West Row Pre-School

West Row Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY392978 Inspection date 05/11/2009 Inspector Gill Thornton

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Setting address West Row Primary School, Beeches Road, West Row, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, Suffolk, IP28 8NY Telephone number 01638 428082 Email ht.west.row.p@talk21.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

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

West Row Pre-school is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of the head teacher of the school and members of the governing body. It opened in 2009 and operates from a large playroom and associated facilities in a purpose- built premises within the school grounds in the village of West Row near Mildenhall. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. It is open each weekday during term time only from 9.00am to 3.00pm. There are currently 28 children aged from two to five years on roll. The setting is in receipt of funding for nursery education.

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Description of the setting

There are four members of staff. Three of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school receives support from the local authority and is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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

Children are very independent in their play and benefit from being able to move freely between the well-resourced indoor and outdoor environment. Staff have a secure knowledge of children's backgrounds, family circumstances and interests and provide appropriate levels of support and encouragement to ensure children make satisfactory progress in their learning and development. Most documentation is in place to support children's care and welfare. Systems for monitoring and evaluating the provision, to identify priorities for development, are being established to continue to improve the quality of the provision.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 make a record of risk assessments which identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation) 25/11/2009

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further?

 ensure prior written consent to seek emergency medical advice or treatment is requested for all children (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 11/11/2009

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  lead a collaborative culture of reflective practice, self-evaluation and informed discussion which takes account of the views of users to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of the provision for all children  increase opportunities for children to learn to keep themselves safe, for example, by ensuring children are familiar with, and have an opportunities to practise, emergency evacuation procedures  ensure children make good progress towards the early learning goals by developing the rigor of the planning process to consistently challenge and extend children.

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the early years provision

Staff have a good understanding of their legal duties and responsibilities regarding child protection issues and their practice is underpinned by a comprehensive safeguarding policy. Systems are in place to ensure staff regularly attend safeguarding children training to ensure their knowledge is up to date with current procedures. Appropriate recruitment procedures ensure that staff complete the necessary checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children. Staff generally follow appropriate procedures to eliminate risks to children and ensure the premises are secure. However, they do not maintain a written record of risk assessments, which is a specific legal requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Relevant information is requested from parents to support children's health and welfare and revised registration forms request parents' prior consent to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. However, a small number of original

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the early years provision

forms, for children who were registered when the pre-school first opened, have not been updated to meet this requirement.

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the early years provision

Staff develop positive relationships with parents and carers and parents are provided with opportunities to express their opinion about the service provided. Termly parents' evenings provide opportunities to share information on children's progress and development and there are some general strategies in place to help parents support their children's learning at home. Leaders and managers are motivated to seek further improvement and generally focus on the settings strengths and areas for improvement. However, self evaluation is not fully informed by the views of users, to ensure priorities for development are accurately targeted to improve outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Staff promote equality of opportunity and recognise the importance of working with parents to remove barriers to participation and to ensure children receive any additional support they need. Good systems are in place to support children's transition into school. Furniture, toys and equipment are of high quality and well organised to enable children to play in comfort and safety and make real choices in their play, consequently developing their independence and decision making. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Staff's sound knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the EYFS promotes children's learning and well-being. Observation and assessments and their use in planning are satisfactory and generally identify children's achievements, interests and learning styles. However, planning is not sufficiently robust to provide consistent challenge or identify ways of extending individual children's learning to ensure they make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff vary the resources available in the outdoor area, but use of the outdoors is not included in written planning to effectively support children’s different learning styles. Children are happy, motivated and eager to learn in the well-equipped and welcoming learning environment which generally reflects most children's backgrounds and some sections of the wider community. Opportunities to value different aspects of their own culture and those of others are not

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and outcomes for children

consistently supported by resources and everyday activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop good levels of confidence and self-esteem as they independently explore their own interests and ideas. Staff acknowledge children’s favourite activities, such as using collage materials to make shakers, but do not necessarily plan how to use this knowledge to move children on in their learning. Children form positive relationships with staff and their peers and generally play together cooperatively and show care and concern for each other. They become secure in the clear routines of the setting. Children are learning to take care of their environment and willingly help tidy up at the end of the session and use their own initiative, such as cleaning up spilt paint from the floor. They collaborate well with their peers, for example, working out how five of them can carry a large mat between them. Children respond well to staff's good use of praise and encouragement which promotes their understanding of positive behaviour.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are generally well-deployed and provide appropriate support to promote children's enjoyment and interest. Staff sometimes do not respond to opportunities to extend children’s problem solving skills during their everyday play, such as while comparing and sorting wooden shapes. Children enjoy regular cooking activities, such as making pizzas or pumpkin soup with produce grown by the children in the outdoor area. Staff use cooking activities to help children make connections in their learning, for example, explaining why they need to set the timer while explaining that they must not touch the oven because is hot. Children have not yet had an opportunity to practise emergency evacuations procedures to increase their understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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and outcomes for children

Most children show a good awareness of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. They adopt good personal hygiene routines and understand the importance of healthy eating. They benefit from the option of hot meals provided by the school which take account of their individual dietary needs. Children engage in an appropriate range of physical play opportunities, both indoors and out, increasing their understanding of the importance of regular exercise as part of maintaining a health lifestyle. They have opportunities to become involved in decision making, for example, they take responsibility for choosing when to have their snack and they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 can independently access the outdoor area throughout the session. Children enjoy exploring and experimenting with a range of media and materials in the well- organised creative area, where they confidently express their own thoughts and

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and outcomes for children

ideas. The well-resourced role play area provides many opportunities for children to develop their imagination and act out familiar roles. 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 3 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 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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