Smiling Faces Pre-School

Smiling Faces Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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EY248943 Unique Reference Number 06 November 2007 Inspection date Lynne Stephanie Bowden Inspector

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The Elliot Huts, St. Francis C of E Primary School, Longfield, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4SU

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Setting Address

07971421062 01326211910 Telephone number

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E-mail

The Trustees of Smiling Faces Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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E-mail

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

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Smiling Faces Pre-School is a well-established committee run group, and moved to present premises in June 2003. It operates from two rooms in a portable building set in the grounds of St. Francis C of E School, on the outskirts of Falmouth town. The pre-school serves children from Falmouth town and outlying areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school is registered for 23 children aged two to five years. There are currently 52 children on roll, 46 whom receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports a number of children with special needs and with English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens six sessions per week during term-time. The sessions are 9:00 till 15:00, Monday to Friday.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Two full-time and three part-time staff work with the children; all have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 and 3. The setting receives support from teachers from St. Francis School and Family Services.

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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 satisfactory. Children benefit from the staff's first aid and medical training. Records show that children receive suitable medical and minor first aid treatment from staff. However, staff are unable to promptly meet children’s needs by seeking emergency medical advice or treatment because they have not requested written parental permission to do so.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy healthy snacks which include fresh fruit and a plain biscuit, with a choice of milk or water. Information about children's individual dietary needs is obtained at registration and appropriately displayed in the kitchen, to ensure that it is adhered to.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children develop awareness of good hygiene procedures. Adults sensitively support young children asking to go to the toilet and accompany them until the older ones confidently and independently take themselves, with staff explaining the importance of flushing the toilets, so that they are clean for the next person. Staff remind children to wash their hands appropriately and ensure that all have done so before snack.

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Helping children to be healthy

Risk of cross infection to children is minimised by the setting following a clear exclusion policy for infectious illnesses and keeping surfaces clean with anti bacterial sprays.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from having daily, energetic, outdoor play. There, they learn to control their speed as they race each other, and practise walking on stilts, some being very able and confident, while staff support others. They develop ball skills as they attempt to hit balls with bats, roll and throw balls to each other, and throw quoits onto numbers shouted out by adults. They enjoy jumping in sacks and staff encourage children to make large circle movements with streamers. Some attempt to skip with plastic skipping ropes but find this difficult.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a welcoming, secure and safe environment, where access is effectively controlled and monitored. Conscientious staff ensure that all areas are safe and secure. They report any concerns in the 'Snag book' so that speedy action is taken to deal with them and protect children from harm. The setting is well equipped with a good range of resources, which engage and interest the children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected from the risk of fire, through the provision of suitable fire equipment and regular fire drills, ensuing that children are aware of this procedure. Children's welfare is safeguarded through the staff's good knowledge of child protection issues and procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are developing good relationships with staff, who greet parents and children warmly on their arrival. Activities and resources are attractively set out, consequently children quickly and happily settle to a wide range of activities such as role play, computer games, painting and small world toys. Staff encourage conversation as they ask children about their experiences of the previous evening, which was bonfire night.

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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 In the morning the children are split between two rooms, with younger less confident children remaining in one room, whilst older nursery funded children move into second room, where they enjoy participating in more focussed activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The younger children enjoy accessing a wide range of resources as above, plus manipulating play dough and exploring shells and beach equipment set out in a shop. They enjoy drawing and concentrate as they independently create collages with a variety of materials and glue sticks. Some thoroughly enjoy experimenting with and delight in the texture of paint as they use both brushes and their hands to create pictures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Some children are confident enough to ask for help and resources and are beginning to start negotiating with each other for resources with help from adults. However, staff sometimes speak and answer questions before children have time to comment or answer. For example, when a child hands a piece of play dough to a member of staff, the adult states that the dough feels cold to her, before asking the child how she thinks it feels, so limiting her possible response.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Small groups of children enjoy listening intently as a member of staff reads stories to them, all sitting comfortably on cushions and settee. They thoroughly enjoy action songs and rhymes at the end of the session when they rejoin the older children. Children are familiar with the setting's routines and happily tidy resources away, in preparation for going outside for energetic play before snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are developing their use of the Birth to three matters framework, to plan and provide suitable activities to promote children's development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children identify their own names with varying levels of confidence as they self register, with staff offering suitable clues to help them recognise their names. They are learning to play cooperatively; staff remind them to share and take turns and explain what they want to each other with words, rather than resorting to screams or grabbing toys. They listen with concentration as staff read a story about a family on holiday in Cornwall. Staff stop the story part way through and children are able to anticipate what will happen next, looking at pictures further in book. When the story is resumed the next day, they are able to remember where the story had stopped the previous day. Children develop pencil control as they colour in pictures with keen concentration and confidently control the computer mouse, while they use computer programs with minimal assistance from staff. They thoroughly enjoy exploring and playing with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

a new road and rail layout. Adults introduce appropriate new vocabulary as they talk about the maintenance man included in it, explaining his role and the tools that he is carrying along with the variety of transport represented.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show interest in what they do, smiling with delight and pleasure as they successfully identify small and tall boxes and recognise numbers relevant to them such as their ages. Children play with concentration and enjoyment as they put the correct number of counters onto number cards, with increasing confidence, gently supported by adults. At another table, staff help children add and subtract as they ask how many more or less pieces they need for their activity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use their initiative choosing activities and developing imaginative play with small world toys. They enjoy taking responsibility, helping to tidy up and offering to be helper at their table for snack time. They begin to appreciate their own culture and the cultural traditions of others.

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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 This week the topic being Cornwall, they enjoy creating St Piran's flag, cooking and tasting traditional local foods, such as pasties, scones and cream and talking about their favourite pasties, loyal children stating that their "mum's pasties are best".

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The balanced curriculum planning shows appropriate learning intentions and that all areas of learning receive equal coverage. When children move within the setting from the Birth to three matters framework and begin funded nursery education staff can use previous records of children's development to establish their attainment, but do not have a system to seek this information about new children from their parents. Consequently they are dependent on their own observations over the beginning of term to establish this knowledge. Staff use their observations and records of children's progress to identify individual children's targets and tailor their curriculum planning to meet these.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children learn about diversity and difference through their access to a good range of resources and activities planned by staff. Staff make effective use of parents' knowledge and experience, seeking information from them about their culture and traditions, including local Cornish traditions, customs from other areas of the country or from other countries. The setting is becoming increasingly experienced in working with children with English as their additional language. They seek information from parents and others about key words to help them and the children communicate and understand each other and purchase resources in the child's first language. Children's individual needs are met well, with staff effectively using information from parents about their children's likes and preferences, to help settle new children in.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff have good experience of dealing with children with learning difficulties and disabilities and children benefit from their sound understanding of the relevant code of practice. Staff have some knowledge of sign language and work closely with parents and other agencies such as speech therapists and the special educational needs coordinator, to provide appropriate support to children with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are generally well behaved and staff give them clear explanations of how to behave well as they remind them to share, take turns and learn to negotiate with each other. Children respond well to praise and rewards for positive behaviour with clear explanations about how they have played well together and tried to use words to communicate. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Parents receive clear information about the setting through the prospectus, policies, notice boards and newsletters. Feedback about the setting from parents is encouraged and sought regularly. Parents are invited to regular parents' evenings. There, staff discuss the progress children have made with their parents and identify targets for development, but parents are not fully involved in identifying their children's attainments and identify these targets for development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Staff effectively use information from parents to help settle new children in, but do not seek information about their levels of attainment on entry to nursery education. Children have daily access to outdoor

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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 play; rooms are well organised and resourced. Children are organised into key groups according to their needs and cared for by familiar staff, who are well deployed. Most necessary documentation is in place.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. Staff have annual appraisals, when they identify training needs and opportunities. Regular staff meetings are used to share information and keep abreast of developments in child care. The staff effectively monitor the effectiveness of the activities and planning, to ensure that children make good progress towards the early learning goals. The setting recognises its strengths and areas for development and takes appropriate steps to seek advice and support and address any areas for improvement.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection the setting agreed to ensure that children have appropriate access to large play equipment, along with activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice. This has been achieved through planning and purchasing additional equipment, so that children's developmental needs are met and they learn about diversity and difference.

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Improvements since the last inspection

They agreed to improve the staff induction procedure and staff's awareness of the children's non verbal communication. These have been actioned and the setting keeps a record to show that all staff and trustees understand necessary policies and procedures. Staff are observant of and responsive to children's non verbal signals, reassuring them when they look anxious and giving appropriate cuddles and attention.

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Improvements since the last inspection

They also agreed to evaluate planning to ensure more able children are challenged and all have opportunities to add and subtract, link numerals to symbols and letter shapes to their sounds. Planning and practice have been adapted to ensure that children have these opportunities and appropriate challenges are provided to them.

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Improvements since the last inspection

They use an entry profile which provides information from parents about their children's likes and preferences, so helping staff settle new children in. However, this does not include information about children’s attainment on entry to nursery education.

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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.

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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 AND 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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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): • seek written parental consent for emergency treatment

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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): • develop entry profiles to establish children's level of development when they begin the nursery Foundation Stage.

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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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