Piccolo Pre-School Nursery

Piccolo Pre-School Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY371480 Inspection date 06/10/2009 Inspector Loraine Wardlaw

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Setting address Chute Recreation Ground, Vyne Road, Sherbourne St. John, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 9HX Telephone number 07528726248 Email info@piccolopsn.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

Piccolo Pre-School Nursery was registered in 2008 and is owned and managed by three private individuals. It operates from a hall at the Chute recreation ground, which is located in the village of Sherbourne St. John, near Basingstoke. Children have access to the recreation ground. The pre-school nursery is open each weekday from 09:00 am to 12:00 noon term time only and for extended hours on a Monday and Wednesday until 03:00 pm. Children may attend for sessions or for the whole day. The pre-school nursery is registered on the Early Years Register for a maximum of 24 children at any one time. There are currently 40 children on roll. There are seven members of staff, including the owners who work with the children. Six of the staff are qualified to level two and above in early years. Children attend from a wide geographical area, and three and four-year-olds receive funding for early education. 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

Children are welcomed into a child-centred, light and spacious environment where they feel included and safe. Overall, staff meet their needs well, although effective challenge and extension is not consistently offered by all the staff to those children with higher abilities and starting points. The valuing of children's cultural heritage is a key strength of the provision, along with the support offered to children with special educational needs/disabilities and the linking of other agencies. Good systems are now in place to evaluate the setting and priorities for development are identified and acted upon, resulting in better outcomes for children.

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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 daily record of attendance shows children's hours of attendance (Documentation) 06/10/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop staff skills to ensure children are encouraged to think critically during their activities and the more able child is offered more challenge in their child initiated and focused activities  further develop the outdoor area, using it as part of the continuous curriculum This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The committed and caring staff team put safeguarding as a priority; five out of seven staff are fully trained in child protection, and new recruits are booked onto a course as soon as possible. Staff are familiar with the procedure and the role of the designated officer, because it is part of their rigorous induction. Good record keeping protects children's health but the attendance register does not record the hours children spend at Piccolo, which is a regulatory requirement. An effective 'health care plan' is in place and displayed to ensure all staff are aware of those children with specific medical needs, and includes emergency procedures written on yellow paper. All staff hold an enhanced criminal records bureau check and nearly all are trained practitioners. Risk assessments and daily checklists are used to ensure that staff are vigilant in recognising hazardous areas used by the children. The child-friendly and welcoming playroom has been organised so

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the early years provision

children can freely select a good range of interesting activities and play resources, during the continuous curriculum. Boards displaying photographs of learning activities and art work, give the children a strong sense of belonging. At present children engage in physical activities indoors or during planned activities on the recreation ground, such as using the parachute, because the outdoor play area is in the process of being completed. Management and staff have worked extremely hard since the last inspection to put many improvements in place to raise the quality of the provision. As a team they self-evaluate regularly and have targets in place to improve the quality even further, completing the Ofsted on line self evaluation form and working successfully in partnership with the local authority. For example, a new door alarm system has been installed and training staff in EYFS. Parents' views are sought through a questionnaire, all of which are positive

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the early years provision

and any points for consideration are acted upon. Parents are extremely happy with the level of communication they receive from the staff on care and learning matters. They talk of the friendly and approachable staff, the flexible settling in procedure which meets their child's individual needs and the information sharing that takes place when they come in to view their child's learning and progress journal's. Parents are invited to join in with activities, such as at Easter time or for a charity event, for example, a McMillan coffee morning. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn English as an additional language with several staff being bilingual themselves. They give children a buddy, learn words themselves of a child's home language to support them and ensure the book corner includes books in their home language. The good observation and assessment system means that key staff are able to track children's progress and

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the early years provision

implement their next steps through focused activities but not all are tailored to effectively meet the learning needs of the able children at Piccolo.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, well behaved and settled in the pre-school nursery. All are keen and motivated to participate in the day's challenges, with lots of opportunities to develop their personal independence and make their own choices, during free This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 flow play. Children engage enthusiastically in a stimulating range of resources and activities provided; it arouses their curiosity and sustains their interest for good lengths of time. For example, they investigate and explore plastic mini beasts which are amongst bark, sawdust and logs in a large tray; one finds and puts three ladybirds in size order on a log. They are supported by sympathetic staff who are building up their knowledge of each individual child's abilities across the six areas of learning, and who interact generally well to extend their communication, thinking and learning skills. For example, children are inquisitive when the

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and outcomes for children

manager staples number cards to the furniture and are encouraged to count the objects on the pictures and to say what number comes after three. They are encouraged to say what it sounds like; 'a hammer' and engage in conversations about daddies and hammers. Many children take part in self chosen creative activities; selecting recyclable materials, collage, paper, glue and paint to build and design their own model or picture. One three-year-old makes a rainbow from coloured paper. However, as a staff team they are not yet skilled in offering consistent and effective challenge to fully extend all children and to promote critical thinking. For example, when children exclaim the scales are ' balanced' with compare bears, they are not asked open ended questions, such as how or why they balance, nor do staff consistently role model language, such as heavy, light, more, less or use size language in other child initiated activities. Children's home

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and outcomes for children

background is acknowledged and celebrated; they smile broadly in photos during Hispanic day and St David's day activities, which values some of the children's Spanish and Welsh heritage. Children relish their personal independence of snack time. They expertly carry out the routine; using spoons with skill to select their own snack of chopped cheese, cherrios, apple and banana and sit with their peers, completely unprompted, when they see the snack bar is open. They then go and wash up their cup and bowl after they have finished. Children independently use the toilet and wash their hands afterwards, and they all excitedly move their bodies in different ways to music during the whole group PE session. Staff encourage children to talk about how they can stay safe and the boundaries of behaviour at the beginning and end of the session. For example, during whole group registration time a three-year-old says 'we share, and when you finish with

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and outcomes for children

toys we put them back'. At the end of the session a child confidently responds ' no have to wait for mummies ' when the member of staff asks the group before home time 'do we run to the door?' 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 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 2 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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