Pinocchio Pre-school

Pinocchio Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

EY347936 Unique Reference Number 27 June 2008 Inspection date Christine Coram Inspector

p.1

Sylvan First School, Livingstone Road, POOLE, Dorset, BH12 3DT Setting Address

p.1

01202 743064 Telephone number sylvanfirstschool@poole.gov.uk E-mail Pinocchio Playgroup Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Pinocchio Pre-School is a committee run group that registered in its current premises in 2007. It operates from a mobile classroom in the grounds of Sylvan First School, in Poole. A maximum of 24 children may attend the setting at any one time. The setting is open each weekday from 08.50 to 14.50 during school term time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 53 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 51 children receive funding for early education. The setting currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting employs eight members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from Poole Early Years.

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children gain hugely from the emphasis on their physical health and development, and from the attention to hygiene and nutrition. Children’s health is promoted superbly through the wonderful opportunities for physical play and fresh air in the garden, which is used extremely well. The staff team have developed the garden into a fantastic area with part of the space covered with an all-weather safety surface used for a wide variety of activities such as water play and large construction. However, the main benefit is the natural environment with grassy banks and trees, a log pile to encourage bugs, and a wind corner with colourful windmills. Children explore and investigate the whole area with delight and enthusiasm. The outside space is used for free-flow play when possible. Boots and rain capes are provided so that children can continue to use the area if it rains.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Excellent procedures are in place to ensure that children learn about hygiene through well-practised and supervised routines that help them to develop good health habits for the future. These include hand washing, and children are frequently reminded of the need for this through adult support and posters. Children with health and dietary needs are protected through vigilant observation of these. Notices remind adults of allergies and issues relating to diet at the places where they prepare food, for example, and include a photograph of the child to clearly identify them. Children choose and enjoy nutritious snacks and enthusiastically help themselves to the inviting selection of fresh fruit including pineapple and melon. They benefit from the option of milk or water to drink and develop the habit of helping themselves to water throughout the session, both indoors and outdoors.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children’s safety is a very high priority and staff are extremely vigilant in ensuring that they are free to enjoy the activities and facilities without risk. Children benefit hugely from the wonderfully clean and safe premises that are bright and inviting and enable independence. For example, children are able to use the toilets without the need of immediate supervision as they are within the very secure building. No one can enter the building without being admitted by staff. Detailed risk assessment, daily checks and log of any issues that are noted by staff, all contribute towards the all-round safety of the children.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The equipment is of superb quality and the vast range includes many natural resources such as pebbles and fir-cones, wooden equipment and baskets. Children have excellent access to the resources. They can choose them from the many low-level storage units where equipment is sorted into labelled drawers. Illustrations as well as words mean that all children can identify the drawer they need.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The members of staff contribute greatly to the safety of the children through vigilant supervision. For example, children enjoy pegging socks to a clothes line, but when they begin to play behind it, this is immediately noticed and a member of staff talks to them about the dangers and re-directs them to safer play. In this way, children also learn the skills to keep themselves safe. Staff members also protect children through their excellent understanding of safeguarding issues.

p.3

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

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children flourish through the superb range of imaginative resources and activities. They delight in these and thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school. They benefit enormously from the excellent interaction and input from staff, who give their attention to the children at all times, and use the activities to the full to help the children to progress in every way.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff members have a very clear focus for each activity and an excellent understanding about the Foundation Stage curriculum. They actively and effectively promote children’s independence, hold the children’s attention and are thoroughly positive throughout all activities.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They plan the sessions with great imagination, taking account of the individual children’s needs. There is a perfect balance between planned work and flexibility to respond to children’s interests, or to extend or repeat activities to ensure that children are secure in their learning. Staff create all activities to be adaptable to the abilities and identified next steps for individual children’s learning. They evaluate and utilise the information gathered through meticulous observation to make sure that each child builds on their existing skills and understanding, and are suitably challenged to move on in their learning.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children with special educational needs progress rapidly through the excellent support and multi-agency working that is in place. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator has clear plans and liaises very effectively with others involved in the education of the children. All the staff at the setting are confident to promote their learning and use specialist methods and equipment, as needed.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are supremely confident, arriving at the setting with enthusiasm, and needing little encouragement to join in the activities. They select equipment, and communicate with both their peers and the adults with assurance. They form clear friendships, seeking out particular children to sit with. A four-year-old swaps the name cards at the snack table so that her friend’s is next to hers, and a three-year-old runs back into the room to say ‘goodbye’ to his new friend before going home. Their behaviour is excellent and they demonstrate great self-control. They learn to share and spontaneously offer each other their raisins, when another child has missed the chance to take her own.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children language is developing rapidly. They use detailed sentences and communicate freely through the spoken word. They also demonstrate a great interest in the written word. For example, four year olds waiting for a problem to be resolved with a computer game ‘read’ the leaflet to each other. They clearly understand that writing has a meaning and are encouraged to see and use it for practical purposes. Captions on their work carry the words used by the children, and they ‘write’ on a clipboard or a message pad during imaginative play. Their mathematical development is also advancing. They take great interest in games that require an understanding of adding and subtracting through counting groups of items, and engage with this through excellent support. They match and compare items spontaneously in their play.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children grasp the many wonderful opportunities to explore and experiment, particularly with items in and from the natural world. Children find the bug box and search for ants in the garden. A child picks up shells and polished stones, rolling them in her fingers and touching them on

p.4

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 her mouth to explore the texture. They are absorbed in creative play as they choose items to make a picture to represent Goldilocks. A four-year-old looks in a book to see what she needs and says ‘there’s a black bit on the side’. She then searches for black materials to represent this. They are free to create the pictures as they choose and enjoy experimenting with different materials. Children’s imaginations are well developed through the many and varied opportunities for imaginative play. They dress in reflective jackets and hard hats as they imitate woodwork. They talk on the telephone with delightful expression, gestures and posture as they imitate adults. They extend this play for great lengths of time as they create scenarios or pretend that there is a fire. They call to others ‘quick, run, there’s a fire! Oh quick, somebody, call me. Pretend

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They develop excellent design and building skills as they construct a bridge from large blocks and planks and work cooperatively to add items to create a path. They add steps and work out how to join the whole construction to form a circuit. Children also take great interest and demonstrate exemplary skills with computers and programmable toys. They develop excellent physical skills using a range of equipment such as carrying chairs and using a roller for painting in different ways. They benefit from the fantastic opportunities offered in the outside play area to run and ride tricycles, steering round obstacles and peddling up-hill with ease and confidence. They develop an excellent understanding about their bodies and health issues. For example, they know that they wash their hand ‘because they’ve got germs on them’.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children thrive in a wholly positive atmosphere where the individual needs of each child are met through careful planning and skilled care. Staff members are fully aware of the particular abilities, personalities and needs of the children and these are incorporated in all planning and procedures across the setting. Children have a clear sense of belonging and value in an environment that is supremely welcoming and child-orientated. Many examples of children’s work and other stimulating displays make this a vibrant, child-centred learning environment.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s behaviour is managed extremely positively through a range of imaginative and thoroughly effective methods. These include the ‘Friendly Fish’ chart where a child’s name and description of a friendly act is added to a ‘bubble’ and placed on display, in consultation with the children and adults. When children remember to say ‘please’ or ‘thank-you’, a star is placed on a chart and when they have earned 10 stars, a big star is awarded. Again, this is done whilst the children eat their snack and so it is a corporate celebration of good manners. Members of staff provide excellent role models for the children and the few disagreements between children are quickly resolved with quiet discussion on an appropriate level for the individuals concerned. The adult’s expectations of the children vary according to their need and children are supported individually to help them to behave in the expected way. Children’s social, moral, spiritual and

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and cares is outstanding. Parents indicate their delight in the setting and the care and education of their children. They describe in detail, the methods used to communicate with them about their child’s progress. Very useful information about the Foundation Stage and the curriculum is given to them in verbal and written forms, including a personal explanation of the teaching and learning when their child enters this stage. Parents' views are sought through questionnaires.

p.5

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

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The setting is organised thoughtfully and effectively. There is plenty of space for the excellent range of activities and space to move around in safety. The outside area is used particularly well. There is excellent deployment of staff throughout the sessions as adults are allocated to particular activities. They work well together to support one another and the children. Small groups are taken out to the quiet area for short periods to concentrate on more structured activities, giving fine opportunities for both free choice and more formal activities. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

p.6

Organisation

Excellent recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that children are in the care of suitable adults. The staff team are supported and actively encouraged to continue their learning and development through supervision, appraisals and many training opportunities.

p.6

Organisation

The leadership and management of Nursery Education are outstanding. The manager has a clear vision for Nursery Education. She is committed to achieving this through play-based activities that are wholly appropriate to the children. She provides an excellent role model for the staff and leads through her example. The staff team is motivated and enthusiastic. They readily respond to the encouragement of the management to attend training and extend their skills and knowledge. The manager assesses the educational programme effectively and is confident to list the strengths of the setting. She also has a clear vision for further development, stating that there is always room for improvement. The commitment of the manager, committee and staff to continual development is very clear.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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.

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

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

p.6

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

p.6

The quality and standards of the nursery education

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

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7