Grove Road Infant School

Pepper Pot Bathford Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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133065 Unique Reference Number 16 January 2008 Inspection date Charlotte Jenkin Inspector

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Dovers Park, Bathford, Bath, BA1 7UB Setting Address

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E-mail

Pepperpot Bathford 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?

Pepperpot Pre-school is an established committee run group serving the community of Bathford, on the edge of Bath.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

It is registered for up to 24 children aged two to five years of age and is open term-time from 09:15 to 11:45, with up to three afternoon sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays (summer term, rising five's) and Thursdays from 12:30 to 15:00. There are currently 37 children on roll and this includes 29 funded three and four-year-olds. The group supports children with special educational needs, and with English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group has fund raised to enable them to have their own new purpose built, sole use building which stands in it's own grounds with enclosed garden adjacent to the village school. There are five regular staff who work with the children and of these four have early years qualifications. There are also five regular volunteers who support the pre-school.

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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 play in warm, clean premises where good standards of hygiene are maintained. Staff demonstrate a commitment to implementing thorough hygiene routines, including hand washing and cleaning of food preparation and eating surfaces. Children learn about the importance of following hygienic routines, including to cover their mouths when coughing to 'stop the germs from spreading'. Hence the spread of infection is minimised within the setting. The group implements a sickness policy which is shared with parents to reduce children's exposure to unnecessary illness. Children benefit from staff's up to date knowledge of first aid and their awareness of the correct procedures to follow if children have an accident or require medication whilst in their care. Care plans are set up for children with specific medical needs and staff have undergone training to ensure they are able to support children in the setting.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are encouraged to develop an awareness of healthy eating through the nutritious snacks they enjoy whilst in the setting. They also engage in activities that help them learn about the kinds of foods that are good for their bodies, and staff regularly talk to the children about the effects of certain foods on their growth and development during snack and lunchtimes. Staff liaise with parents regarding children's dietary needs and preferences and any requirements are catered for. These are effectively share between staff to ensure children are not exposed to foods they are allergic to. However, drinking water is not readily available to the children, which means they may not have enough fluids throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise. They have access to a well equipped garden area is well utilised to offer them activities that cover all learning areas. Children ride tricycles with ease and are able to steer them well and use the pedals. They move around, both indoors and out, with confidence and show a good awareness of space, themselves and others. They negotiate appropriate pathways, avoiding obstacles and being aware of their peers. Indoors children engage in daily exercise. They enjoy dancing and move their bodies to the rhythm of the music. Children join in action songs with enthusiasm and work co-operatively to make shapes with large elastic. They confidently climb the climbing frame and slide down the slide with ease, and walk across the beam to develop their balancing skills. Children's physical skills are well promoted and they are encouraged to develop a positive attitude towards

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in bright, welcoming and child friendly premises. There are named pegs for the children's coats, drawers for their creations and bright displays of the children's work around, helping children develop a sense of belonging in the group. Space is well organised into clear learning areas, hence children are familiar with the layout of the room and where to access activities of their choosing. Children have access to a wide range of interesting toys and equipment that cover all areas of development. These are stored at low level to encourage the children to make choices in their play and learning, as well as their independence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play in safe premises, free from risks as staff identify potential hazards to the children daily and minimise these effectively to prevent accidents within the setting. For example, the kitchen is inaccessible to the children, sockets are covered and the premises are secure. 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 monitor entry to the premises and this protects the children from harm. Hence, children move around the premise with confidence and are able to play in safety. The outdoor area is checked daily prior to the children's use, and any hazards removed or made safe and utilised for educational purposes. For example, a muddy area cordoned off to protect children from slipping but used under supervision for mark making. All fire precautions are in place and the evacuation plan is practised with the children and monitored to ensure it is effective in keeping children safe in the event of a fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is supported by staff who have an up to date knowledge of child protection issues and the procedures to follow in the event of concerns. The group's child protection duties are shared with parents and this promotes the children's well being.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enter the group with confidence and separate from their carers with ease. They sit quietly and concentrate when appropriate, for example, during registration and story time. Children are keen to engage in the activities and spend long periods in self-chosen tasks. They display a positive attitude towards their learning, being motivated and well engaged in their play. Children form good relationships with staff and peers, readily engaging in conversations and playing together co-operatively. Children enjoy taking responsibilities in the group, helping prepare snacks and handing out the name cards. They develop good independence with regard to their self-help skills, getting tissues to blow their noses and putting their coats and shoes on to go outside to play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have an excellent and in depth knowledge of the early learning goals and how children learn through practical activities. They are skilled in encouraging children's learning in all curriculum areas through fun, interesting and practical activities. Good use of questioning encourages children's thinking skills and their enthusiasm motivates the children and helps them develop a positive attitude towards learning. Planning is very clear and detailed and has clear learning outcomes for children which are linked to the stepping stones, and includes extension ideas for more able children. Children, therefore, make very good progress towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Assessments of children's progress are clear and show their progress towards the early learning goals. Entries in records are supported with observations of children at play, as well as photographs of them engaged in activities and examples of their work. Staff take responsibility for planning areas of learning weekly and incorporate individual children's areas for future development into this. Hence, children are moved onto the next stage in their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children talk with confidence and fluently engage in conversations with peers and adults. They use a widening range of vocabulary and make themselves well understood. Adults offer children lots of opportunities to talk and they develop good language skills. Children confidently engage in rhyming activities and enjoy using the 'Beat Baby' to chant rhymes with. They hear and say initial sounds in words and have exciting opportunities to make marks, for example, in a muddy puddle with sticks. Children develop mark making and writing skills and are encouraged to label their work. Children show interest in numbers and counting and recognise numerals out of sequence. They solve simple problems, as they suggest breaking the dough buns in half when

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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 there are not enough for all the children during singing. Children use language to compare size, name shapes and explore symmetry.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have regular opportunities to talk about their personal lives and experiences that are special to them and their family. They talk about changes in properties, explaining to their peers that when they hold snow in their hands it melts and turns into water. Children explore construction equipment and build and balance. They are able to use a range of materials and join these together to make models to express their own ideas. Children use their imagination well during role play, enjoying dressing up and hiding from the 'Witch and her magic wand'. Children enthusiastically join in with singing, and more confident children sing solo in front of their peers. They enjoy making music and use a range of tins to explore the sounds they make when they bang them with various objects. Children have lots of opportunities to paint and make collages, however these are mainly adult lead. Children are not encouraged to use the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

well resourced craft area independently to express themselves and their own ideas using the materials of their choice.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are cared for by staff who know them extremely well, value and respect them and promote their self-esteem fully. They know the individual children's needs well and fully support them in all activities and routines of the pre-school. Children have access to a range of resources that promote positive images of diversity. Provision is in place to include and support children in the group with learning disabilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, cultural and social development is fostered. Children engage in activities that help them learn about and develop respect for the lives of others. They are polite and respectful towards their peers and have opportunities to explore their local environment and become a part of the community.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff encourage good behaviour through regular praise and encouragement. They are excellent role models to the children and are calm and consistent in their approach to managing children's behaviour. Children begin to take responsibility for their behaviour, through talking about how their actions make other people feel. This enables them to learn right from wrong.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Children benefit from the positive Partnership with parents as they are cared for in line with parents' wishes. Detailed information is gained from parents regarding their child's needs and these are fully catered for. Parents receive detailed information regarding the pre-school's policies, procedures and the curriculum implemented. Information evenings have been organised to enable parents to become familiar with the value of their child's play and learning and to enable them to view their child's assessment records. Parents are fully involved in their child's learning being welcome to come into the group and benefit from seeing their child's play in progress. They have access to topic information and take home activities to share with their child.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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 Children are cared for by suitable and well qualified staff. Detailed recruitment procedures are in place and these are followed to ensure all adults working with the children are suitable. Staff maintain the required adult to child ratios at all times ensuring children receive good adult support. Staff spend long periods engaged in in play with the children, supporting their development and encouraging a positive attitude towards their learning and development.

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Organisation

All required records are kept on premises, stored securely and are readily available for inspection. All necessary consents have been gained from parents regarding their children participating in all activities and routines of the pre-school. This protects their well being and ensures they are cared for in line with parents' wishes. Staff are consistent in implementing the policies and procedures of the group. This promotes the children's welfare, care and learning.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. The well established staff team are very aware of their roles in the group and share all responsibilities including planning. They support one another well and this enables the children to be cared for in a respectful environment. The committee is proactive and supports the staff team well, both with the day to day running of the pre-school and in enabling them to access good training and development opportunities through the appraisal system. The strong leadership of the supervisor enables staff to continually develop new skills, both through positive role modelling and monitoring of practice. Staff are committed to improving the educational provision. They attend regular training and development opportunities and are keen to implement new ideas into the group. Hence, curriculum delivery is continually improved and this enhances the children's learning and development opportunities.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting agreed to ensure child protection duties are shared with parents and children's existing injuries are recorded and to ensure staff promote suitable hygiene practices consistently with the children. For nursery education the setting agreed to improve children's independence in selecting books to use to locate information.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The group shares its child protection duties with parents on the notice board and now records children's existing injuries, which promotes their well being. Staff now consistently encourage the children to wash their hands prior to eating which prevents the spread of infection. Children now have a range of information books available to them and use these to locate information.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2005 no complaints have been made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. 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): • ensure drinking water is available at all times

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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): • encourage children to use the well resourced craft area to select materials to use to represent their own ideas through painting and collage activities

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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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