Ysgol Y Ddol

Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 400352 Inspection date 27 September 2005 Inspector Cynthia Walker

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Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School

Setting Address Church Street, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3RT Telephone number 01765 658080

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E-mail

Registered person Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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 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 good. 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?

Kirkby Malzeard Pre School was registered to provide day care in 1992. It operates from a purpose built unit in the grounds of Kirkby Malzeard Church of England School. The group is open five mornings a week from 09:05 until 11:35, and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 13:00 to 15:30, term time only. The group offers sessional care for children aged 2 to 5 years. Currently 31 children attend the group throughout the week. They are drawn from the local area and wider

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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 community. Children attend for a variety of sessions. 26 children receive funding for nursery education; 20 are aged 3 years, and the others are aged 4 years. There are systems in place to support children with special needs. The group have the use of a large playroom and supporting kitchen, toilets and storage. There is access to a secure outdoor play area . Three staff work in the group. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The group receives the support of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a good range of physical activities supported by daily access to the outdoor area and a weekly visit to the school hall. They have access to a broad range of large and small equipment which contributes to children's ability to move with control and co-ordination. Their competence in using large equipment is very good as they slide independently and develop their balancing and climbing skills. Younger children are perfecting their physical skills as they attempt to balance on stilts. Children successfully negotiate the use of space as they skilfully control wheeled vehicles and maintain control of hoops as they race them down the grassy slope. Children are developing an understanding of personal hygiene as they are encouraged to wash their hands after toileting and before snack. Staff respond sensitively to children who are not well by efficiently implementing the pre schools

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Helping children to be healthy

procedure. Children's individual health needs are clearly recorded and effectively supported. Accidents are appropriately managed and efficiently shared with parents; however, existing injuries children arrive with are not being consistently recorded. Children are mainly well nourished. They enjoy a wide variety of fruit, such as, melon, kiwi and mango at snack time, which also includes biscuits, toast and crackers. Children are able to access drinking water independently at all times. During discussions at snack time children demonstrate a good understanding 'that fruit is good because it helps you grow'. Children's dietary needs are discussed with parents and efficiently recorded enabling all adults to implement their individual needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm, safe and secure environment where risks are identified and minimised. They are developing an understanding of safety through clear explanations on how to use equipment, such as, the slide. Children's

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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 understanding of fire safety is reinforced through regular fire drills. The Pre School is creatively arranged to allow children to move spontaneously and independently around all areas of play and learning. The environment is welcoming to children with displays of their own work and others, supporting their number and letter recognition. This is supported by an effective outdoor area, which includes an interesting den under a small tree, a circle of balancing blocks and an inviting playhouse. Children are accessing a wide range of resources which are appropriate to their ages and stages of development. They independently select resources to support their involvement with play dough and complete junk models. The safety of resources being used by children is regularly monitored and an inventory of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

resources is directly linked to the individual learning areas. Children's welfare is sufficiently promoted by staff that have an appropriate understanding of child protection procedures which are in line with the local Area Child Protection Committee guidance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time in Pre School and arrive happy and eager to participate. Those who are new to the group are helped to settle by staff that are sensitive to their individual needs. Staff are developing close and caring relationships, which enables children to become confident members of the group. Younger children concentrate well as they demonstrate good imagination as they play with the dolls house and figures within construction. They are absorbed as they experiment with paint, examining how it feels when they cover all their hands. This is skilfully extended by staff as they are encouraged to make handprints, with children showing delight at their achievements. Children are enthusiastic in their enjoyment of singing games outdoors, actively participating in the actions. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress because

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the staff have a sound knowledge of the early learning goals. A good range of teaching methods maintains children's interest and helps them persist for some time at activities. Although the planning is being reviewed and a new system is being introduced, the balance of activities effectively supports all areas of children's learning. However, planning does not include the recording of adaptations for the different levels of ability. Information is actively sought from parents to help establish children's starting points. Staff have a clear understanding of individual children's achievements and use their next steps for learning to effectively guide future planning. Children's learning is skilfully extended through effective questioning and sensitive encouragement. The good use of accommodation and skilful use of timing and resources effectively enables children to progress. All children are interested and involved in a broad range of activities which supports

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their learning across all areas. Children are confident communicators, speaking clearly and audibly at circle time and reflecting what they enjoy most at Pre School.

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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 They persist at activities for long periods of time, demonstrating good concentration at the computer and at a cutting activity. Children's ability to recognise words and letters is developed through the effective use of phonics within the daily routines and play, with children producing names in play dough. All children confidently handle pencils and make marks to represent their ideas, with older children able to write their own names. Children reinforce their counting skills within the daily routines as they count how many children are present at circle time. Their calculation skills are developed as they decide how many fruits are left in the story. Children enthusiastically investigate a wide range of fruits, exploring their texture and estimating the size of stone inside. They then take

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

responsibility for peeling and cutting the fruit in preparation for snack. Children confidently use the computers accessing a variety of programmes. They demonstrate good hand-eye co-ordination as they skilfully use scissors to cut out a variety of pictures. Children have established positive relationships, working co-operatively together at the dolls house or computer. They demonstrate sensitivity to others as they move resources to improve other children's play or helping younger children use scissors.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are well cared for by staff who actively work with parents to meet individual children's needs. Staff skilfully implement the settling in procedures and enable younger children to develop their self assurance within the group. Older children are very confident in their environment and their relationships with others. Behaviour is good. Children respond to the clear and sensitive explanations from staff and have a good understanding of the behaviour codes of the group, particularly at circle time. They play harmoniously together and are encouraged to share, take turns and have good manners. There is a good range of resources and displays which actively promote children's understanding of diversity. Planned activities which include fruits from around the world and linked to stories such as 'Handa's Surprise' effectively reinforce children's understanding of the world around them. Children have good opportunities to learn

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Helping children make a positive contribution

about their own community through planned visits and close links with the local schools. The provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development appropriately. Partnership with parents is good. Parents are actively welcomed into the group and receive effective information through pre school brochures, detailed notice boards and regular newsletters. Staff have established both formal and informal processes to share information with the parents about their children's learning. Parents are invited to an annual parents evening and are asked to contribute to their assessment records on a termly basis. Involvement in the management committee and helping at pre school sessions enables parents to become involved in their children's learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

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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Organisation

The organisation is good. All legally required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well being is in place and regularly reviewed. This is supported by a clear operational plan which includes detailed policies and procedures which are reflected in daily practice. Space within the pre school is well organised allowing children to take an active part in the setting. This is supported by good outdoor facilities which enhance the play opportunities for children. Good staff deployment contributes to the children's enjoyment and achievement, however, there are no plans for the deployment of staff when numbers of children under two attend with parent helpers. Leadership and management is good. There are effective procedures in place to ensure staff have a clear understanding of their roles. Staff meetings are held regularly and these are used effectively to maintain consistency in improving

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Organisation

outcomes for children. An annual appraisal system is linked to future training needs, with training allocated its own budget. The Pre School liaise closely with advisors from the local authority to improve the quality of education for children. There are systems in place to evaluate the planned programme of activities; however, there are no formal procedures to seek parental views about the provision. Overall the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At last inspection there were three recommendations relating to; recording of accidents, visitor's records and the reviewing of policies. Children's health is effectively supported by the clear individual recording of accidents. The efficient recording of visitor's attendance is promoting children's safety. All policies and procedures are presently being reviewed to support the health, safety and well being of children present. The Pre School were also given three points for consideration which were linked to children's access to creative resources, children's recording of maths and availability of resources to support diversity. Children are now able to individually select some creative materials to support their independence. All children's mathematical understanding of maths has been extended with the use of graphs. Resources are regularly available to enable children to explore and question other people's cultures and beliefs.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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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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 good. 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): • ensure the signed record of all accidents to children includes details of existing injuries • clarify the arrangements to meet the needs of all children, when parent helpers attend with their own children.

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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): • ensure the recording of the planned programme of activities includes adaptations for the different levels of children's ability; and implement a system to monitor the quality of the provision.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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