Guilden Sutton Pre-school

Guilden Sutton Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 305080 Inspection date 16/03/2010 Inspector Jean Evelyn Thomas

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Setting address Guilden Sutton Village Hall, Summerfield Road, Guilden Sutton, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 7SW Telephone number 07804362888 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

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

Guilden Sutton Pre-School opened in 1985 and is managed by a parents' committee. It operates from the main hall and smaller room within the village hall which is situated in Guilden Sutton, near Chester. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school serves both the village and local areas. The pre-school operates during term time only, from 9am to 12pm on four days each week and from 12pm to 3pm on Tuesdays.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and a maximum of 26 children, aged over two years, in the early years age group may attend at any one time. There are currently 31 children in this age range on roll. Funding for early years education is in place for three and four-year-olds. The pre-school is registered by Ofsted on both parts of the Childcare Register. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are five staff employed all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager and one member of staff are qualified primary school teachers. The manager has the Early Years Professional Status.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The children are happy and settled at this welcoming playgroup. The children take part in a broad range of activities to support their progress in their learning and development. This is an inclusive setting where warm and caring staff show respect for the uniqueness of each child. There is effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Partnerships with parents is strong, whilst the partnerships with other providers within Early Years Foundation Stage are still evolving. The staff and committee demonstrate ambition and the capacity to make improvements. Their plans for the future are well targeted to bring about further improvement to the provision and positive outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure children's next steps in learning and development are clearly identified and used to inform planning across the six areas of learning  improve the consistency in obtaining information from parents when children start about what they already know and can do to inform the initial planning  ensure the organisation of the session offers children a balance of child- initiated and adult-led activities to support active learning and critical thinking ensure staff are fully aware of their responsibilities in implementing an This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 effective safeguarding procedure.

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the early years provision

The children are safe in the secure premises. Staff are vigilant in their supervision and are effectively deployed to monitor areas which are identified as being higher risk, such as the entrance door at the beginning and end of the session. Risk assessments are comprehensive, dated, identify hazards and indicate actions taken to minimise risk, and also include preparation for regular and occasional outings. The designated safeguarding practitioner has attended training and the safeguarding policy has been revised in line the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Nevertheless, staff are not secure in their knowledge of aspects of the procedure to follow to protect children from harm. Thorough recruitment and induction arrangements are in place to ensure staff who work with children are suitable to do so; these include reference and criminal records checks.

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the early years provision

The committee and manager recognises the importance of self-evaluation and involve all staff, parents and children in the process. The recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed. The safeguarding and complaints policies have been reviewed. As recommended, systems have been developed to further involve parents in their child's learning and development and to identify children's next steps in their learning, although the latter is at the early stages of implementation. Staff work extremely hard to create a welcoming and child- friendly setting within shared use accommodation. They sensitively interact with children during play and respond to any individual needs. Staff recognise and respect each child as an individual and promote inclusive practice. The children's understanding of diversity in society is raised through the provision of a range resources and planned activities. Strong links exist with members of the

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the early years provision

community which enhances the children's sense of belonging in their local environment, for example, the children have made the Easter display for the local shop. The children are familiar and comfortable with the routine of the session. The organisation of the session involves children in large and small group activities and free play time. The small group session involves children completing activities with their key-worker. The introduction of the large group time and the revised snack system has increased the amount of time children are participating in group activities. Staff use music to prepare children when the free play period is coming to an end. The children help to tidy away equipment, before snack time, encouraging them to learn to take responsibility of their environment.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents is good, they are greeted warmly and have many opportunities to talk to staff. The children's learning journey records are available to parents and they receive regular verbal feedback to understand what their child is doing and how they are achieving. The parents are invited to comment on their child's learning journal. However, when children start there are inconsistencies in the effectiveness of gathering information from parents about what their child already knows and can do to inform the initial planning and to maximise their learning and development. A wealth of information about the Early Years Foundation Stage, activities and the provision is shared through displays, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 newsletters and emails. The parents are given suggestions to help continue children's learning at home. Parents comment that they are happy with the quality

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the early years provision

of the provision. Close links are maintained with the local school to support children's transition. However, partnerships have not been established with all other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to the children to further promote progression in their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The children are secure, well cared for and engage in enjoyable activities during their time at pre-school. Warm relationships with each other and familiar staff are evident. The children show confidence and demonstrate their good language skills as they chatter happily with adults and their friends. There is a flexible approach to implementing planned activities as staff respond to the children's interests and value spontaneous learning situations, such as the unexpected snowfall. The children make progress towards their early learning goals. However, tracking their progress towards the expectations of their early learning goals is not consistent. The children's learning journals contain staff's observations both in written and photographic format to show the children's progression. The systems the pre- school have developed to assess what each child needs to learn next and then plan for this to be achieved are not consistently implemented to effectively ensure

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and outcomes for children

individual children's learning is to their full potential.

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and outcomes for children

The children show their ability to use their numeracy and problem solving skills. For example, when participating in the small group focus activity they count and sort with accuracy and in the practical situations they successfully build and construct the large wooden blocks. The children enjoy mark-making using a variety of resources including play dough. They make patterns in the dough using different types of implements. Self-initiated the children create different shapes and attempt to form letters they are familiar with. As they play the older children notice similar letter sounds and laugh as they repeat these. The children develop their understanding of technology as they operate equipment, such as the camera and have regular access to the computer. There are many opportunities for children to enjoy physical activity both indoors and outdoors, where they can move their bodies in different ways and develop their coordination. During the free play

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and outcomes for children

period, the children choose to play outside. Children make requests for specific pieces of equipment. These requests are positively met by staff. The children show particular interest in the angled plastic drain pipes. The staff respond by bringing out bowls of water and containers for children to use to pour water down the drain pipes. The children watch the water flow and notice the different patterns and how it changes direction. The children's interest is sustained with this activity; and when completed to their satisfaction and they think about using the water for different purposes, such as watering the plants. The children grow different herbs and vegetables taking responsibility to care for the plants and further developing their understanding of sustaining the earth's resources.

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and outcomes for children

The children learn to be considerate towards adults and each other in the friendly, consistent atmosphere; where staff act as positive role models. A healthy lifestyle This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 is actively promoted. The children benefit from exercise and fresh air throughout the year. Good hygiene practices are incorporated into the routines to encourage children to care for themselves. The children learn to stay safe as staff talk to them about the importance, for example, of using large climbing equipment safely and road safety. Resources are introduced, such as road traffic signs for children to make connections with their life experiences in role play. Children develop skills that they will need for the future. They learn to develop a sense of independence, to articulate their needs and to solve simple problems. This helps them towards successful transition to school.

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and outcomes for children

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 3 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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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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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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