Rougham Acorns And Woodlands Ltd

Rougham Acorns And Woodlands Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY390482 Inspection date 17/12/2009 Inspector Deirdra Keating

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Setting address Rougham VA Primary School, Rougham, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, Suffolk, IP30 9JJ Telephone number 01359 271 998 Email charlottemarysanders@hotmail.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

Rougham Acorns and Woodlands Ltd re-registered as a limited company in 2008. It is managed by a voluntary management committee made up of parents of the children who attend. It operates from a new purpose built building on the primary school grounds. The entrance is via a ramp and the building has toilet facilities that are accessible. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area linking directly from the building. The pre-school is situated in Rougham, Suffolk. It is open each weekday from 8.50am to 11.20am and from 12.20pm until 2.50pm with a lunch club provision to link the two sessions. There is also before and after school care provided from 8.00am until 8.50am and 3.15pm until 6.00pm. A holiday scheme operates during the school holidays.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 33 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part time places. The pre-school has a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff, five of whom hold early years qualifications to at least Level two and two members of staff are working towards a Foundation Degree. The setting provides funded early education 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The management committee and manager demonstrate a sound understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and their responsibility to safeguard children. Children are generally confident and settled at the pre-school. Children are all inclusively welcomed and valued as individuals. Most children make sufficient progress, although, the deployment of resources and the session routine requires adapting to compliment children's individual needs. The self evaluation system is not effective and consequently areas for improvement are not clearly enough defined. Partnerships with parents and carers are established and the pre- school have strong links with the adjacent primary school.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the organisation of snack and meal times to ensure every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience that is tailored to meet their individual needs  develop the use of observation and assessment to systematically identify and record children's next steps in learning  review the organisation and planning of the indoor and outdoor learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 environment to provide children with a wider range of resources over the session that are regularly rotated and cover all areas of learning  develop the use of reflective practice to identify the settings strengths and priorities for improvement that will improve the quality of the provision for all children and provide a more effective overall monitoring system.

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the early years provision

The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage is generally effective in ensuring that the Early Years Foundation Stage is adequately implemented. Children are fully safeguarded because the arrangements for safeguarding children are implemented well. Staff are thoroughly checked for suitability and attend specific training to ensure they can confidently implement the correct procedures in the event of a concern about a child. Written risk assessments are in place and eliminate hazards to children enabling them to play safely and securely whilst at the pre-school.

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the early years provision

The policies and documentation are written well and have been reviewed and updated regularly. There is a system for self evaluation which has been completed by the manager and staff. However, this does not provide effective monitoring of the provision and staff and, therefore, some children's needs are not consistently met. There was a strong drive to secure the new premises and the committee and staff have worked very hard to move the provision into a new purpose built building. This move took place some time ago and while there are some new plans to make further improvements they are not clearly targeted and there is a lack of ambition and drive to overcoming obstacles and striving for continuous improvement. For example, there are a good range of resources available and a large outdoor area with storage sheds, however, these are not used effectively. The storage in the provision is limited and resources are not regularly rotated to

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the early years provision

provide a varied and interesting range of activities that cover all areas of learning. The provision for information technology is very limited despite children's interest.

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the early years provision

The provision promotes equality and diversity adequately, all children are warmly welcomed and equally valued. The premises are inclusive with all areas of the building accessible and on one level. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given effective one to one support by some staff who have attended specific training and work closely with outside professionals and children's' parents. The staff have built up positive relationships with children's' parents who speak highly about the provision. They use detailed discussions to find out about children as they arrive and implement a key worker system for each family. Parents are invited in regularly for consultations about their children's progress and can always access children's records of learning.

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the early years provision

The locality of the pre-school provides good opportunities for partnerships with the school. Staff hold transitional meetings and the outdoor areas are linked to enable children to see their siblings and friends as they progress through the school. There are children who attend the school nursery in the morning and the pre- school in the afternoon. There are basic systems in place to share children's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development and learning, but they are in the early stages of development and have not been clearly targeted as an area for improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making satisfactory progress in their learning and development. The manager and staff have a sufficient understanding of the learning development and welfare requirements but do not monitor the activities, adult support and resources effectively. For example, the planning is basic and requires further development to ensure that observations and assessment are used to identify learning priorities for children. The lack of structured planning and observation results in activities that are focussed on the end result. This does not engage some children sufficiently or enable them to develop new skills. The staff provide some adult led activities that do engage children who are given some opportunities to enjoy real experiences and think critically. For example, one cooking activity allowed children to weigh ingredients and compare wet and dry mixtures. Children mixed the ingredients and used tools to grate and combine ingredients, they

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and outcomes for children

observed the raw mixture and talked about the changes that take place during cooking. Staff showed children the hot biscuits from the oven and the children talked about their texture and smell using new words to describe what they saw.

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and outcomes for children

The building is very light, spacious and child friendly with direct and easy links to the outside areas. Children are supervised well and feel safe because they are reminded to walk when inside and use equipment safely and carefully. The kitchen and toilets allow staff to supervise children whilst ensuring they are safe and supported at all times. Children routinely wash their hands and use liquid soap and handtowels, staff help children understand about hand washing and talk about germs and the importance of eliminating germs. The building is clean, safe and warm with good facilities that enable staff to prepare food and serve hot meals brought over from the school. Children are encouraged to eat a healthy diet and are offered a range of savoury snacks and healthy drinks at snack time. The children all sit together whilst staff offer a choice of snacks and drinks and hot meals at lunch time, however, the organisation of this does not meet all children's

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and outcomes for children

needs. For example, children wait for long periods of time as staff prepare and clear away lunch with little to do. Children sit at tables and wait for staff to offer food and drinks, they are not actively engaged or involved and, therefore, spend long periods waiting for staff to serve them. The resources are not regularly changed and consequently some children have little to occupy them while they wait for tables to be cleared.

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and outcomes for children

Children have some opportunities to become independent, they hang coats up on their coat pegs and are able to start to manage their personal care needs. Children play with their peers and use their imaginations to recreate roles that appeal to them. Some children enjoy their learning, they enjoy the freedom of movement in the setting and use the space to spread out on the floor and build imaginary environments with construction. Children behave nicely showing a sound understanding of the agreed rules and show consideration for themselves and the environment. They develop a sense of self worth as they help with small chores This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 such as sweeping the floor after a cooking activity.

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and outcomes for children

The staff are committed to the promoting an inclusive environment that is open to all children. They work together with parents and use the expertise of outside professionals to ensure that all children in the setting can make progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities. 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 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 2 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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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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