Bretforton Preschool Playgroup

Bretforton Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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205253 Unique Reference Number 31 October 2007 Inspection date Sally Wride Inspector

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Village Hall, Main Street, Bretforton, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 7HY

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Setting Address

07841985814 Telephone number www.bretfortonpreschool.co.uk E-mail Bretforton Pre-School Playgroup Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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Setting Address

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?

Bretforton Pre-School Playgroup opened in 1981 and is run by a parent committee. It operates from two rooms within Bretforton Village Hall in the village of Bretforton, near Evesham. The setting serves the local area and has strong links with local schools. There is a fully enclosed play area available for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 26 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 34 children from 2 to 4-years-old on roll. This includes 18 funded children. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting has procedures in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 12:00 each week day. In addition an afternoon session is run on a Wednesday from 12:30 until 15:30. Lunch clubs are provided from 12:00 until 13:00 on a Monday and Friday.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven members of staff who work with the children. Over half of the staff have early years qualifications to National Vocational Qualification level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a mentor teacher 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 enjoy a clean and well maintained care environment. Their playthings are regularly cleaned to ensure that they remain hygienic for the children to use. Children wash their hands at appropriate times and have a developing understanding of the importance of good hygiene practice. Although good quality hand washing facilities and resources are available, some of the children wash their hands in shared water prior to snack and meal times. This does not effectively promote their good health and exposes them to risks of cross infection. All of the required health documentation is in place and well maintained and there are effective procedures in place for if children fall ill whilst in attendance at the setting.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have daily opportunities to engage in physical activity. They go out for regular walks around the local community to go and visit the local church and to see sheep in a nearby field. They make regular use of the local recreation ground where they explore their natural environment and play on age-appropriate apparatus in the play area. They use the enclosed outdoor play area to access the fresh air and also for activities such as planting bulbs and herbs. Children attend occasional forest school sessions at the local school. They help to plant trees and collect objects on nature trails, such as leaves, conkers, snails and twigs. They also engage in bark rubbing activities.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy healthy snacks each day that offer variety and choice. They are offered drinks throughout the day and fresh drinking water is always available. This ensures that children are well hydrated. Children attending lunch club sessions enjoy eating their own packed lunches, which are suitably stored before being offered. Staff have a clear understanding of children's individual dietary needs and plan and provide foods accordingly. Children take part in regular cooking activities and often taste foods that originate from other countries as part of topics and the celebration of festivals. Children are able to explain that it is important to eat fresh fruit and vegetables because ‘it is good for you’ and ‘because it's healthy’.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy a well presented care environment that is warm, welcoming, clean and well maintained. Their art work is widely displayed throughout the setting, which provides very good discussion points with parents and supports children's self-esteem as they take pride in their pictures on display. Parents also benefit from well presented notice boards and displays. Posters relating to the 'Birth to three matters' framework and photographs of their children playing and learning enrich the care environment. The layout of the two base rooms creates a very attractive, stimulating area for the children. Furniture and equipment is set out to enable children to move freely and safely. Children use a good range of high quality toys and resources suitable to their age and stage of development. They make independent decisions about what they would like to play with and how they would like to spend their time from the wide range

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a safe and secure indoor environment and make regular use of an enclosed outdoor play area. Written risk assessments are in place and are regularly reviewed and updated. Daily visual risk assessment checks are also conducted. The outdoor play area is safe, with the exception of uncovered drains that have not been identified as a perceived risk

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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 to children. Suitable procedures are in place for outings and also for the safe arrival and collection of children. Children develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe in the event of a fire through regular emergency evacuation practises. They learn about road safety as they practise the 'stop, look and listen' technique when out for walks in their local community. They learn through stories about the dangers of talking to strangers and benefit from topical discussions that develop their understanding of safety, for example, how to keep themselves safe at bonfire and firework displays. Children's welfare is safeguarded through effective child protection policies and procedures. These are well known by staff and openly shared with parents to ensure that they are fully informed. Staff have a clear understanding

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

of the known indicators of child abuse and the action that they should take in the event of a concern about a child in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and confident and enjoy their time at pre-school. They enjoy warm and trusting relationships with staff and benefit from their involvement and interaction in their play. They cooperate well with their peers and happily share and take turns in their play. They behave very well. Children are enthusiastic and are eager to take part in the wide range of worthwhile activities that are provided. These cater for all areas of learning and development and involve the use of both the indoor and outdoor environment. Children are able to make decisions about their day as they freely select from a wide range of good quality toys and resources. They show good levels of concentration as they persevere with their chosen tasks. Effective use is made of the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework. Staff have a clear understanding of the needs of younger children and ensure that activities are delivered at a pace best suited

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and plan a wide range of topic related activities which appeal to the children and cover all six areas of learning. Plans are detailed and informative. They offer staff clear instructions as to the outcome of the activity, many of which cover more than one area of learning. Children engage in a mixture of self chosen and adult planned activities. A flexible approach is applied to the daily routine to ensure that children are able to develop at their own pace and initiate their own ideas. An effective key worker system is in place. Key workers know their children very well and use this knowledge to help support and challenge children in their play and learning. A clear picture of children's learning and progress is identified through the effective use of ongoing written observations and assessment records

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

that are linked to the stepping stones, and which are used to plan experiences that support children to take the next step in their learning. Staff are enthusiastic in their delivery of the curriculum. They offer clear instructions and interact well with the children. Consequently, children achieve regular and continuous progress in all areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show a strong sense of belonging and develop good self-esteem. They enjoy looking at photographs of themselves and proudly identify their completed work on display. Children are interested, keen to learn and are actively and purposefully engaged in activities. They play cooperatively together, show concern for others, and are able to wait their turn and share tasks, such as tidying up at the end of the session. Children are confident communicators and openly share their experiences with their peers, the staff and visitors. They happily talk in front of familiar groups, for example, at circle time, and readily join in with singing familiar rhymes and

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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 songs. Children have easy access to books and enjoy spending time in the book area. They confidently ask staff to read them a story if they are feeling tired and happy snuggle up to enjoy their books. Children sign themselves in to the setting each day. They are able to develop their writing and mark making skills as they write in their own daily register. They also find their name cards and self-register as they stick their name up on a board. Some of the older children are able to write their names, whilst others are well supported as they begin to form recognisable letters.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about number, space, shape and volume through a wide range of planned and spontaneous play activities. They are becoming very competent in counting and in recognising what numbers mean. They count groups of items correctly and say what happens when items are added or taken away. They explore concepts of volume and capacity through sand and water play. Children consider different weights and sizes and comment on these as they play, for example, with different sized balls of play dough. They use a range of tools such as cutters and rolling pins to create different shapes with the dough. Their mathematical understanding is developed as staff ask the children questions about the shapes that they have cut and also how many sides their shapes have. They use a wide range of construction resources to design and build models that they then use in their play. For example, one child made a rocket and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

flew it around the room shouting ‘one, two, three blast off’. They concentrate well as they complete jigsaw puzzles, which also portray positive images of diversity. They engage in planting activities, planting seeds and bulbs, which they then tend to as they grow. They use their senses to smell different herbs that they are planting and often comment on whether they think they smell nice or not. Children are enthusiastic to explore new activities, for example, hollowing out a pumpkin. Children show confidence in the use of ICT equipment. They demonstrate good mouse control as they use age-appropriate computer programmes that also encourage other areas of learning, such as shape, letter and colour recognition.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy physical activity each day, both indoors and outside. They enjoy music and movement sessions where they dance along to familiar music and rhymes. They follow staff ideas very well, for example, marching around the room to the music shaking ribbons or standing still and circling ribbons around themselves. They use a range of sports equipment to extend and develop their physical control, such as balancing along beams, jumping on the trampoline and rolling, kicking and catching balls. They enjoy participating in running races and practising hopping and skipping movements. Children enjoy art and craft activities each day that they enjoy taking home to share with their families. They enjoy collage activities where they use leaves and a range of resources to create bonfire and autumn pictures and engage in free painting activities. They use coloured dyes to dye pieces of material and also enjoy colouring

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and drawing activities. They readily join in with singing activities and explore the different rhythms and sounds that they can make with a range of musical instruments. Children are confident to express and communicate their ideas through role play. They use their imaginations to cook each other meals in the role play kitchen, which lead to lovely conversations about healthy and less healthy foods. They dress up in a range of hats and dressing up clothes. They use make believe doctors sets to make their friends feel better and pretend to cut each others hair in the hair salon. Overall children make good progress in all six areas of learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued and respected as individuals. Through ongoing partnership working and consultation with parents, staff have a clear understanding of children's individual needs and care requirements. They plan and provide care and educational activities accordingly to ensure

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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 that all children are supported to make progress. Children benefit from the celebration of a good range of cultural and religious festivals throughout the year. This ensures that children are able to develop an appreciation of the wider world. Children access resources in everyday play situations that promote positive images of diversity. There are effective procedures in place to identify and support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Strong partnerships between staff, parents and external agencies effectively promote children's well-being and help each child develop their full potential. Well detailed individual education plans are produced to identify short-term targets for children. These are regularly reviewed in partnership with parents in order to assess the progress of the child. As a result, children make

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Helping children make a positive contribution

significant progress in their learning and development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are busy and occupied and behave very well. They happily share and take turns with their peers as they play. Their understanding of right from wrong is developed through consistent behaviour management strategies applied by staff. Children's self-esteem is developed through ongoing praise and encouragement. They beam with delight as staff recognise their efforts and achievements, for example, their beautiful artwork or their helpful suggestions at circle time. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit greatly from the friendly but professional relationships that their parents and the staff of the setting share. They verbally communicate at the start and end of each day which ensures that an effective two-way flow of information is in place. Parents receive a well presented written prospectus at the start of their child's placement. They have access to the setting's range of policies and procedures, which they are able to view upon request. Regular newsletters ensure that parents are kept well informed of how the care of their children is organised and also of any planned changes or events. Well presented notice boards provide parents with information about the setting, planned activities and general information about childcare and health.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive some basic outline information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and the six areas of learning. Planning documentation is openly displayed for their attention to ensure that they are aware of the activities that their children will be involved in during their time at pre-school. Daily discussions between staff and parents provide opportunities to exchange information about learning needs and progress. Formal meetings are conducted at the start of a child's placement to discuss children's starting points, which staff then use to make initial plans for their individual learning needs. Meetings are also held with parents to formally discuss the progress that their children are making and how they will be supported to further develop. During this time, children's observation and assessment records are shared with parents, which are also available upon request throughout

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Helping children make a positive contribution

the year. Parents are invited to attend Christmas nativity concerts, Easter hat parades and harvest festival celebrations. They are welcome to stay and play with their children and to involve themselves in planned activities and charity events. This helps children to feel settled and secure in their care environment. Children take home books to share with their parents at home, which supports their learning and creates effective links between their child's home life and time at the setting. Parents are invited to share any particular skills that they may have and often attend to read stories to the children.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from the effective organisation of the group. They use two base rooms within the setting and have plenty of space to freely move and explore their care environment. Children

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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 are happy, comfortable and confident to initiate and extend their own learning and play. They access a wide range of good quality toys and resources that are thoughtfully laid out for them by staff. Children are well supported in their care, learning and play by high numbers of well deployed staff working within the setting. As a result, children receive lots of individual attention which helps to support and extend their learning. Effective procedures are in place for the recruitment, vetting and induction of staff. This ensures that children are cared for by practitioners who are safe and suitable to be in contact with children and fully informed of the operational procedures of the setting.

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Organisation

All of the required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place, carefully stored, well-organised and effectively maintained. They are regularly reviewed and are only accessed by staff, ensuring that confidentiality is maintained. The setting have all of the required policies and procedures in place. These are openly shared with parents to ensure that they are well informed of how the care of their children is organised. Staff have a clear understanding of all of the policies and procedures and implement them well in practice.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. The setting is led by a parent committee who have a suitable understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They support staff in their work with children but delegate the vast majority of the settings operations to the manager and her staff team. The manager is well qualified, experienced and passionate about her work. She demonstrates ongoing commitment to continuous development and improvement of the provision and actively seeks the views of both parents and staff. The committee, manager and staff team work in partnership to informally identify the setting's strengths and areas for further improvement. However, as no formal systems of self-evaluation are in place, these can occasionally be overlooked. Children benefit from the stable, well motivated and experienced staff team, who work exceptionally well together and have a solid understanding of their roles

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Organisation

and responsibilities. They receive an appropriate induction and regular staff appraisals, which are formed as a result of direct observations of their working practice. All staff are highly motivated and enthusiastic in their work with children and have regular opportunities to further their own professional development through access to relevant training. There is a clear vision for the nursery education with a strong focus on the personal development and achievement of all children. The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage curriculum is routinely evaluated and monitored which ensures that children make good progress in all six areas of learning. Regular staff meetings and planning sessions, involving all staff, contribute to children participating in interesting, stimulating and fun activities. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider agreed to make improvements to documentation and policies and procedures. Since then, children's health, safety and well-being have been enhanced through the improvements made to both the documentation and policies and procedures. Accurate times of arrival and departure for staff and children are now recorded each day. A written record of all medications given to children is held and signed in acknowledgment by parents. The risk assessment has been developed and is reviewed and updated on an annual basis to ensure that all perceived risks are identified and minimised. The special needs and complaints procedures have been updated to reflect current good practice and professional advice and are openly shared with parents to ensure that they are well informed. The child protection policy has now been extended to include the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff.

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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 At the last inspection the provider agreed to develop staff knowledge and understanding of the stepping stones and to make improvements to the planning and systems of assessment. Since then, staff have accessed relevant training and ensure that all planned activities and events are linked to the stepping stones and Early Learning Goals. They frequently observe and assess children's learning and the progress that they have made, feeding the information gained from these back in to planning to ensure that activities are delivered at a rate best suited to their individual learning needs. The provider agreed to provide more resources and time for children to choose and explore with a good range of materials, tools and equipment. Children now have free and easy access to a wide range of good quality toys and resources. These are

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Improvements since the last inspection

selected and thoughtfully laid out by staff. Children demonstrate their independence and decision making skills as they freely access the activities and make decisions about their day. The daily routine is flexibly applied to ensure that children can continue with their chosen activity. The provider agreed to improve the nursery education provision for mathematical development and also for children to learn about every day technology. Children's mathematical understanding is developed by staff who thread numbers and counting through many activities. Children see numbers displayed in print in their care environment and confidently use mathematical ideas and concepts in their play. Many opportunities are provided for children to develop an understanding of simple calculations and to develop their problem solving skills. Children have daily access to age-appropriate computer programmes. They demonstrate good

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Improvements since the last inspection

mouse control as they use the programmes, that also link well to other areas of learning, such as number, shape and colour recognition. They use every day technology such as CD players, in addition to role play resources such as telephones, tills, cooking equipment. They use programmable toys to explore different directions and experiment with the effects of what pressing different buttons can make the toy do.

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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): • review and improve hand washing arrangements prior to snack and meal times • ensure that the outdoor play area is safe and free from hazards

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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

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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): • further develop information provided to parents about the Foundation Stage curriculum and the six areas of learning • develop systems of formal self-evaluation.

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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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