Great Shefford Under Fives

Great Shefford Under Fives Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 507899 Inspection date 03/12/2009 Inspector Doreen Forsyth

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Setting address Village Hall, Station Road, Great Shefford, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 7DR Telephone number 07880993776 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

Great Shefford Under Fives opened in 1971 and operates from the village hall in Great Shefford, near Hungerford in Berkshire. It is a voluntary organisation with a management committee.

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Description of the setting

The group is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for up to 30 children aged between two and eight years old at any one time. Currently there are 20 children on roll, aged between two and five years old; of these 15 are in receipt of government funding for free nursery education. Children attend from a wide rural area. The setting welcomes children that may have special educational needs and those that are learning to speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The group opens on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays during school term times. Sessions are from 9.30am until 12.00 noon and from 12.00 noon until 2.30pm. There are five members of staff that work with the children, four of these have relevant early years qualifications at level three. The setting 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

Great Shefford Under Fives group is very effective in welcoming and valuing all children and routinely meeting their individual needs. They endeavour to ensure all children are appropriately supported so that no child is disadvantaged in any way. Children's welfare needs are met and they are making good progress in their learning and development. The close partnership with parents, carers and other professionals are used effectively to promote good quality care and education for all. The setting uses a number of strategies, including self-evaluation, to identify the areas of strengths in the provision and to take steps to improve any weaknesses.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide parents with planned opportunities to discuss the observations that are kept on the children's progress and to add what they know about their children's learning at home  use snack time to provide more opportunties for children to develop their independence  add the times of staff and children's attendance to the daily records of attendance. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The setting is very well organised. All the records, policies and procedures that are required for the safe and efficient management of the Early Years Foundation Stage and to ensure the children are well safeguarded and their needs well met are in place and well maintained, although more detail is required on the records of attendance. The group has all the required procedures in place regarding safeguarding children, these are shared with parents. Staff have attended child protection training and are confident in the procedures they would follow if they had any child protection concerns. All of the staff are experienced and most have relevant childcare qualifications. They continue to attend training so that their skills and knowledge are kept up to date, enabling them to promote high quality care and education for the children. All staff have been suitably vetted, any unvetted adults do not have unsupervised contact with the children. The setting has robust

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the early years provision

procedures in place to ensure all staff are suitable to have access to the children.

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the early years provision

The group uses the village hall; this is shared with other users so usually staff have to stored away all the toys and resources after each session. The hall is spacious, light, warm and well maintained. It is made welcoming with posters, notice boards and displays of children's work. Staff have effectively risk assessed the premises, minimising any potential hazards to the children. For example, the fire exit at the rear of the hall is alarmed to alert staff if it opened. Children have access to a very wide range of resources and toys; these are safe and suitable and regularly checked for damage. There is not an outside space attached to the hall that can be used for children's play; so each day the children walk in the village or nearby fields or visit a nearby play area. Staff are very alert to the need to supervise the children well when they are out and ensure their safety. All the walks and outings

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the early years provision

that the children undertake are well risk assessed.

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the early years provision

All children are welcomed into the setting whatever their background. Staff are focused on helping all children make good progress in their learning and development. The setting is very much part of the village and has strong links with the schools, the church and the local community. For example, the children enjoy visiting the village shop and post office. All the staff in the setting continue to strive for improvement; they regularly meet to discuss the provision, they use self- evaluation and value the support from the local authority early years advisor. The recommendations set at the last inspection have been met. They have a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. The hall is well set out each session with resources that promote the different areas of learning. One half of the hall is used for children to access an interesting range of resources that they can use to develop their physical skills, such as controlling wheeled toys or using climbing and balancing equipment. The other half is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 organised into different areas such as a craft area and small world and role play areas where the children can choose what they wish to play with.

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and outcomes for children

Staff plan activities that are linked to different topics and themes that interest the children and help them to learn about their local environment and the wider world. The keyworkers observe and record the children's progress to ensure all children are moving forward. Parents are made aware of these observations and can see them whenever they wish. However there are no regular planned opportunities for parents to discuss the children's progress, or for them to add to the assessment records what they know about their children's progress at home. If children have any special educational needs the setting's qualified special needs coordinator ensures they have the professional assistance they require if necessary.

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and outcomes for children

Children's is independence is promoted; for example, they are encouraged to visit the toilets and wash their hands by themselves; they put their own coats and boots on when they go outside. During the session they can pour their own drinking water if they become thirsty. The resources are set out so that the children can select what they wish to play with. At snack time they enjoy sitting in a small group and talking to each other and a member of staff. On the day of the inspection they had toast for snack and were discussing the shape of the bread, identifying triangles and rectangles. However, they do not pour their own drinks at snack time or serve themselves or others their snacks. Children are learning about the importance of healthy lifestyles. Although the setting does not have its own outside play area they have opportunities to go out each day and play in the fresh air. They usually walk to a play area where they can use the more challenging

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and outcomes for children

physical play resources or run in the fields. They are offered varied and healthy snacks, if children have any special dietary requirements these are noted and observed. They learn about healthy eating in their topic work and in discussion at lunchtime.

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and outcomes for children

The children are very happy and settled in the setting, they quickly develop a sense of belonging. They have made good friendship bonds with others and relate well to the adults in the group. Children behave very well, they quickly understand the rules and routines of the group and learn to take turns and share. The work together well, for example, the cooperate when tidying up. Staff praise and acknowledge the children's good behaviour. Each session a 'special child' is selected to be the helper that day; they proudly help count the children present, put out their name cards for snack time and give out the lunch boxes at lunchtime. Children are learning about different cultures and special events; recently they celebrated Diwali and could explore artefacts and clothes from India. They are enjoying learning Christmas songs and preparing for Christmas. Children are beginning to develop skills they will need in the future. They can access the

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and outcomes for children

setting's computer and enjoy taking photos. They are helped to develop communication and literacy skills and become active and independent learners. 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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