Lyndhurst Pre-School

Lyndhurst Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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507969 Unique Reference Number 28 November 2007 Inspection date Carole Gronow Inspector

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The School, High Street, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7BB Setting Address

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E-mail

Lyndhurst 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?

Lyndhurst Pre School has been registered since 1965 and is managed by a committee. It operates from a purpose built unit on the site of St Michael and All Angels School and it serves the local community.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 20 children may attend the preschool at any one time which is open each weekday from 09:00 -11:30 and 12:30 -15:00, term time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 36 children aged from 2 years 9 months to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 30 children receive funding for nursery education. The preschool welcomes children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The preschool employs six staff all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are in place to ensure that children stay healthy. Staff take positive steps to prevent cross-infection, for example, they regularly check that the toilet area is clean and they use different coloured cloths for cleaning different areas of the preschool. Children have a good understanding of health and hygiene practices, they independently wash their hands at appropriate times such as after using the toilet and when involved in a cooking activity. Children know that to stop germs they must cover their mouth when they cough and they place used paper tissues in the bin. Children are well cared for if they become ill or have an accident, this is because all the necessary consents and information has been obtained from parents and carers. First aid kits and vital information are carried by staff whenever they go out with children and as all staff have a first aid certificate, children

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered healthy snacks which consist of a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, including carrots that they have grown. Children enjoy a café style snack bar, carefully pouring themselves water if they chose to drink this in preference to milk. In a small group, they sit with a staff member and talk about fruits and vegetables being good for you to eat. Posters on the wall re-enforce this message. Children can quench their thirst at any time because jugs of water and cups are always accessible to them. Children have their health and dietary needs well met as all the necessary details are obtained at the time of placement and all staff are fully informed of any specific requirements. Children enjoy daily opportunities to participate in activities both indoors and outdoors, developing their coordination and large muscle skills, for example, by playing with wheeled toys and balancing on flower pot stilts. They enjoy sand and

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Helping children to be healthy

water play and when they are outside, painting the walls of the building. Children make regular visits to the school hall where they engage in physical activities such as moving to the beat of music that is playing or when practising the songs and actions for their Christmas Nursery Rhyme Nativity. Children gain experience of a range of small equipment and confidently use things such as; pencils, glue spreaders, sticky tape, brushes, laces to thread, peg boards and cutters.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in premises which have been specifically designed for the purpose and where everything has been planned to support children's independence, for example, toilets and sinks are all at their height. The premises are bright and welcoming with information about the preschool is on display and there is artwork on the walls that the children have been involved in. All the available space is well organised so that children have direct access to the wide range of play equipment and resources that the preschool provides. This enables children to make their own choices about what to play with whilst at the same time, moving about freely and safely. Children are protected from harm and neglect because there is a clear child protection policy. All staff are familiar with this and they are aware of their responsibilities and know how to identify signs of symptoms of abuse. Staff who have most recently attended training in this

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

area cascade the information to their colleagues. Although staff find out in discussion with parents and carers about any mark or injury that a child arrives with they do not always record it, so children's welfare is not totally safeguarded.

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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 Staff are extremely vigilant about identifying possible risks and hazards are and ensuring any are immediately addressed because children’s safety is of paramount importance to them. Staff warn children about things that could harm them such as the drain covers outside being slippery because it is raining. Accident books are reviewed termly to look at the cause of any accidents. If there are any common links they are then addressed to further minimise the risk of accidents to children. The security of children is also given high importance and the extremely effective system in place means that children cannot leave the premises unsupervised and ensures that they are handed over to the correct person.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are settled at the preschool. When they arrive they help to hang their bags and coats up. They separate happily from their parent or carer, go and find their name card and greet their friends, demonstrating a sense of belonging. Children all greet the member of staff at registration and are eager to get on with their play. They are familiar with the activities that are out continuously and staff ensure that children are made aware of other specific activities that have been put out for them that session, so that they can make informed choices about what they want to play with. Children are constantly busy because there is a wide variety of interesting learning opportunities for them to participate in. Children and staff have very good relationships and children confidently approach staff to ask for help throughout the session or even just to chat to them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The fully qualified staff team are all very enthusiastic in their work and are committed to on going training in order to update their skills and knowledge. Any training attended is cascaded to all other staff members so that they can all keep up to date. All staff are long serving and relationships between them are exceptionally good. They are all totally familiar with the daily routine, what activities are being offered and of individual children's needs. They instinctively know what needs to be done next so as to most effectively support children in their learning. Staff self deploy themselves throughout the room all taking equal responsibility for ensuring that sessions run smoothly. They support children until they are confident or familiar with an activity and then withdraw and move on to work with other children. Key workers use their good knowledge of individual children to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

plan targets within some of the six areas of learning to help children make progress. Individual children's files hold notes of observations, however this information is not regularly updated onto children's records of achievements. Despite this, staff's very good knowledge of not only their own key children, but of all children who attend the preschool ensures that children are provided with realistic targets and activities for them to make progress in all areas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are very confident and happy and are very much at home in the preschool environment. They readily initiate discussions with staff and other children and they invite visitors to have a picnic with them. They manage their personal independence very well indeed. They take themselves off to the toilet, they put their aprons on and off when engaging in activities such as cookery and they help themselves to fruit at snack time. The preschool has appropriate strategies in place to ensure that children attending with learning disabilities and/or difficulties are appropriately supported. Children enjoy books, they love sitting together in the cosy book area looking at them, they handle them carefully and are becoming aware that written print carries meaning. Children are making good attempts to write their name, ascribing meaning to marks that they have made in their Christmas cards. They become thoroughly engrossed at

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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 story time when staff skilfully use props of characters in the story to keep their interest and enable the children to participate. Children are recognising rhythm in spoken words and enthusiastically join in with familiar words that are repeated on each page.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have lots of opportunities to use and become familiar with numbers. Pictures with numbers are displayed around the room and they sing action songs such as; One, two, three four, five once I caught a fish alive. They count throughout the day from checking the number of children present to whether there is enough space at the table for them to be able to have their snack. Staff routinely ask children to count when they are working with them and many children can count reliably up to five and some well beyond. Some children can name numbers they see and some are able to name the number that comes before or after another number that is under 10. Children measure and weigh, they try balancing the bears on the scales, they pour and mix when cooking and in water play. Children enjoy using their imagination especially in the role play area which takes on many different guises, such as a fire engine and, at Christmas,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

a stable. When it is a home area they pretend to get ready for a picnic, gathering up a travel rug and packing all their food and crockery in a basket and a back pack. They also cook for one another finding vegetables to stir fry and they feed the dolls which are their babies.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. All children are valued and respected, their birthdays are celebrated and so are individual achievements that parents and carers inform preschool about on the celebration sheets it provides. Children learn about other cultures through activities that are linked to their topics. For example, during the nursery rhymes topic a parent came in and taught them one in German. This helps children to link what they learn to real life situations that they experience. Children also absorb a range of positive images such as those found in books and puzzles in their daily play. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support. Two members of staff have attended training in this area and they keep up to date with current information. They are aware of the local support systems and where to refer for advice. Children's behaviour is exceptionally good.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The way that staff very effectively self-deploy themselves ensures that children are kept busy and occupied all the time as they move around different activities both inside and out of doors. Children work together well and they are aware of and abide by the preschool rules and routines. For instance, they know when the chimes ring that it is tidy up time and they all find themselves jobs to do with many of them singing along to the special music that is playing.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the very relaxed, happy partnership that exists between parents, carers and the staff of the preschool. Before children start, a well planned induction ensures that both they and their parents and carers are familiar with the preschool and its routines. Initially, they receive good written details, including a prospectus and an information pack. Parents and carers receive a settling-in report when their child has attended for half a term and that is followed by termly 'mini-reports'. Parents and carers are aware that copies of policies are available for them to see. Information about child protection is on display however, the policy is not shared with them before their child is admitted to the preschool. There is a complaints policy however this does not accurately reflect current guidance about maintaining a complaints log. The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive funding for nursery education is

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Helping children make a positive contribution

good with the majority of information being shared through discussion. Initially, all parents and carers are asked to complete a booklet to share what they know about their child with the staff. Parents and carers are told about the topics children are looking at via the newsletter and other relevant information is displayed on the notice board. They know who their child's

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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 key worker is and they are aware that records are kept tracking their child's progress. Very few parents or carers have seen the records even though they are aware of the preschool's 'open door' policy and there are no planned opportunities offered by the preschool for this to occur on a formal basis.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides. A robust system is in place to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children and there are induction procedures in place for new staff. Both students on placement and parent helpers are given very clear guidance about their roles and responsibilities. The comprehensive list of policies and procedures which are used to underpin the running of the preschool are all reviewed annually on a rolling programme to ensure that they reflect the current practice of the group. Parents and carers are advised, and are aware, that they can see copies of the policies at any time. Records of children's attendances are accurately maintained with actual times of both arrival and departure clearly recorded.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. Staff are very keen and all work together to plan activities for children. Staff are consistent as most of them have worked at the preschool for many years and they work well together as a team. Staff have meetings twice a term. they use these to plan, look at children's records of achievements and set targets for individual children. Staff meetings are also used to discuss practice within the setting, and staff who have attended training share what knowledge they have gained so that all staff benefit and are kept up to date. Staff also discuss issues on a day to day basis both before and after the session. Excellent links have been established between the reception class at the school and the preschool. Frequent visits by children into school and by the teacher to see them helps to ensure that their transition is a smooth one.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection concerning the care of the children the preschool was asked to; ensure that entries on accident and medication records are confidential, to record the times of arrival and departure for children and staff and to provide a statement of procedure to be followed if a child becomes lost. They have all been addressed. Each child has a separate sheet for recording any accidents or medication administered which is kept in the office. There is a clear procedure for staff to follow if a child becomes lost and accurate records are kept detailing the times of arrival and departure of staff and children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Concerning nursery education the following recommendations were made; provide planned opportunities in mathematical development for the more able children to develop mathematical language and ideas including adding and subtracting in every day situations and practical activities and ensure all aspects of mathematics are adequately covered in the planning so that all children make progress. Staff routinely use mathematical language with the children. Practical activities are provided to support children's learning in this area and there are frequent opportunities for adding and subtracting throughout the preschool session. The setting was asked to review resources including books to enhance all areas of the curriculum; and extend the provision for physical development to include more opportunities for children to use balancing and climbing equipment. The preschool now has a comprehensive range of resources

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Improvements since the last inspection

which cover each area of the curriculum and a good selection of books are available for children to freely access. Children use a secure outside play area every day. They visit the school field

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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 where they use the fixed equipment for balancing and climbing. It was recommended that the preschool ensured that the assessment system has consistent links to the stepping stones of the early learning goals of the Foundation Stage and informs planning in order to enable children to make consistent progress and be challenged to build on what they already know, particularly in mathematical development. The system to assess this is reliant on staff's good knowledge of their key children. Key workers are responsible for recording observations and for monitoring where children are on the stepping stones. Although staff are fully aware of their children's abilities and achievements and they set regular targets for each of them based on this knowledge and children are making consistent progress, individual records of achievement do not accurately

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Improvements since the last inspection

evidence this. Also, the preschool was asked to provide parents with time and opportunity to discuss and absorb information about the curriculum and their children's progress. This is only done on an informal basis however parents do know that the setting operates an open door policy. Opportunities to share information about their child's progress is, again, the subject of a recommendation.

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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): • share the child protection procedures with parents and carers prior to their child commencing at the preschool and ensure that all pre-existing injuries or marks that children arrive with are recorded and that parents and carers sign to acknowledge the record • ensure that policies and procedures reflect current guidance in particular with reference to the requirement to keep a complaints log.

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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 all records of achievements are sufficiently completed to be able the accurately track children's progress on the stepping stones. Provide formal opportunities to share children's records with their parents or carers.

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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 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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