Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon

Roman River Preschool Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 402265 Inspection date 04/03/2010 Inspector Hazel Meadows

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Setting address Fingringhoe Village Hall, Chapel Road, Fingringhoe, Colchester, Essex, CO5 7BH Telephone number 0789 5051124 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

Roman River Pre-school opened in 1987. The group is managed by a voluntary committee and operates from the village hall in Fingringhoe, Essex. The building has level access and there is an accessible toilet in the lobby and additional toilets leading directly off the main playroom. There is a small, secure outside play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 25 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Session times are from 9.30am to 12.00 noon, plus a lunch club operates from 12 noon until 1pm when there is sufficient demand. The group is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. Currently, there are 25 children on roll in the early years age range. The setting is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

Roman River Pre-school employs seven staff, with at least four staff at every session. The majority of the staff are qualified to, or working towards, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 3. The group is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PSLA) and receives support from the local authority. It is registered to accept government funding for three- and four-year-olds.

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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 happy and settled at this welcoming and friendly pre-school. Their individuality is valued and practice is inclusive. Experienced and committed staff work co-operatively to care for the children, support their play and enhance their learning. Positive and trusting partnerships are established with parents and carers, ensuring children receive consistent support with their care, development and learning. Comprehensive documentation and procedures are in place to promote children’s welfare and work well in practice. Staff have established a method of monitoring children’s individual progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage. A method of self-evaluation has been introduced which highlights the groups strengths and identifies some of the areas requiring improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the balance of adult-initiated and child-initiated activities and increase the amount of child-initiated activities to enable children to become more active, independent and inquisitive learners  encourage and enable children to access and utilise the broad variety of resources stored in the smaller room, to offer them a richer play and learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 experience at every session  ensure the activities and resources provided offer older and more able children sufficient ongoing interest, challenge and learning opportunities  review the organisiation of the session and ensure time and resources are used efficiently and effectively, particularly with regard to snack time to create a more positive and sociable experience, and to enable children to maximise their play and learning experiences whilst at the group.

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the early years provision

Staff are watchful of the children and attentive to their safety. There are effective procedures for emergency evacuation in place, which is regularly practised. Risk assessments are undertaken for the premises, the equipment and for outings, to minimise risks to children and premises are kept secure. Robust procedures are in place to ensure staff’s suitability to work with children. There is a designated safeguarding officer and some staff have attended safeguarding children training, to ensure any concerns are dealt with effectively. All staff have a secure awareness and understanding of safeguarding issues and are clear of their responsibilities to protect children. The group has a thorough written policy, plus local safeguarding contact details to refer to should they have concerns about a child.

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the early years provision

All required staff training is up-to-date and staff development is actively encouraged and annual appraisals are completed. Regular staff meetings enable all staff to be involved in the group's development. Staff are experienced and work cooperatively together to aid the running of each session. Reflection of practice is ongoing and the group has recently introduced a systematic method of self- evaluation, although some areas requiring development have not been identified. All staff and management have a commitment to ongoing development and to improve the quality of care and learning for young children.

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the early years provision

The group has a positive attitude and approach towards diversity and promotes good inclusive practice. They work closely with parents, liaising with other childcare or health professionals if required, to try to ensure each child receives appropriate support at an early stage. Their positive approach is further reflected in the resources and activities available. Comprehensive details are obtained about each child to support their welfare and signed, written consents are in place to ensure children are cared for according to their parents' wishes. All records are securely kept and accurately maintained. Comprehensive information and written policies are in place and are readily available to parents.

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the early years provision

Staff establish trusting partnerships with parents which promotes children’s welfare and continuity of care. Comments received from parents during the inspection are generally positive. They find staff friendly and approachable and state their children are happy and settled. They receive regular verbal feedback about their child and regular opportunities to review their child’s development records. Parents are kept well informed of general information through frequent discussions with the staff, notice boards in the lobby area and newsletters. Parents become actively involved in the playgroup life as they take on roles within the management This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 committee. The pre-school has established links with local schools that children are due to attend, to promote a smooth transition for the children. The group receives support from local authority advisory staff, and other professionals who support

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the early years provision

children with additional needs, as required.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy at the group and most settle swiftly. They form positive relationships with staff and their peers and confidently approach staff to share their news and views, for example, enthusiastically queuing up to show staff items they have brought in from home. Children’s individuality is embraced and welcomed and children are treated with kindness and respect. Their behaviour is generally good and staff use a consistent approach, working closely with parents when required, to help children learn how to manage their emotions and behaviour appropriately.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and recognise the importance of children learning through play and first hand experiences. They have established a way of monitoring children's progress linked to the areas of learning and use observations to identify a child's next steps and to inform some of the planning. Staff initiate and introduce a variety of topics to widen children’s learning experiences. Topics are flexible to incorporate any ideas emanating from the children. Staff are considering ways of enabling children to initiate and explore further their own ideas and interests, for example, with regard to craft activities. Staff plan and offer a broad variety of play and learning experiences throughout each term and select a range of activities covering all the areas of learning at each session. Sometimes, all the activities remain the same on consecutive days which does not always offer children sufficient challenge, interest

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and outcomes for children

and variety, particularly older or more able children. Consequently, children flock excitedly around any resources which are newly introduced during the session, for example, the remote control cars. The group has a wealth of good quality resources which are stored in a smaller room off the main hall, however, children rarely access this room to select resources independently.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about the world around them through outings in their local community plus interesting topics such as ‘people who help us’. Photos of the topics and activities are displayed at the children’s level promoting conversation and interest and enabling them to reflect on previous experiences. Examples of their own drawings and writing are displayed alongside the photos, helping children feel their efforts are important and valued. Children have some opportunities to recognise their names as they self-register by putting their name card on a chair with their belongings. They freely access the book area and enjoy browsing and sharing books together or with an adult. Children are encouraged to count how many children are present and are shown the corresponding number on a card, helping them to recognise numbers. They have regular opportunities to explore a broad variety of media and textures, such as play dough, sand and paint

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and outcomes for children

and thoroughly enjoy mixing water into dry sand and noting the changes. Staff introduce other textures, for example, making a dinosaur den out of compost, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 stones, sticks and corrugated card. Staff are skilled and confident to utilise spontaneous events to raise children’s awareness and promote learning. For example, the discovery of a spider in the outdoor playhouse sparked a time of discussion and observation with the children and another opportunity was used to show children how to change batteries in one of the toy cars.

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and outcomes for children

Mostly healthy options are presented to the children at snack time but opportunities are missed to involve the children and increase their skills and independence, as staff do most of the preparation. The existing routine results in children receiving their snack late in the session. This means some children could be quite hungry by the time they receive snack and it is also close to their lunch time. All toys are packed away prior to snack and children are encouraged to look at books whilst they wait for everyone to go to the toilet and wash their hands. Children become quite restless during this period and all staff are needed to manage this busy, whole group activity. Children have regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise and are offered periods to freely go outside or stay indoors. The immediate outdoor area is quite small and staff are exploring ways of developing and improving outdoor play experiences for children, which is an area

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and outcomes for children

for ongoing development. 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 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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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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