Bare Necessities Preschool

Bare Necessities Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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309226 Unique Reference Number 25 March 2008 Inspection date Sandra Elizabeth Williams Inspector

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Bare Methodist Church Hall, St Margarets Road, Bare, Morecambe, Lancashire, LA4 6EF

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E-mail

Bare Necessities Pre-School Playgroup 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?

Bare Necessities Pre-School Playgroup is run by a Committee. It opened in 1978 and operates from three rooms and associated facilities in a church hall. The pre-school is situated in Morecambe. A maximum of 30 children may attend the facility at any one time. The setting is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 09.00 to 13.00 and Tuesday afternoon from 11.50 to 15.45 in term-time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 36 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these 19 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the town of Morecambe. The playgroup supports children with learning difficulties.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The playgroup employs eight 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 demonstrate a sound understanding of simple health and hygiene practices and are learning to take responsibility for their own self-care routines. For example, after using the toilet, they wash their hands using the easily accessible soap and paper towels provided. Children are well protected from infection because the sick child policy is widely available and well adhered to. Staff are trained in first aid, which further supports children's health and safety. There is a well stocked first aid kit available in case of accidents and emergencies. If children are tired they are able to rest on comfortable cushions and sofas in the quiet reading room. Children are well nourished and enjoy healthy snacks, such as apples, bananas, oranges and breadsticks each day. Children demonstrate very good pouring skills as they help themselves to a choice of water and fresh milk. This helps them to develop their independence skills and

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Helping children to be healthy

hand-eye coordination. However, currently there is no fresh drinking water available for the children throughout the session.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children take part in regular physical activity indoors. They move with confidence and coordination as they climb on the wooden climbing structure, slide down the slide and crawl through the tunnel. They really enjoy the movement in a music session, as they skip, march, jump and move on tip toes. Although the children do enjoy outings to the nearby church garden, there is currently no outdoor area attached to the setting. Therefore, their opportunities for regular fresh air and outdoor play is somewhat restricted. The children's fine motor skills are developing as they make shapes with the play dough by rolling, cutting and patting the malleable material. They are also learning to confidently and carefully use scissors, paint brushes and pencils.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in an environment that is welcoming and safe, vibrant and exciting. The playgroup is extremely attractive and welcoming due to the hard work and efforts of the staff. Children's art work is displayed creatively on the walls, which positively supports their sense of belonging. The staff display an abundance of information on the parents' notice board in order to keep parents well informed. Activities are very invitingly presented at floor and low-level which ensures children are interested and motivated to become involved.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Safety is given high priority. For example, staff ensure that they supervise children's arrival and departure extremely carefully and ensure that the gate and doors are always securely closed. They also closely monitor visitors to the nursery. Children are independent but closely monitored when using the toilets. Regular and very thorough risk assessments are carried out by the staff to address all areas of potential concern that may impact on children's continued safety and well-being.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children learn about keeping themselves safe by helping to tidy up their toys so that they do not trip over them. They also learn about road safety whilst on outings and through activities and discussions with staff and the 'lolly pop' lady. The current theme is about 'People who help us' and includes a visit from the local fire officers. Fire safety is also taught, through regular emergency evacuation practices. The children are also learning about keeping themselves safe near water following a recent visit by the coast guards. Children are very well protected because

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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 staff fully understand their important role in protecting them from abuse and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice if needed, as they have attended the safeguarding children training recently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enter the play group confidently and enthusiastically and settle into their chosen activities with ease. They enjoy very positive relationships with staff, who greet then individually. Children are very excited and show great interest in all they do. For example, they spend lots of time playing in the role play corner, using their imaginations, pretending to be fire fighters at the 'fire station'. The free play sessions encourage the children to continually make many choices in their play. They freely link up with friends and move from one activity to another, choosing from a wide range of resources. They particularly enjoy the sand and water play where they are able to practise their pouring skills. They also enjoy creating shapes with the play dough and experimenting with the shaving foam. Staff are following the 'Birth to three matters' framework to support them in their planning and assessment of the children under three years.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff then clearly and successfully link this to the Foundation Stage to show natural progression in children's development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress as the staff have a clear understanding of the Foundation Stage. This is very evident in their planning, assessments and evaluations of children's progress that link very well to the stepping stones. This information is used effectively to aid future planning for individual children, and ensures that appropriate challenges are set so that all children make good progress. Staff use questioning appropriately, which extends the children's learning. Children are fully able to engage themselves in activities of their own choosing for extended periods of time. They are able to self select many resources, however, occasionally they have difficulty finding some of the resources, such as paper, as not all of the storage boxes are clearly labelled. Children are learning positive behaviour as the staff act as good role models. Children are developing good self care skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

For example, when pouring their own drinks at snack time and when helping each other dress up in fire-fighter costumes in the role play corner. Children learn to share and take turns as they play in the tunnel and as they complete jigsaws together.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to concentrate and actively listen to others during registration and circle time. They are able to easily recognise the initial sounds in many words, such as 'w' for wool, window and whistle. Most children are able to recognise their own names as they self register and as they find their name cards at meal times. They regularly have opportunities to write their names on their work and are able to use phonetic knowledge for spelling. They enjoy using writing as a means of recording as they attach their paper onto clip boards and undertake mark making, pretending to be an inspector. Children frequently choose to sit in the reading areas with their peers and staff and enjoy looking at the wide range of books available to them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have numerous opportunities for counting and problem solving and they demonstrate very good progress in their mathematical development as they count confidently up to 25 when identifying the date. Staff use many opportunities to encourage children to count and calculate. For example, when lining up, the children confidently count seven boys and five girls and are easily able to identify that there are more boys than girls. They also engage in matching and

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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 sorting games and jigsaws, all of which provide good opportunities for them to extend their mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

As children explore and experiment with different mediums, such as sand, water and play dough, they learn about flow, weight and capacity. The children enjoy learning about natural materials, such as wool, as they touch it and comment upon how it feels. They then talk about where wool comes from and what it is used for. They develop their creative skills as they learn to make pompoms with wool. The children also learn about living creatures such as tadpoles and the life cycle of the frog. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to use everyday technology, such as computers and programmable toys, such as remote control cars. They enjoy participating in role play and dressing up in different costumes, such as fire-fighters. Their imaginative development is fully extended due to the availability of props, such as laptops, phones, clip boards and mark making materials.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Overall, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals given their starting points.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are able to make a positive contribution due to the warm and friendly welcome they receive as soon as they arrive at playgroup. Staff are enthusiastic and children are genuinely pleased to greet each other. Children have plenty of opportunities to learn about different cultures and religions due to the interesting range of resources provided by the staff. They enjoy learning about different cultures as they taste different foods, such as noodles using chop sticks. They dress up in costumes and learn about different festivals and celebrations, thus giving them an insight into the world around them. Children also learn about their own community and make a positive contribution as they enjoy visits from people in the community, such as police officers and coast guards.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties are extremely well supported and integrated in the play group and are actively encouraged to take part in all of the activities on offer. Children receive one-to-one support when needed and staff are very committed to undertaking training to assist them in their communication with all children. Children are very well aided by staff to understand responsible behaviour. The staff act as very good role models and they are calm and gentle in their own approach, addressing each other politely and respectfully. Behaviour issues are managed using entirely suitable strategies which children fully accept. These are totally in line with the written behaviour management policy, using appropriate explanations at a level children understand. Children are regularly praised and encouraged by staff which makes them feel good about themselves and develop a strong sense of self. Children's

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Helping children make a positive contribution

achievements are acknowledged by the use of stickers for tasks well done or for particularly good behaviour. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are cared for by staff who work very closely and successfully with parents to meet their individual needs. Relationships are warm and friendly, and verbal communication is clearly very good as informal conversations about children's care take place as parents drop off and collect their children. A complaints policy is in place including a system for recording any complaints if necessary.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers with regard to nursery education is good. Parents are actively involved in the initial assessments of their children's starting points and are consulted

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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 and receive feedback throughout the time that their children spend at the group. Parents have access to their children's assessment records and informally discuss their children's progress with the staff on a regular basis. Parents receive very well presented information about the educational curriculum through the display boards, and are provided with ideas of how they can support their children's learning at home, through the home-link system. Parents are encouraged to visit the group and take part in planned sessions. For example, parents that are police officers and fire officers have been able to contribute to the children's learning in meaningful ways, by sharing their knowledge with the group.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The children's care is good due to the thorough organisation of the play group by very experienced and well qualified staff. The staff group work very well as a team and provide good consistency for the children. Staff demonstrate a commitment to continual development and they regularly attend relevant training courses and workshops to support them in their work. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that children are well protected and cared for by staff with knowledge and understanding of child development. Children are relaxed and confident in their environment due to the effective organisation of their care and learning. Children's play opportunities are good as the staff organise the premises very well, thus allowing children to move about with ease. Documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in good order and stored confidentially in lockable filing cabinets. Policies

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Organisation

accurately reflect the working practice observed at all times.

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Organisation

The leadership and management are good. Children's educational needs are well met through the positive leadership and management of the play leader and the staff group as a whole. Staff have attended relevant courses and have a secure understanding and knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum. There is a very effective system for monitoring and evaluating the work undertaken and the staff are very familiar with the principles for early years education. An effective level of ongoing support and advice is provided by the local authority teaching advisors, which also positively supports children's learning.

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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

At the last inspection it was agreed that the times of arrival and departure would be included in the daily attendance register. This has been undertaken, thus providing a clear indication of attendance throughout the day. It was agreed that all staff should have satisfactory clearances including police checks. This has been undertaken, ensuring that all staff are suitable to work with children. It was agreed that a policy be devised to cover situations where children are uncollected. This has been completed, therefore clarifying the procedure for such situations. It was agreed that named people should be identified to take lead responsibility for safeguarding children and behaviour management. This has been undertaken. It was agreed that individual staff records be set up and job descriptions provided. There are now staff files in place with job descriptions which improves the organisation of the setting. It was also agreed that a system

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Improvements since the last inspection

should be set up to record medication administered and that parents should provide written consent and sign to acknowledge the medication given. There is a satisfactory system now in place, which improves the level of safety for children with regard to medication.

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Improvements 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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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 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): • ensure that there is fresh drinking water available for children at all times.

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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): • develop more opportunities for children to enjoy outdoor play and fresh air • further assist children to self select resources by labelling more of the storage boxes.

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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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