Tebay Primary School

Stoke Goldington Pre-school Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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141839 Unique Reference Number 07 March 2008 Inspection date Christine Cutts Inspector

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Village Hall, Stoke Goldington, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 8NP

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E-mail

Stoke Goldington Pre-School Playgroup 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?

Stoke Goldington Pre-School Playgroup has been registered since 1995. It operates from the village hall in Stoke Goldington, Milton Keynes. The premises comprise of a hall and outdoor facilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 23 children on roll. This includes 17 who are in receipt of funding for nursery education. The group currently support children with special educational needs; currently no children attend who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Pre-School opens term time, Monday to Friday, from 09:15 until 12:15.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are five staff who work with children. The leader is qualified and working towards level three; one other member of staff is qualified to level three and one member of staff is completing an early years training course.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Pre-school is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance. The setting receives support from Milton Keynes Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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 enjoy a range of energetic physical activities that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. They develop self-confidence in their physical skills as they use a range of indoor and outdoor toys and equipment, including balance beams and the parachute. Children move with imagination twirling around in dressing up clothes or balancing bean bags on their heads as they walk up and down the hall. Children have good opportunities to use tools and utensils when play with play dough, with the work bench or when cutting with scissors.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through staff reminders to blow their noses and children proudly show how they have washed their hands after going to the toilet. The children are protected from infection because the children play in a clean and well-maintained environment and the staff have information about children's health care matters. All relevant documentation is in place. The majority of practitioners hold current first-aid certificates. However, the application of all prescribed treatments such as soap substitutes are not recorded.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet. They enjoy healthy snacks and drinks, fruit and crackers or bread sticks at snack time. Everyday events such as snack times and topics include discussions and opportunities for children to taste and find out about a variety of foods. The staff take account of the wishes of parents and have a clear record of any allergies or medical condition as well as any dietary requirements to ensure all the children have appropriate and suitable foods.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a safe and well-maintained environment. However, the convector heaters are not covered and there are exposed hot water pipe which pose a hazard to children. The organisation of age-appropriate toys and equipment means children can move around safely and freely to independently access available resources from tables, shelves and box drawers at child height.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from a good range of safety measures, for example socket covers, fire extinguishers and secure premises. They develop a good awareness of safety through practising emergency evacuations. Staff deployment is good and guarantees children are supervised and safe at all times. However, children cannot access the outside environment freely as the group have no dedicated play space. Sensitive reminders, such as a request to remember to use equipment appropriately, such as not walking up the slide, increase children’s awareness of everyday safety in the setting.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected from possible abuse or neglect. Staff show an understanding of the procedure to follow with any concerns. They are fully aware of the types of abuse and signs to look for.

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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 good. Children are confident, settle quickly and readily ask adults for their favourite activities. Children freely select from a wide range of resources. They show interest and spend time concentrating on the resources and activities prepared for them. They are curious and want to play with the resources such as the compost and diggers in the sand tray.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing good relationships and get on well with peers and adults. They play imaginary games together, dressing up and playing doctors in the role-play corner, they co-operate, working together to make the road ways with the cars, work and take part as a group at story and singing times. Children make connections in their learning as they regular use a wide range of creative materials, such as paint, dough and pencils, which encourages them to represent their experiences, feelings and ideas in a variety of ways.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good; Children are making good progress, the staff team, who have a confidence and secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage, supports children. Planning covers all areas of learning, although it lacks detail of the children's individual learning needs during focused activities. Children's development is recorded on assessment records; however, this information is not used effectively to promote planning for the individual child's next step in their development and learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show a sense of belonging as they greet each other and staff on arrival. They are actively involved in play and activities throughout the sessions. Children are developing in their use of number and mathematical language; they talk about big and small, heavy and light, talk about and name shapes. They count correctly to five and show a clear awareness of the order of numbers when counting and children attending using a number line and adding one more as another child arrives.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy books and readily select them to read to themselves and others, they take part and listen well at story times. Children have many opportunities to make marks and practise emergent writing, with free drawing, and when making appointments in the role-play area. Children are confident communicators and use language effectively to make their feelings, thoughts, wants and needs made known to others.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to freely explore everyday items, learn through practical play with items such as telephones and keyboards and use the toaster to make toast at snack times. Children learn about time and are developing a sense of past and present, they know the routine of the pre-school and know what to do at tidy up time or when preparing to go out-side for play. They also learn about the natural world by observing growth, such as when planting sunflower seeds.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children concentrate on activities, and they develop skills such as using scissors when creating a monster with cutting and sticking materials or when re-found modelling. Children's skills and knowledge are developed through staff joining in their play, extending learning by building on the children's own interests and by asking challenging questions.

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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 good. Children feel valued as individuals. The children and the staff show respect, consideration and care. Staff value children’s input, listen to them and respond showing interest and concern. Children’s work is displayed and children learn to value themselves and others through planned topics and activities such as planting sunflowers of Easter presents. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. There are systems in place to support children with special educational needs, however there are none currently attending. Children's behaviour is good, they have a good level of independence, freely selecting equipment for themselves and taking responsibility for their personal care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Children benefit from parents' involvement in their learning. Parents have good information on the children's activities through newsletters, home/preschool books and notice boards. This helps staff and parents work together to help children progress.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Induction training, policies and procedures are in place and work in practice to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. The effective organisation of the available space, resources and staff levels ensure that all the children attending have full support. Committed staff consistently promote the children's well-being, offering a calm and happy environment where good relationships between adults and children are evident.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. The management and staff work well as a team and show a commitment to improving the standards of care and education. Staff's sound understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum enables them to provide planning of activities that cover all areas of learning; however, plans do not include children's individual learning needs. Staff observe children’s developmental learning, and keep assessment profiles. All regulatory documentation is in place and is stored appropriately to ensure the children’s welfare is promoted. Staff share information with parents on a regular basis to inform them about their child, through newsletters, notice boards and daily contact. This supports and contributes to the continuity of care for the children.

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Organisation

The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the group were asked to make sure that the record of attendance accurately reflects the number of children who are present in the setting. Children are now better protected as attendance records now clearly reflect the number of children who are present in the setting with accurate times of arrival and departure recorded.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the group were asked to establish a means of regularly evaluating the activities and the overall provision to ensure the curriculum is effective in all areas and children have greater access to technological equipment. Children now have access to technological equipment such as toaster at snack time, tape recorder and the group does have programmable toys, activities are evaluated to ensure their effectiveness in providing children with learning opportunities. The group were also asked to provide more opportunities

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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 for children to fully explore a wider range of malleable materials and to be able to freely express their ideas and imagination through art and creative design. Children now have very good opportunities to use malleable materials and creative opportunities, such as free modelling, role play, cutting and sticking. In addition the pre-school was asked to extend the present recording of children's observations to indicate progress through the stepping stones, enabling staff to identify individual needs. Children's development is now well supported with clear development records showing the children's progress on the stepping stones.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made 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): • ensure medication procedures are followed for all prescribed treatments • ensure children are protected from harm from convector heaters and exposed hot water pipes

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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 planning and children's assessment records to identify children individual learning needs.

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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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