Fareacres Pre-School & Day Nursery - South Woodford

Fareacres Pre School and Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY248647 Inspection date 01/03/2010 Inspector Susan Ennis

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Setting address 1 Chelmsford Road, South Woodford, London, E18 2PW

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Telephone number 02085053248 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

Fareacres Pre-School and Day Nursery registered in 2003, and operates from converted premises situated in South Woodford, in the London borough of Redbridge. Children have access to four rooms spread across three floors and a secure, enclosed outside play area. The setting has two goldfish.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school and day nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 30 children may attend the setting at any one time and there are currently 37 children on roll ranging from three months to under five years. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6.30pm, 52 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery offers care to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school and day nursery also offers care to children aged over five years and this provision is registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently no children on roll in this age group.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs ten full time staff and seven part-time members of staff, of these, 16 members of staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications and one staff member is working towards a qualification.

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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

Staff create a very welcoming and safe environment in which all children thrive. Planning is flexible, taking into account children's likes and dislikes, enabling them to enjoy their time at the setting and make good progress in their learning and development. The staff build trusting relationships with parents and carers and keep them well informed about their child's development and the day-to-day running of the setting. Senior staff lead a culture of reflective practice where all staff work together, to review the setting's strengths and areas for improvement and are committed to continuous improvement for all children and their families.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the systematic use of starting points, observations and assessments to plan the next steps in a child's developmental progress and regularly review this approach  ensure that resources reflecting the diverse society in which children live are made more readily available in their play and learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The knowledge and enthusiasm of the senior staff ensures that all aspects of the provision are well led. The effective implementation of the setting's comprehensive policies and procedures support the daily running of the setting and ensure that children are offered a safe and secure environment. For example, there are robust procedures for checking that staff are suitable to work with the children and a rolling program of training to further increase their childcare knowledge. They also have an appropriate understanding of the procedures to follow relating to safeguarding children ensuring that their welfare is promoted and that they are fully protected at all times. Staff further protect children's safety by taking effective steps to minimise any hazards. They carry out daily safety checks of the areas used by the children and complete comprehensive risk assessments at least once a year. Practical procedures also protect the children when on outings. For example,

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the early years provision

staff always take an 'outings pack' with them which contains the children's emergency contact numbers, a first aid kit, tissues and wipes.

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the early years provision

The setting effectively promotes equality and diversity enabling them to offer a service that is inclusive for all children and their families. Staff work closely with the parents to ensure that they understand each child's background, needs and beliefs. For example, staff learn sign language in their lunch break to enable them to effectively communicate with the children and ask parents for familiar words in a child's home language to help the children settle and feel secure. The setting helps children learn and understand about the society in which they live by, for example, celebrating festivals such as Hanukah and Chinese New Year and providing resources such as dressing up clothes and play figures reflecting other cultures and those with disabilities. However, the range of resources provided is not always made readily available to the children in their learning and play limiting their further understanding.

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the early years provision

Children's individual development is effectively promoted because the setting has good procedures in place to support, monitor and evaluate their progress. The interesting range of available resources is positively used and the all-inclusive child-friendly environment is conducive to children's learning. For example, low- level storage units encourage children to freely choose what to play with and child- sized furniture ensures that they can all sit comfortably while they play. They also make good use of the outdoor play area which is set up on a daily basis to cover all the areas of learning, for example, children can practise their mark-making by chalking their designs on the blackboard and can develop their knowledge of the world as they watch the light reflecting off the mirrored shapes and mobiles.

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the early years provision

Staff show a genuine desire to promote the best care and opportunities for children and are committed to sustainability. The on-going monitoring and reflective practice in place helps to highlight their strengths and areas for improvement. They use information from their monthly staff meetings, the self- evaluation form and feedback from parents to implements changes to further improve the outcomes for children. For example, following comments from parents the newsletters now include more information about the theme and what is being This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learnt by the children as well as ideas for activities that the parents to do at home. This change was very positively received by the parents who can now see where the topic is going and the learning intentions for each one.

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the early years provision

Effective links with parents, carers and other providers positively promotes continuity of care and education for all the children. Parents are kept well informed about their child's development and are included in their progress. For example, they are invited to consultation evenings and are invited to take one of the setting's activity sacks home to share with their child involving them further in their child's learning. Parents are regularly informed about the setting's good practice and working ethos through comprehensive policies, a parent notice board, organised events such as the Summer Fun Day and the very open relationship they have with the staff and manager who makes herself readily available to talk to them at all times. Wider partnership working is encouraged as the setting tries to build relationships with the other settings and schools in the area. They share relevant information where possible and work together to provide a consistent

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and outcomes for children

Children are offered interesting and stimulating opportunities to help them effectively progress and develop across all areas of learning. Information is gained from parents about children's home lives and their likes and dislikes. However, as limited information is gained about children's developmental starting points, this information is not used to inform initial assessments. Staff record children's attainments through use of observation, assessment and planning for their steps. Each child has a learning profile which accompanies them as they move through the nursery highlighting their progress through examples of their work and photographs. However, as the system currently in place is not used consistently across the setting children's development is not optimally promoted.

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and outcomes for children

Children's learning is effectively encouraged through a range of adult-led and child- initiated activities. Flexible planning ensures that children's interests and spontaneous events are taken into account. For example, the children make full use of the recent snow storms to develop their physical and sensory development as they enjoy playing outside having first thought about whether they need their coats and Wellington boots on. Also when children start playing with the dough cutters the staff suggest making some play dough of their own. They discuss what they need, how much water to put in and the colour used to make it change from white to green developing their knowledge and understanding of exploration and investigation as they do so. Children enjoy talking about what they are going to make, with some flattening the dough using rolling pins and others cutting shapes using the variety of tools provided. Staff also use their knowledge to incorporate

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and outcomes for children

learning experiences through a range of regular activities and resources. Younger children develop their language skills as they compare toy creatures such as centipedes and caterpillars and older children are encouraged to use their problem solving as they count how many children are present for lunch and place the correct amount of knives and forks on the table. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 During activities staff consistently support the children in their development. Whilst playing on the computer children are stimulated by the written labels such as 'click', 'speakers' and 'printers' displayed on the wall and when children find it hard to separate from their parent they are distracted by feeding the nursery fish until they are ready to participate in the activities provided. Children enjoy their time at the setting, forging friendships with the staff and each other as they, for example,

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and outcomes for children

sit together for lunch and start to spontaneously sing their favourite songs and count to ten in French. Their behaviour is good as they follow the positive role modelling of the staff and learn the consequences of their actions such as apologising for putting a toy on a child's head and upsetting them slightly.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and welfare are actively promoted as the staff take effective steps to minimise the spread of infection and develop children's understanding of healthy living. For example, they learn to wash their hands before and after eating and discuss why it is important to eat healthily, including the kidney beans in their Chilli Lamb, so that they grow 'big and strong'. Their independence is promoted as they dish out their own meals and learn to correctly use a knife and fork. Children are also learning about their own safety as they participate in themes about road safety and are encouraged to take risks such as using staplers and hole punches in activities. 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 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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