Penrhyn Childcare Centre

Penrhyn Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 153682 Inspection date 18/01/2010 Inspector Jennifer Liverpool

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Setting address 19 Priory Court, Walthamstow, London, E17 5NB

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Telephone number 020 8527 0405 Email 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 0300 123 1231, 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: 0300 123 1231 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

Penrhyn Pre-School was registered in 1997. The setting has been operating for 32 years, in Walthamstow within the London borough of Waltham Forest. It is a registered charity run by a parents committee. The setting is situated within a large purpose built building, which consists of two rooms and a fully enclosed outdoor play area. A canopy area leading off the large room allows outdoor play all year round. There is also a separate garden for the under two's. The setting opens each week day for 50 weeks of the year from 8.00am to 6.00pm. The setting also provides after school care from 3.00pm to 6.00pm during term time and a holiday play scheme during school holidays from 8.00am to 6.00pm.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered for a maximum of 32 children aged from six months to five years in the early years age range at any one time. There are 55 children currently on roll and of these 30 receive nursery education funding. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also children with English as additional language. Children attend various sessions throughout the week and are drawn from the local housing estate and a wide catchment area. Ten children from later years attend the after school provision. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs 17 staff, including an assistant coordinator, mid day assistants and a cleaner. All childcare staff hold early years qualifications. The setting is participating in a quality assurance scheme. They receive support from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The learning environment enables children to make good progress in their learning and development and although there are some inconsistencies in planning, a variety of purposeful activities result in all children being active learners. Strong partnerships with parents enhance children's learning and development. The staff have a very positive attitude towards diversity and help children to learn to appreciate each other's culture. Their close liaison with external agencies and other childcare providers helps towards narrowing the gap in the achievements of children from different backgrounds. Systems for monitoring and evaluating practices ensure continual improvements in the outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide hand paper towels within easy reach for children to use for drying their hands and also reduce the risk of children gaining access to used hand This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 paper towels and tissues in the waste bin  improve the planning for babies so that it consistently covers all of the six areas of learning to fully support and extend babies' development and learning.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded because staff know and understand the procedures to protect children from harm. Good recruitment procedures ensure that suitable persons are employed to look after children and the induction process enables new staff to quickly gain a knowledge and understanding of the procedures for the safe management of children. Risk assessments indoors and outdoors are conducted in order to assess the safety of children and daily visual safety checks ensure that potential hazards continue to be minimised. All staff hold a current first aid qualification, which means that they can give appropriate care in the event of children sustaining minor injuries. Records of children's special dietary requirements are available to ensure that children's individual dietary needs are known and met.

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the early years provision

Staff have developed a strong working relationship with parents, which has a positive influence on children's care, learning and development. Key persons work closely with parents to ensure a smooth settling in period tailored to the need of each child. There are formal and informal systems in place for staff and parents to share information about children's development, achievements and progress. This promotes consistency of care and enables parents to become involved in their children's learning. There are good systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the effective partnership with outside agencies means that staff are able to respond to a wide range of needs. Staff are committed to promoting inclusive practice and as a result of this, all children are able to participate and become involved a wide range of activities that supports and extends their learning and development.

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the early years provision

The management and staff have a clear understanding of their strengths and areas of development. Since the last inspection, a number of improvements have been made, such as, the re-organisation of the outdoor area, deployment of staff and a review of the practice for observational assessments. The setting also works closely with neighbouring early years provisions that deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage, which contributes to promoting children's welfare. Ongoing self- assessment, training and participating in a quality assurance scheme enable the setting to continually assess and improve the outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

All children benefit immensely from the key person system that enables them to have a close attachment with a staff member in the setting. Flexible daily routines ensure that young children's care needs are well met. Babies are encouraged to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 develop independence and acquire physical skills as good opportunities are provided for them to feed themselves using finger foods and appropriate eating and drinking utensils. Babies explore and discover texture as they have regular opportunities to play with sand. Babies use their senses to explore textured materials and household items in the treasure basket. Low level safety mirrors enable babies to explore what they look like and who they are, thus developing a growing awareness of self. They are also beginning to experiment with paint as staff support them to put their hands in a tray of paint to make hand prints.

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and outcomes for children

Babies' communication and language skills are well promoted through staff valuing the gestures and sounds they make and also providing meaningful activities that include labelling, repetition and simple action and rhyme songs to further support their language development. Staff in the baby room confidently explain how resources and activities are used to promote babies' learning and development. The planning of the educational programme is effective and provides a wide range of experiences in all areas of learning for children over two years. However, it is not yet consistent across the whole of the setting as the activity plans for babies rarely include other areas of learning, such as, aspects of personal, social and emotional and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who are learning to speak English, receive good support as staff plan activities that are pertinent to their own

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and outcomes for children

specific needs and at their own pace of learning. Staff effectively take account of children's interests and regularly observe and assess children's learning and development. As a result of this, children make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children readily access a range of books, reading alone or with a member of staff, as they examine picture books as well as non fiction books. The staff read familiar stories, such as, 'we're going on a bear hunt', that provide opportunities that enable children to develop early reading skills. For example, during story time, children learn valuable skills where they become aware of rhyming; speculate about what happens next and develop a sense of the sounds of alphabet letters and words. Children are developing a good understanding of the values of numbers one to nine, recognising and placing them in order. Photographic displays and activity plans shows that children are given encouragement to participate in mathematical problem solving, such as, working out how many cups of water is required to change the texture of porridge from hard to soft in consistency.

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and outcomes for children

Staff help children to become aware of how to care for their environment as paper and other materials are collected in sacks for recycling. Also, children grow beetroot, brussel sprouts and broccoli in the garden, all of which are used for the setting's meals. This enables children to know where vegetables come from and develop healthy eating habits. All of these opportunities and experiences encourage children to develop skills for the future. Children willingly help to tidy up without any prompting from staff and they learn about how to keep themselves safe when they participate in regular fire drill practices. Children feed the guinea pig showing care and concern for animals. Photographic displays show that children are made aware of and celebrate different religious and cultural events. Also, there are positive images of diversity in resources and visual displays. This helps children to develop a positive outlook of the wider world. Children are

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 developing good self-help skills; however, the paper towels for drying hands are located outside of the toilet cubicles. A missing lid on the waste bin means that children have easy access to used tissues and hand paper towels. 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 qua lity 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 2 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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 2

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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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