Farthinghoe Primary School

Shrewton Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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146008 Unique Reference Number 04 December 2007 Inspection date Catherine Louise Sample Inspector

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Shrewton Primary School, High Street, Shrewton, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 4DB

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E-mail

Shrewton 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?

Shrewton Pre-school was registered in 1974. It is situated in Shrewton Primary School in the village of Shrewton. It has sole use of a room attached to the school hall. It serves the local area. The pre-school usually opens five days a week during school term time although this varies depending on the number of children on roll. Sessions are from 09.00 to 13.00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 17 children from three to five years on roll. This includes 14 children that receive nursery funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs eight members of staff. All but one have relevant early years qualifications. The pre-school receives support from a teacher from the 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 are learning about good hygiene practice. They follow thorough hand washing procedures before eating and after using the toilet and know why this is important. There are posters and signs up in the cloakroom reminding children to flush the toilet and wash their hands. Staff are vigilant and check that children have washed their hands. Other effective hygiene measures include the use of paper towels to prevent cross infection and a cleaning rota to ensure that the premises and equipment are kept clean.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have healthy food and drink. They eat a variety of fruit and breadsticks for snack and have plain biscuits as a treat. They have water or milk to drink and staff ensure that children can help themselves to water when playing outside in hot weather. Parents are given guidance about healthy packed lunches and given reminders in the newsletter. Children are learning about healthy eating through topic work and discussion. For example, they talk with a member of staff about why it is important to drink lots of fluids.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well protected from illness and infection. Parents are given frequent reminders in the newsletter that ill children should not attend and are informed that the pre-school has a book about childhood illnesses and exclusion periods which they can refer to. All staff are made aware of children's medical needs. Several staff have first aid training and the pre-school has a well stocked first aid box. Children are helped to keep fit through daily exercise. They enjoy music and movement sessions as well as physical play outdoors with a variety of equipment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are learning about how to stay safe. Staff frequently remind them about personal safety. For example, staff explain why a child should not tip up their chair. They also explain that they have to do the register so that if there is an emergency they know that everyone is safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children can generally move about the setting safely. Full risk assessments of the premises and for particular situations have been made. Children take part in regular fire drills and the pre-school has the necessary fire-fighting equipment. There are no tripping hazards and children cannot leave the premises since there is a stair gate across the door. However, not all electrical sockets are covered and the door is left unlocked which means that strangers could access the premises.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety outside is ensured. The outdoor play area is fully enclosed and the gate has a high bolt and signs reminding adults to lock it. The school grounds also have a high bolt on the gate to prevent children opening it. Outings are fully risk assessed and a high adult: child ratio is maintained on outings.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is protected through the staff's sound understanding of child protection issues. They have a good awareness of the possible indicators of abuse such as changes in behaviour, inappropriate language and low self esteem. They are aware of the procedures to follow if they have concerns and a flowchart showing these is displayed for staff and parents. They record existing injuries although they do not always get parents to sign these records.

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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 and happy. They have good relationships with staff and their peers and confidently ask adults for assistance. They take pleasure in activities such as running underneath the parachute and making Christmas post boxes. They have many independent skills such as pouring their own drinks and putting away their plimsolls. Staff encourage their independence by asking if they can do jobs, such as putting on their shoes, by themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from a varied range of stimulating activities. They have recently handled a snake and have been growing vegetables in their greenhouse. They have visited the local doctor's surgery and recorded this by using a digital camera. They use a wide range of age appropriate resources that cover all areas of their learning. Staff are developing the range of resources that children can use outdoors. For example, they have laminated books so that they can be kept outside and used whatever the weather.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Teaching and learning are good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. They settle well and are keen to join in with activities. They have high self esteem and are able to speak up confidently at register and tell staff when they want more water. They have good relationships with one another and behave well. They have many independent skills and are gaining an understanding of other cultures. They have good opportunities to freely explore different media and materials. They have free access to art and craft materials with which they can experiment. They also explore sound by using musical instruments and enjoy singing, music and movement sessions. They enjoy using their imaginations in role play and staff ensure that the role play area is regularly changed to offer children new ideas for their play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident speakers who speak up in group activities and use talk during their play. Staff are introducing new vocabulary and helping children to link sounds and letters. Children enjoy listening to stories and looking at books. They have been developing their listening skills by making and wearing giant 'listening' ears. They have free access to mark making equipment with which to practice early writing skills. Children show interest in numbers as they willingly count how many adults and how many children are present. They successfully count up to 16 as a group. They do activities such as using dice and computer programmes to help them count and to recognise numerals. They use size language in their play and are learning about shapes. They are beginning to do some basic calculation as they work out how many more objects they might need in sorting and matching games.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good opportunities to explore living things. They have been able to observe a lizard and have all handled a snake. They have also been growing vegetables. They have daily opportunities to design and build models with a variety of materials and also have daily opportunities to use information and computer technology. They are developing a sense of time as they discuss what they did after pre-school the day before. They regularly go out into the local area which helps to give them a sense of place. Children enjoy running freely outside and enthusiastically take part in music and movement sessions. They are developing a sense of space as they negotiate equipment and other children both indoors and outside. They are developing an awareness of their bodies as they talk about healthy eating and the need for fluids. They use a variety of small and large scale equipment to develop both their fine and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

gross motor skills. For example, they use scissors, play dough tools and paint rollers.

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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 Children's education is enhanced by having knowledgeable staff who are able to identify the learning outcomes of activities and link these to the Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff are, therefore, able to challenge children successfully and use effective teaching methods to help them make progress. For example, staff ask questions such as "Can you tell me about your painting ?" which encourage children to discuss what they are doing. Staff also offer plenty of praise and encouragement which helps to boost children's self esteem. All staff contribute to planning which is based on themes such as "Our Senses". Planning is closely linked to the different areas of learning but does not always show direct links to the stepping stones of the early learning goals. All staff make ongoing observations of the children's progress and transfer

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

these to the children's records of achievement regularly.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children actively contribute to the setting. They help to tidy up and pour their own drinks. Staff take account of children's interests and ideas and adapt planning to accommodate these. Children are also involved in the local community. They took part in the village carnival and have visited the local doctor's surgery and the village shop.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well behaved. They have positive relationships with one another and have good manners. For example, a child says excuse me when they ask for help with their coat. They are learning to take turns and to share as they wait to use the computer and divide up the play dough. The golden rules are displayed and staff remind children of these. For example, staff tell children that they should say excuse me instead of pushing past. Staff have a sound understanding of how to manage children' behaviour effectively.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are learning effectively about the wider society. They use a varied range of toys and books that show positive images of diversity including small world figures that are black and have disabilities. They celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year and have joined in with multicultural activities at the school. For example, they met a visitor from South Africa. The pre-school has previously used dual language books when caring for a child for whom English was an additional language.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are cared for well. There is a special needs coordinator who has a strong relationship with the local health visitor and other agencies. She liaises closely with parents to ensure that children's needs can be fully met. There are Individual Education Plans in place for children with additional needs and the coordinator has a sound understanding of the processes involved in gaining a statement of special needs. All staff are aware of children's particular requirements and share responsibility for their care and education.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from an effective working relationship between the parents and staff. Parents are given a warm welcome to the pre-school which operates an open door policy. There is always a member of staff available at the beginning and end of sessions in case parents wish to speak to somebody about their child. Parents find staff approachable and reassuring. All parents are given a copy of the policy document as well as receiving regular newsletters to keep them well informed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents are well informed about the Foundation Stage curriculum and receive information about what children are learning. Staff give them ideas of how to extend children's learning at home and a book bag scheme is due to start in the New Year. This will encourage parents to read with their children at home. Parents have good

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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 opportunities to share what they know about what their child can already do. The pre-school has a thorough initial meeting with parents who are asked to make observations of their child and share these with staff. Parents receive an annual written report but do not currently have formal opportunities to meet their child's key worker or see children's records of progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from a generally well organised environment. The room is divided into different areas, such as a role play area and book corner, that children can move between freely. Although space is limited the children are also able to use the school hall and outside classroom which gives them plenty of alternative play space. The atmosphere is welcoming with displays of the children's work and child-sized furnishings. Resources are organised appropriately. They are stored in low labelled drawers and trolleys for easy access by children.

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Organisation

Children benefit from having suitable staff. All staff have been police checked and recruitment procedures ensure that new staff are asked about their medical history and their references are always followed up. Students and new staff are not allowed to have unsupervised access to children and are not given too much responsibility. There is an annual appraisal system in place to ensure the continuing suitability of staff.

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Organisation

Children's care and education are enhanced by having well trained staff. All but one member of staff have at least a level 2 qualification in childcare and two are hoping to undertake Early Years degrees. Staff attend a variety of training and there is an action plan in place that identifies staff's training needs. Staff are enthusiastic about professional development and are keen to introduce new practice following training.

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Organisation

Children's welfare is enhanced through the keeping of all necessary records, policies and procedures. For example, staff keep accurate records of attendance and accidents. Policies are reviewed annually and all parents are given a copy. The pre-school has a full complaints procedure and parents have access to contact details for Ofsted. Records of incidents and behavioural incidents are kept hanging up in the setting which does not ensure confidentiality. A record of existing injuries is made but parents are not asked to sign to confirm these.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are good. The manager and chair of the committee have both been in post for many years and the pre-school benefits from their experience. Staff are managed effectively and work well as a team. They each have areas of responsibility and there is clear staff deployment. They have formal meetings every three weeks but also have ongoing discussion about the provision and individual children. Annual appraisals ensure the continuing suitability of staff and give them the opportunity to feedback on the management of the pre-school. There are strong links with the committee which meets on a regular basis. Committee members take on responsibilities such as health and safety. Staff contribute to the evaluation of the educational programme. The pre-school uses external evaluation schemes as well as reviewing planning and discussing what works well and what needs improvement. However, the written

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Organisation

evaluation of daily activity plans is not always completed. The pre-school also monitors the success of the provision through ongoing discussion and at staff meetings. The supervisor is able to identify areas that are strong such as Personal, Social and Emotional development. She has also identified areas for development. She is keen to further develop the outdoor play area

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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 to ensure that all areas of learning can be catered for outside and staff have discussed introducing a parent's evening.

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Organisation

Overall the provider 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 pre-school was required to develop risk assessment procedures and to ensure that the outdoor area was secure. There are now full risk assessments in place for the premises, outings and for particular situations. The outdoor play area now has a bolted gate and signs up reminding adults to fasten it properly. These measures enhance children's safety.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the pre-school was required to provide plans to ensure that children progress through all six areas of learning and to develop the monitoring and evaluation of the educational programme. The pre-school has long, medium and short term planning in place which gives equal emphasis to all areas of learning. This ensures that children make progress towards the early learning goals. Staff monitor the success of the programme for learning through ongoing discussion and at staff meetings. They keep past planning and evaluate its success although a written evaluation of daily activity plans is not always completed. These measures enhance children's learning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that children cannot access electric sockets and that the premises are secure • ensure that records of incidents and behavioural incidents are kept securely to ensure confidentiality and that parents sign records of existing injuries

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The quality and standards of the care

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

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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): • ensure that planning shows clearer links to the stepping stones of the Foundation Curriculum and that activity plans are consistently evaluated so that they can be used to inform future planning • ensure that parents have regular opportunities to meet with staff to discuss their children's progress and to see the children's records of progress

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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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