Pinner Wood School

Woolston Community Pre-School 1 Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 131577 Inspection date 23/09/2009 Inspector Coral Hales

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Setting address The Woolston Centre, Church Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 9FU Telephone number 023 8044 4414 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 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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: 08456 404040 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

Woolston Community Pre-School 1 is one of two sessional pre-schools run by the same committee. It registered in 1975 and operates from a refurbished nursery block in a community building in the Woolston area of Southampton. There is a fully enclosed outside area used by all children. Children attend a variety of sessions and live in the local and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 48 children on roll of whom 37 receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school is open throughout the week except for Monday mornings from 09.00 to 12.00 and 12.30 to 15.30 during school term time. The setting currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff, three of whom hold early years qualification to at least level two. The pre-school receives support from an early years support teacher from the local authority and a Pre-school Learning Alliance development worker.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff provide children with a welcoming, friendly environment and children are happy and enjoy their time at the setting. The lead practitioner is new to her role and she and her staff are developing together as a team. They reflect on their own practice and identify areas for continued development in order to support and evaluate learning outcomes for children. The Early Years Foundation Stage framework has been implemented and staff continue to develop their understanding. Children are well supported and make good progress towards the early learning goals. The staff and parents work well together sharing information to ensure all children are valued and that individual needs are identified and met. Links with other providers are being developed and effective links are in place with other professionals who offer support to the children.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessments so that it includes information about who conducted it, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Safeguarding and Welfare) 09/10/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop staffs' confidence and understanding of the observation systems to allow them to clearly identify the next steps in children's learning and development to ensure Learning Stories reflect children's abilities and that activities offer appropriate challenge  conduct regular staff appraisals in order to identify all training needs of staff to ensure their continuing professional development needs are promoted  continue to develop systems of self-evaluation to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children.

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the early years provision

Children’s safety is supported well due to the effective practices and procedures followed by the staff team. Risk assessments are completed daily and staff have a generally good knowledge of how to keep children safe. However, the record of risk assessments is not in line with requirements. Staff have a working knowledge of child protection issues and are clear about their roles, responsibilities and of procedures to follow if issues arise. The safeguarding children policy has recently been reviewed and updated and is fully in line with requirements, known by staff and available to parents. Children begin to develop a sense of how to stay safe within the setting, some use their initiative and start to take some responsibility for their own safety. Staff are on hand to prompt and give gentle reminders when necessary.

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the early years provision

Recruitment and employment systems are in place to ensure all staff are vetted and suitable to work with the children. Appraisals are not completed and therefore training needs and professional development is not fully monitored. New systems including a full induction when first employed have been implemented.

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the early years provision

The staff have a clear understanding of the need to monitor and reflect on their practice and together they are devising a written document that will focus on their strengths and priorities for improvement. Staff are motivated and have clear ideas and aims for the pre-school and demonstrate the capacity to maintain and make continuous improvement. The team are working well with the development worker and early years support teacher and are embracing the changes being introduced.

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the early years provision

Staff are generally deployed effectively and half the staff are qualified, whilst others continue to train towards level two and three qualifications. The group is well resourced in all areas of learning, however, not all activities are effectively supported to develop and extend children’s learning.

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the early years provision

Good communication and liaison with parents has developed effective friendly working relationships allowing for care to be shared and discussed. This together with effective systems in place ensures that all children including those with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning difficulties and/or disabilities or English as an additional language make good progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy the interaction they receive from the staff at the setting. Most children move around the pre-school with confidence and are able to make choices about the toys and activities to use.

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and outcomes for children

Staff provide the children with a fun environment where their learning needs are generally met. Planning is flexible and allows for children’s ideas to be valued and followed and activities are evaluated to ensure they meet individual children’s needs. Key workers observe and assess children’s progress and add to the Learning Stories, however, next steps in learning are not effectively identified. Children regularly visit the mark making area and some are encouraged to write their names. They enjoy stories in the quiet area enjoying the close contact with staff and choose from a good selection of books. Children learn in a very practical and fun way about bigger and smaller as they draw around an adult who then draws around them out on the playground and then they compare sizes. They also enjoy running around in the fresh air and discover their shadows and tell the staff that theirs is smaller. The new outdoor space is utilised really well by the children

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and outcomes for children

and is very popular. Staff support acquired skills and promote new ones as children use tunnels, hoops and balls. Children on wheeled toys have lots of fun on the ramp and cycle happily around the playground.

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and outcomes for children

Children show a good awareness about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle through their daily routines as they eat healthy snacks and follow good personal hygiene procedures. Children enjoy regular exercise, both indoors and out which is enhanced by the easy access at all times into the outdoor area.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave generally well and are able to negotiate and challenge each other. They are encouraged to share and take turns and seek support and guidance from caring staff, who take time to support children who are new to the group, helping them to feel secure and settled. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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