Cherry Tree Pre-School

Cherry Tree Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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309267 Unique Reference Number 11 December 2007 Inspection date Jannet Mary Richards Inspector

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Cherry Crescent Community Centre, Cherry Crescent, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 6DL

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E-mail

The Trustees of Cherry Tree Pre-School (Rawtenstall) 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?

Cherry Trees Pre-school operates from a detached wooden building in the Rawtenstall area. It is run by a committee and serves the local community. The children have use of a large hall, smaller room for quiet activities and enclosed outdoor play area. The group opens Monday to Friday from 08.30 to 12.30 during school term times only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 29 children on roll between the ages of two and four years, including 21 children who are in receipt of nursery education funding. There are no children currently attending who have an identified disability or learning difficulty. The setting supports a small number of children who have English as an additional language. The four members of staff who work with the children all have 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. Children's health is promoted well. There are effective procedures in place to ensure the premises and equipment are clean, minimising the risk of the spread of infection. The staff clean tables before and after snack time, for example, and follow good hygiene practices when preparing the children's snack. The children learn to take responsibility for their own health needs as they wash their own hands and wipe their own noses. The adults use appropriate opportunities to talk about why this is important, to develop the children's understanding. When the children finish singing 'When Santa got stuck up the chimney' for example, they discuss why we need to cover our mouths when we sneeze.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children enjoy the very social snack time each day. They are able to select when they have their snack as this is available during the morning session. They can also access fresh drinking water whenever they wish. This allows the children to develop good independence and self-help skills, in addition to recognising when they are hungry or thirsty. Snacks consist of fresh and dried fruit with brown bread, providing children with healthy choices to promote their health.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children engage in a good range of physical activities to benefit their health and develop their physical skills. They develop coordination and control as they play parachute games, skittles and climb on the climbing frame. They play outdoors and go for walks in the local area which provide them with opportunities for fresh air and exercise.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are made to feel very welcome in the setting. When they arrive they are greeted warmly by the staff. They each have a peg for their coat and a drawer for their pictures and other items. Their creative work is displayed on the walls. This helps the children to have a strong sense of belonging and feel settled and secure. The children play with a wide range of toys and resources which are well organised for them to reach easily. This allows the children scope to develop their play ideas and promotes their independence effectively.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The premises are generally safe for the children. The staff supervise them very well at all times and carry out thorough risk assessments and hazard checks to keep them safe. They have not yet carried out a risk assessment for a portable heater, however, which is a potential hazard to the children. The children develop a good awareness of safety as they play. When they have built a tall tower of bricks, for example, they are aware to ensure that the coast is clear before knocking it down.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff team have all attended child protection training and have a very good awareness of procedures to safeguard the welfare of children. They have a strong commitment to prioritising the welfare of the children in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle very well in the pre-school. The staff are sensitive to their needs and ensure that visits and settling in sessions are tailored to suit the children's needs. During the settling

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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 in period they observe the children very closely and support them well, enabling the children to develop their confidence within the setting. Overall, the children are very confident and happy, they clearly enjoy attending the pre-school. The relationships between the staff and children are very good. The staff treat the children respectfully and encourage the children to show care and consideration for each other.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The younger children who attend the setting thoroughly enjoy exploring all of the activities available. They spend time exploring the properties of the paint as they spread it on the paper and on their hands. They enjoy filling and emptying containers in the sand and water play, and finding out about the toys and materials they use. The staff recognise the importance of allowing the children to explore the resources and their environment in order for them to develop into competent learners. They observe the children as they play and offer support when they need it. The children develop into skilful communicators as they engage enthusiastically in singing sessions and listen carefully at story time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Although the staff provide a wide range of good quality experiences for the youngest children, they do not yet use the 'Birth to three matters' framework for planning activities and assessing the children's progress. This means that some opportunities for children's progress in line with this framework may be missed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of the teaching and learning is good. The staff plan a wide range of interesting activities, enabling the children to make good progress in all areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children are very confident in the setting. They happily move around the room, selecting toys and resources and developing their play ideas. The accessibility of the toys allows them to develop their ideas and enhances the learning opportunities available. They are very independent, putting on their own aprons, sweeping up the sand which has spilt on the floor, and helping to tidy away the toys. The children concentrate very well during activities. They listen with interest at story time and join in the familiar text of their favourite stories with enthusiasm. They develop good early writing skills as they make marks in a tray of lentils or sand, and as they explore the materials in the mark making area. They become aware that we write for a purpose when they write a letter to Santa, for example, or make a shopping list in the role play area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

As they play, the children develop good mathematical understanding. They count very often during play. They use mathematical language, such as big, tall, under and high in context when they build a tower of bricks, then notice that they have made three towers the same size. Later they take a tape measure to see how big the tower is.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children enthusiastically explore their environment. They use simple computer programmes, moving the mouse with skill to operate the programme. They explore objects with magnifying glasses and binoculars. They have many interesting opportunities to find out about the world around them when they go for regular walks and visits in the local area. They have visits from people who help us, such as the fire service and nurse. These first hand experiences enable the children to develop a very good knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children are able to express their own thoughts and ideas as they play, which helps them to develop creativity. They use media and materials in the creative area to make two and three dimensional pictures and models. They develop their imagination as they play in the home area and with the small world toys. As they play the children use a wide range of objects and tools,

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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 such as scissors, pencils and rollers which allow them to develop their fine motor skills and coordination very well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff team support the children very well. They talk about what they are doing and ask the children questions to encourage their thinking and learning. They observe the children closely and know how to challenge them at a level which is appropriate to their understanding. This effective support ensures that all children are challenged appropriately and make good progress in their learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children thrive in the positive environment of the pre-school. They have good self-esteem and confidence because the staff team treat them respectfully and promote their good behaviour. The children respond well to the praise and encouragement they receive. They are proud of their achievements and enjoy showing what they have made to the staff and their parents. The children learn about differences when they celebrate cultural festivals, such as Eid, Chinese New Year and St George's day. They play with a good range of books and toys which have positive images of different people in society. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The staff work well with parents and carers to meet the individual needs of the children. They have a strong commitment to including all children. Parents are made to feel very welcome in the setting. They have access to a wealth of information about the pre-school on notice boards and an information table. In addition the staff talk to them informally each day about what the children have been doing to ensure that they are well informed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of nursery education funding is good. Parents are kept well informed about activity planning and ideas to support their children's learning at home. They receive regular newsletters informing them of themes and activities. They are well consulted about the quality of the educational provision. Parents and carers are well informed about their children's progress, though have fewer opportunities to contribute to assessment procedures.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The effective organisation of the pre-school ensures that children receive good quality care and education. There are effective procedures in place to ensure that the adults working with the children are suitable. The established staff team work very well together. They follow the clear policies and procedures well in practice to ensure that children are safe and well cared for. The staff team are committed and enthusiastic. They attend training courses on a regular basis to ensure that they have an up-to-date knowledge of childcare issues. They use this knowledge well in the day to day practice to support the children.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education are good. All staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and support them well. There are effective procedures in place to monitor and evaluate the provision offered to the children. This means that the staff have a clear awareness of the strengths of the provision and are able to identify areas for future development.

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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 The documentation relating to the care of the children is well maintained and recorded, and fully supports the care of the children.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspections of care and nursery education the setting has made progress on the issues raised. They have developed effective procedures to monitor and evaluate the educational provision to ensure the continued quality of education for the children. They have developed some aspects of the partnership with parents and planning of activities, and further aspects have been identified for development from this inspection.

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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): • complete a risk assessment relating to the use of the portable heater and take action to minimise risks • continue to develop the use of the 'Birth to three matters' framework for planning activities and assessing children's progress.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to develop the systems for involving parents in the assessment of children's progress.

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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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