Bradpole Preschool

Bradpole Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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EY358101 Unique Reference Number 30 April 2008 Inspection date Mary Daniel Inspector

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Sir John Colfox School, Ridgeway, BRIDPORT, Dorset, DT6 3DT Setting Address

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01308 456668 Telephone number g.facobs@colfox.dorset.sch.uk E-mail Bradpole Church Pre-School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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?

Bradpole Pre-School has been registered in the current premises since September 2007. This parent committee run group operates from rooms within the Sir John Colfox School, which is situated in Bridport, Dorset. Children have use of a main pre-school classroom, adjacent nursery classroom, the school hall, and playing fields. There is a separate pre-school office/staff room in the main area of the school. Children have access to an enclosed play area, situated at the front of the pre-school room, for outdoor activities. The pre-school is registered to care for a maximum of 26 children aged from two to under five years at any one time, and there are currently 65 on roll. The pre-school is in receipt of government funding for nursery education and there are currently 49 funded children on register. The group opens Monday to Friday during term time only. Pre-school sessions run from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 12:30 to 15:00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group also provides a breakfast club from 08:00 to 09:00, a lunch club from 11:30 to 12:30, and an after-school club from 15:00 to 16:00. The pre-school committee employ an overall play leader and seven members of staff, the majority of whom are qualified in childcare and early years education. A pre-school administrator is also employed. The group receives support from 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 good. Children are eager to eat the good range of healthy snack foods provided. For instance, they enjoy snacks of celery with cheese dip, breadsticks, carrot and cucumber, scotch eggs, crackers, cheese and apple, or toast with honey, jam or marmite spread. Sometimes they are offered a choice of cereals, or have fruit salad or yoghurts. As a result, they are very well encouraged in learning about a variety of foods that are nutritious and good for them to eat. Any specific dietary needs are carefully respected in liaison with parents. Procedures followed effectively encourage children in developing good personal hygiene routines. Hand washing is emphasised very well, and children remember to use the 'Mr Soapy' liquid soap and paper towels after going to the toilet, which helps to prevent cross-infection. Children learn how to get rid of germs, for example, by using tissues to blow their noses, so they keep well and healthy. They enjoy

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Helping children to be healthy

meeting the dental hygienist and learn about the importance of cleaning their teeth, and which foods will help to keep their teeth strong. Children help themselves to easily accessible cups of water whenever they are thirsty, and are encouraged to have drinks after outside play and physical activities in the school hall. This helps to ensure they stay well hydrated throughout the day. Clear documentation systems are in place for monitoring children's health. Separate forms are completed to record any accidents and parents sign to acknowledge that they have seen the entries. Parents receive a copy of any entry made for administration of medication and their permission is obtained for any necessary emergency medical treatment. Consequently, good procedures are followed that help to promote children's health and continuity in care.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have lots of exciting play opportunities to help them keep healthy and fit. For example, they readily join in with a 'Sticky Kids' music and activity tape, and move their bodies to follow the actions. They stretch their arms and legs, clap their hands, march around and bend up and down to the music. They happily join in with staff as they attempt to follow the sequences of the 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes' song. Children start to build up their large muscle skills as they climb on the indoor play frame or pedal and push the ride on toys. Staff are aware of the importance of children having exercise and provide fun activities, although clear focus is not always given to how these can be extended to build on their physical achievements. Children have lots of time to be outside in the garden area, where they can sit quietly in the fresh air to look through a favourite book, dig in the sandpit with their friends or explore an interesting

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Helping children to be healthy

puddle. They learn about the effects of physical exercise on their bodies as they feel their heart beating faster and know they get hot and tired after running around. As a result, children enjoy using up their energy within a range of fun activities and benefit from being regularly outside in the fresh air.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Careful consideration has been given to the layout of the welcoming playroom. Colourful pictures and posters are displayed, and bright and inviting toys and resources are effectively arranged to create an exciting play environment for children. Different areas of play are provided to encourage children's learning, such as the book corner, where they relax comfortably on the child-sized sofa to look through a favourite book. They stretch out easily on the large rugs to do a floor puzzle or play with the small world figures and cars. Suitable equipment is provided to support children's physical needs. For instance, they use sturdy wooden furniture in the home corner to play a game with their friends, and use colourful cups and plates for their snack

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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 time. Brightly coloured wet weather suits and wellingtons are available to enable children to go outside and splash in the puddles and have fun in all weathers. A wide range of colourful mark making tools and materials are provided, which encourages their creativity and pencil control. Toys, games and equipment all appear to be in good condition, are easy for children to use and are checked regularly for any damage.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is promoted well through the different risk assessment systems in place. For example, any venues for outings are fully assessed beforehand and suitable ratios maintained to allow good supervision. Safety precautions help to minimise accidents. Sockets are covered and radiators guarded. Visitors' attendance is recorded and clear procedures are followed for the arrival and collection of children, with a member of staff staying at the entrance gate to prevent any unsupervised access. Safety matting is put around the indoor climbing frame and slide. Children enjoy climbing to the top of the frame, although at times this area becomes crowded, which impacts on how they climb and slide safely. Fire drills are held regularly and are noted in the register, but are not fully evaluated to help monitor the effectiveness of procedures followed. Clear safeguarding procedures help protect children's welfare. Staff

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

complete relevant training and suitable written information is available to support the management of any concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enter the pre-school eagerly and quickly settle to their chosen activities. For example, several children play together in the home corner, pretending to make 'breakfast' by using the play food 'croissants' and 'toast'. They play cooperatively with their friends and help each other in making the meal. Children benefit from the sensitive and reassuring approach given by staff, which helps them feel secure and builds their confidence in play. They chat easily with staff and can easily find their personal toys and 'cuddlies' for a quick hug, when needed. Children are able to independently access a wide range of exciting toys and resources, which effectively supports them in making their own choices in activities. This enables children to follow their spontaneity in play, for instance in their role play, as they reach out for their 'mobile phone' or 'handbag' as they act out an imaginative game. They are confident and settled in the group

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and are happy to join in with the games and activities. For example, as they go on a 'bear hunt' and wade through trays of mud, water and grass to find their 'bear'. A good balance of child- and adult-directed activities are provided, which offer exciting play experiences for children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff are qualified and experienced and committed to helping children learn through their play. They plan an interesting variety of activities based on termly themes, which provide suitable play opportunities for children covering each area of learning. For example, with the topic of 'farm animals' children visit a nearby smallholding, where they see ducks, hens and geese. They learn where milk comes from and what cows like to eat. They learn new sounds and words as they attempt to make animal noises and join in the repeated refrain of a 'Mr Duck' story. This helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and their language and listening skills. They develop their number awareness and creativity as they colour pictures of 'one tractor', 'two sheep' or 'three cows'. Staff extend this topic to introduce 'wild animals', and children use different techniques in

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

exploring colour as they make animal masks or a lovely tiger picture. Children talk about what they would like to put into their 'jungle' display for the wall and make a 'shiny foil' river, with 'blue tissue waves'. Consequently, children are encouraged to use their imagination in art 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 craft activities and utilise a variety of textures and materials. All staff are involved in planning and their understanding of children's interests helps to provides a range of motivating activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children engage happily in activities and show interest in what is happening, for example, as they play with the large, easy to hold magnet, which sticks to one their friend is holding. They laugh as they walk around 'stuck' together. Staff extend this experience well as they show what happens if the magnets are turned around and children smile as they feel the opposite forces repel against each other. As a result, children start to gain an early understanding of simple science and technology. Children enjoy painting using a variety of brushes of different thicknesses, which effectively helps them experiment in the marks and patterns they make. They have opportunities to write for a purpose as they make lists in the home corner, for instance in their 'Chinese takeaway'. Consequently, they are well supported in developing their early writing skills and some children start to form recognisable shapes. Children start to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

recognise some familiar words, such as 'door' or 'computer', displayed around the room and see their names written on their individual drawers. However, opportunities to further develop their awareness of letters and sounds are not always extended, such as helping children to learn the names of others in the group at register time. Children develop their hand-eye coordination very well as they cut along the lines for their 'tiger's jungle grass'. Staff adapt this activity to support children's individual abilities, as some show great skill in managing scissors and others need more assistance. Consequently, children develop confidence in what they can do and know they will be appropriately supported. Children sit quietly to listen to a story tape and talk about what they hear. Most respond to their names easily at register time and use language well to express their thoughts, for example, telling their friends about their family life. Children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

have great fun in their water play, pouring water from one container to another, which helps them develop concepts of 'full' and 'empty'. They excitedly find 'Colin the Crocodile' hiding in the tray of muddy water and experiment with objects that float or sink. Children dig and build in the large sand pit and have fun pushing their trucks around to make tracks and patterns in the sand. They enjoy developing their imagination as they climb up on the 'Princess castle', or play in the outside 'workshop'. They dress up as Snow White, a cat or a bear, and make good use of the variety of role play resources in the home corner. This helps children to act out experiences they have seen and consolidate their thoughts through their play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children become familiar with shapes as they use circle-shaped tissue pieces for their 'rainbow fish' picture. They talk about their triangle-shaped sandwiches with staff at lunchtime and make colourful shape patterns on a peg board. Children enjoy their counting songs, such as 'five green and speckled frogs' or 'five currant buns', which provides some support in developing their early calculation skills. Some children are starting to recognise the written number shape and some are confident in counting to 10, but opportunities to extend this understanding are sometimes limited. Children start to develop an idea of early technology as they open the cash register in the 'farm shop', or look at mini-beasts through a magnifying glass. Some manage a simple computer program and develop their control in using the mouse, for example, to find the correct number of rabbits to match the number eight. Children enjoy going for walks around

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the school grounds in the autumn and collect some fallen leaves. They have fun blowing bubbles and see how the wind blows them around. They dig in the garden and explore the puddles. They carefully water the plants and bulbs they have planted, and know these need rain and sun to grow tall. As a result, children start to learn about the natural world and processes that happen around them. Children build interesting models with simple construction tools, which effectively helps to develop their hand-eye coordination and imagination in design. They explore colours with interest as they experiment in mixing red with white and find it makes pink, and make lovely sparkly firework pictures using brilliant blue, red and green glitter paints. As a result, children start to recognise colours and develop their creativity in exciting activities.

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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 Systems are in place to observe and record children's progress and these include keeping an 'I can do' folder of their pictures and charts. However, the observations made are limited and are not always clearly focused on children's individual achievements or how they make their progress. Consequently, they do not clearly inform the planning of further activities, to ensure these are securely based on children's existing skills and abilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are very much welcomed and valued within the setting. They establish good relationships with staff and peers and appear settled in the group. On arrival they find their named coat peg and know where to store their lunchboxes and outdoor shoes. They keep their pictures, toys and 'cuddlies' in their individual drawer, which gives reassurance and helps them develop a sense of belonging within the setting. Children's specific needs are monitored effectively in regular liaison with parents and other agencies involved. Any particular programmes formed to support children's individual needs are shared with staff to give a consistent approach, which promotes good integration.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the positive role models staff provide. Staff create a calm, friendly environment where children are reassured and supported in learning right from wrong through the clear explanations given. Children's self-esteem is effectively boosted as staff often praise their efforts and thank them for being kind and helpful. Children help staff to form the pre-school 'rules', which provide clear and appropriate boundaries. This helps children to feel secure as they know what is expected of them. Registration forms are clearly laid out to enable parents to record their child's individual needs, such as any medical details, or likes and dislikes, but do not include their religion or language. Children develop some understanding of differences in the world, through the activities provided and as they play with the puzzles, books, dolls and dressing up clothes that show positive images of diversity. However, some aspects of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

diversity are not fully reflected within the general play areas. Children celebrate different festivals, such as Easter, when they go on a Easter egg hunt, or Chinese New Year, when they sample noodles and a stir fry. The local vicar visits to tell a story from the Bible, such as 'Joseph's coat of many colours'. Children join in making decorations for the Christmas trees in the local church and learn about taking care of things as they take the pre-school 'James and Mary' teddies home for a 'sleepover'. As a result, children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parental involvement is actively encouraged through regular newsletters, which keep them informed of current themes, activities, and any events and changes. Parents are invited to help in the pre-school, for instance with outings or to read a story with the children. They are kept very well informed of the overall practices followed in the group as they are given copies of the policies and procedures and notices are clearly displayed on any current issues, such as childhood infections. This effectively supports open communication with parents. A prospectus is provided, which gives details of the areas of learning for the funded nursery education. Parents are invited to join in with a workshop giving practical play ideas linked to the Foundation Stage of learning. Parents liaise with their child's key worker through daily discussion, and termly appointments are offered to enable

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Helping children make a positive contribution

them to discuss assessments made. This provides opportunities for parents to find out about their child's development. However, children's achievements are not clearly identified within their assessment folders, which impacts on how parents can fully share in their progress.

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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. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Children's welfare is effectively supported through the operational procedures followed. Clear key working systems are implemented, which help to maintain continuity in children's care and learning. A balance of quiet and active times are provided during the day, for instance as children sit quietly to listen to a story tape and then join in with a music and movement session. Clear daily routines are established, which help children to feel secure, knowing what will happen next. For example, when the bell is rung they know it is time to tidy up and then sit down to listen for their names as the register is called. The pre-school room is very well organised to support children's needs. For instance, a wide variety of toys and resources are stored at children's height, enabling them to make choices in their play. Children know where their coats, outdoor shoes and lunchboxes

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Organisation

are stored, and can independently access the toilets and sinks, which helps them to manage their personal independence very well. Overall, relevant policies are sufficiently detailed to support the overall practice provided and children's documentation is in place and stored securely in lockable cabinets. Record keeping gives suitable regard to confidentiality, as separate forms are used, for example, to record any accidents or incidents. Registration and insurance certificates are clearly displayed, which helps to reassure parents of the suitability of the provision.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. Staff and committee work well together in providing a well organised setting, which aims to promote children's well-being. Clear staff recruitment procedures are in place, which include taking up relevant references and police checks. Appraisal systems are used to help identify any areas of staff development. Staff continue to attend relevant training courses, for example, first aid or safeguarding children. This helps staff keep updated on changes and issues arising with the care of children. The parent committee meet regularly and the pre-school manager keeps all staff well informed of any issues arising. Staff meet to plan activities on a weekly basis and discuss any procedural changes. As a result, staff work well together as a team and sessions run smoothly. Systems for monitoring the overall provision are followed, for example, through appraisals or minutes of meetings. However, some

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Organisation

areas for improvement are not always sufficiently identified or monitored, such as the assessment systems.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Not applicable: this is the first inspection since registration.

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

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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

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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): • extend risk assessment systems to ensure children's safety in all aspects of the provision, with particular regard to their use of the climbing frame and slide

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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): • extend the observation and assessment systems to clearly identify children's individual achievements, and use this information to plan further activities, which are fully based on their existing skills.

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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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