Barkston Ash Nursery School

Barkston Ash Pre School Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY256241 Unique Reference Number 19 April 2007 Inspection date Lindsay Helen Dobson Inspector

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The Village Hall, Church Street, Barkston Ash, LS24 9PR Setting Address

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E-mail

Barkston Ash Pre School Nursery Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Barkston Ash Pre-School Nursery has been registered as a playgroup for 24 years and has operated as full day care since March 2003. The provision is situated in the village hall at Barkston Ash and serves the local communities of Barkston, Sherburn, Saxton, Church Fenton, South Milford, Monk Fryston and Tadcaster.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery has sole use of the premises for all sessions, with the support of the Village Hall Committee. The group use the large hall, small hall, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is also an enclosed area for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery operates from 08:30 to 15:00 from Monday to Thursday and on Friday until 13:00 during term time only. The group also run a breakfast club for children aged four to 11 years. This group runs Monday to Friday, 07:30 until 09:00 and uses the same facilities as the nursery.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The provision is registered for 26 children aged from two to eight years and currently there are 45 nursery children on roll, of whom 18 are receiving funding for nursery education. There are 16 children on roll for the breakfast club. The nursery supports children with learning disabilities and difficulties.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The three owners provide the day to day care and there is one additional member of staff. All staff have relevant childcare qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a clean environment, for example, areas used by the children are frequently cleaned, such as tables wiped prior to snack time and safe food handling is carried out by the staff when preparing food. Children do not always practise good health and hygiene routines and these are not effectively promoted by the staff. For example, hand washing before snack time is not encouraged by the staff on a daily basis; when they are asked to wash their hands, children share a communal bucket of water, without access to soap, and use a communal towel. This does not prevent cross contamination and ensure children remain healthy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with healthy snacks, for example, a selection of varied fruit, such as apples, bananas, pears and oranges. They have an awareness of healthy eating due to effective discussion where staff explain how eating plenty of fruit is good for them. Staff are aware of children's health and dietary needs through gathering information and recording details from parents. Drinks are available to children at the end of the snack time, but drinks are not accessible to the children at any other time, this does not promote the free availability of drinking water to children to ensure they remain hydrated throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy physical play throughout the session and they make good use of the outdoor play area. They also develop self-confidence in their physical skills as they participate in a range of indoor and outdoor activities. For example, they pedal bikes, enjoy sit and ride toys and indoor activities include jumping on small trampolines, dancing and action rhymes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Effective procedures are in place for recording accidents. All staff have first aid training and the first aid box is well stocked to deal with accidents. Parental permission has been obtained to seek emergency medical treatment for most children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are kept safe and most of the necessary safety precautions have been taken to minimise accidents. Although risk assessments are carried out each day indoors and out, the outdoor area remains hazardous as nettles grow freely where the children play. Toys and equipment, however, are frequently checked to ensure that they are safe and in good condition. Parents and visitors are only able to gain admission to the building, by ringing the bell and waiting for the door to be opened and staff are vigilant at recording visitors. The well deployed staff provide suitable care indoors and out.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a child friendly setting, where space is used effectively to provide them with a variety of play experiences. Activities are very well organised to create a stimulating and accessible play and learning environment. For example, they access toys on low level tables, a role play area and a good range of floor activities, such as small world people, cars and large construction toys.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children are well protected because staff have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities with regards to safeguarding children and the procedure to follow if there are any concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are fully occupied and stimulated through a good range of toys, equipment and activities provided during the sessions. Children are able to develop and learn through play because staff have a structured and organised activity plan which includes the Foundation Stage of learning, however, the learning outcomes for children under three are not fully planned for or promoted.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children participate in a balance of free choice and adult-led activities. They are independent, confident and their self-esteem is raised because staff interact with the children in a positive manner. Staff ask children open ended questions, listen to what they say and play with the children using resources, such as painting, reading stories and singing songs and rhymes. Children are very happy, settled and enjoy spending their time at the pre-school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good relationships with the staff and their peers. They initiate social groups and use resources creatively and imaginatively. For example, the role play area is used well, where they take pleasure in acting out adult roles, such as Mums and Dads. They are very well supported in their play and their learning opportunities are extended as a result.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress because the staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage which they use to plan a range of interesting activities across all six areas of learning. Staff observe the children during free and focussed activities and use their notes to assess children's achievements. This helps to identify children's stage of development and allows staff to plan the next steps in each child's learning. Children are provided with a good range of resources; they have the opportunity to select and use resources for themselves and develop their own ideas. They express their creativity using variety of materials, colours and textures, such as play dough, paint, box craft and recycled materials. Children enjoy music and respond enthusiastically during the music and singing session. They clap and move following the actions of the rhymes.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident, work well independently, take initiative and show high levels of concentration. They enjoy books and handle them carefully. Children spend time reading and sharing books with adults and can relate well to characters and subjects by looking at the pictures. However, children do not frequently access this area on an independent basis. Children speak very confidently to peers and adults. Children express their ideas and experiences well using good vocabulary. They are successfully developing their early reading skills as staff link sounds to letters during activities and emphasising the first letter of the children's names so they can find their own name card. Older children are beginning to write their own name using a pencil. They recognise and write letters correctly. Children are developing some independence in their self-care, such as visiting the toilet, however, children are not independent at helping

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

themselves to biscuits and pouring their own drinks or putting on their own coats as these opportunities are not provided for them. Children's hand-eye coordination is good. They receive good support when learning new skills, such as colour mixing and colour recognition.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children can count confidently and use numbers during activities. For example, they sing number songs, count in sequence backwards and show they understand size and shape through practical activities, such as using bobbins and construction toys. Children investigate using their senses. They explore information and communication technology, such as calculators, mobile phones, magnets, tape measures and computers. For example, the children move around the setting with a large magnet to see what it will stick to. Children learn about different cultures and beliefs through celebrating festivals and freely accessing resources, such as dressing up clothes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs are met. They benefit from the introduction of a variety of cultural traditions through planned activities where they share each others festivals and times of celebration. The pre-school actively support equality of opportunity. They have a good range of resources that reflect positive images of people from around the world and disability, for example, dressing up clothes, dolls, puzzles and photographs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The setting supports children with learning disabilities and difficulties. There are good systems in place to ensure children are fully included in the life of the setting and the staff have close links with other professionals to ensure the children receive the most appropriate care and support.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are made to feel valued, they behave well and their self-esteem is developed through support and praise. Staff are very good role models, are calm, polite and encourage good manners. For example, they frequently remind children to say please and thank you. The management of the children's behaviour is positive and consistent, as a result children respond cooperatively together. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Parents comment positively about the friendly welcome they receive from staff and that children are happy, settle well and really enjoy their time at the setting. Children are emotionally secure knowing there is a relaxed relationship between parents and staff. Parents are aware of practices within the setting as they receive a parent pack and prospectus when their children commence at pre-school. Displays of pertinent information, such as the registration certificate and planned activities, together with newsletters keep parents up to date. Parents are also updated about their child's day verbally at the end of each session. Parents see children's progress records on request with their child's key worker.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are cared for by suitably qualified staff. They have a good understanding of meeting children's needs effectively. Children benefit from good organisation in most areas, which staff are constantly trying to improve upon through the introduction of new systems. All of the mandatory policies and procedures are suitably organised, clear and kept up to date with new requirements. Staff have a good knowledge of these and their practice reflects the operational procedures in most instances.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of nursery education is good. There is a strong commitment to develop the provision and effective systems are in place to evaluate and monitor teaching. The well established management and staff team work well together because they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Management actively encourage continual attendance at relevant

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 training. They also receive regular outside professional support and advice which enhances children's care and development. The provision’s open door policy ensures parents are encouraged to express their concerns and opinions in a relaxed setting.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting was required to amend the complaints procedure, obtain written permission from parents to seek emergency medical advice, develop their risk assessments and ensure procedures for the storage of packed lunches meets with environmental health regulations. The complaints procedure has been amended, risk assessments are more thorough, written permission from parents with regard to seeking emergency medical advice is in place for most children and the Manager contacted the environmental health with regard to the storage of the packed lunches. These developments in the settings practice improve the health and safety of the children cared for and provide more accurate information for parents.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the setting was required to develop assessment systems in relation to the stepping stones. The setting are continually working to improve the systems they use to assess and evaluate the children's learning, so this can inform future planning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve hygiene practices with particular regard to children washing and drying their hands • ensure the risk assessment is more effectively implemented with regard to the outdoor play area • develop systems to show how the outcomes for children under three years are promoted

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • ensure children have free access to drinking water throughout the session.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further develop children's interest in books, so they access and use them independently • extend opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills in everyday routines.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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