Willow Dene School

Dunmore Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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133399 Unique Reference Number 08 July 2008 Inspection date Gillian Little Inspector

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Farm Road, Off Austin Place, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1NA Setting Address

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E-mail

Dunmore Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day 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?

Dunmore Pre-School opened in 1982 and is managed by a committee of parents. The pre-school operates from a detached self contained modular building in a residential estate in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09.15 to 15.30 during school term times. All children share access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 41 children aged from two years to under five years on roll; of these, 29 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide geographical area. The pre-school currently 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 five staff of whom four hold appropriate early years qualifications. Four staff are working towards further qualifications.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are able to play in a clean environment where staff provide hygienic nappy changing and toileting facilities, and store food safely. Children understand the need to wash their hands after art activities, and staff support them well while they wash their hands before snack time.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy daily opportunities to play outdoors and staff work closely with parents to ensure that children have suitable clothing for all weathers. Children generally have free access to the outdoor play area for most of the session and enjoy exploring climbing equipment, ride on cars and scooters, large building blocks, skittles, bats and balls. They enthusiastically join in with a game of ‘follow my leader’ exploring different ways to move, such as hopping, running and using side steps. Children also effectively learn how to use a variety of tools, such as using scissors and pouring milk from a carton.

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Helping children to be healthy

Effective procedures are in place to ensure that children receive appropriate care in the event of an illness or accident. For example, all staff hold first aid certificates and are familiar with emergency procedures.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children receive a healthy diet as the pre-school provides fruit and plain biscuits at snack time and gives parents good advice about packing a healthy lunch box. Water is easily accessible to children throughout the session and staff are fully aware of children's dietary requirements to ensure that they meet individual needs. Mealtimes are relaxed and social occasions when children sit with their key workers, chatting about their daily lives and home experiences. Staff are rigorous about cleaning tables with antibacterial spray before children eat but children do not have plates and place their food directly on the table. This increases the possibility of cross contamination.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are able to play comfortably in a suitable environment as the premises are welcoming with good facilities and space. For example, furniture is set out well to allow plenty of space for children to move around and they have easy access to toilets and the outdoor area. Children are able to use a good range of safe and suitable toys and resources which are easily accessible on low-level tables and floor areas. Resources are of good quality and staff regularly check them to ensure they are safe for children to use.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's risk of injury is minimal as staff assess risks well and take effective precautions to prevent accidents. For example, staff carefully supervise children as they enter and leave the premises and keep hot drinks out of children's reach. Staff deploy themselves well around the premises to ensure that children stay safe, and the committee carry out risk assessments to identify any possible hazards. Children stay safe in the outdoor area as it is fully enclosed and free from hazards. Effective fire prevention and evacuation procedures are in place to ensure that children stay safe in the event of an emergency. For example, clear written procedures are in place for staff to follow and staff evaluate the effectiveness of fire drills to assess children’s knowledge and understanding.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children stay safe when they are away from the premises as staff carefully assess the risks of each outing and ensure that they have additional adults to supervise children. They carry a

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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 mobile phone and first aid kit, and use outings as an opportunity to teach children about road safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's risk of harm from others is minimised as staff are familiar with possible symptoms of abuse and have a clear understanding of their role in child protection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children show a keen interest and lots of excitement in what they do. Staff effectively create a stimulating and lively atmosphere through their enthusiasm and energy. Children develop a broad range of skills as there is a good range of activities available. All children are able to play freely and at their own pace, and are confident in exploring resources. Older children have opportunities to engage in more structured activities and sessions, including a ‘Lunch and Learning’ club, to develop specific skills in numeracy and literacy as well as other areas of learning. Staff are aware of children's different abilities and carefully structure discussions and questions depending on the children's individual needs. Staff are competent in working together and sharing expertise to observe children's achievements and use these to inform future planning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy and settled and develop close relationships with the staff and other children. They have good opportunities to spend time in their key worker groups to help build these relationships and to give staff opportunities to observe and support their progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children settle well on their arrival in the group and quickly begin to explore the activities on offer. They become engrossed in their play, and play well together or alongside each other. They have good opportunities for creative play, such as making lunch for their dolls in the home corner, building train tracks, joining in with action songs and exploring a range of art and craft resources. They are able to share resources well and negotiate with each other during their play. They become engrossed using a computer and are able to use the mouse with confidence to help them move through the programme. They concentrate well to build towers and models from Duplo bricks and they are able to sort different objects into groups independently or with some support from staff. They enjoy listening to stories read expressively by staff who encourage the children to join in or complete

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the end of sentences. Children talk with confidence to staff, sharing their ideas and answering questions. Lots of evidence is available to show that children have good opportunities to learn about the world around them, such as singing songs about the weather, growing plants in the garden, making skeletons out of pasta shapes, enjoying a visit from ‘Zoolab’ and exploring the lifecycle of a caterpillar.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are skilled in supporting children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. They spend most of their time playing with the children and talking to them about their activities. They use effective questions and suggestions to help the children further their skills. For example, while children are making ‘lunch’ in the home corner, a member of staff helps them to write a menu encouraging them to contribute their ideas. Staff are very adaptable, responding well to children's individual needs and to changes in the routine of the session. For example, as children show interest in different activities, staff move around the room with them ensuring that they are able to offer support to all children and bring out additional resources where necessary to ensure that children have everything they need.

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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 Staff make regular observations of children's progress and effectively share these with the key worker. For example, one staff notices that a child is now able to cut with scissors along a line and ensures that the child's key worker is aware so that progress records can be updated. Staff continuously update children's records and work well as a team to plan activities. All staff take turns in planning activities for the whole group and are well supported by the manager. Written plans are fairly basic and do not include details of learning outcomes or how children of different abilities can be supported. However, in practice staff are very capable of ensuring that activities are purposeful, interesting and meet the needs of individual children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children develop positive attitudes towards diversity as they have access to a good range of resources, such as books, dressing up clothes, dolls and play foods, which reflect different cultures and backgrounds. Children have recently enjoyed a ‘Native American’ day when they dressed up in appropriate costumes, made tepees, played drums and took part in dancing and face painting. Staff encourage parents to be fully involved in helping children learn about diversity and draw on the experiences and knowledge of different families to support the children's learning. All children are included in all activities and staff treat them and their families with equal concern. Children who speak English as an additional language are able to develop their English skills quickly as staff use lots of visual signs, learn keywords in the child's home language, work closely with parents and continuously assess children's progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children develop an understanding of responsible behaviour as staff use effective methods, such as reminding children how to behave and rewarding them with lots of praise and encouragement. Staff give children good opportunities to develop independence and encourage them to share and take turns. This helps them to develop self-respect and respect for others. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is therefore fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The pre-school is not currently caring for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities but there are appropriate procedures to support such children as necessary. For example, a policy is in place, staff have attended appropriate training and are aware of how to identify and monitor concerns and work closely with parents and outside agencies.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from good continuity between the home and the pre-school as staff develop positive relationships with parents to meet children's individual needs. For example, a parent rota system is in place to encourage parents to become involved in the setting, and parents receive a warm welcome from staff. An ‘All About Me’ form is available for parents to detail the child's individual needs and achievements when they first start at the pre-school. Parents receive good information about the pre-school and about their child's progress through open evenings, informal discussions, newsletters and a welcome booklet. For children receiving funding for nursery education, the partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive updates about their children's progress by attending open evenings or through individual appointments with their child’s key worker. Staff share their observations and assessments of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children's achievements to ensure that parents are fully informed of their children's progress towards the early learning goals. For children who attend the ‘Lunch and Learning’ club, staff encourage parents to help children engage in learning activities at home, such as looking for insects in the garden or finding relevant books to share.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are able to make good progress as the committed and enthusiastic staff team have a strong sense of purpose, create a vibrant learning environment, keep children safe and develop good partnerships with families. Staff have effective skills, good levels of childcare qualifications and show a keen interest in and commitment to pursuing further training. They have annual appraisals to discuss their achievements and identify any areas for further development. Effective recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. New staff are able to settle into the group quickly as the pre-school has effective induction procedures in place.

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Organisation

The adult to child ratio is maintained at all times and the committee is well organised to arrange cover for staff absences if necessary. Staff are very aware of their roles and work well together. For example, while some staff are tidying up or preparing snack time, other staff read stories to the children ensuring that the session runs smoothly.

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Organisation

All documentation, policies and procedures are in place and work well in practice.

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Organisation

The quality of the leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The manager supports the staff team well and provides strong leadership. Staff have good opportunities to develop their skills, such as developing written plans, and receive effective guidance from the manager. The manager monitors all activities, resources, planning and assessments to ensure good continuity and quality. Staff are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-school and are effective in making improvements. There is a strong focus for the future on children's individual development.

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Organisation

The pre-school meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection an action was set relating to care to improve knowledge and understanding of the regulations and to implement a procedure to notify Ofsted of significant events. A new committee is now in place and members are fully aware to notify Ofsted of new members and to ensure that those members apply for a Criminal Records Bureau check. The committee are currently devising a handbook to ensure that all members have details about their roles and responsibilities. This improves safety for children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection a recommendation was set relating to education to formalise procedures for identifying children’s starting points and to ensure that all parents receive consistent and up-to-date information regarding their children's progress. The staff have devised an ‘All About Me’ form to gain information about children's individual needs and capabilities when they first begin in the pre-school and they use this, along with observations of children, to effectively assess their starting points. The staff consulted with parents about the best way to share information about children's progress which resulted in an open evening. Staff them requested feedback about the effectiveness of this and, due to its popularity, this will become a regular feature every few months. Staff also ensure that parents who cannot attend the open evening receive information about their children's progress through individual appointments with the

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Improvements since the last inspection

A recommendation was also set relating to education to display books so that children can choose and select easily. Staff have rearranged the book corner to ensure that books are not

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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 crowded and are displayed attractively. They also change the books regularly to maintain children's interest.

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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • consider providing plates for children at snack time to further improve hygiene procedures.

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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 planning systems to focus on children's individual needs.

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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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