Stamford Park Primary School

Yealmpton Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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106285 Unique Reference Number 10 March 2008 Inspection date Janet Butlin Inspector

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The Community & Resource Centre, Stray Park, Yealmpton, Devon, PL8 2HF

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Setting Address

01752 881 810 Telephone number yealmptonpreschool@earlyyears.devon.org.uk E-mail The Trustees of Yealmpton Pre-school Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School care Type of care

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Setting Address

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 outstanding. 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?

Yealmpton Pre-School is managed by a voluntary management committee and has been registered since 1995. It has operated from the Yealmpton Community Centre, which shares a site with the village primary school, since 1998. The group operates from a dedicated pre-school room and uses a designated area of the playground for secure outside play. When operating the after school club, and the holiday club, other parts of the school premises are also available for use. The group offers two sessions a day to pre-school children from 9.00 to 11.45 and from 12.45 to 15:30. A lunch club is provided between 11.45 and 12.45, children may stay all day. The after school club runs between 15.30 and 18.00. The group operates all year round. There are 26 children currently on roll, 22 of whom are in receipt of funding. The setting cares for children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who have English as an

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

additional language. A staff of five support the provision, all of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications. The setting receives the support of the local authority.

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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 outstanding. Children play in a clean and fragrant environment where exemplary standards of hygiene are implemented. Children learn the importance of protecting themselves from germs as they conscientiously wash their hands after they have used the lavatory and before they eat. They also independently wash their hands in the wash basin adjacent to the pre-school room after they have been painting. They are extremely well cared for in the event of having an accident whilst at the pre-school as all staff are qualified in first aid and there are efficient systems in place to record what has happened. Children are developing useful self care skills, for example, selecting a tissue to blow their nose and disposing of the tissue hygienically.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy nutritious, healthy snacks comprising a plentiful amount of freshly prepared, attractively presented fresh fruit. The group help children to understand where their food comes from, for example, they grow their own vegetables in the school's orchard and learn the importance of healthy eating. Children who stay for lunch bring packed meals from home. These are promptly refrigerated to ensure they remain fresh and wholesome. Children are encouraged to proceed through these packed lunches in a healthy fashion and parents respond to the group's encouragement to pack nutritious, healthy contents. Children who attend the after school club immediately tuck into a healthy snack of fruit and milk and have toast before they go home. Children remain very well hydrated as they help themselves to a drink of water whenever they need one.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from the health giving properties of fresh air as they go outside to play whatever the weather. Even in blustery conditions they eagerly wrap up warmly and go outside for a bracing runabout. They are protected from the harmful effects of strong sunlight in the summer as they wear sun cream and sun hats. Children show a good awareness of space as they run outside and indoors. Staff make good use of the large hall to provide plenty of space for children to move in a variety of ways. They enjoy moving to well known action songs, correctly identifying their elbows and knees.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children play in a bright, welcoming environment where their toys and playthings are beautifully presented and easily accessible. They choose their toys easily and safely from low shelving units and clearly labelled trays. All toys and equipment are in pristine condition. Children are mainly cared for in the pre-school room, but access the larger hall for their physical games. Older children also use this hall and access other parts of the school as appropriate. Children share the school playground and they use this under strict supervision. Staff check the area before the children go out to ensure all is safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept safe in the setting as the premises are secure. The pre-school is accommodated within the community resource centre which is used by other community groups. However, rigorous vigilance ensures that the rooms occupied by the children are locked at all times. Children are very confident in the process to be followed in the event of having to evacuate the premises in an emergency as they practise it regularly. The drill is recorded in helpful detail to inform future routines. A accurate register is kept of the times of attendance of children so there is a clear record of who is on the premises, for example, in the event of such an emergency.

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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 further supported as staff have an excellent understanding of child protection procedures. They have attended training in this area and are keen to keep this training up to date. They have a helpful policy and up to date guidance to refer to in the event of having a concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children have a fantastic time in the setting. They are happy and settle immediately to play. All children thoroughly enjoy their time playing with their friends and exploring the activities. They take part in an extensive range of highly worthwhile activities. Their interaction with staff, and each other, is delightful as they enjoy themselves in their play. Older children attending after school and in the holidays take part in activities which are carefully planned to meet their stages of development and interests. School children, for example, make cards, complete puzzles and enjoy playing outside. They are eager and enthusiastic to attend the club and talk about the day they have had at school. They also access the group's laptop computer, do cooking and also enjoy artwork.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children have eager and enthusiastic dispositions to learning. They are always busy and are keen to talk about their discoveries and extend their learning. They are making good progress towards the early learning goals, but it is not clear, from records kept whether they might be making even better progress. They are supported in their progress by staff who have a very secure understanding of the Foundation Stage. They are certainly enjoying their time immensely and make remarkably insightful comments that indicate they are learning a great deal from their play. For example, they comment that magnets 'force' themselves together and go on to demonstrate how they also repel each other under certain circumstances. They also identify rhyming words and play with extending the number of rhymes they can think of, this helps to foster a love of language. They are encouraged to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

make choices in all aspects of their play and staff are implementing a new system of planning based on children's individual interests. Children also select resources for themselves and while having overall aims for the session, staff take care not to intervene or impose upon children's activities. This child initiated system of presenting activities is still being developed and at present staff do not feel totally confident to step in and support children when, in some circumstances, they are ready for a little guidance and focus. When group size is reduced, for example, in the afternoon session when some children have gone home, the support they receive from staff is inevitably increased and this method works extremely well. These sessions provide excellent challenge to extend children's learning. Constant, ongoing observations are shared once a week at staff meetings and used thoughtfully to inform the forthcoming week's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

planning. Plans and discussions indicate that a good range of activities are offered that cover all areas of learning. Many children are lively communicators, eagerly sharing their news. They become familiar with the sounds that letters make and predict the rhyme at the end of the sentence in the rhyming story. They use and enjoy books and handle them appropriately. Some children attempt to write their names but are not often inspired to, for example, make notes in their freely initiated play. Children develop their mathematical understanding in very effective ways. They count the number of toy buns they have, working out how many are left when they take one or two away. They consolidate this learning by acting out the rhyme. They compare sizes and shapes and also begin to learn the terms of 'double' for two things the same. Children's enthusiasm for dinosaurs provides the inspiration for large scale model making of a volcano

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and discussions about lava and eruptions. They work out how to join and fix materials to ensure

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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 their model stays together securely. Children develop their small muscles effectively as they master the use of the sticky tape dispenser, manipulate small magnetic pieces and roll, cut and shape play dough. They enjoy the process of being creative as they apply paint freely and make butterfly prints. They develop imaginative scenarios, verbalising for the small creatures and characters. They are also tuneful singers.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are extremely confident, for example, to talk to visitors to the setting. They concentrate for substantial amounts of time at their activities, for example developing their small world play. They invite their playmates to join them in this activity and take turns and share well. They glow with pride when chosen as ' star of the day' and take pride in fulfilling the helpful tasks this honour bestows. They laugh with glee when, for example, an adult sets off the electronic dinosaur's roar by accident. They explore a variety of cultures and children develop a strong sense of self as all aspects of their lives and culture are respected and celebrated. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children who have specific needs receive excellent care. Children all use some signing to support speech and this helps them to understand there are various ways to communicate. Staff work closely with parents and local supporting professionals, such as the speech and language therapist and the Portage service, to ensure children's individual needs are thoughtfully and effectively met. Clear individual education plans are created to ensure all staff are able to support children appropriately. Children who have English as an additional language benefit from the interest the group shows to sharing and embracing examples of their home language in the group.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children' s behaviour is exemplary. They say please and thank you and follow agreed codes, such as helping to tidy away resources. They share popular resources good naturedly and staff use highly effective strategies to help children understand. For example, they use a democratic process of physically standing in a certain place to vote for where they have their story. This clear visual impact makes the decision making process easy for children to understand and accept.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are cared for in accordance with their parents' wishes. All necessary consents are in place and parents are invited to take part in evaluating the effectiveness of the group's provision. They hold the setting in high esteem and are keen to share their satisfaction. With regard to the nursery education the partnership with parents is good. They have frequent, informal discussions with staff about their child's progress and regular parent's meetings are offered. A daily communication diary provides an additional means of keeping in touch and sharing information, particularly for parents who have time constraints. There are good systems in place to keep parents informed about regulatory procedures.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Children are cared for in an exceptionally well organised setting by staff who clearly enjoy their work with children enormously. They enthusiastically attend additional training to enhance the experiences of the children in their care. They carefully plan and provide a range of highly worthwhile activities to help children achieve in all areas. Conscientious management ensures that all who work with children are suitable to do so and that staff are enabled to attend

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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 essential training, for example regarding forthcoming changes in early years care and education. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. All regulatory documentation is in place and is securely stored yet swiftly accessible.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery education provision is good. Regular staff meetings ensure that a comprehensive curriculum is offered. The setting is developing a new system of planning and presenting activities and is working closely with local authority advisers to establish a system they are confident with. Staff are enthusiastic and extremely interested in educational theory and how it can be used to enrich children's learning experienced. Excellent use is made of the self evaluation schedule to identify areas to improve.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group were required to ensure that registration systems fully record the arrival and departure times of children and adults. This is now addressed, with early collections or departures being clearly and promptly noted. They were also required to ensure that the complaints policy, and the policy for dealing with an allegation of abuse against a member of staff, make appropriate reference to Ofsted. Policies have been reviewed and now contain appropriate referencing. These improvements have had a positive impact on children's care over all areas.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection there were no significant weaknesses to report but the group was asked to ensure that parents and carers receive regular information about their child's educational progress. The means of sharing information has been developed and has improved parents' opportunities to be involved with their child's 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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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 outstanding. 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

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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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

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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 children's self initiated activities are well supported to provide appropriate challenge and help them to progress, building on what they already know and can do; this is with particular regard to children who attend part time

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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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