Christ Church Little Oaks Preschool Creekmoor

Christ Church Creekmoor Little Oaks Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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EY272083 Unique Reference Number 07 November 2007 Inspection date Maria Lumley Inspector

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Youth Centre, Northmead Drive, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7XZ Setting Address

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E-mail

Christ Church Ecumenical Church Council 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 satisfactory. 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Christ Church Little Oaks Pre-School has been open since 1991. The group operates from the youth centre in Poole. Children have access to two indoor halls and a secure outdoor play area. The pre-school also have access to facilities within the church. The pre-school serves the local community.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 30 children from two to four years on roll. This includes 15 funded children who attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children who have learning difficulties. The group during Monday to Friday from 09:30 until 12:00. The setting operates term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Four regular staff work directly with the children, committee members and familiar bank staff available to provide cover in an emergency. All staff have early years qualifications and they attend short courses relating to their roles.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from Poole Sure Start, including regular visits from the Early years advisory teachers.

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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 establishing effective hygiene practices through the daily routine. For example they wash their hands prior to snack time. The use of liquid soap and disposable paper towels minimises the spread of infection. Staff support this activity well, ensuring that children complete the task, washing between their fingers and drying their hands thoroughly.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well cared for in the event of accidents as three staff have completed first aid training. A fully stocked first aid kit is kept close by at all times to ensure that treatment can be promptly administered. Staff take positive steps to prevent the spread of infection through effective routines such as cleaning tables with anti-bacterial sprays prior to snack time. Staff are quick to act when a child dribbles on the floor. They ensure the area is thoroughly cleaned to prevent spread of germs. Good nappy changing routines are in place, staff use a mat which is cleaned after each use. Gloves are worn and soiled nappies put in nappy sacks and disposed of in an outdoor bin. Staff record when they have changed a child's nappy and share this information with parents. Children are well cared for when they become ill at the setting. Staff contact the parents and ask them to collect their child. Whilst waiting for parents to arrive staff

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Helping children to be healthy

offer comfort and kind words to reassure the child.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from the healthy eating scheme, 'Snack pack' which has been issued by the Borough of Poole. This ensures that children receive a variety of healthy choices at snack time, including fresh fruit, bread sticks, raisins, cheese and crackers. At the visit the children enjoy eating sliced pear, apple and grapes. They use tongs to serve themselves which ensures they do not touch the food that others will be eating. Water is available for children at all times and they help themselves to the jug and plastic cups that are sited on a low table, consequently children are kept hydrated at all times. Staff are well informed about individual dietary requirements and ensure that children's needs are respected and catered for. For example, due to children's allergies the pre-school are a banana and nut free zone.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from frequent opportunities to participate in physical activities in the sports hall and outdoor play area. They demonstrate good spatial awareness as they use the hoops, they position themselves to prevent the hoops from knocking into each other. The children confidently pedal the bikes and cars, altering their speed and direction to avoid collision. Children enjoy using the balls and show accurate kicking and throwing abilities as they aim the ball through the goal posts. Children have opportunities to develop their small muscle control when using tools such as pencils and tongs.

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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 welcoming environment. Staff greet children by name as they arrive and listen to their news. The premises have shared use and staff set up and pack away each day. Display space is limited, however staff make effective use of the mobile display screens to exhibit children's work and display information about the pre-school with parents. Children have easy access to a range of resources, and child-sized furniture is arranged to promote independence and choice safely.

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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 Children's safety is promoted as staff complete daily written risk assessments to ensure the environment is safe at the start of the session. They check the indoor and outdoor areas before children arrive at pre-school and any hazards are removed. However, ongoing safety is not sufficiently monitored throughout the session. Staff do not closely monitor all activities within the setting or respond promptly to deal with potential hazards such as collapsing or broken resources.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well rehearsed in the emergency evacuation procedures which means they are familiar with how to behave in an emergency situation. Staff have effective systems in place to prevent unauthorised access to the building. A member of staff is deployed by the main door at opening and collecting times to ensure the safe arrival and departure of children. Children, staff and visitors attendances are accurately recorded. Consequently, there is a clear record of who is on site at any time. Effective arrangements are in place to promote children’s safety when on outings in the local area. Staff risk assess walks and discuss safety issues such as the importance of holding hands prior to outings taking place.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are confident in child protection issues and there are clear procedures to follow if staff are concerned about a child or any person makes an allegation. This contributes to children being safe from harm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Staff provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities such as, creative, construction, role play, imaginative play and physical activities. Children are happy at the pre-school and enjoy their time there. They are confident and instigate their own play. For example, two children decide to dress up. They select from a variety of clothes and pretend to be princesses. They then find a cushion each and act out 'Sleeping Beauty'. The children laugh and play together for a period of time before moving on to other activities. On occasions, younger children lack direction. One child empties crayons onto the floor and another sits at the computer not knowing what to do. When staff act on these situations they are able to entice children back to activities and capture children's interest.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy and confident. As the doors open they rush inside, seek out friends and choose an activity. They have formed good bonds with the staff and their peers. Children show care and consideration for each other helping each other with dressing up clothes and other tasks. Children are developing self-care skills, they put on their coats and do up buttons and zips independently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities to develop their maths skills through planned and free play. For example, two children instigate their own play using the tape measure. They use it to measure each others legs and arms, they then compare sizes. One child comments, 'My legs are longer then yours'. Whilst using the play dough children are aware of the shapes and sizes of the models they are creating. Children learn about volume as they use containers of water and a sponge. During a small group activity the children take turns to count the bricks and are able to count to eight, they then group bricks according to their colour. Children have 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 opportunities to mark make. They demonstrate hand-eye coordination as they control crayons and pencils to draw lines and circles. Children join in familiar songs and rhymes and particularly enjoy practicing the Christmas songs that they will be performing to their parents. Children speak to each other and staff and communicate their needs and thoughts. They listen to and follow instruction from staff, for example, tidying away when staff ask them to.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities to express themselves and learn about the wider world through planned activities and the use of different media, they enjoy using the play dough to create models. Children use cotton buds, coloured paints and black paper to paint bonfire and firework pictures. They talk about their pictures and the noises that the fireworks made when they watched them the previous evening. At small group activity time a member of staff shows the children a book titled 'Diwali'. The children join in a song about Diwali and enjoy it so much that they ask to sing it again. The children talk about celebrations in their own lives such as birthdays and Christmas. One child says, 'I dance at parties.' Children are curious about nature and the world around them. As they play outside two children notice the leaves on the ground. They pick them up and collect them in the bike trailer. One child looks up at and points to the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

trees then says, 'Look they came from that tree'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a sound knowledge of Foundation Stage, early learning goals and six areas of learning. The manager and deputy have established clear planning that covers both the Foundation Stage and Birth to Three curriculum. Plans identity the six areas of learning, early learning goals, what children will learn and what the practitioner needs to do. Staff evaluate activities to determine the effectiveness and any areas that could be improved. They complete written observations and 'All about me' records to plan for the next step in children's learning. Once gaps in children's learning have been identified, staff plan small group activities to focus on set areas of learning. For example, one group use pencils to draw around their hands to improve their hand eye co-ordination and small muscle control.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use a range of teaching methods which include discussion, praise and demonstration. For example, when a child uses the water and sponge activity they are asked questions to further their learning. These questions trigger the child's curiosity. However, at times teaching methods are inconsistent as not all staff take opportunities to extend children’s learning by introducing new words and concepts during activities. Staff provide children with opportunities to mark make but do not encourage them to mark make with meaning. For example, staff tend to write children's names on their work for them. They do not allow children independence in this area of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Most activities are well resourced and enable children to fully participate and benefit from their play. However, the mark making table and water tray are not sufficiently resourced to maintain children's interest, enhance their learning and fully participate in the activity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's spiritual, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are generally well behaved, are kind, polite and show respect for one another. They are familiar with the daily routine and what is expected of them. For example, when a member of staff rings the bell children know to help tidy away activities. Children put books back in the book corner, put puzzles back in boxes and carry them to the entrance hall. Their help is recognised and rewarded by staff who say 'Thank you for listening and helping, well done'. The praise boosts children'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 self esteem. Minor incidents are dealt with by staff who use appropriate and consistent strategies such as discussion and explanation.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff are attentive to children's individual needs and support them well. For example, most children arrive with enthusiasm and smiles and quickly engage in activities. However, some of the new children are reluctant to stay and cry when their parents leave. Staff ensure that these children receive lots of reassurance to ease the transition between home and the pre-school, minimising stress to the child. Children's individual care needs are met effectively because care is taken to record all relevant details and information at their time of entry and keep these details up to date. Suitable systems are in place to support children with learning difficulties and provide an inclusive environment. Key workers keep written observations on the children and meetings are arranged to share information between all agencies involved in the child's life. This promotes consistency for the child.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn about the wider world through planned activities. For example, a recent theme was 'Countries' and the children made flags, studied a globe and made foods from around the world. Children also have access to some resources that show positive images of diversity such as multi-cultural play figures, books and puzzles.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents are kept well informed about the pre-school through regular newsletters. A parents information board is located in the entrance hall which gives information about Birth to Three matters framework and Foundation Stage curriculum. The complaints record is kept on the desk for parents to view. Parents report that they are happy with the provision. They feel that staff are approachable and easy to talk to. Parent’s have regular opportunities to discuss their children with staff. Parents report that these meetings are informative as they are able to view children's work, individual folders and discuss the different areas of learning. Staff share children's strengths and weaknesses and give parents ideas of activities to do at home to support their children's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The provider meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide. Space is well organised within the pre-school. A weekly floor plan which links with the planned activities is written and followed. This ensures that tables and activities are well positioned to maximise space and to leave clear pathways for children to move around freely and safely. Children walk around the rooms and select activities from those that have been set out. The 'Where am I today' rota ensures that staff are aware of their daily roles and responsibilities. However, staff do not sufficiently monitor children throughout the session. The hall, sports hall and outdoor play area are used daily and this ensures that children have access to both indoor and outdoor play. Children lack privacy at toilet time. The children are taken to the toilets all together before snack time. Children use the toilets with the doors open whilst the rest of the children look on.

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Organisation

There are effective recruitment and vetting procedures in place which ensure that suitable staff work with the children. Staff complete an induction programme to ensure they are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Appraisals are set up and training needs are identified for continued professional development.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The group uses effective systems to for planning that ensures the Foundation stage and Birth to Three are covered. In addition, staff complete self evaluations sheets to monitor the provision and to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous care inspection the provider agreed to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. Staff have achieved this by attending safeguarding awareness courses. The pre-school have a dedicated member of staff responsible. This ensures that child protection issues are dealt with appropriately to that children's safety and welfare is fully promoted.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous nursery education inspection the provider agreed to review the organisation of activities to ensure they offer appropriate challenge to older and more able children. The setting continue to work towards offering more challenge to children. Planning accommodates these opportunities and staff are gaining confidence in challenging the children further to extend their learning. Practical life resources have been purchased to challenge the more able children and are accessible at all times.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider also agreed to introduce a system to allow key members of staff the opportunity to monitor the effectiveness of sessions. This has been achieved as staff complete observations on their key worker children and from this information they plan small group work to focus on weaker areas of learning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider also agreed to provide increased opportunities for children to use a wide range of large and small construction equipment. The pre-school have purchased additional resources to address this weakness. Children now have access to a range of construction resources including foam blocks, stickle bricks and wooden bricks. Staff have provided the children with large cardboard boxes which they can use to make cars and dens.

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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 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 satisfactory. 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 satisfactory.

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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): • organise the use of toilets to improve privacy for the children • ensure children and activities are well supervised to eliminate potential dangers

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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 • ensure that children are engaged in meaningful play

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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 teaching methods are consistently applied to enhance children's learning • increase children's opportunities to mark make with meaning • ensure that mark making and water play activities are well resourced

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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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