Chipping Norton Pre-School

Chipping Norton Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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133470 Unique Reference Number 15 November 2007 Inspection date Angela Cole Inspector

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Chipping Norton Pre-School, Burford Road, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5DY

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E-mail

The Trustees of Chipping Norton 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 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?

Chipping Norton Pre-School has been registered for almost 30 years. It is managed by a committee made up of parents of children at the pre-school and members of the local community. The group operates from its own building in the grounds of the comprehensive school at Chipping Norton in Gloucestershire. The pre-school is located close to the town centre and other local facilities. The setting uses a playroom, a smaller messy/cloak room, a kitchen area and a quiet room. There is a large, fully-fenced outside area with paving, trees, balancing beams, playhouse, shed and a new sensory garden.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The group is open on weekdays during term time 09.00 to 15.30. The group operates wrap-around care with sessions from 09.00 to 11.30 and from 13.00 to 15.30. A lunch club opens from 11.30 to 13.00 for which staff collect children from a neighbouring nursery and two primary schools.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 49 children aged from two years to under eight years on roll. Of these, 27 children receive funding for early education. Children come from within the town or from the surrounding villages. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with learning

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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 difficulties and/or disabilities and also a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs a co-ordinator, an assistant co-ordinator and six part-time members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications. The group liaises closely with local schools and recently gained a recognised, quality assurance award.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have good opportunities for exercise and fresh air to climb and to negotiate the challenging, fixed beams. They have some free access to the outdoor areas each session to run about, dig in the soil and gain good control of wheeled toys, such as scooters on sloping ground. Children gain an effective sense of space as they manoeuvre prams and create their own repeated movements to balance on one leg. They gain good skills using tools and equipment, including pegs to form their initials, and demonstrate increasing control over mark-making equipment to ‘paint’ water on the fence.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children gain an effective understanding of good practice with regard to their health and know when to dress up warmly. They thrive because staff follow effective procedures that meet their health needs. For example, daily cleaning programmes, regular hand washing and use of protective clothing for changing children and food preparation help prevent the spread of infection. Suitable arrangements ensure that children are treated appropriately when they require medication or following accidents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn the importance of regular intake of fluids; a water jug and cups are always on view for them to request a drink and they pour their own water or milk at meal times. Children's packed lunches are stored appropriately and parents receive guidance on foods not to include, such as fizzy drinks and sweets. The pre-school takes good account of parents’ wishes and children’s choices to provide varied, nutritious snacks that appeal to children and meet their dietary needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy the warm and welcoming environment where they name their own pegs and see bright displays of their work. The premises are well maintained with regular, major refurbishment including a new roof, kitchen and sensory garden. The rooms are bright, very clean and kept at an appropriate temperature to ensure children’s safety and comfort. The toilet facilities effectively meet children’s requirements and they can visit these safely. Parents' suggestions for the increased safety of the premises are thoroughly implemented for the children’s benefit.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children have immediate access to large quantities of high-quality equipment that include many natural materials, such as peat, sand, leaves and bark for rubbings. The resources are entirely safe and suitable for the age range attending to support the children’s development. Staff regularly check the toys and equipment to keep children safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children’s safety is effectively promoted by the staff's effective implementation of health and safety procedures. Comprehensive risk assessment for the whole premises identifies potential

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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 hazards and minimises danger to children who are closely supervised at all times. Children cannot leave the premises unsupervised as all doors are alarmed and gates are securely bolted. They are appropriately protected while resting in the quiet room. Children learn to keep themselves safe as staff give them the reasons, for example, to sit safely. They begin to take small risks in controlled situations, such as negotiating sloping ground and building with small logs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children’s welfare is given high priority as several first aiders attend each session and most staff are trained in child protection. The group’s clear understanding of child protection issues is underpinned by comprehensive policies and procedures to support staff to take appropriate action in the event of any concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children of all ages enjoy their time in the pre-school. They form close attachments to the attentive staff and, increasingly, to each other. For example, younger children role play together with 'hospital 'equipment and older ones feel they belong and have responsibilities through their 'Fours Club'. Staff make good use of the 'Birth to three matters' and Foundation Stage frameworks so that, over time, children take part in a variety of activities covering all areas of their development. Staff observe and record what children do to effectively help them plan the range and balance of activities to support the next steps in children’s play and learning. Children make good progress to increase their early language and thinking skills. They enjoy the well-resourced, indoor and outdoor areas to 'write' their own messages on clipboards and solve practical problems to build with bricks and blocks. They gain a good sense of the world around

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

them as they collect piles of fallen leaves and use recycled materials to create the 'village' of a story bear.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children persevere and make good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. This is because staff have, or are gaining, an effective understanding of the Foundation Stage to support their achieving, for example, in communication, language and literacy. Children develop increasing confidence to use gestures and words to communicate, describe what they are doing, express their needs and ask simple questions, such as, ‘Where is the box? Is that your name?' They tell simple stories, for example, about a drawing showing 'a big smile' and use reference texts in their role play. Staff group children appropriately to support them to listen and respond to books and stories. However, the general routine and use of time does not always maximise children's concentration and progress towards independent learning. Children benefit from the strong programme to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

link sounds and letters so they learn to write for their own purposes, add their words to photographs and name their work.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points, for example, in mathematical development. They spontaneously use numbers to give their ages and confidently count, for example, five play dough stars. Children receive good support to compare numbers of objects during routines, such as snack time, when they calculate how many more cups are needed on their table. They gain a good understanding of shape, space and measure to recognise construction pieces with triangles, fit clothes on dolls and move story rockets 'down'. Children gain new ideas to extend their knowledge and understanding of the world. They select tools for specific purposes and investigate different objects, such as a pressure gauge. Staff use

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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 supportive teaching methods, including open questions to effectively challenge children to extend their thinking. For example, they help children to notice changes to growing vegetables that they make into pumpkin and onion soup. Children are very interested in technology to support their learning, to select design programs and create their own line drawings. They gain a good sense of time and place as they recall significant happenings, compare sand timers and experience seasonal changes in the gardens.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff effectively plan the learning environment and activities to provide a broad, balanced range of experiences across the six areas of learning, including creative development. As a result, children have access to a wide range of media and materials so they explore, for example, autumnal paint colours and the texture of fallen leaves. They respond through all their senses, enthusiastically singing favourite songs and using musical instruments to create loud and soft sounds. Well-resourced indoor and outdoor learning environments and activities are effectively planned to suit children's individual learning needs, their interests and spontaneous play requirements. Staff closely observe children's play and this assessment is effectively linked to plans for future learning. For example, a keen interest in birthdays leads to the imaginative area being set out for parties where children are highly involved through in-depth role play as

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they create banners and cards to celebrate actual birthdays of staff and children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are effectively supported to settle and gain good self-esteem. They develop confidence, for example, to sit in the middle for ring songs. They beam with pride when sharing finished work, such as drawings, with staff who give interested, warm praise. Children confidently make choices and have equal access to toys and activities, for example, boys care for dolls in their pushchairs and girls actively use computing equipment. Staff ensure that there are varied resources and experiences for children to develop a positive attitude to those who attend, as well as individuals from the wider world. Children have opportunities to learn about the community as they become familiar with the school environment and welcome visitors, such as police and road safety officers.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well and learn to be polite through staff's calm, consistent support. Tasks, such as re-housing the giant snails, help children to learn to care for living things. They learn to share toys and increasingly think about people’s feelings as they choose someone who has not had a turn to be the 'sandy child'. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are most effectively supported as the pre-school has very good regard for the identification and assessment of additional needs. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that appropriate support is provided for individual children, including one-to-one care. Resources, including songs written by the leader, and the environment are well adapted to help children communicate and take part in activities or have privacy, if required.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Families strongly appreciate the personal welcome offered to them and their children. Children are cared for in close accordance with their parent’s wishes so they benefit from support which is consistent with that at home. Parents receive clear information about the pre-school and curriculum so they are suitably informed about their child’s care and education. Staff and parents effectively share children's progress and achievements so they can be supported effectively in the group and at home. Family members have good opportunities to be meaningfully involved in the children's learning through management and day-to-day support for the group.

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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 good. The legally-required documents positively contribute to children's well-being, for example, the registers accurately show children's hours of attendance. All policies are carefully considered and revised with input from the staff and committee. The log to record any concerns is compliant with Ofsted's requirements and includes a format to record the necessary information. The pre-school's records are accessible from secure storage, and confidentiality is well maintained so parents feel confident to share any concerns.

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Organisation

Detailed operational plans ensure that the pre-school environment is safe and well organised to support the children's health and welfare. Children have highly-resourced, indoor areas in which to play and the two gardens are attractively designed to extend their development and learning in all areas. They have ample support as the high ratio of adults to children enables staff to devote their time to supporting children's chosen activities. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are good. Children benefit from the active, supportive management provided by the hard-working committee. New staff are robustly vetted, though there is no system for checking their on-going suitability regarding disqualification. Staff's professional development is well supported through sound induction, personal appraisal and an on-going programme of training to enhance the children's learning. Strong leadership provided by the highly-experienced co-ordinator ensures that staff form cohesive teams and work well together by supporting one another and sharing responsibilities. In this way, staff strongly focus on the achievements of each child and effectively monitor the educational programme. Staff are committed and well motivated through their enjoyment of working with the children so they effectively promote an inclusive environment.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous care inspection recommended that the setting improved procedures regarding the recording of children's details and parental consent, meeting fire safety recommendations and following child protection procedures. Staff now record the required detail about children's individual needs, including the families' cultural background and requesting of parental consent to seek emergency medical treatment. As a result, the children receive effective care so their individual needs are met. Staff now monitor procedures to minimise the risk of fire and ensure fire safety recommendations are met at all times. All staff are aware of the designated person for child protection and of written procedures to follow should there be a concern about a child or in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. These improvements have increased the safety of the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous nursery education inspection required the pre-school to improve procedures for teaching regarding planning, use of circle times and challenging older and more able children, and to improve aspects of communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Staff now use allocated time to meet as a team and have their own copies of the planning to ensure a more consistent approach to deliver the curriculum. The management of large groups is revised to give children opportunities to develop their communication skills by listening and valuing what others say. Older and more able children are now suitably challenged by staff to extend their understanding and skill. All children have regular opportunities to link letter sounds with written letters, for example, of their names and to recognise numbers, including the one

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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 chosen for the week. These actions have resulted in improved teaching and more effective learning for the children.

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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. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that there are effective procedures in place for checking the on-going suitability of staff to work with children.

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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): • consider the routine to maximise children's concentration and progress towards being independent learners.

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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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