Whittlefield Primary School

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Ascot and Cranbourne Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 119262 Inspection date 20/10/2008 Inspector Mike Thompson

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Setting address Ascot & Cranbourne Pre-School, Lovel Road, Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 2EU Telephone number 01344 885020 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration whichever is the later, which require Ofsted or the provider to take action in Annex C.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Ascot and Cranbourne Pre-school opened about 45 years ago. It operates from a detached classroom in the grounds of Cranbourne Primary School. The pre-school serves the local area and surrounding villages. It is a registered charity, affiliated to the Bracknell Forest Pre-school Learning Alliance and is managed by a parent committee. There are currently 38 children aged from two to five on roll, who attend at different times, comprising of 21 funded three year-olds and 16 funded four year-olds. The group opens for five days a week during the school term. Sessions are from 09:00 to 12:00 on Monday to Friday for all year groups. On Tuesday and Wednesday, sessions are offered from 12:00 to 15:00 for all four year-old children. On Friday afternoons, sessions are open to all. In addition, there is a lunch club open to all from 12:00 to 13:00 on Monday, Thursday and Friday. Eight members of staff work with the children. Of these, seven have early years

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Description of the setting

qualifications to level 2 or 3 including Introduction to Pre-school Practice, and Diploma in Pre-school Practice. Three members of staff have NVQ level 3 and one is working towards this qualification. One member of staff has qualified teacher status. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP), Area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (Area SENCO) and the Teaching and Support Services (TASS). This provider is on the Early Years Register, compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision at Ascot and Cranbourne Pre- school is satisfactory. There is a clear commitment among staff to ensuring that the emotional and welfare needs of all children are met. Educational direction is less well developed, and the supervisor acknowledges that staff training is needed to develop the skills required. Good levels of supervision help ensure that children have equal access to the opportunities for learning provided. The leadership provides satisfactory direction and correctly identifies what is working well and evaluating what needs to be improved further. There is a satisfactory capacity for future improvement.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure that planning contains specific learning intentions so that children’s progress in meeting them can be accurately judged  ensure that day-to-day recorded assessments of children’s achievements are more evaluative and less descriptive

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 make sure that the required documentation is always up-to-date and readily available for inspection(documentation) 05/01/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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provision

The staff work well together as a team, and are clearly committed to ensure that the children in their care are well looked-after and enjoy the choices on offer. The supervisor and administrator, who together provide the day-to-day direction for the pre-school, have identified the development of staff skills as a priority in order to make children’s learning more effective. The pre-school makes good use of the training on offer through the local authority to improve the levels of expertise within the staff. For example, all staff members have paediatric first-aid qualifications. However, improvements are needed in order to make staff more effective as educators. Sometimes staff are effective in developing children’s learning during their one-to-one contacts with children, but this is inconsistent. In addition, the staff’s assessments of the children do not help determine the next steps in the children’s learning.

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provision

While the supervisor and administrator both have a clear understanding of what is needed to improve the pre-school further, there is no formal, written self- evaluation of the pre-school’s effectiveness. Nonetheless, the pre-school takes the opportunities presented to improve provision for the children. Good use is made of the available space to provide a satisfactory environment for learning.

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provision

Procedures for ensuring the day-to-day safety and welfare of the children are thorough and are constantly reviewed in light of practice. A scrutiny of the accidents log and incident records showed the inspector that the children are closely supervised and well looked-after, but some of the paperwork relating to safeguarding children through recruitment checks on the staff was unavailable at the time of the inspection. However, enquiries by the inspector confirmed that all required checks had been made.

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provision

The pre-school has good partnerships with parents. They are welcomed and staff are always willing to discuss their children’s development with them. For example, at the start of the morning session, some parents choose to stay with their children for a short while and help settle them in by playing with them and talking with staff about any areas of concern. The pre-school operates a ‘key person’ system, with individual adults responsible for the overview of individual children. This system operates satisfactorily. However, the key people are not as well informed about the children’s academic progress as they might be because of weaknesses in procedures for planning and assessing progress. Their contacts with parents are more productive with regard to the welfare of the children.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are provided with interesting tasks that hold their attention, and many become engrossed in what they are doing for lengthy periods. Children move freely between the indoor activities, which are well organised and supervised. Access to outdoor learning is limited. The pre-school has some outdoor equipment and there This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 is a very small outdoor area outside the main entrance. The pre-school also has access to the adjacent primary school’s large play apparatus during lesson times. During part of one of these outdoor play sessions at the primary school, observed by the inspector, the children enthusiastically used the apparatus while staff, for the most part, took a supervisory rather than a teaching role. To a lesser extent, this situation also occurs in some indoor activities. This is because, apart from a weekly overview of the activities to be provided, there is no detailed planning. Consequently

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

the staff have no clear guidance about precisely what learning the activities are designed to promote. This weakness particularly affects intended learning in communication, literacy, numeracy and knowledge and understanding of the world. Fortunately, many staff are experienced in working with children and have a good idea of what they could reasonably expect of them. Therefore, learning does take place, but not in a precisely focused way.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Because planning contains no guidance about intended learning, the assessments made by the staff are largely descriptive and lack clear evaluations of the children’s achievements. The lack of good quality information about learning means that children make satisfactory progress in developing their basic academic skills in contrast to the good progress made in their personal and social development as a result of the good quality care provided for them.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

A strength of provision is the way in which enjoyable activities are delivered. For example, during an afternoon session, the four year-old children gained a lot from the experience of making Halloween cookies. They patiently waited to take turns to stir the mixture, and talked about its smell and feel. However, because of the weaknesses in planning already detailed, opportunities to enhance children’s experiences in a focused way were missed.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The staff are good at ensuring the social and emotional well-being of the children. However, they are less skilled in reacting to educational needs. For instance, in some one-to-one or small group situations, the staff do not readily pick up on opportunities presented to improve children’s speech by modelling correct pronunciation. The clear, well-established routines help ensure that children feel secure and learn safely. They also help the children to become independent. At the end of sessions, children play their part in helping to tidy up, and this helps develop a sense of responsibility. Healthy lifestyles are encouraged, and a good emphasis is placed on personal hygiene, for example when handling food. Children contribute well to the environment for learning through their enthusiasm to join in with activities, their consideration for one another and their readiness to make friends. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 3 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 3

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 3 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

This section of the report includes details of any complaint/s made to Ofsted when:  we took action for the provider to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  we asked the provider to take action in order to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  the provider had already taken any necessary action to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register.

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

We will not report on any complaint where the provider met the requirements of the Early Years Register or did not require any action by Ofsted or the registered provider.

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Detail of the complaint/s

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection

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Detail of the complaint/s

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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