Manor School

Dunelm Grove Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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144053 Unique Reference Number 27 February 2008 Inspection date Susan Ennis / Paula Jane Hayhow Inspector

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23 Dunelm Grove, West Norwood, London, SE27 9JP Setting Address

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E-mail

Dunelm Grove 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 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?

Dunelm Pre-school opened in 1993. It operates from a purpose built premises situated in West Norwood in the London Borough of Lambeth. A maximum of 20 children may attend the pre-school at anyone time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09:30 to 15:30 term- time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 30 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these 21 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from within the local catchment area. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school employs four 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 satisfactory. Children are cared for in an airy, light and clean environment. Their special requirements with regard to health and diet are documented clearly and they are offered healthy snacks such as fruit. The group organise the snack session as a social event and ensure that the children have time to help themselves to snacks, pour their own drinks and discuss subjects such as what shape and colour the banana and oranges are. This promotes their independence and provides them with opportunities to learn valuable social skills. They are involved in projects such as discussing healthy and unhealthy foods and when bringing their packed lunches they will often tell their parents about the healthy options available. Children are learning appropriate hygiene practices, for example, they wash their hands before snack, after being to the bathroom and regularly have opportunities discussing the relevance of this.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health in an emergency situation is promoted because there are three members of staff trained in first aid. However, their health is compromised as the first aid box is not appropriately stocked. The accident record does not consistently document all the relevant information relating to an incident. This could lead to misunderstandings with parents or inappropriate treatment being sought in the case of an injury. Children enjoy a wide range of physical activities which contribute to their good health. They develop control of their bodies and improve their physical skills and coordination as they participate in activities such as using ride-on cars, balancing beams and climbing frames. The children enjoy action rhymes such as counting on their fingers or moving their arms up and down when singing ‘There were ten in the bed’ or ‘Roly Poly up up up’. The use of small equipment such as pencils, glue spreaders,

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Helping children to be healthy

scissors and small construction pieces aid the development of children's finer manipulative skills.

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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 where their work is displayed; resources are arranged attractively and easy to access. Children's play opportunities are encouraged because they are able to move independently throughout the setting, making choices, using safe and well-maintained equipment. The resources are of good quality, checked when used and cleaned weekly. The children’s safety is generally promoted as staff carry out informal daily safety checks, identifying hazards and taking steps to remove or minimise these. However, children's safety is compromised as they have access to uncovered electrical sockets, sand on the floor, stinging nettles, pools of water in the garden, uneven paving slabs and hazardous items in the hall cupboards and kitchen.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are gaining a sound understanding of taking responsibility and keeping themselves and others safe. They are given clear explanations by staff and understand the importance of turn-taking and tidying toys away in order to prevent accidents. They carry out regular fire drills and are taught about stranger danger and road safety which they practise in the garden using the cars and traffic lights. There is a clear outing procedure which ensures children are kept safe on walks in the community. These include high adult ratios, taking emergency contact details with them, sufficient buggies for those who cannot walk far and some first aid items. Children's welfare is soundly promoted as staff have an effective understanding of child protection procedures and know how to follow up any concerns.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled. There is a clear 'settling-in' process which is carried out at the child's and parents' pace and gives the key-workers time to get to know the family and understand the children's particular needs and ways of learning. The children come in eagerly and are keen to participate in the activities and play opportunities offered. Children happily discuss their activities with staff and proudly show them their completed work. The children are developing their confidence and make good relationships with each other, many having a particular friend they save seats for or play together with. Children's craft work is displayed around the play rooms, promoting a sense of belonging. Their personal development and self-confidence are promoted through caring support and praise from staff who actively encourage independence skills such as packing away toys, hanging coats up, pouring their own

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

drinks and passing around the plates at snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are in a stimulating environment where they are able to easily access play resources and freely choose what activity they wish. Resources are invitingly displayed and changed regularly to add variety and challenge. Staff make good use of open questions to encourage the children to think further and extend their knowledge, such as asking children the colour and shape of an article and discussing how tall or short an object is.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a good understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and have utilised this in all areas of planning and assessment for younger children, ensuring that their play is fun, purposeful and stimulating. Children are able to participate in activities because the staff member adapts these to suit the individual needs of the children. An example of this is a staff member working with children identifying the properties of objects such as wool, bricks and crackly paper. She ensures that the younger children are given simple questions whilst challenging the more able children to describe the items, thus enabling all the children to feel they have achieved.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making sufficient progress and their overall development is suitably promoted. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage and generally plan stimulating and interesting activities. However, planning methods do not demonstrate how activities are adapted to meet children's differing abilities limiting further progression. Staff observe children but the assessment procedure is not sufficiently updated to give a clear indication of children's progress, which could result in a delay in highlighting potential concerns and in planning activities which offer appropriate challenge.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children participate in a varied range of activities which foster their development and help them acquire new skills and knowledge. These include regular opportunities to participate in role play, crafts, construction and physical play. Many activities are also linked to themed projects such as mini beasts, good food and vitamins, and keeping healthy at the dentist providing opportunities for the children to look at a range of topics. Whilst looking at 'going to the hospital' children recreate their experiences by making and visiting the role play hospital, and drawing pictures of ambulances and police cars.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and settled, entering the pre-school happily. They know the routine tidying up when asked and automatically sitting down for circle time. Their independence is

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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 consistently encouraged as they put on their own coats before going outside and confidently help themselves to resources as they want them. They are becoming increasingly self-assured as they show inspectors their just completed painting and inform them that it has to dry before it can be taken home. They are forming good relationships with the staff and their peers. They excitedly welcome the pre-school manager as she arrives and thoughtfully help each other to put on the dressing-up clothes. Their confidence and self-esteem are promoted because staff offer meaningful praise. When children try to write their name they are praised with 'Well Done. Good Try.' Children generally concentrate and listen to stories and are developing an appreciation of this area, enjoying both group and individual stories. They join in with the words of the story

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

often predicting what is going to happen next. They enjoy extending their vocabulary as they talk about the weather and if they needed to wear their Wellington boots to pre-school. They are starting to link sounds to letters recognising that their name begins with A and then asking the member of staff to write their name for them to copy.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are beginning to use numbers in everyday experiences. They sing number rhymes holding up the correct number of fingers and clap in time until they reach twenty. They are developing their understanding of shape, space and measure as they pour sand from one container to another stating that 'it's nearly full' and 'now it's empty'. They also know the differences between flat and solid shapes describing cubes and triangles and how many sides they have. Children are starting to use simple calculations by adding and subtracting numbers. Whilst counting coloured discs children state 'If we take one away we'll have two left.'

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing an understanding of information technology as they use the computer, tape recorder and shopping tills. They investigate the living world as they study the life cycle of a butterfly and plant bulbs to watch how they grow. They are starting to construct and build simple models using resources such as Knex to develop their ideas. They are gaining a sense of time through practical procedures and a consistent daily routine.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing an awareness of different forms of physical exercise such as balancing on beams and using stilts proudly making their way over to the inspector and announcing 'I made it.' They are developing their spatial awareness as they negotiate their way around the outside play area with minimal bumps into others. They also sit comfortably on the carpet allowing each to have their own space and not encroaching on each other. They are becoming aware of their own bodily needs, asking to take off their coat when they become too hot and sitting for a rest when they get a bit tired.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning to express their creative development through using a range of different mediums such as play dough, cornflour and lentils. They are aware of colour and what happens when colours are mixed together. They enjoy singing songs and often put on the music for a dance. Their imaginations are extended through small world resources and role play scenarios. Whilst cradling a doll children state 'Shh, He's sleeping' and then fetch a bed for the doll to go in.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are welcomed and respected as individuals. This is demonstrated by the approach that staff use in saying ‘Good Morning’ and ‘Goodbye’ to each child individually, building their self-esteem and confidence. Children are offered a wide range of opportunities which promote their understanding of society and increase their awareness of other cultures and ways of life. These include celebrations connected with Chinese New Year and Diwali where the children

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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 discuss the Year of the Rat and make candle pictures. The children are learning about their immediate environment on walks to the library for story time, the shops, fire station and the greengrocers to collect produce. Traditions and special events such as Pancake Day are explored and the children enjoy making and tasting their homemade cakes. Children's behaviour is good throughout the session as they choose their activities and organise turn-taking and sharing. For example, the children competently organise themselves to take turns on outdoor equipment by the use of an egg timer. All the children understand and abide by this rule. The children respond well to staff, and the positive approach and good staff role modelling promotes good behaviour and good manners, such as asking politely for a tissue and remembering to say ‘thank

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Helping children make a positive contribution

you’. Children are caring of each other, for example, supporting their friends when they fall off their stilts, helping them to stand up and positioning the stilts for their next try. All this encourages children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development and ensures that it is positively promoted.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Clear systems and practical policies are in place for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Staff members have implemented these, and work sensitively with individual children and their parents to make sure that all are included in the daily activities and routines. The group have organised a visual time table for children with communication needs and this allows them to initiate their play by choosing their own activity. Parents are kept well-informed of the group's procedures and practices through informative parents' notice boards, policies and daily discussions with key-worker staff. This aids parents' understanding of the setting and how their children access the play and learning. The parents and key worker have a productive relationship, the staff informing parents of their child's activities and progress throughout the session. The setting seeks feedback from parents through the staff's approachability and a

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Helping children make a positive contribution

suggestions box. This ensures that parents' views are valued, standards are maintained and suitable quality care is provided for each child.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

In connection with the provision of funded nursery education, the quality of the setting's partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are given good information about the Foundation Stage curriculum through wall displays describing how children learn and the importance of play experiences. They are well-informed about their child's development as they receive termly reports enabling them to contribute to their child's next steps of progress. They are encouraged to become involved in their child's learning through participating in the many activities put on by the committee, joining the parents’ rota and sharing their skills with the children, for example, through helping with drama for the Christmas play.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Overall, children's needs are met. They are offered a stimulating range of play opportunities because staff organise the play space allowing them the freedom to move safely and independently from one activity to another. This enables the children to feel confident to initiate their own play and learning. Children's welfare, care and safety are promoted through the staff's practical knowledge of the pre-school's policies and procedures. The children's safety and security are being soundly promoted as the group use robust recruitment procedures which ensure that staff are suitably vetted and qualified. The induction programme ensures that staff are fully conversant with the policies and procedures to promote the children’s well-being and there is a good commitment to further training.

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Organisation

Children's overall welfare and development are supported by the active involvement of the committee who work with staff to review practice and ensure that the group is able to meet

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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 needs of all children. However, children’s confidentiality is affected as medical and dietary information is displayed in the play room or documented in the medication book. Paperwork is generally well-organised to support the efficient running of the group. However, some paperwork, such as the attendance record is not always consistently or promptly filled in with the arrival and departure times. This could lead to misunderstandings with parents or incorrect information being used to check the numbers of children present in event of an emergency situation such as a fire.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The play leader and staff act as good role models and staff are motivated and enthusiastic, attending additional training and thus ensuring that they are able to provide appropriate care for all children. Sessions are generally well-planned, with a balanced range of activities. Children are given sufficient time and resources to enable them to complete their activities and tasks. Their progress is generally tracked and parents are kept suitably informed of this. Staff meet regularly to plan future work, ensuring that the needs of individual children are met and the development of all children is promoted. However, as assessments are not regularly updated and development files not regularly monitored areas of concern could potentially be missed therefore affecting the children's further progress.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting was asked to ensure that all required vetting procedures are completed on staff. A robust vetting process is in place ensuring the children's safety and welfare. They were also asked to ensure that all written policies and procedures, including the child protection procedure, are in place. A complete policy file is now in place and staff and parents are made fully aware of it. Staff are also fully conversant in the child protection procedures and recognise the signs of abuse. Therefore children's welfare and care is fully promoted.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last Nursery Education inspection the setting was asked to develop the record keeping system to ensure that the next steps in children's learning are identified. All children now have their next steps recorded on their end of term report. However, this information is not always utilised in planning children's further challenge therefore an additional recommendation has been imposed. The setting was also asked to ensure that staff are deployed to support the children's independence. Staff consistently deploy themselves to where they can support the children most therefore assisting their independent learning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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

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Complaints since the last inspection

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

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Complaints 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

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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): • ensure that written records of accidents are consistently documented with the correct information. This refers to the time and date of an incident • ensure that the contents of the first aid box is checked frequently and replaced as necessary • improve the daily risk assessment to include areas such as uncovered electrical sockets, sand on the floor, stinging nettles, pools of water in the garden, uneven paving slabs and protecting children from accessing hazardous items in cupboards and kitchen • ensure that the daily register accurately records the hours of attendance and make sure that children’s confidentiality is protected. This refers to the written records of medication administered and the displaying of personal dietary information.

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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): • improve the use of planning demonstrating the differentiation for more and less able children and therefore providing them with developmentally appropriate activities and further challenge • develop further the methods for assessing children's progress enabling their progress to be tracked and any issues highlighted at an early stage • ensure that children's development records are regularly monitored ensuring that areas of concern are not missed and further progress encouraged.

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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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