Inspector

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Giffords Cross Road, CORRINGHAM, Essex, SS17 7PZ Setting Address

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01375 675605 Telephone number tcfadmin@thurrock.org.uk E-mail The Trustees of Thurrock Christian Fellowship Trust Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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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?

Treasure Children Forever Pre-school opened in 1976 and is governed by Thurrock Christian Fellowship. It operates from two separate rooms, both with adjoining halls, within community premises. It is situated close to the centre of Corringham.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 45 children may attend the group at any one time. The pre-school room for children aged three to five years is open each weekday from 09.00 to 11.30 and from 12.15 to 14.45 and children have the option to stay all day. The pre-school room for children aged under three years is open each morning from 09.00 to 11.30 and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 12.15 to 14.45, also with the option to stay all day. The group opens during school term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 133 children from one to five years on roll. Of these, 67 receive funding for early education. Children come from the local and wider catchment area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs 17 staff. Of these, 13, including the managers hold early years qualifications. Four members of staff are working towards a recognised qualification.

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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 have good opportunities to develop an understanding of simple health and hygiene routines. They remember to wash their hands before snack time and are able to talk about germs and why they need to be washed away. Younger children are well supported by staff who encourage children to be independent while providing them with the help they need, for example when going to the toilet. Children's health is well promoted as staff follow good procedures. They ensure that snack is prepared and served on clean surfaces and wash their own hands regularly. Staff wear gloves when changing nappies and ensure that good levels of hygiene are maintained when children who are toilet training have accidents. Staff ensure that they are aware of children's health and medical needs and keep a list of these close to hand at all times so that staff preparing snack or dealing with accidents can refer to them with ease.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well cared for if they become ill or have an accident. The majority of staff members are trained in first aid and first aid kits are easy to access throughout the pre-school. Staff ensure that children are comforted and make a record of the accident which is shared with parents at the end of the session.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well nourished and have good opportunities to increase their understanding of healthy eating. Snacks always include a choice of fresh fruit and vegetables and children are able to select what they want from the range available. Children are able to help themselves to fresh drinking water at all times and also have a choice of drinks provided at snack time. Children have frequent opportunities to exercise and develop physical skills. All children enjoy daily access to the outdoor play area for physical play with equipment including a tunnel, play house, tricycles, bicycles, stilts, balls and a hoop. Older children have free access to a climbing frame and ball-pit at all times. All children also have access to adjoining halls where they can run and exercise freely if the weather is bad. Good provision is made for children to rest and relax. Older children have access to a quiet room with comfortable seating where they can rest,

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Helping children to be healthy

while younger children are also able to sit in comfort or have access to a bed if they need to sleep.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are extremely well cared for in a very safe and secure environment where staff have paid close attention to minimising risks to children. All entrances are very secure with high door handles to ensure that children are unable to leave unsupervised. Visitors have to ring a bell to gain entry and staff ensure that their identity is verified before they let them in. All areas used by children are risk assessed on a daily basis and a highly detailed check of the whole building is carried out annually. Staff take prompt action if any hazards are found and ensure they are made safe before children arrive. Children are kept very safe on trips and outings. Staff plan routes and safe places to cross and use the opportunity to help children learn about road and personal safety. Excellent procedures are in place to keep young children safe, for example when walking around the pre-school and local area children hold onto a bright green

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

rope which ensures they stay together as well as providing an element of fun. Children have very good opportunities to learn about how to keep themselves safe. They take part in topics about road safety and produce interactive displays to help them learn. Children play with toys and equipment which are safe and are very well tailored to their different ages and stages of

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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 development. Effective procedures are in place to ensure that toys are cleaned and checked by staff on a regular basis.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are extremely well cared for by staff who have undergone checks through the Criminal Records Bureau and who also have the relevant training, experience and skills to care for children. New members of staff have references taken up and undergo a thorough induction programme to ensure they have a good understanding of their duties and responsibilities before they care for children. Staff also attend regular training to update their skills and work as a team so that they can support each other well in their care of children. Children's welfare is very well promoted as good procedures and policies are in place and staff have an excellent understanding of the action to take should they have any concerns about a child.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are very settled and happy at the pre-school. Children and their parents are warmly welcomed by staff who take time to ensure that children are well supported as they settle in. Children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem. They are encouraged to be independent and receive plentiful praise and support from staff. Children have good opportunities to develop positive relationships with each other and with staff. They are able to choose who to play with and staff support them well in learning to take turns and resolve disputes amicably. Children respond very well to adults who are attentive to what they do and say. Staff know children well and use their understanding of children to encourage children to ask and answer questions about the things which interest them. Children's views are sought and acted upon. Staff make notes of children's suggestions and try to incorporate them into

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

future activities, for example by planting grass seeds for the outdoor area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are fully involved in a wide range of planned and spontaneous activities. Staff use their strong understanding of child development to ensure that children enjoy a good variety of opportunities which help them to make progress in all areas. They organise time and space well to allow children to follow their own interests and to provide them with activities which support their ideas and imaginations. Staff successfully incorporate the 'Birth to three matters' framework into their planning and practice for children under three. All members of staff contribute to ideas for activities and are skilful in ensuring that they are interesting and engaging for young children. Children under three show high levels of interest in what they see and do. They are fully engaged in a broad range of activities which include, art and craft, construction, role play and messy play. Staff work closely with children and are able to observe and assess

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

what they can do in order to help them make further progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Effective use of time and resources ensures that children have good opportunities to play and make progress in all areas of learning. Good use is made of the space indoors to provide children with distinct areas for different types of activity such as role play, messy or creative play, physical play and construction. The outdoor area is used daily to provide children with opportunities to play and exercise, although it is not yet used all year around to provide children with opportunities to enjoy activities in all areas of learning. Staff have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage and use this very effectively to plan and provide a wide variety of play and learning opportunities. Careful, collaborative planning ensures that children enjoy a good balance of independent and adult-led learning opportunities which are in line with their own interests and stages of development. Staff make

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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 ongoing observations of what children can do and use this information well to plan activities which will help children make further progress towards the early learning goals. Assessment records are very well maintained by children's key workers and help to build a clear picture of what children can do and how they learn best.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop social skills as they have lots of time to talk while they play alongside each other and staff. Snack is a social time where children can chat in a small group, sharing ideas and stories about the important events in their lives. Children develop written communication skills as they write stories, lists and signs. They see that print carries meaning through the various signs and labels on display around the pre-school and by using their own name cards to self-register as they arrive. Staff help to bring books to life as they encourage children to act out stories using pictures and props.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop counting skills through the daily routine, counting how many children there are each day and checking they have enough cups at snack time. They develop their spatial awareness through construction and puzzles and learn about measures and capacity as they play with sand and water as well as cooking on a regular basis. Children learn about the world around them as they make visits to the library and are visited by members of the community such as police officers. They find out about life in other countries as they read stories set in Africa or talk about the places they have visited on holiday. Children learn about the natural world as they talk about the changing seasons and grow their own plants. They develop an understanding of technology as they have free access to a computer to play educational games.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to exercise and develop physical skills as they have daily opportunities to run, climb, slide, balance, throw, catch and crawl. They also take walks around the local area, visiting the local park, library and shops. Children develop small physical skills as they cut, stick, write, draw and model with play dough. Children are able to express their imagination through role play with free access to a wide range of dressing-up clothes. They can experiment with sound and rhythm as they play musical instruments and are creative as they make models and paint or draw freely.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children enjoy equal access to a good range of toys and equipment which meet their individual needs. Children are effectively grouped according to age to allow staff to ensure that activities can be tailored to meet children's needs. Children have good opportunities to learn to value difference and diversity. They find out about life in different countries though topics on books such as 'Handa's Surprise' and displays showing countries around the world that have been visited by children and staff. Children find out about world festivals such as Easter and Chinese New Year as well as traditions such as henna painting. Children develop a strong sense of belonging. They are warmly welcomed by staff and are well supported at all times. Children see their work on display all around the pre-school, helping them to feel that their contributions are valued. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The pre-school has a very positive approach to caring for children with special needs and/or disabilities. All children are highly valued by staff who work closely with parents and other professionals to identify children's individual needs. Effective procedures are in place to ensure that all children are able to make progress in line with their individual stages of development and key workers receive good support from the pre-school's Special Needs Coordinator. Children behave very well. They are helped to learn about responsible behaviour and play happily

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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 together, sharing and taking turns. Staff support positive behaviour well, making very good use of praise and encouragement and setting clear boundaries for expected behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The quality of the partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Parents receive very good quality information about nursery education. They are told about the topics and activities their children will be learning through and receive detailed information about the progress their children are making through termly, written reports. Staff are extremely friendly and approachable, operating an open door policy, which ensures that parents feel comfortable to ask them questions or go to them for advice and support. Very effective procedures are in place to welcome parents and involve them in the setting. Staff run a parent and toddler group and also help parents with courses and support groups.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents' views are highly valued and are acted upon. A clear procedure is in place for recording compliments and complaints and this is made very easy for parents to access. Information is shared with parents extremely well through the use of reports, newsletters and notice boards as well as regular, informal chats with staff. All written consents are in place to ensure that children are cared for in line with their parents' wishes. These are well organised to allow staff to access them with ease at any time. Parents are complimentary of the setting, commenting that staff are very supportive and caring.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The good organisation of the pre-school and its paperwork and documentation effectively contribute to the good care of children and ensures that the pre-school runs very smoothly on a day-to-day basis. All required documents are in place and are kept up to date. Space and resources are organised very well to provide children of different ages with appropriate activities and resources which meet their needs and help them to make good progress.

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Organisation

Effective recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that children are cared for by suitable adults with an excellent understanding of child development. Staff have high levels of qualification and all staff attend further training to refresh and update their skills. Staff have an extremely high regard for the well-being of all children and work together effectively to ensure that all children are well cared for.

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Organisation

The quality of leadership and management is good. As a result of this children receive good quality nursery education. Managers set clear directions, which support staff as well as guiding them to make improvements. Staff are involved in evaluating the setting and are encouraged to have their input during staff meetings. Regular appraisals help to encourage staff and ensure that they are well supported in working to their full potential. Managers work very well together to motivate staff, effectively creating a team who are dedicated to caring for children well and are enthusiastic in their work.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the pre-school was asked to; review the organisation of the end of session, whole group time to ensure that the needs of all the children are met more effectively; and to further improve the already high standards of planning and implementation of activities and

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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 experiences for the under three's, by developing staff's awareness of the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the use of time at the end of sessions has been reorganised. Children come together for a short period of time before they go home and this time is used well for children to sing, enjoy a story and talk with each other and members of staff about the things that interest them. All members of staff have attended training in the 'Birth to three matters' framework and use this knowledge well to plan and implement activities for children under three.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education there were no key issues to report but the pre-school was asked to give consideration to improving the already very good programme for communication, language and literacy by using further opportunities to show children that writing can be used for a purpose and that words have meaning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children have free access to writing materials at all times and see that words carry meaning as they see a wide range of signs and labels on display all around the pre-school. Staff also plan and provide activities which encourage children to develop early writing skills, for example through role play or by writing their own names.

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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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • make improvements as indicated in the nursery education section below.

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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): • improve opportunities for children to make progress in all areas of learning through the outdoor environment. (Also applies to care).

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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 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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