Longoak Pre-school

Longoak Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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EY252060 Unique Reference Number 29 October 2007 Inspection date Judith Reed Inspector

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Longoak Pre-School, Pilands Wood Centre, Chamberlayne Road, Bursledon, Southampton, Hampshire, SO31 8DT

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E-mail

Longoak 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?

Longoak Pre-school is situated in Pilands Wood Community Centre in Bursledon, Hampshire and opened here in 2003. It is managed by a parent committee. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09:30 until 12:00 and some afternoons from 12:15 until 14:45 during term time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 24 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these 16 children receive funding for early education. The pre-school is able to support children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs six members of staff. Three of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two members of staff are working towards a qualification.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are healthy as they enjoy daily opportunities for physical play during each session. A different physical activity is available inside the hall during every session. Children confidently climb to the top of the A-frame before sliding down the slide. They also work together to make a see-saw rock to and fro. Children have frequent opportunities to play outside and are aware they need their coats on before going outside. They expertly ride around the small space on tricycles and scooters. Children also move all the equipment to one corner to build an imaginary home for themselves. Children have many opportunities for small scale physical activities. For example, they roll and shape play dough, complete jigsaws and move around plastic letters.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children use a café system for accessing their snack. They bring their name card to the table whenever they choose, allowing them to recognise when they are hungry or thirsty. Children also help themselves to drinks from their own containers whenever they wish. A member of staff sits with the children while they have their snack and she takes the opportunity to encourage conversation and observation. Children are offered a choice of healthy fruit snacks as well as a drink of milk or water. Children are encouraged to wash up their own cup and plate after snack.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are protected by some good hygiene routines. Children are accompanied to the toilets which are situated outside the main play room. Staff ensure children wash their hands after using the toilet and dry themselves with individual paper towels. Staff discreetly change children's clothing when they are wet, using screens to provide some privacy. Appropriate procedures are in place for nappy changing. All staff are trained in first aid and accidents are recorded in a confidential manner for parents to sign. Permission for emergency medical advice or treatment is held and staff are fully aware of any allergies or medical issues. Staff work closely with parents to ensure all children's health needs are met. Children use large bowls of water within the playroom to clean themselves after craft activities and to wash hands before snack time. Children are at risk from cross infection as the water is shared. Individual paper

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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 secure and safe environment. Children have use of a large room in a community centre with a small outside play area. Staff enable children to flow freely to play outside as they wish. Staff ensure the premises are secure by keeping the door into the rest of the community centre locked during the session. The door to the toilet area is also locked. Keys are kept adjacent to the doors. At the beginning and end of the session a member of staff stands by the door to welcome the children and ensure their safety when leaving. Thorough risk assessments are completed and daily check sheets are used to ensure safety. Outings and walks are also fully risk assessed. Children are helped to keep themselves safe, for example, staff explain children should slide down the slide on their bottom as it is safer, and they should not carry younger children as they may fall over. Children take part in regular fire evacuation

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

drills which are recorded and evaluated by staff.

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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 use a wide selection of toys and equipment. Staff set out toys and equipment according to planning and children have a free choice throughout the session. Staff ensure toys are safe and clean for the children present.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded by a knowledgeable staff team. Staff are aware of child protection procedures and would report issues to the leader. All staff are very aware of their professional duty to safeguard children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enter pre-school confidently and self register with their name cards. The registration board shows a different question each day which helps the children start thinking and also focuses parents on children's learning. The children immediately commence their activities and play, settling quickly to their choice of activity. Children talk to visitors and make them feel welcome by offering pretend cups of tea from the home corner.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making steady progress and their development is encouraged at all times. Staff are aware of the individual planning for each child attending the pre-school. They have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and ensure children progress along the stepping stones. Staff refer to plans when putting out equipment and to check desired learning outcomes for the children. Staff are involved with the children throughout the session. They talk to them and encourage their thinking, for example, by discussing the name cards during snack time. Staff make incidental notes of children's achievements and development during the session to add to their records of achievement.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children communicate well. They talk to other children and to the staff. Children learn to recognise the letters of their name and begin experimenting with writing. They use crayons and felt tips and proudly show staff what they have written. Children look at books for pleasure. They view the books independently as well as in a large group. Children enjoy familiar stories such as 'We're going on a bear hunt', and listen carefully to another story on a compact disc.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are creative and particularly enjoy craft painting activities. Children experiment with paint brushes and rollers and squeeze the paint out of the roller. They make brightly coloured pictures which they take home. Children use sticks to hit drums. They beat out a rhythm while saying a friend's name. Children also enjoy joining in singing sessions and action songs. They sing 'Incy wincy spider' and '1,2,3,4,5, once I caught a fish alive'. Children count their fingers during the singing. They also sing 'Happy birthday' to a child and give her three big claps afterwards. Children learn about positional language through stories such as 'We're going on a bear hunt'. There are very few incidental opportunities for counting or using maths throughout the session.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is developing well. They have frequent opportunities to use the computer and many are aware of using a disc to load programmes or change games. Children confidently use the mouse to make the games progress. They have opportunities to experiment with pipettes in the water tray. Children set up a space rocket during their imaginative play. They also use a digital camera to take photographs.

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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 satisfactory. Children are treated as individuals and staff get to know families well through being key workers. Children use some equipment which reflects diversity and join in celebrations for festivals including Christmas, Easter, Diwali and Chinese New Year. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. However, children do not see themselves reflected in posters or pictures within the setting or experience different languages.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All children are valued and key workers prepare individual plans for each child. The special needs co-ordinator is trained in her role and receives good support from the staff from the local authority. Staff attend training to support children with disabilities and learning difficulties and routinely use Makaton sign language during group times.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well and understand the routine of the pre-school. Children are praised and encouraged frequently throughout their activities. They also receive reward stickers. Children help tidy away toys at the end of the session and move smaller equipment to the store cupboard area. They have recently joined in some planned turn taking activities to help them understand about fairness and sharing equipment.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff work hard to build a good relationship with parents and carers. They invite parents to help during sessions on a rota basis. Parents are also invited to become part of the management committee and join in fundraising activities. Parents are given an informative prospectus which includes details of the Foundation Stage, Birth to three matters and some policies of the pre-school. A notice board is used to keep parents informed about weekly plans as well as the complaints procedure. Regular newsletters are used to give information about themes and future plans. Parents are invited to look at children's record of achievement with their key worker and make their own comments before signing them. Parents state that they are happy with the care and education provided in the pre-school. They feel communication is excellent and they value the support children are given by the staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents state that the group is an asset to the whole community.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Leadership and management is good. The staff team work well together and support each other. They meet regularly to take part in planning sessions and evaluate previous activities. Appropriate recruitment procedures are followed and all staff have necessary checks. Ongoing training is highly valued and staff are encouraged to access training through the local authority. Staff are well trained and keep up to date with current practice, however, there is no appraisal system in place to formally evaluate staff performance and development. All staff are key workers and they build a sound relationship where parents are encouraged to contribute to the children's learning. Key worker records are up to date and include valuable incidental observations as well as photographs and examples of work. These records are shared with parents throughout the child's time at pre-school and build into a good development record.

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Organisation

Staff take part in regular cluster group meetings and receive support from the local authority.

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Organisation

The pre-school is well organised and staff ensure a register of attendance is completed daily. The register shows normal times of arrival and departure and any varying times are clearly noted. Staff are also registered in and out of the premises. Children are motivated and involved

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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 in activities during the session. They are aware of the routine of the session. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Documentation is stored in a confidential folder. Children's records are available throughout the sessions if required.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last childcare inspection the provider was asked to ensure that all documentation is complete and up to date and to ensure that committee members have a clear understanding of their roles. Staff ensure all documentation is up to date and relevant. The committee have been in place over a year and have a good understanding of their role in supporting the staff and the group as a whole. They have reviewed the policies and procedures with staff.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the provider was asked to ensure organisation of the session allows staff to support children's learning appropriately, especially in large group activities, to develop assessment systems ensuring all areas of the curriculum are consistently included in planning, and to develop systems to inform parents about their child's progress and to encourage parents to share what they know about their children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Staff remain flexible about the organisation of group activities. They divide the children into smaller groups when necessary. Assessment systems are good. Staff make regular incidental observations and all areas of the curriculum are included in the planning, however, incidental opportunities for the teaching of maths remains a recommendation. Excellent systems are in place for frequent communication with parents through notice board, newsletter and key worker meetings. Parents are invited to contribute to records of achievement when they meet with key workers.

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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):

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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 • ensure children are protected from the spread of infection when washing their hands • improve opportunities for children to experience and learn about diversity

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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 develop staff team through regular appraisal • develop incidental opportunities for the use of number and maths

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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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