Bancroft's School

Stithians Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 102875 Inspection date 23/11/2009 Inspector Lynne Stephanie Bowden

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Setting address The Village Hall, Church Road, Stithians, Truro, Cornwall, TR3 7DH Telephone number 01209 862727 Email stithianspreschool@btconnect.com 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 .

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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: 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

Stithians Pre-School Playgroup, is a committee run group that opened in 1978. It operates from its own purpose built premises to the rear of Stithians Centre, previously know as the village hall, adjacent to the village primary school. It is situated in the village of Stithians, Cornwall. The village is centrally placed for the towns of Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn and Helston. Children have access to enclosed outdoor play areas. The group opens five days a week term time only. The setting is open from 8am to 6pm and also provides funded nursery education sessions.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered for a maximum of 24 children aged from two to under eight years. There are currently 26 children attending who are within the early years age group, of these two children also attend the neighbouring reception class. The provision is also registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children come from surrounding towns and villages. The setting currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs six members of staff. All have early years qualifications to NVQ Level 2 and 3. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from the Local Authority Family Services and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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

Children enjoy their time at the setting, where they are well cared for and confident. The staff have satisfactory relationships with children and their families, but have not established an effective system to share information with all other providers. Based on their observations and assessments staff plan and provide a range of activities to interest children and help them make progress. Staff are able to identify some of their and the setting’s strengths and weaknesses. They take suitable action to promote children's welfare and ensure that they are kept safe and secure.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop the use of daily routine to effectively promote children's learning in all areas, in particular the development of purposeful mark marking, mathematics and problem solving skills and tidying resources as they are used  develop the use of children's observation and assessment records to identify individual children's interests and ensure that all children receive suitably challenging opportunities to make progress  continue to develop systems with other Early Years Foundation Stage This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 providers and parents, to share information and work in partnership providing suitable and complementary care and activities to support children’s learning and development

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded by the effective recruitment and vetting procedures which ensure that children are cared for by suitable and qualified staff. There is a comprehensive safeguarding children policy. The premises are very secure with systems in place to monitor all visitors. Regular fire drills are carried out, so that children become familiar with them and risk assessments are carried out to keep the environment safe. The premises are fully accessible. Some of the staff are able to use sign language to aid communication with children. Staff liaise effectively with other agencies to meet individual children’s needs and follow the special educational needs code of practice. They have a close relationship with the reception teacher at the adjacent school, but have not established an effective system to share information with other providers.

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the early years provision

The setting has a full set of policies and procedures and records and documentation are maintained and in good order. Staff have developed satisfactory relationships with parents. When children start at the setting, staff seek and are given comprehensive information about their interests and levels of achievement by parents. Parents are kept informed through informal feedback each day and provided with written information about their children’s progress at the setting, each term. However, they are not consulted about children’s continuing progress at home or involved in identifying the next steps for their children. Staff are aware of some of the setting's strengths and areas for development and have made plans to address these areas. They have partially addressed weaknesses identified at previous inspection.

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the early years provision

Staff use observation and assessment systems to identify learning priorities and plan learning experiences for individual children. However, activities do not always provide sufficient challenge and staff do not always use daily routines to consolidate and extend children’s learning, especially in purposeful mark marking, mathematics and problem solving skills. Although the setting is well resourced, staff do not always encourage children to put equipment away before they move on to their next activity. This results in other children needing to find and collect up resources before they can participate in the activity.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and confident at the setting, where they form good relationships with adults and each other. Because at circle time staff ensure that they are aware of expectations and give each other the opportunity to contribute and be listened to, children confidently and enthusiastically share their news. For example, children give a graphic description of how the gales uprooted trees near This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their home. Children all confidently and securely recognise the sounds of initial letters of their and their friends’ names and recognise each others name cards, due to the staff’s promotion of these early reading skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to keep themselves safe, as staff remind them of safety rules, such as how to handle scissors appropriately. Children enjoy acting out familiar scenarios in the role play areas and develop creative skills as they design and make puppets from a variety of materials. Access to a range of resources, ensures that children see positive images and begin to learn to respect difference and diversity.

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and outcomes for children

They develop effective hygiene practices as they learn about the effect of germs and staff remind them to cover their faces when coughing and sneezing, along with appropriate hand washing routines. Daily access to the outdoor play area, in appropriate clothes, enables children to enjoy the fresh air in a variety of weathers. There, they develop confidence and physical strength as they enjoy manoeuvring wheeled toys around and explore and observe the environment. Children begin to develop independence as they enjoy their nutritious snack of fruit and vegetables and pour out their own drinks of milk or water. 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 3 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 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 3 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 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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