Abington Pre-School

Abington Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

221750 Unique Reference Number 04 October 2007 Inspection date Emma Bright Inspector

p.1

Great Abington Primary School, 68 High Street, Great Abington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB21 6AE

p.1

E-mail

The Trustees of Abington Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Abington Pre-School is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children at the setting. It opened in 1978 and operates from a mobile building within the grounds of Great Abington Primary School, in Great Abington, Cambridgeshire. A maximum of 25 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open five days a week from 09:00 to 14:45 during school term times. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 28 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 21 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs five staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is currently working towards a qualification.

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. All children learn about leading a healthy lifestyle through everyday, practical experiences. They move independently between indoors and outdoors during the day, accessing the wide range of activities provided to develop their growing physical skills. Children develop good physical coordination as they learn to ‘jump with both feet’ over a large skipping rope; they competently throw Frisbees and excitedly run to catch them. This helps them to develop good muscle control, feel relaxed and develop a sense of overall well-being.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children's individual dietary needs are met as clear information is gathered from parents about allergies or special dietary requirements and this ensures children can eat safely. They learn about healthy eating through practical experiences, such as growing food or cooking, and their nutritional needs are well met. Children enjoy tasting new foods and discuss what they like best with staff. For example, they help themselves to small spoonfuls of rice and prawn curry; some children enjoy the curry, but others prefer to eat ‘prawns with their tails and faces still on'.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children are well cared for if they become unwell or in the event of an accident because clear information is gathered from parents and records are in place to make sure that appropriate care is given. Sufficient staff have first aid training and records of accidents are kept and shared with parents and carers. Accurate details of children’s medical needs are recorded and all staff are aware so that they can act swiftly in an emergency.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have a good understanding of keeping themselves safe. For example, they wear safety goggles when using the woodwork bench and explain that they wear them because ‘they are the windows on my eyes to keep them safe’. Children's safety is enhanced by good security procedures to restrict access to the setting and prevent them from leaving the premises unaccompanied. Staff are particularly vigilant in their supervision of children to ensure their safety. Children move freely indoors, accessing equipment and activities independently to follow their own interests. Emphasis is given to making sure that the environment is welcoming and well prepared with a range of activities, which stimulates children's interest and enhances their development.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessments and daily checks by staff further promote children’s safety. A wide range of written policies and appropriate procedures are in place, including regular fire drills to help children know what to do in the case of an emergency evacuation of the premises. Children are well protected and kept safe from harm as all staff have a clear understanding of their role in child protection. They attend regular training in child protection to ensure their knowledge is up to date and a designated person ensures that any concerns are dealt with effectively, so that children’s welfare is fully safeguarded.

p.3

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

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children’s experiences are enhanced by the skilful interaction of staff who clearly enjoy working with them. Staff use their good understanding of child development to support children’s growing language skills; children offer their comments and ideas and this means they are confident communicators. Children play competently on their own or with others and form strong friendships with their peers. They enjoy warm and affectionate relationships with staff, which increases their sense of trust and helps them to develop a sense of self. Staff sensitively respond to children's needs and consistently interact with them to extend their learning and play. All children enjoy their time in the stimulating and well-resourced environment; they arrive with eager anticipation, separating happily from their parents and carers, and settling readily into their activities. Although staff provide a rich learning environment, some activities

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and routines do not always enable children to fully benefit from it to extend their independent learning.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. All of the staff working with children have a good knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and clear plans enable them to know how activities contribute to children’s progress. They plan an interesting range of activities over time so that children access a broad and balanced range of learning opportunities. A good balance between adult and child-led activities allows children to learn at their own pace. Children's achievements are linked to the stepping stones, and observations inform children's assessment records, which show that they are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing their independence and the free-flow of interesting activities enables them to begin to direct their own learning. Children display good levels of self-esteem when they practise their jumping skills, confidently announcing ‘I did a big jump with two feet’. Their behaviour is good and they take turns, such as when negotiating for resources, readily sharing them with others. Children speak confidently and clearly in large and small groups, showing the ability to recall events. They display great curiosity and initiate conversations with other adults to find out who they are and what they are doing. Children's early writing skills are developing well because staff provide a very good range of activities to promote children’s small skills, such as painting and play dough.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate a good understanding of numbers, counting and calculation. They know how old they are and also know that after they are four they will be five and go to ‘big school’. Children use mathematical language to describe capacity and height. For example, they build a tower of small cubes and ask an adult to put the last few bricks on top saying ‘you are tallest’ and then deciding ‘well my Dad is taller because he’s up to the sky’.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children find out about and identify living things; they observe a bee on a flower and explain that ‘the bee is getting pollen out of the flower’. They use everyday technology in their play such as programmable toys and they are becoming competent users of the computer as they develop their Information Technology skills through a range of programmes. Children enjoy singing familiar songs confidently and loudly; they carefully listen to the different notes on the chime bars and make up their own tunes. In addition, children express their imagination through lots of spontaneous role play; they pretend to be ‘Sportacus’ from ‘Lazytown’ or teachers ‘reading’ books to others.

p.4

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

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children benefit from the setting’s emphasis of working with parents and carers; good settling-in procedures that are based around their individual needs helps to support children in the transition between home and the setting. Parents have opportunities to present their views through the use of questionnaires and they speak highly of the setting and staff. They receive good information about the setting so they know about activities and events, and have daily opportunities to discuss their child with staff. All documentation is in place to share information with parents and carers so that they know about the setting's policies and procedures.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Their behaviour is good and they work together cooperatively, such as helping one another to tidy up. Staff act as good role models, using positive language to reinforce the rules of the setting and as a result children work harmoniously together. Sound systems are in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All children have opportunities to learn about themselves, each other and the world around them through a range of well planned activities. The good range of resources that positively represent the children who attend, as well as individuals from the wider community supports their play.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of early education is good. Parents receive information about the setting’s activities so that they know about their child’s day and their child’s records are available on a regular basis. Parents know that they can view their child’s records at any time and meet regularly with staff, which means they are informed of how their child is progressing and developing. However, parents have fewer opportunities to support their child’s learning at home. This means that children do not benefit from the sharing of activities with their parents that would further enhance their learning.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from a very well-prepared environment that enables them to enjoy and achieve during their time at the pre-school. They are happy and content because staff develop caring, supportive relationships with them. Rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that the staff have suitable qualifications and experience to work with children. The induction procedure and detailed operational plan ensures that all members of the team are secure in their knowledge of their roles and responsibilities. Most staff hold early years qualifications and appraisals identify areas for professional development to further improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs of the children.

p.5

Organisation

Staff work well together as a team, and demonstrate great enthusiasm for creating a learning environment that stimulates and interests all children. Policies, records and procedures are clear and comprehensive, underpinning the good practice. However, the daily register does not show children’s hours of attendance and some policies and procedures have not been sufficiently updated which affects children’s welfare and safety.

p.5

Organisation

The leadership and management of children in receipt of funding for early education is good. The manager is committed to continually developing the setting's practice to ensure that all children have access to good quality learning experiences. Systems are in place to look at the effectiveness of the provision and through this evaluative practice the staff team continue to

p.5

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 enhance children’s experiences at the setting. Regular meetings enable staff to work effectively as a team, sharing their knowledge and practice and to create a learning environment that promotes positive outcomes for children. Overall, children's needs are met.

p.5

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the provider agreed to ensure good hygiene practices, ensure staff are deployed effectively and improve resources promoting equal opportunities. Thorough hand washing routines are in place, which means that children's ongoing good health is assured. Staff are clear about their roles which promotes children’s development, and resources and activities have been improved so that children have more opportunities to learn about diversity and the wider world. The provider also agreed to obtain written permission from parents to seek emergency medical treatment, keep a record of significant issues and share it with parents, and update the child protection policy. All documentation is in place, which assures children’s safety and well-being. However, the child protection policy is in need of further amendment following subsequent changes in legislation.

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection, the provider agreed to develop the planning, children’s assessments and the system to monitor and evaluate practice. Planning and assessment have been sufficiently developed and is regularly reviewed and improved. Effective systems are in place to evaluate the nursery education provision and this enables children to make good progress.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 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.

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.6

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 records show children’s hours of attendance • update all policies and procedures and review them regularly to ensure they remain valid.

p.6

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

p.6

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): • continue to develop activities and everyday routines so that all children benefit from the rich learning experiences (this also applies to care) • continue to develop further opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning.

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7