Springfield Primary School

Bideford Baptist Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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106298 Unique Reference Number 13 February 2008 Inspection date Judith Harris Inspector

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Bideford Baptist Centre, Mill Street, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2JR Setting Address

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E-mail

The Trustees of Bideford Baptist Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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E-mail

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

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Bideford Baptist Pre-school is run by a volunteer parents committee. It opened in 1981 and operates from the Baptist church hall. It is situated in the middle of Bideford in North Devon. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday morning from 09:30 to 12:00 and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon from 12:45 to 15;15. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 61 children aged from three to under five years on roll. Of these, 47 children receive funding for early education. Children come from a wide catchment area in Bideford and local areas. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 11 members of staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications and two are working towards a 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. Children are learning good hygiene routines through the use of good hygiene practice within the daily routine. Children have hand-washing routines to ensure that they wash their hands after toileting and before snack. Staff use good health and hygiene routines and appropriate health and hygiene guidelines are followed by the staff team. Tables are cleaned with anti bacterial spray before snack is served. There are generally suitable systems for preventing the spread of infection and an exclusion policy for sick children. Children wash their hands in the wash hand basins after toileting but hand-washing routines are not consistently supporting good hygiene practice and the prevention of the spread of infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children move with confidence and control, moving easily around the three indoor play areas. Children have use of the garden and go for walks in the local area. Children are able to play with a range of outdoor equipment which allows them to move in different ways and develop their physical skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

The pre-school provide very healthy and balanced snacks for the children with water or milk to drink. Children are successfully learning about healthy eating and are encouraged to try a wide range of foods. At snack time children are offered milk or water in jugs which they pour for themselves. On each table is a plate of fresh fruit that children can help themselves to and each child has a yoghurt. Children all sit together in small groups; snack time is a very social occasion. Children eat and drink well they clearly relish their snacks and enjoy chatting together. In the role play area the children are talking about the play food, they talk with the adult about which food is good for their health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff hold current first aid certificates. This means they can give appropriate care if there is an accident.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a clean and very well organised environment where they can move around safely and have areas for different types of play. Children play in the big room with construction, puzzles and games at the tables. They have small world toys and equipment on the floor and a cosy book corner. Children have direct access to the computer in this room. In the corridor children have messy and creative play and in the small room is the role play area. Children free flow through all the spaces with confidence and control.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Comprehensive annual risk assessments are carried out and steps are taken to minimise any risks. Staff carry out daily safety checks when they set out the room. Regular fire evacuations are practised and recorded in the register. Staff ratios and deployment are very effective and ensure that children have appropriate levels of supervision. There is a good balance between children's safety and their ability to acquire news skills. There are clear procedures for the delivery and collection of children and the entrance is closely monitored at all times. All visitors gain entry by ringing the bell and being admitted by a member of staff. Identification must be shown and visitors must sign in and out. Children's times of arrival and collection are recorded and the pre-school have details of who can collect a child.

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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 have a good range of toys and equipment which are appropriate for their ages. There is safe access to allow children to make independent choices about what to play with. There are good systems for checking that toys and equipment are clean and safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected from harm because the staff have up to date knowledge of their roles and are familiar with the paperwork and procedures for recording and reporting safeguarding issues.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are comfortable and confident in the stimulating environment. Children come into the room which is set up with an office area, some small world toys on the floor and tables. All the toys and equipment and play materials and resources are stored in drawers that are freely accessible to the children. The children choose freely from the extensive range and change the equipment as often as they like through the session. Once all the children have come in they are called to a registration time when they say good morning. The children use a range of pictures with labels to identify "what time it is" they talk about the weather and what is happening in their families. Children can choose to play in any area and the themed activity is making Easter bonnets for the parade. Children have access to a smaller room which is used for various activities including the role play area. The children clearly know the routines well;

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they move with confidence through all areas. Children are exceptionally well supported by the staff who are vigilant without being intrusive. Children lead the play and the long periods of free play ensure that children have plenty of time and space to develop their play. Staff are animated and enthusiastic they actively engage with the children. The play leader ensures that staff are providing a good structure and stimulating environment in which children are clearly making good progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are using a very good range of spoken language with active encouragement from adults. Children have opportunities to practise handwriting at the office activity. Children are supported to write letters and to write their names on their own work. Children use their name cards to help them begin to recognise their names and the different letters. At story time the children are animated and excited when they all help to re-tell the familiar story. Children are beginning to use maths language and gain an understanding of maths concepts. At the computer, children are playing a maths game where they have to identify bigger, wider and taller. They use a sand timer to time their turn on the computer. At construction children talk about using more pieces to make their construction longer. Children count with confidence; they line up for story-time and count with the adult how many children are in each line. Children are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

beginning to gain a good knowledge and understanding of the world have direct access to the computer which they play on independently. Children play with remote control cars in the corridor after snack they use them with good control. Children talk about their own community. As the weather has been very wet and windy and the children talk about flooding. Children have celebrated Chinese New Year and Diwali and Christmas and Easter. Children have made a display of the seasons and at an activity the children are talking about what makes the flowers grow. Children take part in a wide range of activities that enable them to be creative and use their imagination to create and develop play. In the role play area children have a shop and a home corner with some dolls. They are playing an involved game and the time and space allowed by the free play means they can really develop the game. At the doll house three boys are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

playing a complicated game that uses extensive imagination. It is noisy and boisterous at times

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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 but they are in control and the game clearly has rules. At the construction a child is making a vacuum cleaner with the click bricks; he talks about how it works and makes the cleaner noise when he switches it on. Children have free access to the musical instrument which they play with gusto.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Planning is well written and clearly shows how activities cover all the areas of learning. Ongoing spontaneous observations are done by staff as well as more formal assessments. These observations supported by the child profile information taken from parents at admission provide a clear picture of children's progress. Each child has an achievement book which contains a photograph, their start date and date of birth and the initial child profile completed by parents. Throughout the book there are photographs of children doing a range of activities. The photographs are surrounded by information about what the children did and how the activity links to aspects of an area of learning. All entries are dated and there is information about the activities for each term. The books contain lots of pieces of children's work with notes from the key-worker to show how the child is developing

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and what they are learning. The well planned daily routines provide children with lots of free play time and allow them to develop very good levels of independence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are successfully treated with equal concern by the staff. Children are happy, confident and clearly at home in the pre-school. Children's individual needs are well met through and the good range of information taken on entry supports this. The effective key-worker system allows staff to get to know children well and build warm caring relationships with them. Children are very well behaved and their behaviour is exceptionally well supported by the high levels of independence they have. Children are learning about sharing and taking turns at the computer. The children have to use their name cards to make a list of who wants to use the computer and then a five minute timer is used to ensure children share equally. The daily routines allow children extensive time and space for play. The short snack and group times ensure that play is not interrupted during the session. The pre-school have good clear policies

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and procedures for behaviour management and all staff know the children well and can step in quickly to support them in any situation.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are provided with activities and experience that allow them to look at the wider and natural world. The pre-school take part in local events and look at issues that directly affect the children's lives in their community. However the activities are not extensive. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities are very well supported within the group. The pre-school have a named SENCO and pre-school staff liaise with other professionals who may be involved in a child's care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnerships with parents is good. Parents are provided with a welcome book which contains clear explanations of the settling in procedure and the daily routines. Policies and procedures are available for all parents to read. The pre-school have a detailed complaints procedure and a complaints log which is kept up to date with clear information. A child profile form is completed by parents when children start at the pre-school. This includes information about children's starting points, their likes and dislikes and family information. Parents are provided with information that shows how the activities and daily routines are linked to the areas of learning. Parents may choose to speak confidentially with a member of staff at any time and there are always informal daily exchanges of information. Children's records are available for parents to read at any time and designed to be accessible. A good amount of information is taken from

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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 parents when children are admitted to the pre-school giving staff a clear picture of children's starting points. Parents are presented with their child's achievement book when they leave the pre-school which give them a picture of their child's time in pre-school and the progress they have made. Parents are then asked to give feedback about what they felt the value of the book is. All comments seen from previous are very positive.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children play in very well organised play space where they can move around with confidence. Children move freely around the rooms with direct supervision at all times in all areas. The pre-school have good daily routines that are flexible and relaxed; children have long periods of free play allowing to develop good levels of independence. Children are clearly happy and secure in the pre-school with a clear sense of belonging.

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Organisation

Children records and a daily register are in place and up to date. There are medication and accident records and contracts for all children and all records are kept in a confidential manner. Policies and procedures that make up the operational are available for parents to read and there is a notice board which displays information for parents.

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Organisation

Management and leadership are good. The pre-school is successfully led by the play leader who is clearly very well supported by the enthusiastic and committed staff team. The committee is made up of parents who are actively supporting the staff through their various roles. The play leader with the staff team is responsible for the day to day planning and provision of the Foundation Stage. The planning is well written and clear with accurate links to the areas of learning. The system of self evaluation is comprehensive and ongoing and clearly leads to good development. Development plans from previous inspection are being put into practise and the focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the setting show a clear picture of where improvements have been made and where they need to be made. Staff hold a range of qualifications and have attended training courses as part of their continuing professional development. This helps to ensure that they are able to continue to meet children's individual

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Organisation

The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The pre-school have met the recommendations set out at the last inspection. Staff now have a clear knowledge of the Foundation Stage and provide suitable challenges for children of all ages. Planning has been developed to clearly cover the areas of learning. Partnerships with parents has been developed to ensure parents are involved in their children's learning and are able to contribute to the children's records through a feedback sheets for the children's achievement books. The pre-school have provided a range of resources that help children gain an understanding of different cultures. All staff have now completed training for safeguarding children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

On 01 September 2006 we received an anonymous concern about a member of staff allowing an unsuitable person to have access to the setting while children are present (National Standard

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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 1-Suitable person). This was fully investigated and an additional condition was placed on the nursery’s conditions of registration. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 records 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): • develop hand-washing systems to ensure the children use routines that effectively maintain good hygiene and prevent the spread of infection

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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 range of activities that support children to gain an understanding of the wider world

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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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