Holy Trinity Pre-School

Holy Trinity Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY319968 Inspection date 29/03/2010 Inspector Rachel Wyatt

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Setting address George Williams House, Watson Close, St. Bernards Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B72 1LE Telephone number 07981 809459 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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 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.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Holy Trinity Pre-school registered at its current premises in 2004. It is managed by a committee and operates from a YMCA building in Sutton Coldfield. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open each weekday during term-time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 3.00pm on Monday to Wednesday, and 9.15am until 12.00pm on Thursday and Friday.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children aged from two to under eight years may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 46 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff who work directly with the children, of whom seven hold early years qualifications to Level 3 and one to Level 2. The pre-school also has an office manager. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and provides funded early education.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are valued as individuals. The committee, managers and staff work effectively together to create a welcoming environment for children and families. Priority is given to developing strong partnerships with parents and maintaining good systems which ensure each child's needs are understood and successfully met. As a result each child makes good progress, their health and safety is fostered, and they are fully safeguarded. The leadership and management of the pre-school demonstrates a clear ability to drive sustained improvement, effectively evaluating all aspects of the provision, including taking account of the views of children and families when identifying aspects to develop such as the outdoor area.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve children's concentration and enjoyment by reviewing the organisation of older children's circle time discussions and the presentation of puzzles, small construction toys and some maths resources  develop further the systems for identifying children's individual learning priorities and for sharing this information with parents and the providers of other settings which children attend  improve the content of accident and incident records regarding the details of children's and/or staff's names. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are fully safeguarded. In-house training and attendance on safeguarding courses ensure the manager with designated responsibility for safeguarding, her colleagues and the management committee all understand how to protect children from harm. They are conscientious about developing robust, clear policies to guide them and to ensure parents understand the pre-school's safeguarding role and procedures. As a result managers and staff feel confident to take prompt appropriate action if they have any concerns about a child's welfare and understand the procedures to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff. Children's welfare is further protected as the pre-school obtains all required agreements and information about them and their families before each child starts. As a result it is clear who may have legal contact with a child, who has parental responsibility for them and who can collect them. The pre-school's effective

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the early years provision

recruitment, induction and staff development procedures ensure all adults serving on the committee or working in the pre-school are suitable and that childcare staff have the relevant knowledge, experience and skills.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare, learning and development are ably promoted by the effective team of committee members, managers and staff. They work together to ensure the smooth running of the pre-school and staff confidently and enthusiastically carry out their duties, including their specific responsibilities relating to safeguarding, special educational needs, behaviour management, equality and different aspects of health and safety. Leaders and managers also effectively drive improvement to ensure children consistently have high quality care and education. Consistent monitoring and evaluation of the pre-school's provision and careful action planning ensure that priorities for development are identified and addressed. This includes tackling previous inspection recommendations. Changes take account of the needs of children and parents' views such as the reorganisation of the structure and layout of adjacent playrooms to offer children

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the early years provision

opportunities for free-flow play or to learn in smaller groups in separate rooms. Children's decision making has been enhanced by the creation of a visual display of their favourite toys so they can easily show staff what they want to play with. A special notice board 'the news bod' board is a popular way for parents and carers to share their child's achievements or special news from home. These measures help children to feel valued and included and the pre-school shows a commitment to ensuring their individual interests, learning styles and differing abilities are reflected in the toys and activities provided. Good support is provided for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school promptly identifies where there are concerns about a child's development such as their speech and language, and works effectively with parents and other agencies to develop strategies to help each child develop at their pace.

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the early years provision

Good relationships with parents help the managers and staff to work effectively with families to ensure children's smooth transition into pre-school and so their needs are clearly understood from the outset. When a child joins parents are encouraged to share what they know about them which helps staff to get to know This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 them and reflect their interests in the choice of toys and activities. Parents are given plenty of helpful information about the pre-school so they know how it operates and the range of experiences offered to their children and how they can be involved. Parents are able to contribute to decision making by serving on the committee and giving feedback for instance through questionnaires. They are well informed about the pre-school's educational programme and their child's development. For example, they are encouraged to attend open evenings or art

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the early years provision

and craft workshops, to have regular meetings to discuss their child's progress with their key person, and to share their ideas and skills in sessions. Newsletters and notice board keep them up-to-date about topics, special events and other aspects of life in the pre-school. Children who attend other settings experience continuity and consistency as the pre-school is developing links with other providers, in particular with schools children move on to.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy learning and make good progress. The managers and staff are welcoming, encouraging and generally support children well so they remain involved and interested. Topics and activities are varied and rewarding and children are eager to join in activities which are, in the main, tailored to take account of their interests and developmental needs. Assessment records, including delightful pictorial and written accounts of children’s activities and achievements, give staff an overview of each child's progress and learning priorities at any given time, and enable them to plan accurately for each child. Parents are encouraged to exchange information about their children’s skills and to regularly review their progress with their child’s key person. However, the pre-school managers recognise they need a system for sharing information about children’s progress with providers of other settings some children attend and with those parents

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and outcomes for children

The learning environment is welcoming, there is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, and children regularly play outside. In the garden they plant and tend seeds and bulbs, look at books, enjoy chalking and take part in imaginative and physical play. Many activities are well-equipped, providing children with varied resources which promote their ideas and extend their skills, for example, as they draw and colour expressively or competently cut out different shapes to glue and fit together. However, sometimes too many toys are put out in an area so that, for instance children's play with puzzles, small construction toys and some maths resources is disrupted by other children's play with 'small world toys'.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop good skills for the future. They confidently make decisions about what they want to play with and freely express their ideas, for example, through their drawings, art, craft and role play. They become increasingly independent in seeing to their personal care and hygiene, help with tidying up and are encouraged to look after toys and their possessions. Children generally behave well. Staff ensure they know what is expected of them, fostering their attentive listening, turn taking and sharing. They make friends, usually play harmoniously, and are helped This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to show respect for each other's differing abilities and backgrounds. Children learn to appreciate the lives and customs of others through discussions, using books and toys reflecting positive images of diversity, and by exploring aspects of different celebrations.

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and outcomes for children

Children become articulate speakers, and staff effectively use signing and visual prompts which help those who lack confidence or clarity or who speak English as an additional language. Children enjoy contributing to discussions and to showing their friends what they have brought in from home, although sometimes three and four-year-olds' circle-times are over long. They enthusiastically join in songs and rhymes and listen attentively to stories. Children confidently recognise and use letter sounds and are eager to make marks and practise emergent writing. Children think critically, competently using numbers for counting and problem solving, and accurately comparing items according to colour, shape and size. They are interested in the natural world, delightedly showing everyone the ‘wooden’ lice they have found, and carefully observing and recording stages in the life cycle of butterflies.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is promoted well. Their care, health, dietary and cultural needs are clearly understood and met in the pre-school. They have prompt appropriate treatment from first aid trained staff if they have an accident, become unwell or need medication. Appropriate records are kept of accidents and medication and parents are kept informed. However, staff do not always record children’s or adults’ full names in accident or incident records which could be misleading. Children develop a sound awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They adopt good hygiene practices, and make healthy choices about what to eat and drink. For example, they talk about which foods are better for them and make a display of their findings which is placed in the area where they eat their fruit and other nourishing snacks. Children take part in cooking, including making Christmas cakes, and grow vegetables such as potatoes. Children enjoy being physically

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and outcomes for children

active, and confidently balance, climb and move in different ways. They are kept safe as the premises are secure and free from hazards. They are well-supervised and robust risk assessments and checks are used to effectively monitor overall safety, with prompt action taken to reduce hazards. It is clear children feel emotionally secure in the setting. They settle quickly and have positive relationships with the staff who are kind and reassuring. Children learn how to behave in ways that are safe for themselves and others. They use tools such as scissors and physical apparatus correctly, and discuss other safety issues, for instance, during visits from the police or fire fighters or when taking part in emergency evacuation drills. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

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

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