Queensway Chapel Pre-School and Children's Centre

Queensway Chapel Pre-School and Children's Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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EY279555 Unique Reference Number 13 November 2007 Inspection date Nikki Whinton Inspector

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Queensway, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 7LQ Setting Address

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E-mail

Queensway Chapel Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Queensway Chapel Pre-School and Children's Centre is a neighbourhood nursery registered in 2004. It has developed from a well established pre-school nearby. It is owned by a board of trustees. The nursery operates from purpose built premises in the grounds of The Manor School in a residential area of Melksham, in Wiltshire. A maximum of 60 children may attend the setting at any one time. The nursery is open from 08.00 until 18.00 Monday to Friday all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 120 children aged from birth to under eight years on roll. Of these, 40 children receive funding for early education. The setting currently supports 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 setting employs 15 members of staff. Of these, 10 staff hold an appropriate early years qualification and five staff are working towards a qualification. The group has an Investor in People award.

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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 lead a healthy lifestyle whilst in the provision. They have frequent opportunities for outside play within the fully enclosed garden, including play sessions with friends from different age group rooms. In addition, older children can choose whether to play outside for extended periods or investigate resources inside. They demonstrate good spatial awareness whilst moving freely and with pleasure. Children improve their fine motor control and coordination through the safe handling of tools, such as scissors, glue sticks and pencils.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children gain an appreciation of healthy eating through the nutritious snacks that they enjoy whilst in the provision. Any allergies or dietary issues are discussed with parents at registration. These discussions are recorded and any needs accommodated. Dietary information is available to staff in the kitchen for easy reference when preparing snacks. Parents are actively encouraged to provide their child with a healthy packed lunch and are given useful written information regarding suggested food options.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children increase their awareness of good hygiene regimes as part of the daily routine. For example, they learn the need to wash their hands after toileting or before eating. They benefit from the staff's knowledge of first aid and the correct procedures to follow if accidents occur. There is a range of measures to promote children's good health. Hygienic nappy changing procedures are followed, children use separate paper towels when hand drying to reduce the risk of cross contamination and written parental permission has been obtained to seek emergency treatment or apply sun cream.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. There are appropriate systems for making sure parents understand the provider's child protection responsibilities. Most staff have a secure understanding of child protection issues and the correct procedures to follow if concerned about a child. However, children's actual attendance hours are not always recorded. As a result, their safety is at risk.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play and sleep within premises that are secure, clean and well maintained. Informative notices and well-presented displays in the entrance area create a welcoming environment for parents and children. Older children are able to visit the toilet independently, which helps them to build their self-care skills. Babies rest in designated sleep rooms where suitable arrangements are in place to help support their well-being. There is a range of measures to promote children's safety and help avoid accidents. For example, daily risk assessments of the provision take place prior to the group opening, gates prevent children's unsupervised access to all sections of the building, socket covers are fitted to exposed electric points and hazardous materials are inaccessible to children. Children start to share some responsibility for their own safety through practical activities including tidying away toys to reduce trip hazards and taking part in

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play with a good range of clean, well-maintained resources that are stored at children's height in labelled storage boxes, to encourage independent exploration. They benefit from the staff's knowledge of safety issues concerning the purchase and ongoing maintenance of equipment. As a result, children play with age appropriate toys that are safe and suitable.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enter the provision willingly, separate easily from their main carer and quickly start to make independent choices concerning the resources and activities they wish to explore. They are forming good relationships with the staff, younger children especially go to the adults spontaneously for hugs and cuddles. In addition, they are building positive friendships with children throughout the nursery. Staff caring for the younger children in the setting complete written observations and assessments of the children using the Birth to three matters framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Older children within the Foundation Stage room are developing their self-care skills through practical activities, such as self-registering, placing their artwork in their named drawers or putting on their coats for outside play. Toddlers enjoy age appropriate activities both inside and outdoors, such as splatter painting, investigating water, role-play and exploring puzzles. Children within the baby room experience resources and activities such as manipulating small world toys, walking over textured mats and throwing soft balls. School aged children attending the out of school club are able to play with a range of suitable resources and are appropriately supervised when escorted by staff to either the on site school or walking bus. However, staff are not consistently well deployed within the Foundation Stage or toddler rooms to promote children's care and development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals. They plan a range of practical activities to cover all aspects of the curriculum, as well as a number of focused activities. Staff undertake written observations and assessments of the children using the Wiltshire Building Blocks Scheme. However, planning does not clearly identify each child's stage of progress, there are gaps in children's assessments and information from assessment is not used when planning for children's future learning. As a result, children's learning potential is not maximised.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a good range of vocabulary. They use language confidently when sharing their news with staff or their peers. For example, a child tells a friend, 'I've been to the hairdressers today', whilst another informs an adult, 'It's my birthday today, I'm five'. Children are learning to recognise familiar words in print through everyday activities including self-registering and putting their coats on their labelled hooks. They learn to link sounds and letters through enjoyable practical activities, such as when making 'silly soup'. Children love sharing books spontaneously with adults, confidently look at books alone and take part in regularly planned whole group story times. However, children have limited chances to make marks for a purpose or to practise their early writing skills. Through practical means, such as when exploring sand, completing puzzles of differing complexity or sorting compare bears, children have the chance

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to gain an awareness of shape, space and measure. They have some opportunities to count, such as when counting the fruit eaten by the very hungry caterpillar during story time and to recognise numbers as labels. However, children have few chances to solve simple problems involving addition or subtraction, as part of the daily routine.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children welcome meaningful visitors to the setting, such as the fire service, a librarian, a parent to do cooking activities with the children and a member of the local community to lead a music session. In addition, children take part in outings, such as a visit to the pet shop to buy some fish and walks to nearby parks. Such opportunities enable children to gain an appreciation of their local community. Children enjoy designing and building with a variety of construction

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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 materials, such as when making mobile telephones from mobilo. They learn about patterns and change in nature through opportunities including tending the setting's garden, growing grass seed or planting daffodil bulbs. They increase their awareness of the wider world through topic based activities including eating prawn crackers with chopsticks or sampling vegetables from Bangladesh. Children take part in a wide variety of child centred opportunities to explore media and materials. For example, they make birthday cakes from play dough, decorate 'rainbow fish' to their own designs using glitter and paint and enjoy selecting tools and materials to create three-dimensional craft. Children become absorbed when engaged in role-play and benefit greatly when adults are involved to help enhance their play experiences.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children benefit from the staff having a very good understanding of the children's home circumstances and their differing needs. Each child is treated as an individual. Good support is provided for children with additional needs to ensure they are fully included and have the chance to learn and succeed. Children access a varied range of resources such as small world figures, books and puzzles to help gain an awareness of diversity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well, as appropriate for their age and stage of development. Staff talk to them kindly and offer regular praise and encouragement. They refer children to the group's well-presented 'golden rules' poster when necessary, whilst using age appropriate language to explain why certain behaviour is not appropriate, such as throwing a book. Children are developing an awareness of right and wrong whilst in the provision.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are confident, independent and demonstrate good self-esteem. They are gaining social skills as they learn to share resources and to take turns, such as when playing an 'Insy Winsey Spider' game. Children have opportunities, for example, when making samosas with a member of staff or taking part in craft activities as part of Eid celebrations, to learn about a range of cultures and festivals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are given detailed written information about the provision and how to access its policies and procedures, prior to a child commencing in the group. Parents of children within the toddler and baby rooms receive daily diaries detailing relevant care information. Staff have a very positive rapport with the parents. The management team is always available to discuss any care issues or concerns. They signpost parents, where needed, to relevant support agencies and provide information on community matters such as local job vacancies or childminding facilities. Parents are made to feel welcome within the group and are kept up to date with forthcoming events through regular newsletters. They are invited to join the volunteer rota and to attend regularly planned 'stay and play' sessions.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents of children within the Foundation Stage classroom are provided with information about the early years curriculum and are made aware of their access to their child's educational assessments. However, they do not have regularly planned opportunities to review and discuss their child's progress with staff. Parents are not routinely invited to share with staff what they know about their child's academic achievements to aid initial or ongoing assessments.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Children's care, development and learning is supported by a well-qualified, experienced management team and staff that are regularly encouraged to undertake targeted early years training in order to increase their professional knowledge. However, children's actual hours of attendance are not consistently recorded. This is a breach of regulation. In addition, parents do not always sign to acknowledge when medicines have been administered and sensitive information is not always confidentially stored.

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Organisation

The leadership and management are satisfactory. Staff meet on a regular basis to evaluate past activities and plan the educational provision. The leadership monitor the children's educational records, but are not always aware of the pattern of gaps within the assessments. In addition, some issues raised at the last inspection have not yet been completed. The group has a positive attitude towards improvement and regularly welcomes advisors from the Wiltshire Early Years team to assist in the development of the group. The provision has developed links with the local community. For example, children perform their nativity play to a group of senior citizens. In addition, the setting has formed positive partnerships with local primary schools, such as the on-site school. Reception class teachers dress up in their pyjamas to read bedtime stories to members of the pre-school, whilst children from the group attend events such as the Manor

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Organisation

School's nativity play and sports day. Such initiatives help to support children's transition into statutory education.

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Organisation

Overall, the setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

As a result of the last combined inspection, the group was given key issues and recommendations to help develop the quality of the provision. The care report requested the group continue to develop the outside play space and storage of toys and improve the acoustics of the pre-school and toddler areas, so that noise levels do not distract staff and children in each room. The setting was also asked to extend the range of resources available to children reflecting positive images of diversity. The education report asked the staff to improve the planning of the sessions to ensure children have access to factual and fiction books, opportunities to link sounds to letters, encouragement to use and write their names and to develop an understanding of addition and subtraction through everyday practical opportunities. The setting was also requested to develop opportunities for parents to understand the Foundation Stage, early

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Improvements since the last inspection

learning goals and what children learn through play. Also to develop opportunities for parents to see and add their own comments to children's development records.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The outside play area and storage space is now appropriate for the children. The acoustics within the main playroom have been improved in order that appropriate noise levels are maintained. There are sufficient resources available to children reflecting positive images of diversity. Children have access to factual and fiction books and opportunities to recognise their name in print. Parents are able to learn about the Foundation Stage, early learning goals and what children learn through play. These improvements have had a positive impact on the quality of care and education offered to the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

However, children have limited chances to practise their early writing or name writing skills and to use calculation as part of the daily routine. Parents do not have regularly planned

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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 opportunities to look at children's assessments with staff or to add their own comments of children's achievements.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, there has been one complaint made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take action in order to meet the National Standards. The concerns related to National Standard 6 (Safety): that a child left the setting without the knowledge of the staff. Ofsted wrote to the provider and asked them to investigate the concerns raised and report back on their findings. From their response, Ofsted were satisfied that the action that they proposed to take would ensure that the National Standards were maintained. No further action was taken and the provider remained qualified for registration at the time the investigation was closed.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure a daily register is maintained that records children's actual hours of attendance These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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 the procedure for assessment and monitoring of the educational provision, to ensure regular written observations and assessments are completed on the children across all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Use information obtained from assessment to plan suitably challenging activities to support individual children's future progress • ensure children have meaningful practical opportunities as part of the daily routine to make marks for a purpose and to develop their calculation skills • develop the academic partnership with parents, to ensure parents have regularly planned opportunities to review children's Foundation Stage assessments with staff. Provide

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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 opportunities for them to share with staff what they know about their child's educational achievements to aid initial and ongoing assessments.

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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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