Chanctonbury Playschool

Chanctonbury Playschool Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 113814 Inspection date 09/02/2010 Inspector Daphne Prescott

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Setting address The Old School, Rectory Lane, Ashington, PULBOROUGH, West Sussex, RH20 3AS Telephone number 01903 891722 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

Chanctonbury Playschool is run by a committee. It opened in 2000 and operates from the former village school in Ashington, West Sussex. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 26 children may attend at any one time. The playschool is open from Monday to Friday each week from 9am to 12pm, term time only. There are currently 34 children on roll in the early years age group, children attend different times of the week.

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Description of the setting

The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years old. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs five staff including the manager, of these four staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register, and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. They are part of West Sussex Quality Assurance Scheme and have received their Early Childhood Quality Award in 2009.

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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 enthusiastic staff team have a good awareness of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which ensures they successfully promote children's welfare and learning. The staff team work very well together and through regular discussions they plan and develop the curriculum to benefit the children. Effective partnerships with parents help to ensure children's needs are understood and met appropriately, providing an inclusive and welcoming environment. The staff team regularly evaluate their practice to make sure that priorities for development are identified and acted on; demonstrating keen commitment to continuously improve the service for children and their families.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure a full risk assessment is completed for any outings undertaken by the children; include details of how children are protected from potential risks and ensure the record states clearly when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action following a review or incident (Documentation). 24/02/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 further develop ways of including and displaying signs or labels in additional languages.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment and a strong emphasis is placed on safeguarding children. Clear recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with children. The staff team have a secure understanding of the indicators of abuse and procedures to be followed should they be concerned about a child's welfare. Staff have attended relevant child protection training which they continue to review to ensure they remain up-to-date. All visitors to the playgroup are required to sign in and out using the visitors' book; this ensures an accurate record of everyone coming into contact with the children is maintained. Risk assessments are undertaken and daily visual checks are carried out to sustain a safe environment for the children. A general risk assessment is in place for outings. However, the playgroup does not complete a full risk assessment for each individual outing that the children take part in. This is a breach of a specific legal

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the early years provision

requirement. This does not affect the care on offer to the children as effective staff deployment ensures children are well supervised at all times. Parents have also signed to give their consent for their child to take part in all outings. The premises are well maintained and space and resources are well presented and enable children to have a lovely variety of activities which effectively promotes all areas of learning.

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the early years provision

The enthusiastic staff work extremely well as a team and are supported by a shared commitment from the committee. The manager works directly with the children and staff, and steers the work of the setting very effectively. She meets every week with staff to discuss any issues and annual appraisals are carried out to monitor staff development. Children benefit from the good quality provision because all staff are proactive in reviewing their practice and consistently drive for improvement as a team. The staff team have a clear vision of their strengths and plans for the areas they wish to develop. They talk about even small changes within practice making a positive difference to children’s experiences. All recommendations from the previous inspection have been met, demonstrating a good commitment to continuous improvements.

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the early years provision

The diversity of cultures and ethnicity of children, parents and the local community are respected and valued. Planned activities such as celebrating Chinese New Year along with a good range of resources help children develop an understanding of difference in relation to culture, gender and disability. Some sign language and visual aids are used to support children of all abilities and promote their awareness of different forms of communication. However, there are limited signs or labelling in other languages to assist further with communication skills and an understanding of other languages. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Good partnerships with parents enable staff to get to know the children well, which means they can meet their individual needs and plan for their continued development. The allocation of a key person as a child starts provides a positive

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the early years provision

ongoing contact for parents and children. This approach enables the children to settle very well. Parents are provided with lots of information through a variety of sources. For example, a range of displays provides parents with information relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn. Parents' meetings and progress learning journals enable parents to keep up to date with their children's achievements and be involved in their learning. Parents talk highly of the playgroup and are very happy with the care and education their children receive. They find the staff very approachable and caring. Effective partnerships with inter-agency teams ensure each child gets the additional support they need to promote their achievements and well-being. The playgroup has also established effective links with the other settings that some of the children attend, to make sure there is a cohesive approach to their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The staff team offer a supportive environment for the children where they learn and progress through the effective play opportunities provided. Children arrive confidently at the playgroup, and engage happily in the good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. They are settled and secure because staff are attentive and caring; this nurturing attitude is a key strength within this playgroup. Staff have a very good awareness of using children's interests to promote their knowledge and skills, and through close observation and information from parents are able to effectively plan for each child's continuous development. As a result, children are very motivated to learn. Staff interact extremely well with the children, they are fully engaged in their play and ask lots of open-ended questions to extend their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are benefiting from enjoyable experiences across all areas of learning. The environment is laid out to effectively enable all children to move around freely and develop initiative and independence. The staff team are committed to developing children's communication, language and literacy skills. Children are confident communicators; they initiate conversations and verbalise their actions. They enjoy circle time and all are enthusiastic in their contributions, which is effective in promoting their listening skills as well as their confidence to talk in a group. Children bring in items from home which start with the phonic of the week and sound the letters in their name. Story time is thoroughly enjoyed by the children as they interact enthusiastically and anticipate what happens next in the book. Children join in singing well known rhymes and use musical instruments with great enthusiasm. Everyday activities, such as, encouraging the children to count

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and outcomes for children

how many plates and cups are needed for snack supports children's counting skills. Children are developing skills for the future as they find out how things work using magnifying glasses, binoculars and the computer. They have plenty of opportunities to practise their early writing skills as they draw recognisable pictures and begin to write their own name on their art work. Children develop good imagination and creativity through access to resources. They use role-play to take This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on different roles, as they thoroughly enjoy dressing up and walk around with their play tea tray offering their friends cups of tea. Children select from a wide range of art and craft materials to create their own designs as they make cards for Valentine's Day.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a good awareness of how to stay safe and healthy through their play and daily routines. For example, they know that scissors must be used safely at the table, and they regularly practise the emergency evacuation procedures. Consistent routines, such as, washing hands and encouraging children to use tissues reduces the risk of cross-infection. Children all come together for their snack which offers a social time and promotes their independence. At snack time they talk about making healthy choices and know that exercise helps to keep them fit. They have daily opportunities to be outside or use physical equipment indoors. Children's behaviour is managed in a sensitive and caring way by the staff who respond very effectively to children's individual needs. Staff provide the children with lots of praise and stickers for positive behaviour, such as being helpful and kind to each other. This is effective in building children's self-esteem and

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and outcomes for children

contributes to their overall well-being. 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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