Mendip Green Primary School

Noah`s Ark Under Fives Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 146066 Inspection date 15/03/2010 Inspector Catherine Louise Sample

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Setting address The Beeches Family Centre, Bulford Road, Bulford, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 9BT Telephone number 01980673479 01980673547 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

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

Noah's Ark Under Fives was registered in 2001 and is situated at the Beeches Families Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire. The setting operates both a crèche and a pre- school within the building. The crèche is situated on the ground floor and the pre- school is situated on the first floor. When not in use, both groups can also use the main hall for further activities. There is a secure garden and a woodland area for outside play. The group operates five days per week for 48 weeks of the year. Opening hours are from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

Noah's Ark Under Fives is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a total of 48 children in the early years age group. There are currently 55 children on roll, of whom 24 are funded for nursery education. The group have systems in place to support children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 16 staff in total, 14 of whom hold a relevant early years qualification and one of whom is currently undertaking training. The group receive support from the local authority, including the area Special Needs Co-ordinator.

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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 making good progress in this friendly and supportive setting. Staff and parents work together to ensure children's unique development and learning needs are met effectively. All children are encouraged to join in and positive steps are taken to ensure that everyone feels included and understood whatever their personality, abilities, ethnic background or culture. Staff and management work together to informally monitor and evaluate the quality of the provision and identify areas for further development.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further systems for monitoring and evaluating practice to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  involve parents in their child's continuous learning and development by encouraging them to share information about their child's abilities on admission  develop further systems for collating relevant information to help practitioners plan for the needs of children from different ethnic backgrounds. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children benefit from having well-trained staff. Only one member of staff is not trained or undertaking training and there are good opportunities for all staff to attend additional training and workshops. Staff are managed well. Effective systems are in place for staff induction and appraisal and work well as a team to ensure that children are always supported effectively and ratios are met. They have regular opportunities to evaluate the quality of the provision and make changes to improve outcomes for children although there are no formal systems in place for this process. Children's welfare is promoted by the good organisational skills of the manager and staff. All necessary records are kept efficiently and a comprehensive range of policies and procedures are implemented effectively. The environment is also well-organised with different rooms dedicated to different areas of children's development. The comprehensive range of resources are stored

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the early years provision

in clearly labelled boxes which are stored at low level to ensure that children can access them easily. The outdoor environment plays a key role in supporting children's play. In addition to a well-equipped play area children have daily access to a large field and wooded area where they have freedom to explore. Risk assessments are made of the premises and for outings and personal risk assessments are carried out for staff, such as managing minor medical issues. Children are safeguarded due to staff's full understanding of child protection issues. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and that unvetted persons never have unsupervised access to children.

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the early years provision

Children's care and learning are enhanced by the effective communication between parents and staff. There is a wide variety of relevant information available to parents and they can easily access their children's records of learning and development and contribute to them if they wish. There are also formal opportunities for parents and staff to meet and discuss children's progress. The child's key person chats to new parents when children enter the setting, although there are currently no systems in place to record information from parents about what their child can already do which would help staff when making their initial assessment. The setting has good links with other local crèches and pre-schools which ensures a shared approach to each child's care and learning if they attend more than one setting. This commitment to working closely with parents, other settings and other agencies ensures that children with special needs and/or

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the early years provision

disabilities are cared for effectively. The specials needs coordinator draws up individual education plans which are shared with all those involved in with the child and these are regularly reviewed to monitor progress. Children throughout the setting learn to use some sign language and there is a well-equipped sensory room. Displays, posters and pictures demonstrate a positive attitude to ethnic and cultural diversity. There is a map showing where various children come from and resources related to their home country. Positive steps are taken to ensure that celebrations and festivals important to children and families are acknowledged and there are various multicultural resources and books in different languages easily available. Staff discuss children's ethnic and cultural background with the parents but this information is not currently included in children's registration forms which This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

would facilitate ethnic monitoring and ensure that the needs of children from different ethnic backgrounds are fully recognised.

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and outcomes for children

Children are helped to feel safe in a wide variety of ways. A full risk assessment and thorough daily safety checks ensure that the environment is safe and secure. Staff take positive steps to ensure that potentially dangerous activities, such as taking all the pre-school children down the stairs and out to the field, are managed safely. Staff are vigilant at all times and discuss safety issues with children, such as reminding them not to stand on their chairs. As a result, children feel secure within the setting and this is shown in the way they move confidently from room to room and explore activities. Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. They have regular opportunities to go outside during the day for fresh air and physical play whatever the weather. They have healthy snacks and meals and pre-school children have 'five a day' charts to monitor their intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are posters showing healthy foods and children take part in

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and outcomes for children

activities to help them learn about healthy eating. They follow thorough hygiene procedures and use soap and paper towels to prevent cross infection. Staff implement hygienic nappy changing procedures using disposable gloves and aprons and an effective nappy disposal system.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and self-assured. They move independently around the setting and explore different activities. They are keen to engage in activities, such as taking part in the currant bun song, and concentrate well on self-chosen activities. They show concern for others, such as children that are still settling in, and play well together. Most are well-behaved. They have good manners and successfully share and take turns with others. Staff manage any behavioural issues successfully with praise, stamps, stickers and 'sparkle' certificates. They offer high levels of support to children, offering lots of praise and encouragement and building children's self-confidence.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to choose what they want to do. There are a small number of adult-led activities that are planned to target the learning needs of specific children but, most of the time, children can initiate play and the learning environment supports this well. For example, they enjoy freely exploring different media and materials in the creative rooms and also have free access to musical instruments and a comprehensive range of sensory resources. They have good opportunities to experiment with volume and weight as they play in water and sand with different containers and utensils and problem solve as they work out how to make a car with construction materials. Older children are confident speakers who are encouraged to share their news in small groups and staff encourage younger children's speech by talking to them about what they are doing. Children are learning about nature as they play in the woods and are

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and outcomes for children

developing their awareness of other cultures as they take part in activities, such as tasting foreign foods. Staff make ongoing observations of the children and this information, along with photographic evidence, is used to complete children's learning journals. The key person uses this information to ensure that all areas of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning are being equally covered and to identify each child's next steps. This directly informs planning which ensures that each child's learning is personalised. 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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