Ermington Pre School

Ermington Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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EY368891 Unique Reference Number 07 July 2008 Inspection date Janet Butlin Inspector

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Ermington Primary School, School Road, Ermington, IVYBRIDGE, Devon, PL21 9NH

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E-mail

The Commitee of Ermington pre-school Unit 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?

Ermington Pre-School Unit has been registered since 1969 operating from the Lower Reading Rooms in the village. It currently runs, under a new registration completed in January 2008, from a resource room within Ermington Primary School. The pre-school is registered to care for 11 children aged from two to five years, with younger children attending in the term before their third birthday. When using the reception classroom they may care for up to 20 children. There are currently 18 children enrolled, 16 of whom are in receipt of funding. The setting supports children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who have English as an additional language. The pre-school is open every day during term time from 9:00 to 12:30, and on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday is open until 15:15. The pre-school is managed by a voluntary committee, who employ four qualified staff. The setting receives support from

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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 learn how to keep themselves healthy. They talk about the importance of washing their hands to protect themselves from germs, and staff explain clearly why it is important not to share drinking straws. They wash their hands using liquid soap and paper towels after using the lavatory and before they eat anything. They also wash their hands if they have been attending to the chickens. Good hygiene is observed throughout the setting. Children are well cared for in the event of having an accident or becoming unwell whilst at the setting. Staff hold first aid qualifications and all documentation is in place to enable them to respond appropriately. Accidents and the administering of any medication is thoughtfully recorded in good detail and conscientiously countersigned by parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy the benefits of fresh air as they play outdoors whenever the weather permits. They understand how important it is to protect themselves from strong sunlight and also to wear appropriate clothing when they go out in showery weather. They develop their large muscles as they run about and plans show they regularly manoeuvre the group's collection of wheeled toys.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children eat healthy snacks comprising a good quantity of fresh fruit and breadsticks. They access a drink whenever they want one. Children bring packed lunches from home and these are promptly refrigerated to ensure they remain fresh and wholesome. Parents respond positively to the group's encouragement to pack lunchboxes with healthy contents.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a bright, thoughtfully organised, conservatory style room. Staff monitor the temperature of the room and use electric fans and ventilation to ensure it is maintained at a comfortable temperature. Children play outdoors in secure, well maintained grounds. They also have their own space to grow vegetables and plants as well as to care for their chickens. They access a good range of toys and resources, all of which are in good condition. The setting is small so staff cannot set out all of the vast range of the toys they have, however, they ensure that resources are rotated regularly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept safe in the setting as the group have conducted thorough risk assessments. The premises are secure and children are unable to leave them unsupervised. All hazards have been identified and addressed, for example, low level glazing is safety glass. All children, including those who attend part-time, are very secure in the procedure to be followed in the event of having to evacuate the premises in an emergency. They practise this regularly and the drills are recorded in helpful detail.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are further protected as the staff have a secure understanding of the child protection procedure. Staff also have helpful, up-to-date guidance to refer to in the event of having a concern.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy themselves enormously in the setting. They take part in a range of activities appropriate to their age and stage of development. Staff have a good understanding of the Birth to three matters framework and how activities can help young children to progress, but do not refer to this clearly in their planning and assessment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children have eager and enthusiastic dispositions to learning and based on observations, discussion and children's performance, are making good progress. However, it is not clear, from records kept, whether children's progress could not be even better. All areas of learning are covered in the planned programme, but plans contain only a brief description of the activity. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and how activities support learning. However, there is a lack of focus in the planning regarding how the activities will support individual children in their learning. Staff use effective teaching methods. For example, explaining clearly at the start of the day what activities are on offer and recapping what they have already done, to reinforce learning. Children are clearly very familiar with the structure of the day and demonstrate high levels of understanding at circle time as

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they count, identify letter sounds and talk about the weather. Children enjoy conversation, for example, telling the group about forthcoming babies. They listen carefully to whole group story times and are keen to contribute their thoughts. The setting helps children to listen for the sounds within words. Children are encouraged to attempt to write their names and some do so most competently. They develop their mathematical understanding as they order, sort and count a range of everyday objects. They are supremely confident in identifying shapes and eagerly explore the room for examples of rectangles. Children explore and investigate how cogs work and extend their understanding of change as they grow their own vegetables. They also keep chickens and delight in discovering how many eggs they can gather each day. Children run about outside, developing their awareness of space. They throw and catch balls and other

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

objects. They develop their small muscles as they become adept at using scissors and manipulating play dough. Children explore colour and texture as they, for example, make bubble prints. They sing along to well known songs and eagerly develop their shop role-play. Staff make ongoing observations and note down children's achievements. Daily discussions ensure that staff have a good understanding of how to support each child. The setting is developing a new assessment format, but at present the written assessments do not clearly show an up-to-date picture of what the next steps are for the children across the areas of learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children enter the setting enthusiastically and immediately gravitate towards their favourite activity, greeting their friends as they do so. They confidently say hello to visitors and respond most politely at registration times and when being asked a question. They follow agreed codes very well. For example, tiptoeing quietly through the adjacent classroom because they understand that the school children are working. They show care and concern towards the chickens they keep. The gasp with delight as the story they are listening to culminates in the picture of a beautiful rainbow balloon they can observe and describe. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are extremely well behaved and respond well to effective strategies, such as being 'star' of the day. They glow with pride as they help with snack time and other important jobs. Children concentrate well at their chosen tasks, becoming

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Helping children make a positive contribution

totally absorbed until they are ready to move on to another activity. Children are secure and

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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 confident in the environment and those who are going to attend the primary school make frequent visits to their next classroom to ease the transition.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's individual needs are known and respected. The setting works hard to embrace those who are from specific cultures. Books, toys and activities are provided to promote children's sense of self. Children who have specific needs are well supported as the setting has a coordinator for this area of provision.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is good. Staff have attended training in this area and have learned helpful strategies to ensure a calm atmosphere is maintained. Children respond to the positive role modelling of the staff and all present treat each other with respect.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Children are cared for in accordance with their parents' wishes and all necessary consents are in place to support good care. Parents are keen to communicate how pleased they are with the provision and how welcome they are made to feel. They receive newsletters that keep them informed of the forthcoming themes and activities. They have daily discussions regarding their child's progress and know they can view their child's records. However, these books contain little helpful information regarding the next steps towards the early learning goals.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children play in a well organised setting and are cared for by a well qualified, enthusiastic, committed staff group who are keen to provide children with the best experience they can. They present a welcoming environment and work hard to ensure it is comfortable for the children. The setting ensures that all who work with the children are suitable to do so. They plan and provide a worthwhile range of activities to meet the needs of all children attending. They give strong emphasis to safeguarding children and helping them to understand how to keep themselves healthy. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. All regulatory documentation is in place and is securely stored.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. Staff are enabled and encouraged to attend all available training to enhance the experiences of the children in their care. They attend local cluster group meetings and are learning about forthcoming changes in early years care and education. They are keen to put what they have learned into practice and have identified that their assessment system requires improvement. They have a worthy vision for the future which includes establishing their provision in newly built premises.

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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.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain 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): • develop the planning and assessment system to make it clear how activities will build on what children know and can do and help them progress

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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): • ensure the planning and assessment system gives sufficient regard to children's next steps in all areas of learning, make this information available to parents.

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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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