Thurnby Mead Primary Academy

Misterton Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 142967 Inspection date 19/01/2010 Inspector Carol Johnstone

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Setting address Misterton Village Hall, Unity Lane, Misterton, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8NY Telephone number 07870103376 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

Misterton Pre-School was registered in 1993 and operates from within the village hall in Misterton, Somerset. The pre-school are open each weekday from 9am to 1pm, during term time only. The session includes a lunch club from 12pm-1pm. Children have access to a large hall and they also use the adjacent recreation ground and play park for outdoor play. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 34 children aged from 2 years to the end of the early years age group may attend at any one time. Currently, there are 42 children on roll who are all in the early years age group. The pre-school is run by a parent committee and employs seven members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate qualifications in child care. 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 inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are confident and independent in the pre-school and they have positive relationships with the staff. A wide range of colourful resources are available for the children to use each day and they have free choice in what they want to do. However, ineffective staff deployment during the session means that it is disorganised and children receive insufficient support to promote their learning and development. Staff have now started to learn about the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), but their knowledge is not yet secure. Consequently, levels of challenging interaction and the systems for planning children's learning are still largely ineffective and children make insufficient progress within the EYFS. A process of self-evaluation has been started, but not all of the staff contribute to this. However, there has been a dedicated effort by all staff since the last inspection to improve the provision and there is now a clear and positive

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 keep a record of information used to assess staff suitability. This must include unique reference numbers of CRB disclosures obtained and the date on which they were obtained. This record must be available for inspection at any time (Suitable people) 19/01/2010

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further?

 ensure that all staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and that they 19/01/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understand the safeguarding policy and procedure (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare)  staffing arrangements must be organised to ensure safety and to meet the needs of the children (Suitable people) 19/01/2010

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure that there is a balance of adult led and freely chosen activities, delivered through indoor and outdoor play  continue to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the EYFS so that they can increase effective interaction across all activities  further develop the assessment systems so that they track children's progress and are used to identify next steps in learning  use planning more effectively to facilitate children's next steps in learning  organise the activities and group times more effectively, taking into account children's ages and abilities  develop the process of self-evaluation to involve all of the staff team in identifying areas for development and how these will be achieved

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the early years provision

The manager has worked very hard since the last inspection to improve the pre- school. Her clear commitment has motivated the staff team who are also now working with her to improve practice in all areas. A training programme to ensure that staff gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the EYFS is imminent. In addition, regular meetings with local authority advisors are planned in order to support staff's learning and development. However, because the deficiencies identified at the last inspection were extensive and far reaching, the improvements that have been made so far are not yet having an impact on improving outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Some staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding issues and can confidently identify the types and sign of child abuse. However, other staff are less confident. This may prevent the identification of signs suggesting a child is at risk of harm. Consequently, there may be a delay in obtaining swift and appropriate support for them.

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the early years provision

There are thorough recruitment procedures in place to ensure that new staff are suitable to work with the children. Police, reference and health checks are carried out and new staff also complete a probationary period during which time they are monitored closely. However, the required evidence of police checks for some existing staff is not available for inspection. This is a breach of requirement.

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the early years provision

There are effective security measures in place at the entrance to the pre-school. In addition, staff are always present at entry and exit times. Regular risk assessments of the premises, outdoor area and any outings are completed. However, some of the potential hazards identified are not being effectively dealt with. For example, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the trampoline has been identified as needing a member of staff supervising it at all times. In practice, this is not happening and very young children use it unsupervised with the potential for accidents.

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the early years provision

Regular fire drills are now carried out so that children will know what to do if an emergency occurs. Children's attendance is also now clearly recorded as they arrive and leave which will give a clear picture of who is present in an emergency. Children's health details are recorded clearly and parental consent is obtained for emergency medical treatment should the need arise. Staff are clear of the correct procedures to follow when giving medication and when recording accidents.

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the early years provision

The manager and chairperson meet regularly to discuss areas of practice that need development, however, although there are weekly team meetings, staff do not yet fully contribute to this process. There are friendly partnerships with parents and staff have a daily chat with them to tell them about their child's day. Information given to parents about the EYFS is still limited, although there are plans to address this in the near future with an 'EYFS awareness week'. The committee are very supportive of the manager and staff and they have positive working relationships. The manager is aware of the need to share learning information with other providers who may share the care of the children. In particular, there are very good links with the local school and children make several visits to the reception class with staff in the term before they are due to start there.

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the early years provision

The manager is aware of the need to promote equality and diversity and she has increased the range of resources that reflect the wider world. There have also been celebrations of different festivals such as Divali, where the children made garlands and a visitor came in to show them how to dance to traditional music. There is a trained special needs coordinator in the pre-school to give focussed support to children with additional needs. However, although improvements have been made in this area in relation to helping the children's awareness of diversity and disability, the issues with children's learning mean that there are potential gaps in identifying and addressing differences in children's achievements.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to choose from a wide range of activities each day such as play dough, sand, drawing, construction, small world, puzzles and a computer. Although there are occasional adult led activities, these are too infrequent and most of the session is not organised to provide a balance of child led and adult led activities. Children are not grouped effectively, for example, two year olds and four year olds have the same activities and no provision is made for their differing abilities. The ineffective staff deployment means that they do not stay with the children for long periods at each activity. Consequently, children do not receive appropriate adult support with sufficient interaction to help consolidate and extend their learning. Children therefore do not engage with the activities and quickly move on to something else because they are bored. This creates an unsettled session where learning opportunities are very limited.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff are starting to learn about the EYFS and how to interact effectively with the children. Although there are some improvements, interaction is not yet used fully to help the children think about what they are doing and to challenge their understanding. Observations of the children during their play are now much more frequent. There is also a greater use of the children's assessment folders. However, because the staff have not had their planned training yet, these are not used clearly to track children's progress and identify their next steps in learning. Some staff plan activities that have begun to focus on children's interests and learning needs. However, this is not yet consistent or fully effective. Many staff are unclear of the progress made by their key children across the areas of learning and cannot identify what aspects or areas require support in order to promote learning

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and outcomes for children

and development. However, staff are showing an increased motivation and interest in being involved in the children's learning and the forthcoming training will support this.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about their personal health and hygiene in the pre-school. They can help themselves to tissues for their noses and independently go to the toilet when they need to. Children know they need to wash their hands and say it is 'to get the germs off'. They help themselves to paper towels after hand washing, however, the bin they put them in is often overflowing. Children can now independently have a snack from the 'cafe style' snack area and staff are all aware of the children who have allergies. There are plates of healthy fruit for the children to help themselves from along with drinks that they pour themselves. However, because of the inconsistent staff deployment, this system poses a hazard for very young children with allergies who do not understand they may not be able to safely have what is on offer. Staff are clear of the procedures to follow when giving medication or recording accidents. Most of the staff have first aid training and there is now a

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and outcomes for children

freshly stocked first aid box with an additional smaller box for outings. Children enjoy a sociable lunch time together where they sit around a large table to eat their packed lunches and chat with the staff. Children have good opportunities for physical play. There are daily trips to the adjacent play park and children also use the fields next to the pre-school. When the weather is fine, staff open the doors onto the outdoor area and children can go out as and when they wish.

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and outcomes for children

Children are reminded when they go out that they need to hold hands and to be careful of cars. However, there are no regular reminders during the session about not running or how to play on the trampoline safely and children often swing upside down which goes unnoticed and unsupported. Children's behaviour has improved. Staff have had training in this area and now deal with any issues more effectively. They have also set up a 'positive behaviour tree' and the children get stickers if they behave particularly well. Staff are very sensitive if new children are feeling overwhelmed and unhappy and they give lots of cuddles and reassurance. If a child does not settle, parents are quickly called in to avoid the child becoming any more distressed. 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 4 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 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 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 4 The extent to which children feel safe 4 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 4

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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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Safeguarding children) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 19/01/2010

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability of persons to be in contact with children) (also applies to the compulsory part of the Childcare Register) 19/01/2010

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