John O'Gaunt School

Acorn Preschool Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 110050 Inspection date 08/12/2009 Inspector Lisa Ellis

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Setting address Holy Rood Church, Gosport Road, Stubbington, Fareham, Hampshire, PO14 2AS Telephone number 01329 661154 or 07906113281 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 .

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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

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

Acorn Pre-school registered under it's current ownership in 2000. It is situated in a church hall, which is located in Stubbington, Hampshire. The accommodation consists of a hall and two separate rooms. There are fully enclosed outdoor play areas. The pre-school works under the umbrella of the church. It is registered on the Early Years Register to provide care for a maximum of 26 children aged two to five years at any one time. There are currently 42 children on roll.

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Description of the setting

There are nine members of staff of whom six hold childcare qualifications and two are on training. The pre-school operates during term times, opening Monday- Friday from 9:00am-3:30pm. However, on Wednesdays there is no morning session so pre-school opens from 12:00pm-3:30pm. The pre-school is in receipt of government funding for nursery education. There are systems in place to meet the needs of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those whom have English as an additional language. The pre-school is a member of Children's Link and receives support from the local authority.

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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

The pre-school is meeting the needs of the children as good partnerships have been established with parents. Staff use the information from parents when planning activities to ensure children's individual likes and dislikes are taken into account. All of the recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed and the pre-school makes use good of it's self-evaluation to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the register of children's attendance clearly shows their times of arrival and departure 08/01/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 streamline the planning, assessment and evaluation, linking it together to highlight the next steps in children's individual learning and development.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded as staff have an understanding of the action to take should they have concerns regarding the welfare of the children. Referral This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 procedures are available to parents to ensure they are aware of the steps the pre- school would take should a child be at risk of harm. All of the staff are appropriately vetted and children are never left alone with unvetted adults. Induction systems are in place for new staff and all staff take part in regular appraisals where their professional development is discussed and training needs are highlighted. For example, some staff are due to undertake child protection training early in the new year to ensure their knowledge is up-to-date. Children benefit from high staff ratios and good deployment of adults which ensures they are protected. All of the required documentation is in place although the register of

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the early years provision

children's attendance is not maintained to the required standard.

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the early years provision

The manager and the deputy have begun to evaluate the pre-school and are in the process of involving all other staff. Priorities for development have been identified and as a result, improvements are being made. For example, the group has purchased lots of accessible storage to enable the children to independently select much of their own equipment. All children have access to the full range of activities and equipment on offer which positively reflects equality and diversity. Staff make good use of observations, using them to inform the next stage of planning and creating individual learning plans for each child to enable them to make progress at their own speed. Staff are looking at different ways of planning and assessment as at the moment it is fragmented and does not always clearly link together.

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the early years provision

Children benefit as parents are involved in the pre-school. They are invited into the group as parent helpers and are often asked to contribute to the planning for their own children. For example, staff regularly ask them about what the children like to do at home and give parents information about what they are doing in pre-school. New families are helped to settle into the group as they are offered a home visit before the children start. At this point parents are given a lot of information about the group, including copies of the polices and procedures. Parents feel that the staff are approachable and know that they can contribute to their children's record of achievements to help identify the next steps in their individual learning. Parents are informed about the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the areas of learning through newsletters and the informative notice board. The pre-school works with other early years providers that the children go to, such as

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the early years provision

childminders, to ensure all adults caring for the children can work together. They also work with other professionals where necessary to ensure children's individual needs can be met.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress in all areas of development as staff plan and provide a wide variety of activities to challenge and stimulate them. Children enjoy their learning as they are given plenty of opportunities for child initiated activities as well as taking part in short bursts of adult led learning. Children enjoy group registration time where they discuss what activities are available during the sessions. They learn how to sit still and listen as the register is called and work well as a group in tasks such as counting how many children are present and completing the weather board. Children's behaviour is generally good as staff have This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 clear expectations of behaviour and explain them to the children well. Children learn to negotiate with help from staff, for example, when children are squabbling over a toy. This is quickly resolved by a member of staff who fetches a timer and

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and outcomes for children

explains to children that when the sand runs out, it is somebody else's turn. Children are responsive to this and receive praise and encouragement for sharing and taking turns.

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and outcomes for children

Children are relaxed and safe in the pre-school. Security is very good and children learn safety procedures such as the correct way to carry chairs. Children know what to do in the event of an emergency as they regularly practise fire drills. Children's gross motor skills are developing well through using a range of equipment indoors and outside. The garden is also used for exploring and developing imaginations, for example, they dig for worms and sieve shingle while searching for pretend gold. Children benefit from good interaction with staff who chat to them as they play and know when to allow children to problem solve for themselves without interfering. Staff ask open ended questions to encourage children to think for themselves but are always on hand to give assistance when required, for example, by helping children who are toilet training.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing good skills for the future, such as learning basic mathematical concepts through play. Staff talk to them about size and volume and encourage communication skills by listening to children, promoting the use of books and giving them lots of opportunities to mark make. Children have many opportunities to recognise their written names as they need to find them for registration time, on their coat hooks and when queuing for snack. Children play with toys that promote an understanding of technology and are encouraged to use their imaginations through art and crafts and music and movement. Children learn about health and hygiene and are encouraged to become independent. For example, as well as selecting their own activities they put on their own coats for outdoor play and pour their own drinks at snack time. Good hygiene procedures are followed such as hand washing after toileting and using anti-bacterial hand

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and outcomes for children

liquid before eating. 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 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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