Trinity Early Learners

Trinity Early Learners Inspection report for early years provision

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226313 Unique Reference Number 12 December 2007 Inspection date Patricia King Inspector

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Trinity Church Hall, Royland Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 2EH

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E-mail

Trinity Early Learners 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?

Trinity Early Learners is a committee run pre-school group. The group was established nearly 30 years ago and operates from the hall at Trinity Methodist Church in the centre of Loughborough. It serves the local area. A maximum of 26 children may attend the setting at any one time . The group is open each weekday during school term times. Sessions are from 09:20 until 11:50.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 38 children from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 24 children receive funding for early education. The setting is able to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group employs five members of staff all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are positively encouraged to participate in routines and activities which contribute to their understanding of personal hygiene and a healthy body. For example, most children independently wash their hands after using the toilet and before handling food and explain why this is important. Younger children are supervised by staff who talk about washing away germs and praise children's thoroughness and knowledge. This means that all children are developing a sound awareness of self-care. Children recognise when they are hungry or thirsty and benefit from a good variety of nourishing snacks served at the snack bar activity which is operated within the daily routines. After washing their hands they confidently take their snack and drink to the table where they eat in a small social group of their choice. Healthy eating, food values and diets from other cultures are explored and sampled in the planned activities

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Helping children to be healthy

which means that children are learning about diet and food from around the world.

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Helping children to be healthy

Sound policies and procedures, to take appropriate action in the event of an accident and to administer any necessary medication, are consistently followed by staff. Careful attention is paid to ensure the first aid equipment is maintained up to date and a qualified member of staff is on duty to attend to any accidents. Children are further protected from infection by the clear policy that children must not attend when ill or infectious and information about relevant contagious diseases is displayed to parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Activities are organised to enable children to take part in outdoor opportunities such as purposeful walks to find out about their local community, visit places and events of interest. This means that the outdoor environment is used well to promote children's health and well-being. Children under three benefit from good practice in line with the 'Birth to three matters' framework to offer positive opportunities for children to learn how to become healthy individuals, for example, by talking about healthy eating and effective personal hygiene routines.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The setting has sole use of the rooms used during opening hours. The group are permitted to use the windows and some notice boards to display their work and staff arrange other displays and notice boards on a daily basis. This creates a welcoming, stimulating environment to encourage children's learning and nurture their sense of belonging. Children have easy access to a good range of developmentally appropriate resources and child-sized furniture is arranged to promote independence and choice safely. Robust risk assessments ensure that the premises and any outing are safely managed and vigilant security systems prevent unauthorised adults entering the building unsupervised. The visitors record is effectively maintained and there are secure procedures to ensure that children are only collected by their parents or named adults by prior written arrangements.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are learning simple rules for their safety such as not running indoors. They understand why these are important to prevent accidents and show pride when praised for behaving safely or responding to gentle reminders from staff. They are also learning about keeping safe outside the setting. For example, they practise road safety codes and safe behaviour when out walking with staff and they measured their heights on the chart next to the fairground ride to see if the safety rules permitted them to ride.

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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 Children's safety and welfare are suitably promoted because the staff have knowledge of the symptoms of child abuse. However, they are not secure in their knowledge of whom to share their concerns with both in the setting and externally and the written child protection procedures are not fully in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance. This means that in the event of concerns or an allegation against staff members and volunteers appropriate action to protect children could be delayed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children confidently enter the setting and eagerly explore the wide range of interesting planned and free activities provided for them. Careful attention is paid to ensure that children's individual care needs are identified which means that staff know the children well. Staff are skilled practitioners who use their knowledge of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage to provide a range of stimulating activities for children. A good range of quality toys, activities and resources is used creatively and effectively to provide positive opportunities for children to develop and learn. For example, children were busily engaged in Christmas activities such as creating decorations, writing and sending greetings cards, decorating the home corner and wrapping toys for Santa. The activities were planned effectively using the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage to promote and support children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

learning and development. Children benefit from an environment where they are encouraged to play, explore and experiment and have the confidence to ask for help and support. They move comfortably and confidently between child and adult led activities. For example, after wrapping toys they built a sleigh from the small chairs and delivered the toys 'around the world' acting the key roles of Santa and his helpers. The children were delighted by the surprised response of staff upon receiving their 'presents' and eagerly posed for photos to capture the moment for their parents to see in one of the many albums displaying their activities and adventures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are proud to display their pictures, projects and photos of themselves at play. They have many opportunities to foster their imagination and creativity and enjoy working with a variety of mediums such as paint, water, sand and quality craft materials. They are taken on meaningful outings into the local town and community, for example, to bank the monies raised for Children in need, to see the Diwali festival decorations and explore the changing seasons. This means that children are learning about the world around them, the natural world, and have positive opportunities to become competent learners and communicators.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Children are confident and demonstrate a sense of belonging because they enter the playgroup happily and settle into the activities and daily routines with interest. The have confidence to select and carry out activities independently and work with others to develop and extend play and involvement. For example, after wrapping toys for presents they developed the idea of building a sleigh and acted out Santa’s Christmas delivery. Children have confidence to talk to visitors and eagerly talk about their work on display and the photos of them at play which promotes their confidence and self-esteem. Most children dress themselves for role play and messy activities and are learning about healthy living practices. Children are learning good manners and respect for each other in social settings such as meal times and respond well to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the positive role models displayed by staff, for example, they are encouraged to say please and thank-you. Children are learning about other cultures and lifestyles through an informed 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 interesting range of activities, such as trying foods from different cultures and finding out about other lifestyles, practices and significant occasions. They celebrated Diwali by learning about traditional art and food and a parcel ‘from China' initiated discussion and learning about the people and customs in that country. This means children are developing an awareness and understanding of the wider world.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children listen intently to a familiar story in a small group, they make positive contributions to the story, for example, they join in to say what happens next and add suggestions of their own. Some older children independently select and handle books carefully and the well resourced book display is frequently visited and used independently. Children use language confidently to talk about their families, their play and in social situations, for example, they eagerly shared their ideas and used their imagination well to describe where the buttons came from and how they got into the staff members' button tin. They said a red button came from Santa’s coat, someone found the button in the snow and put it into the box to keep until next year when they would give it back to Santa. Most children recognise their own names and use the many mark making opportunities to practise their early writing skills. Children are consistently

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

encouraged by adults to develop their mathematical learning in well planned enjoyable, practical activities. For example, making and decorating the greetings cards and wrapping the parcels involved lots of discussion and questions about shape, size, position and mathematical language. Children confidently count up to 10 in rhymes, stories and every day activities and some up to 20. This means that opportunities for the children to make progress in mathematical development are captured well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident in the use of IT and programmable toys and some children use the computer skilfully. They are learning about changes in the world around them, for example, they went on a walk to look for the signs of autumn, took photos of what they saw and collected leaves for their collages. Children have a good sense of time and place and enjoy talking about themselves, their families and the community around them. For example, they eagerly describe how they help their parents and what they have done to raise funds for other children in need. Children and staff dressed in spotty clothes, made Pudsey Bear biscuits to sell and then paid the funds raised into the bank. This means they are becoming aware of the needs of others. Children use small tools and materials such as paint brushes, scissors, glue spatulas and spades with confidence and skill. However, there are limited planned opportunities for children to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop and practise their physical skills using a range of large equipment. They use their imagination well in art and design and role play and stories such as acting out that their sleigh can fly and explaining this is because it is magic.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are qualified, experienced and have good understanding of the Foundation Stage and how children learn. They consistently observe and note what children can do and records of children’s achievements are kept up to date efficiently which means that staff know the children and their learning needs very well. This information is used effectively by key workers to inform planning, setting clear challenges for individual children's next steps in learning. Staff work effectively as a team to plan and present a good range of interesting and challenging learning opportunities covering all areas of learning. Children behave well and respond confidently to the consistent good role models displayed by the staff. Staff are skilful at presenting activities and topics to promote different areas of learning which means that children’s interest and skills are fostered effectively and they make positive progress.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff know the children well because care is taken, at the time of enrolment, to establish children's individual details and requirements and keep this information up to date. Parents confirm that they feel fully informed and included in the care and development of their children. The setting pays careful attention to any concerns expressed by parents and has established an appropriate procedure to follow, however, parents are not informed that relevant information is available upon request. Detailed information about the operations and management of the setting is provided in the prospectus and helpful information about childcare and development is offered. Suitable systems are in place for staff to work in partnership with parents and others to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to enable them to benefit from attending the setting.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are learning about the wider world and different lifestyles through a well-planned and resourced range of activities. For example, the use of meal times to explore different diets and cultural practices and celebrating significant events in the lives of others. Children are learning to manage their own behaviour, for example, they keep simple rules, such as helping to tidy toys, sharing and taking turns and respond happily to reminders from staff when needed. They are delighted to wear stickers that inform they have tried hard, helped to tidy or shown kindness to others.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They behave well and show concern for each other. They are learning about their community and the wider world and are developing a real sense of belonging and self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children receiving early education is good. The group is managed by a parents committee and all parents are invited and encouraged to join the committee. Parents are welcomed at the group and report that they feel involved and included in their children’s development and learning. They receive a comprehensive prospectus that includes detailed information about the Foundation Stage of learning, the operational and business arrangements. They are asked to share what they know about their child’s stage of learning and development when they enter funded education and regularly during their time at the group. This means that staff build on parents' input to effectively progress children's learning. A good range of information including plans, activities and how parents can help their children learn is displayed and provided to parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The environment and routines are organised effectively to promote children's care and welfare indoors and on outings. This means that children settle well, gain confidence to fully participate and benefit from activities that positively foster their welfare and development. Regular staff meetings and good communications ensure staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and work as a cohesive team to support the children in the setting. Robust systems are in place for the recruitment and vetting of staff which ensures that adults working with the children or having access to them are appropriately qualified and suitable to do so. Staff take care to establish positive relationships with the children and their parents which means they know the children well. All legally required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place and most documents in the comprehensive range of polices and

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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 procedures support the safe and efficient management of the setting. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The quality of leadership and management for early education is good. The manager is well qualified, experienced and has positive vision about how to provide a quality service to children and their parents to meet their individual needs. She knows her staff well and promotes training opportunities for them to keep up to date and continually improve their knowledge and practice, for example, the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager effectively organises her staff and resources to plan and provide positive opportunities for children to make good progress. The systems to monitor and evaluate the delivery of care and early education are well-established and secured.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider agreed to maintain a record of visitors and improve the hand washing arrangements within the playroom. Children's health and safety are significantly improved because the setting vigilantly maintain a record of visitors and individual paper towels are used and disposed of appropriately.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery inspection the provider agreed to improve the recording and use of the assessment of children's progress to inform planning and to ensure that systems covered all areas of the stepping stones. Staff use effective systems and records to establish each child's stage of learning and use this information to inform planning. This means that children are offered support or challenge according individual needs to secure their learning and make steady progress through the stepping stones.

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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): • ensure that the child protection procedures are in accord with the Local Safeguarding Children Board with regard to the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation

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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 being made against a staff member and staff understand how to take appropriate action to report any concerns • promote partnership with parents with regards to keeping a record of complaints, ensuring that appropriate information is shared with parents upon request.

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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): • continue to improve the opportunities for children to access large play equipment in an environment that challenges them and promotes their physical development.

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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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