Columbus House

Barton St David Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 143098 Inspection date 26/05/2010 Inspector Samantha Powis

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Setting address The Village Hall, Broadclose Way, Barton St. David, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6BS Telephone number 07769506722 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 .

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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: 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

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

Barton St David Pre-school opened over 30 years ago. It is committee run and operates from a village hall in the village of Barton St David in Somerset. The pre- school have access to the main hall, kitchen area and toilet facilities. Children also have access to an outside area and adjacent playing field for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open Monday to Friday during school term time from 9am to 12 noon, with a lunch club on some days from 12 noon to 1pm. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 24 children aged from two years to the end of the early years age group. There are currently 30 children on roll. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 5 staff currently working with the children. Four staff hold level 3 qualifications and one member of staff has a level 2 qualification. The pre-school 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

Children are happy, settled and relate well to the staff who have a good understanding of their individual care needs to ensure each child is supported effectively. Activities are based on children's interests, however, they are not always planned well to ensure that all children are sufficiently well challenged throughout the session. Children benefit from accessing the secure and welcoming pre-school environment, which is well organised to promote children's safety and allows play space both indoors and out. The newly formed team of staff and committee work well together to identify key areas for improvement, and have started to implement new ideas and systems that are already having a positive impact on 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?

 continue to develop effective systems to monitor children's learning and plan for their continued development.  ensure adult led activities are well planned to support and challenge all children  identify a named Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator for the group.

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the early years provision

Staff have a good understanding of how to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures to follow with concerns. They attend training to keep their knowledge up to date and cascade any new information to other staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 members to ensure they all have a confident awareness. The pre-school have recently reviewed it's policy regarding safeguarding which is shared with all staff to ensure they are clear. This helps to protect children from harm. There are clear recruitment and vetting procedures in place to check staff's suitability to work with children. Staff supervise children well which helps to ensure they are safe and well cared for. Staff regularly review safety arrangements within the pre-school and when on outings, to ensure risks to children are minimised. For example, high visibility vests have recently been purchased for the children and staff to promote

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the early years provision

their safety when out on walks. Documentation is used well to support children's ongoing welfare.

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the early years provision

Staff implement policies and procedures effectively to promote children's welfare, safety and development. The staff and committee work well together, sharing their own knowledge, skills and ideas to benefit the children. They communicate well, ensuring a familiar routine for the children to help them feel secure. There have been many recent changes in staffing arrangements. The staff share clear aims and objectives for the pre-school and are focused on continuing to make improvements in all areas. They are quick to identify and address key issues and are building up the systems to enable them to continue to identify strengths and weaknesses to ensure sustained improvement. The pre-school have addressed most recommendations raised at their last inspection which has led to improvements to children's ongoing health and welfare. They have reviewed the organisational plan and updated policies and procedures in line with current

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the early years provision

requirements. They have increased the range of toys and resources and made these fully accessible, allowing children to make more choices in what they want to play with. There are good opportunities for children to engage in role play and mark making opportunities are provided both indoors and out to encourage children to use writing for a purpose. Planning and assessment systems are in place, however, they do not always ensure children are sufficiently well challenged to ensure they make good progress in their learning and development.

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the early years provision

Good relationships are developed with parents and carers which means they are well informed about the provision and increasingly involved in their child's learning. Parents receive updated information regularly through newsletters and the parents notice board. They see photographs of the children engaged in activities on that day, enabling them to share in their children's experiences at home. Parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child both before they start at the pre-school and once they are attending. 'Wow' forms are sent home to encourage parents to note children's achievements so they can be shared with the pre-school staff. There are many opportunities for sharing information to meet individual needs, as key persons are always on hand to chat to parents at the beginning and end of each day. Pre-school staff link well with other professionals or carers working with individual children. This helps all those supporting the children to

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the early years provision

work consistently to support the children's needs. The setting link closely to the area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and staff with skills in this area work closely with parents and children. However, the group have not identified a member of staff to lead this area of work who has received training specific to their role. Good links have been established with the local school to which most children go on to attend. Children have visited their new classroom and frequently share photographs taken during the visit of areas within the school to allow them This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to express any worries or concerns in the familiar pre-school environment. This helps to ensure their transition from pre-school to school will be as easy as possible.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, settled and secure and enjoy their time at the pre-school. They develop good relationships with staff and start to learn about working co- operatively with their peers. For example, they learn that they have to share the task or steering and pushing on the two-person trike to make it work successfully. Children are encouraged to become independent and are able to make choices about what they want to play with, as most equipment is well organised to allow free access. Overall, staff interact well with children as they play, using praise and encouragement to boost their confidence and self-esteem. However, at times, staff do not have a clear understanding of how they can encourage and support children in taking the next step in their learning and development as adult-led activities are not sufficiently well planned. Children develop a strong sense of belonging. They find their own name card to self-register at the start of the

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and outcomes for children

session and enjoy looking at the photographs of themselves on the notice board, enabling them to share their experiences. Children build an awareness of their own community as they go on walks in the village and have visits from local community members such as the police officer. This is extended to the wider world as they celebrate festivals and access books and some resources that offer positive images of diversity.

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and outcomes for children

Children are becoming confident communicators and frequently use sign language to help express their preferences and needs helping all children to feel included. Most children listen well to stories and some build confidence to speak out in front of others. They benefit from being able to select a favourite book to take home and share with their families. They have access to mark making equipment but there is a lack of text and examples of writing within the pre-school to promote children's understanding and awareness of the written word. Children are encouraged to use numbers as they play. They have a go at counting the days of the month and are encouraged to use numbers when engaged in role play. Children have easy access to materials which allow them to express themselves creatively. They are involved in gardening and water their plants carefully knowing that this will help them to grow. Children have daily access to technology, regularly

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and outcomes for children

using age appropriate programmes on the computer to gain skills which will support them in later life. Children learn good practices regarding personal hygiene. They know to wash their hands before they have their snack, confidently informing others they have to use the soap to 'get rid of germs'. Children learn about safety as they engage in activities. For example, they understand that they need to wear the cycling helmet when they use the two wheeled bike, making this safe practice a familiar routine to them.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. Their interests are noted by staff and used to inform planning, which helps to ensure activities are relevant and generally keep children busy and involved. However, the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 systems used to monitor children's progress are not fully effective in ensuring that future planned and adult-led activities are increasingly challenging for older and more able children to extend their learning further. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities and opportunities to play indoors and out. 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 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 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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