Sunshine Pre-School

Sunshine Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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EY224537 Unique Reference Number 12 March 2008 Inspection date Sue Vernon Inspector

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School House, East Dundry Road, Whitchurch, Bristol, BS14 0LL Setting Address

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07952929661 or 0117 9774170 Telephone number

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E-mail

Karon Tracy Nichol 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?

Sunshine Pre-school was registered in 2003. It operates from the bungalow situated in the grounds of Bridge Farm Infants School in Whitchurch, Bristol. The group is one of two run by the same private owner. The pre-school serves the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 41 children aged from two to five years on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times. The group is open from 8.30 to 16.30. Sessions generally run from 9.15 to 12.15 and 12.30 to 16.15. Children staying all day bring their own packed lunch.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Seven part-time staff work with the children. Six have early years qualifications to NVQ Level 3. One member of staff is currently working towards a Level 3 qualification.

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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. Staff promote good routines which support children's health effectively. Children develop a good awareness of hygiene, such as the need to wash hands regularly, cover their mouths when coughing and make use of the tissues offered in every room. Staff maintain a very clean environment, for example, by using antibacterial spray on tables between activities. Parents are made aware of the group's sickness policy, which protects children from possible infections. Staff are sensitive to children's needs, for example, they monitor a child feeling ill and support him until his parent comes to collect him.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's well-being benefits from the healthy variety of fruit that is offered for snack times. Staff collect information on each child's individual needs in order to support any special diets or medical requirements. This helps both parents and children feel secure and supported. Appropriate records are in place for recording accidents and medication. These are shared with parents in order to ensure consistency. Children's welfare is supported, because staff are trained to administer first aid and a first aid kit is available.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy daily physical play outdoors, or indoors if the weather is poor. Activities are well planned, encouraging children to stretch, run and develop their skills with catching and throwing. Children relish parachute games and tapes which promote healthy exercise.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a very welcoming and secure environment. Door security and a visitor record ensures that all visitors are monitored. A good selection of information and examples of children's work are displayed for parents. Children are greeted warmly by staff, who get to know them and their families well. This helps children feel valued.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Effective systems are in place to protect children's safety. Comprehensive risk assessments are used on a daily basis to ensure that both the indoor and outdoor environments are safe. For example, the outdoor area is checked and any problems addressed before children arrive. Suitable safety equipment, such as socket covers, is in place. This ensures that children can move safely between rooms as they enjoy a variety of play opportunities. Children know the importance of keeping safe and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety, for example, when walking together to the small bathroom area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is supported by the staff's good understanding of the required procedures to be followed if any concerns about child protection arise. A written procedure is shared with parents. A designated person is in place and staff attend training to develop their knowledge.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled in the welcoming environment. They are interested in their play, as staff plan well in advance and prepare resources in the different rooms before children arrive. For example, a wide selection of collage resources are set out for craft work and card making. The key worker system helps staff get to know the children well and respond to their interests.

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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 Good relationships are built between the established staff team and the children, who enthusiastically join in the daily activities. A good range of play opportunities are planned and offered which ensures that all children participate and are extended by their play. For example, children enjoy using toy trucks to explore paint spread on tables. Children's work is praised. Colourful displays, such as paintings of the children's 'bear hunt', show that children's efforts and achievements are valued.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and activities are planned around the Foundation Stage and the different stepping stones. Staff use planning to inform the daily timetable. They supplement this well by responding to children's interests during the sessions. For example, children enjoy playing in the home room at 'parties', which develops into making birthday invitations and cooking a real cake. Staff confidently prompt children's curiosity, thinking and learning as they ask open questions, such as 'what might happen next?', or 'what is moving and why?', as children make and weigh letters and parcels in their post office.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff work well together as they make observations on children's learning and record their comments in children's records. The regular review of children's profiles helps staff identify general areas for future development, which link back to some play activities. For example, staff use small group play to build concentration skills with a few children after this need was identified. However, children's profile records do not always link clearly to the stepping stones, so that next stage learning can be identified and the learning programme itself evaluated.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and enjoy learning through play, as staff support them and give consistent encouragement and praise. This enhances children's self-esteem and sense of fun, for example, as they join in circle time discussions. Children relish the responsibility of being the special helper for the session and take pride in small jobs, such as returning the register or giving out plates at snack time. Staff help children build good relationships. Children show respect for each other, using 'please' and 'thank you' spontaneously as they share toys. Children use language confidently to describe what they are doing, for example, as they construct a skittle alley using large plastic bricks. A print rich environment helps children develop mark making skills as they attempt to write their names on their work. Children access a good variety of books and stories. They enjoy sharing stories with each other and describe what is happening

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

as they turn the pages. Many children recognise their name cards and enjoy linking phonics to letters. They say 'violin' excitedly when considering the sound of 'v', the letter of the week.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count confidently as part of the activities, for example, when they establish how many children and adults are in the group at circle time. They understand simple addition and subtraction, using their fingers to keep track of how many are left during fun rhyming songs such as 'Five little monkeys'. Children are keen to show their understanding of numbers as they mark scores during a skittle game. Staff encourage children to solve spatial problems as they try to fit different sized bricks into spaces during construction games. Children know different shapes and confidently describe house roofs as triangles.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Opportunities for learning about the natural world are provided, for example, as children plant and grow their own miniature daffodil bulbs or tend garden areas outside. Children's curiosity is stimulated as they search for bugs in the garden or watch pupae change into butterflies. Opportunities to discover the value of technology are limited, although children use some

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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 simple sequencing toys such as a toy microwave. They learn about changes as they mix ingredients together when making cakes or mixing their own play dough. Children confidently

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

explore different textures, such as thick paint or shaving foam. They enjoy using different tools and resources, for example, as they create their own post box, coins and letters from a selection of craft and junk modelling boxes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are cared for by an established staff team, that works well with parents and carers in order to meet the individual needs of each child. This ensures that any special dietary or medical needs are met, which helps reassure parents. Settling-in procedures are in place. Parents get to know their child's key worker through discussions and meetings, although these are not always extensive before the child starts. Parents receive a warm welcome and feedback on their child's experience, including discussions, displays and newsletters, which promotes continuity of care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff respect children as individuals and support them in behaving well. This is done by using positive and sensitive strategies for encouraging good behaviour, such as warm, consistent praise and encouragement. Children's self-esteem is developed effectively, for example through good use of a daily 'special helper', who relishes taking small responsibilities such as returning the register. Children behave respectfully to each other. Staff praise children for remembering good manners, for example, saying 'please' and 'thank you' as they share toys and resources.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children develop awareness of their own and other cultures by discussing family events and enjoying stories and topic activities about other countries. For example, they enjoy preparing, cooking and eating vegetable and noodle stir-fry during Chinese New Year. The group fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, children enjoy a good range of play resources including books, posters and play figures that promote positive images of differences in culture, ethnicity and gender. This helps children learn the value of diversity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Parents receive information about the six areas of learning within their prospectus. They appreciate the regular information on topics and weekly activities that they can share with their child, such as finding things for the letter of the week. Activity planning linked to the Foundation Stage is displayed clearly, which helps parents understand what their child experiences and why. Parents enjoy access to their children's record books, both informally through discussion with the key worker and formally through arranged meetings. This enables parents to comment on their child's learning and fosters a close learning relationship with the group.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Effective recruitment and appointment procedures are used to ensure that staff working with children are appropriately cleared and have suitable early years qualifications. The owner's support for ongoing training ensures that all children benefit from interesting play experiences and good quality care. Staff ratios are met and usually exceeded, which enables staff to provide close support for the children attending. More than the required number of staff hold a first aid qualification. Use of the building is well-planned in order to provide a good range of play opportunities. For example, the craft room offers a wide variety of painting opportunities and

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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 sand and water play. Resources are set out ready which enables children to move smoothly between activities. Policies and procedures are in place and shared with new staff, as well as parents, which builds consistent awareness of routines and responsibilities.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are good. Children receiving a funded nursery place benefit from the owner's commitment to good quality nursery education. The long established, qualified staff team work closely together and share responsibility for the delivery of the curriculum. Staff regularly observe children's progress in learning, recording their observations in record books which are shared with parents. Next areas for learning are identified, but are not consistently linked to the stepping stones. The staff team benefit from regular discussions and team meetings as well as appraisals, which identify their training needs. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group were asked to further develop their procedures for child protection and uncollected children. Full policies are now in place for dealing with child protection concerns and uncollected children, which further supports children's safety.

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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): • continue to strengthen opportunities to build relationships with new children and their families during the settling-in process.

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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): • strengthen the links between planning and children's profiles to ensure all children are consistently moved through the stepping stones and also extend play opportunities for learning about the value of technology.

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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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