Puffin Pre-School

Puffin Under Fives Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY393239 Inspection date 26/11/2009 Inspector Michele, Karen Beasley

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Setting address 25 Narvik Road, PORTSMOUTH, PO2 9PN

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Telephone number 02392 580 515 Email sharon@navalunderfives.org 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

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

Puffin Under Fives re-registered in new premises in 2009. The provision is owned and managed by the Naval Under Fives Organisation and operates from a ground floor flat in the Hilsea area of Portsmouth. The pre-school has shared use of an outdoor play area and sole use of an enclosed garden area.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered to provide care for a maximum of 14 children at any one time, all of whom may be in the early years age group. Currently, there are nine children on roll and of these, two children are in receipt of funding for free early education. It is the group's policy to accept children once they reach the age of two years. The provision has arrangements in place to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and for children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The provision is open each weekday morning from 9:15am to 11:45am, with a lunch club offered when demand requires until 12:45pm, for children aged two years nine months to five years of age. The setting also runs afternoon sessions for children aged from two years to two years nine months, when demand requires, from 12:15pm to 2:45pm. All sessions operate during term time only. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently three staff who work in the setting. They hold a relevant early years qualification to National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 2 and 3. The pre-school receives support from management and other early years professionals.

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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 setting provides children with a stimulating place to play and learn. As a result, children are making progress with their development. Staff plan activities for the children, however, assessment records are inconsistent and children's next steps are not identified to inform the planning. Improvements have been made in the setting and children are safeguarded through risk assessments and the reduction of hazards. The provision has established positive links with parents and staff work as a committed team to continually attend training. This has a positive impact on the outcomes for children and their families.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the knowledge gained from observing children is used effectively so that records of children's progress clearly show the actual stage of development they are at in relation to the stepping stones of the Early Learning Goals and what the intentions are for progressing them onto their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 next steps ensuring all children are supported to reach their full potential  introduce robust procedures to identify children's starting points and assess their ongoing progress towards the early learning goals.

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the early years provision

There are procedures in place to safeguard children. Staff in the setting have an understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they should have concerns about a child. They are aware of the possible signs of abuse to ensure that the needs of vulnerable children who attend the setting are met. The provider carries out checks to ensure staff are suitable. Appraisal procedures are in place to identify and address staff training needs. Staff carry out risk assessments of the premises, practices and equipment and minimise hazards in order so that children enjoy a safe and secure environment. The provider has made improvements to the children’s environment such as new accessible sloping shelving in the art room. This allows them to develop confidence as they make independent choices and develop their play. Resources are attractively displayed in labelled trays and storage systems that allow children to self-select. Written

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the early years provision

policies and procedures support staff in their work and provide parents with clear information about the care their children receive. They are updated to reflect relevant legislative changes.

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the early years provision

Children throughout the setting make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. Staff plan activities for the children. However, observations are inconsistent and do not cover all areas of learning. Therefore, children's next steps cannot be identified to inform the planning. Staff create positive partnerships with parents. They work with parents to help children to settle readily into the group. There are regular opportunities for staff and parents to exchange information on children's progress both formally and informally. The provider ensures working parents who do not regularly visit the group have access to their children's records and are able to contribute to them. Staff work with other early years settings that children attend, enabling them to provide activities that complement those children do elsewhere. They cooperate with outside agencies to ensure the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are recognised and met.

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and outcomes for children

Staff arrange the available space well so that children have access to a particularly wide range of attractive play resources. This means that all children can select activities that interest them and many become completely engrossed in purposeful play. They concentrate for extended periods of time in mastering challenging jig- saws. They develop their social and verbal skills by cooperating in elaborate imaginative role play with one another. Their behaviour is very good. The layout allows children to play together, alongside others or independently according to their individual preferences and stages of development. Staff respect children's wishes if they want to play alone, welcoming them into groups when they are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ready to join in. This helps children to feel comfortable and secure in the setting. Staff are deployed to support each child's development. For instance, they provide

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and outcomes for children

caring assistance to help children who are still learning to socialise independently. Children learn to keep themselves safe because staff explain the reasons for rules such as not running indoors. They learn to follow good personal hygiene practices to minimise the risk of cross infection. Staff recognise and celebrate children's cultures. They display different countries of origin and use words and phrases in children's home languages, providing opportunities for all children to become aware of different scripts and cultural traditions.

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and outcomes for children

Children initiate their own activities within the setting. However, even though the setting's planning of activities is cross referenced to the EYFS stepping stones and covers all the areas of learning, practitioners are not planning for the individual needs of the children. This is because no starting points for the children have been identified, observations on the children are sporadic and assessment records have significant gaps in areas of learning. Consequently, this does not build an accurate and informative record of the stage of learning for each child. Therefore practitioners do not use information about individual children to bring ideas into activities so that they can help children take the next steps. These records are shared with parents, alongside informal daily conversations.

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and outcomes for children

Staff form very warm and caring relationships with children. Children play with good quality resources, such as small kaleidoscope prisms or coloured identifiable objects, such as trains and dinosaurs, which are used for matching and sequencing. Children learn to negotiate with others and solving any minor disagreements. The setting has a lending library, where children pick a book to take home to read with a parent and/or carer and then bring it back to swap for another one. Children are encouraged to recite and talk about their chosen story. This promotes confidence through reading and memory recall. They join in enthusiastically with familiar stories and ask for friends to pose to take their photograph on cameras. Children use their knowledge of shape and space to solve practical construction problems. Staff make good use of incidental opportunities to count and compare numbers for real purposes, such as ensuring there are enough

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and outcomes for children

chairs at snack time. Children use large tape measures to measure distances and spontaneously make a bus from a line of chairs. Children begin to understand how to keep themselves healthy. They enjoy balanced snacks and play outside. Children delight in looking at a rainbow in the sky and fetch umbrellas from the rainy day box when it begins to rain. 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 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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