Little Kites Playgroup

Little Kites Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

EY366149 Unique Reference Number 18 June 2008 Inspection date Janice Walker Inspector

p.1

Cotgrave Candleby Lane School, Candleby Lane, Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, NG12 3JG

p.1

E-mail

Little Kites Pre-School Playgroup Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Sessional care Type of care

p.1

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

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 good. 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 good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Little Kites Pre-School playgroup is a committee-run provision. It operates from the pre-school room situated within Candleby Lane Primary School in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire. The provision previously ran as two different playgroups and amalgamated, moving to their new premises in 2008. Children are cared for in one large room with an adjoining kitchen and their own bathroom facilities. The provision also has access to the school’s foundation unit along with shared use of an adjoining fully enclosed outdoor play area.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The provision is open each week day during school term times from 09.00 to 11.30 and from 13.00 to 15.15 with a lunch club from 11.30 to 13.00. Children may attend part or full days with the option of staying over the lunch time period. A maximum of 26 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 79 children on roll. Of these, three children receive funding for early education. Children attending come from the local and wider community. The provision currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All children currently attending speak English as their first language.

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 The provision employs eight permanent members of staff to work with the children. Of these, six, including the two job share supervisors, hold early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the early years support team from the local authority.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in an environment where high standards of cleanliness and good hygiene practices help to minimise the risk of spread of infection. This is supported by clear written procedures and effective communication with parents regarding children who are unwell. Children gain a good understanding of personal hygiene through effective adult support. They know to wash their hands before meals using soap to make sure there are no germs and the reasons why. There are comprehensive systems in place to respond to children’s individual health needs with clear information about allergies and medical conditions along with the necessary responses easily accessible and known to all staff.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished. They have regular snacks and meals and help themselves to easily accessible drinking water throughout the session. Snack menus take account of the individual needs of all children. Staff actively engage with parents to promote healthy eating, providing a written policy along with guidance regarding the contents of lunch boxes. Fresh fruit and/or vegetables are provided as part of snack times and also to supplement lunch boxes and staff support children to eat their lunch in an order which ensures that they enjoy a well-balanced meal.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children make good progress in their physical development as they are offered appropriate physical challenges in a safe, well-planned environment and have sufficient time to explore a wide range of equipment. During regular outdoor sessions, they climb, balance and learn to move and control wheeled toys, developing a sense of space as they manoeuvre them around obstacles and park them in marked bays. They roll, wriggle, crawl, hop and jump along long lengths of fabric, well supported by staff to think of different ways of moving and the changes that happen to their bodies as they do so. They handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control. This is well supported throughout daily routines such as snack time when children spread their own butter and marmite on their toast and attempt to open and insert their straws into their drinks. The provision of fresh fruit or

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

vegetables as part of every snack and meal time helps to support their understanding of a healthy diet.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are looked after in warm, bright, light, airy and well-maintained environment. They use high quality toys and equipment which are developmentally appropriate. Staff pay good attention to safety issues when presenting toys and activities, carefully considering their lay-out to minimise the risk of accidental injury and to ensure that children can safely reach them. Low-level storage enables children to make their own selections regarding their play and to easily reach favoured toys. Staff deploy themselves effectively to promote children’s safety, both indoors and outdoors. They greet parents and children at the entrance to closely monitor access and vigilantly supervise the children in all areas. A comprehensive risk assessment is in

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 place and staff methodically carry out daily safety checks to minimise potential hazards. This enables children to safely and independently move around and engage in play.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Through daily routines and reminders, children actively learn about possible dangers around them and how to keep themselves safe. They know not to touch the fence because they may get splinters and not to crash the bikes because they may trap their fingers. They take part in fire drills periodically, ensuring that in the event of an emergency they can evacuate quickly and safely. A clear policy regarding outings helps to keep children safe when outside of the setting. Children’s welfare is effectively promoted because staff have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities regarding child protection and are fully familiar with the setting’s policies and procedures. There is an identified person to take the lead in this area and senior staff have undertaken relevant training to consolidate their knowledge. The setting has effective links with and works in cooperation with other agencies to safeguard children.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the provision, they arrive happy and eager to participate. Staff provide high levels of individual attention to those who are less settled, offering reassurance and supporting them to separate from their carers and to seek activities they enjoy. Staff are kind and caring and have developed warm relationships with the children, enabling them to feel secure and to confidently explore their environment. Children move around freely and independently, playing cooperatively together at times, and independently if they wish. Younger children are making good progress in their development. They benefit from taking part in a wide and stimulating range of practical experiences which staff plan taking into consideration appropriate frameworks along with children’s next steps in development.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a secure knowledge of the curriculum guidance for the foundation stage and there are effective systems in place to ensure that they are able to use and share their skills and experiences when planning activities. They create a stimulating environment which captures children’s interests and motivates them to learn. However, although new systems are being introduced to monitor the delivery of nursery education, these are not yet completely effective in ensuring that all areas of learning are fully covered. Time and resources are well planned with a good emphasis placed on free-play, which encourages children’s independence. Effective systems are in place to monitor the organisation of the daily routine and group times are reviewed on an ongoing basis so that activities during these times are pitched at an appropriate level to maintain children’s interest. Practical learning

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

opportunities that arise through routines such as counting as part of large and small group times, are well used to support children’s mathematical development. Children interact confidently with staff who support their learning well by using effective questioning. Comprehensive systems are in place and effectively implemented by staff to ensure that children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully included in the provision. Staff observe and record children’s progress and know them well. However, not all assessment records are kept up to date which means they are not fully effective when planning for the next steps in children’s learning and consequently activities are sometimes not adapted to support individual children’s progress along the stepping stones of learning.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are interested in the range of activities provided. Their growing independence is strongly supported through daily routines as they initiate their own games and freely move

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 around their environment making independent choices. They develop good self-care skills as they attempt to put on their own coats for outdoor play, visit the bathroom independently and spread the butter on their own toast. They behave well due to the ongoing reminders about the rules for acceptable behaviour and the positive and consistent methods staff use to reinforce these. Through good adult support, they learn to share and take turns and to care for their environment and each other. Children are developing a range of language skills during group activities and when engaging individually with staff. They freely select from a wide range of age-appropriate books and listen intently at story times which help to foster their enjoyment of reading. They use a wide range of materials to make marks and practise writing for different

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

purposes, for example in the role play area. Children benefit from regular support and opportunities to count as part of daily routines and have learnt a variety of number rhymes to introduce them to the concepts of addition and subtraction. They learn to compare and categorise and to explore the concepts of shape, size and measure through play, for example, as they play with different sized containers in the water tray and put different objects on each side of the weighing scales.

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use their senses to investigate a wide range of materials such as sand, water, compost, raw and cooked foods and play dough. Adults encourage investigative behaviour and raise open-ended questions that encourage children to seek explanations about how things work such as the pencil sharpener. There are limited opportunities however for finding out about and identifying the uses of everyday technology. Children begin to learn about the world around them; they plant seeds and watch them grow and watch the process of eggs hatching. They learn about their local environment through outings to the library and local shops along with the transformation of the role play area into different settings such as a hospital, dentist, restaurant or travel agents. By listening to stories and participating in craft activities linked to different festivals, they are beginning to learn about the wider world. Children have many

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

opportunities to explore media and materials using their senses; they watch the colours of paints mixing together, feel the texture of compost and the sensation of the bubbles being blown in the water. They explore a wide range of musical instruments and build a repertoire of songs, joining in with enthusiasm. They use their imagination in the role play area and when playing with small world toys and puppets, using these props to act out real and imagined experiences.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed into the setting. Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of issues relating to equality of opportunity. They are making effective use of the Local Authority’s ‘hands up for inclusion’ document to continually monitor and evaluate the quality of the service for all children attending. Children develop a secure sense of belonging as they are all warmly welcomed into the setting and have their own identified picture which indicates space for personal belongings along with their drink at snack time. Their attractively displayed art work along with photographs of them at play and within story books made by staff, support this. They have access to a wide range of resources which promote positive images of differences within society including race, gender and disability. This, along with listening to stories and participating in activities linked to different festivals, helps them to begin to learn about their

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

immediate and the wider world. There are comprehensive systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities and staff demonstrate a positive attitude to caring for such children. They have good links with parents and other professionals to ensure they

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 are able to meet children’s individual needs, and to support them to participate fully in the life of the setting.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are polite and well mannered. They learn good table manners and social skills at meal times, supported by gentle reminders and prompts from staff. Staff are skilled in managing children’s undesirable behaviour, swiftly responding to this and giving clear messages about the reasons for the rules and offering sensitive support to adhere to these. Through organised small group activities and ongoing adult support, they learn to share and take turns. Daily routines including reminders about rules within the setting including how to use equipment correctly, what is acceptable behaviour and how to take care of each other and their toys. Overall, children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is appropriately fostered.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff gather relevant details about children at the outset to ensure that they are able to respond appropriately to their needs. The setting’s welcome booklet provides clear information about the provision which helps to clarify expectations and ongoing information is shared on notice boards and through the termly newsletters as well as through daily verbal exchanges. Staff actively seek parents' comments through the suggestion book. Staff are pro-active in reviewing and re-arranging children’s sessions in order to meet their individual needs and support family life.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of funding for nursery education is satisfactory. Staff provide information about what children have been doing each day and make themselves available to informally discuss children’s progress. However, there is limited information for new parents that explains the curriculum and how it is delivered through play. Although parents are aware that staff monitor their children’s progress, systems to enable them to share what they know about their child at the outset, or to contribute to their child’s assessment records on an ongoing basis have not yet been established. As a result, staff are not able to fully effectively build on children's previous knowledge and skills or clearly show the progress a child has made. Parents have some opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning, for example, by providing materials for them to participate in themed days, but this

p.6

Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's personal details are well-documented and staff take account of these, along with parents’ wishes, to ensure children are appropriately cared for. All legally required documentation is in place and contains a good level of detail to promote children’s welfare and development and an appropriate range of policies and procedures support the safe and efficient management of the provision. Systems for recruiting staff ensure that staff are appropriately vetted and qualified; however, a robust recruitment procedure is not yet in place to ensure any new staff maintain appropriate health to work with children which could pose a risk to children’s well-being.

p.6

Organisation

Children benefit from being cared for by well-qualified and skilled staff. Appropriate systems are in place to support them to carry out their work; the committee provide good day to day support and there are ongoing opportunities for staff and the committee to communicate. A clear induction procedure helps to clarify roles and responsibilities and staff receive ongoing support through regular staff meetings. The staff team build on their existing skills and knowledge through attendance at regular training events and through actively seeking support and advice from other professionals. The staff team work very well together, deploying

p.6

Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 themselves effectively to provide good levels of supervision and support to children and to ensure the smooth running of the session. They are a kind and caring team, demonstrating genuine appropriate affection for the children attending. The key-worker system ensures that they know the children very well. Good use is made of space and resources with identified areas within the room for different types of activities. Good use is made of outdoor space to maximise play and learning opportunities for all children in all areas of their development.

p.6

Organisation

Leadership and management of early education is good. Staff work well together as a team to plan and deliver the curriculum. Planning systems ensure children access a wide variety of activities and staff are clear of their role in supporting these. All staff contribute to the monitoring and evaluating of the nursery education provision and have a good understanding of their strengths and areas to improve with a clear plan in place to develop these. Through their regular attendance at training courses and effective links with other relevant professionals, staff demonstrate a real commitment to improving the educational provision. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

p.7

Complaints since the last inspection

Since the 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.7

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.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

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.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.7

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): • improve the systems to ensure that all staff are suitable, both mentally and physically, to care for children.

p.7

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 planning to ensure that all areas of learning are fully covered, particularly with regards to information & communication technology, and that activities are adapted

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 to ensure that children are appropriately challenged in order to make consistent progress in their development • ensure that parents receive good quality information about the setting and how the curriculum is delivered through play and develop systems to enable and encourage them to be involved in their child’s learning • gather appropriate information from parents to identify starting points for children’s learning to enable staff to build on children’s previous learning and skills, improve systems to encourage parents to contribute to their child’s assessments and ensure that they are well informed about their child’s achievements and progress.

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.8

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.8