St Mary's Pre-school Playgroup

St Mary's Pre-school Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 509799 Inspection date 20/10/2009 Inspector Rebecca Elizabeth Khabbazi

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Setting address Old Church Schools, 86 Hayes Street, Hayes, Kent, BR2 7BA Telephone number 020 8462 7663 Email deborahkincaid@aol.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

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

St. Mary's pre-school is a committee-run setting and was registered in 1993. The setting operates from St Mary's Church Old School Hall in Hayes in Kent. The pre- school has use of two halls and a connecting foyer area. There is a secure area for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open from 09:00 - 12:00 Monday to Friday, and from 12:30 - 3:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, during term time only. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 48 children. There are currently 75 children on roll, who attend for a variety of sessions. The setting provides support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and to children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 10 staff who work at the setting, all of whom have relevant childcare qualifications.

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Description of the setting

The setting receives support from the local authority through an early years advisor.

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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 setting successfully promotes all aspects of children's welfare and development. Children are safe and well cared for in the welcoming, inclusive setting. Strong partnerships with parents and a good knowledge of each child's needs mean that staff provide all children with appropriate support. This helps children make good progress in their learning. Staff regularly reflect on the service they provide and take action to address any areas for improvement. This ensures the provision is responsive to the needs of the families who use the service.

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further?

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

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further?

 strengthen the link between observations of children's achievements and the next steps identified for their learning, and ensure next steps are regularly monitored and reviewed in order to track progress towards the Early Learning Goals  develop further opportunities for children to select their own resources to express their ideas and imaginations in art and design, and to practise their mark-making skills in everyday meaningful play such as role play This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Effective recruitment procedures ensure staff are appropriately qualified and are suitable to work with children, which safeguards children's welfare. Staff have a clear understanding of their role in child protection and are familiar with procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child. The setting benefits from a consistent, experienced staff team who work well together. All of the required documentation that promotes the health, safety and wellbeing of children is in place. Staff have clear roles and responsibilities, which ensures the setting runs smoothly on a day to day basis. Resources are organised effectively so that children access a good range of materials, benefit from a well-structured routine and receive appropriate support and supervision from staff throughout the session.

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the early years provision

Staff build positive relationships with parents and have a good knowledge of each child's background and needs, which ensures that they can provide the care that children require and effectively promote equality and diversity. Experienced staff offer good quality support to children with additional needs and ensure all children are included. Parents are kept informed about the provision through a welcome pack that includes policies and procedures, regular newsletters and the noticeboards. They have opportunities to discuss children's progress and achievements at regular intervals and benefit from verbal feedback in a day to day basis. Staff continually evaluate the provision as a team, and take action to address any areas they identify for improvement. Actions taken are well targeted to improve outcomes for children. For instance, changes to the structure of the session so that children spend additional time in small groups has meant that all

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the early years provision

children are able to participate more actively at these times.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for in a safe, welcoming environment. They grow in independence as they find their name at the start of the day, look after their own belongings and use the cloakroom on their own. Children begin to adopt good hygiene routines when they wash their hands before snack time, which helps protect them from the risk of cross-infection. They respond well to the clear and consistent expectations of staff, learning to manage their own behaviour as they wait patiently in a line to take their turn at the wash basin without any staff intervention. Children enjoy healthy options at snack time, helping themselves to raisins, apple slices or Satsuma segments. Staff are vigilant in keeping tables clean and following good hygiene guidance when handling food. They check the environment every day to ensure that children can move around safely. Children learn to keep themselves safe when they remember why they mustn't run inside,

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and outcomes for children

and when they take part in a regular fire drill.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and settled at the pre-school. They make good relationships with staff and each other, and come in to the setting enthusiastically at the start of the day. They show an interest in the activities provided, are keen to take part and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 motivated to learn. Staff make observations of children's achievements and use these to plan a wide variety of activities and experiences across all areas of learning. Staff know children's skills and abilities well, but records do not always show a clear link between staff's observations and the next steps identified for children's learning, or how targets are regularly monitored and reviewed in order to track progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children are keen to communicate and share their ideas and experiences confidently at circle time. They enjoy books and listen attentively to a familiar story, predicting what will happen next and recalling things that happened earlier. They colour pictures carefully and older children write their name, forming recognisable letters, but they are not always encouraged to practise their mark- making skills in everyday meaningful play situations, such as in the role play area. Children solve simple problems as they find the right piece for their puzzle, moving it around until it fits the slot. They count as they learn to programme a Bee-bot robot, working out how many spaces it needs to move and then pressing the buttons in the correct order to ensure it arrives where they want it to go. Children learn about the world around them through topic based activities and experiences, such as Space, or talking about Autumn. They plant and grow in the outdoor area

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and outcomes for children

as well as practising their physical skills as they run around, ride bikes or scale the climbing frame. Children engage in imaginative play as they spend time in the role play Chinese restaurant or hospital. They enjoy planned creative activities and are keen to take part, but do not always have free access to a range of materials to express their own ideas and imaginations in art and design. Children's understanding of the society in which they live is beginning to develop through discussion, stories and play resources, which helps children recognise and value the differences and similarities between themselves and others. 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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