Leesfield Pre-School Group

Leesfield Pre-School Group

Inspection report for early years provision

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Leesfield Pre-School Group

Unique Reference Number 508061 Inspection date 04 October 2005 Inspector Janet Skippins

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Leesfield Pre-School Group

Setting Address Barn Fold, Lees, Oldham, Lancashire, OL4 5DN

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E-mail

Registered person Leesfield Pre-School Group Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Leesfield Playgroup was registered in its current premises in 1994. It is managed by a voluntary committee and operates from a youth centre in Lees, Oldham. A maximum of 24 children may attend the group at any one time. It is open each weekday from 9.30 to15.00 during term time. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 22 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these six

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend from the local and surrounding areas. The playgroup currently supports children with special needs. The playgroup employs six staff, five of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. One is working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children begin to develop a good understanding about healthy practices through topics and activities, for example, healthy eating and fruit tasting. They wash their hands independently after messy play, after the toilet and before lunch and this helps them effectively understand the need to practice good routines of personal hygiene. Children enjoy exercise and develop a positive approach to this through regular opportunities for outside and inside physical play using equipment, such as, a climbing frame, slide and balls. Children are kept very safe from the spread of infection as staff clean tables before and after use, they follow detailed hygiene procedures and have effective procedures in place to ensure food is stored and prepared safely. Their individual dietary needs are well met and they enjoy a healthy snack at each session which always includes a variety of fresh fruit.

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Helping children to be healthy

The session is well organised each day to ensure there is regular opportunity for children's physical development, both inside and outside and children have a good awareness of space. They move around confidently, with control and in a variety of ways. These include, jumping inside sacks as they practice sack races and running as they balance eggs on spoons. They competently use a wide range of small and large equipment for example, glue spreaders, pencils, paint brushes, bikes and scooters.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a very clean, satisfactorily maintained environment which is effectively organised to enable them to move around freely and safely. They access available resources independently from trays and boxes at child height and all toys and equipment are maintained in very good condition. Children benefit from a good range of safety measures, for example, the outside door is locked when the session is in progress and the outdoor play area is secure with a high fence around it. They develop a good awareness of fire safety through practicing emergency evacuations every half term and discussing the reasons for this with staff. They have a good understanding about safety in the setting, which is developed through good staff explanations, for example, picking up toys from the floor to prevent someone tripping over.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children are well protected from possible abuse or neglect. Staff have a good understanding of the procedure to follow with any concerns and have attended training. They are fully aware of the types of abuse and signs to look for.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children's independence is well promoted through a variety of opportunities. They move around freely accessing toys and play equipment, choose songs to sing after snack and learn to be independent with their own hygiene. Children are fully involved in a wide range of enjoyable activities, which develop their mathematical thinking, imagination, language and creative development, for example, sand, water, role play, construction, singing, arts and crafts. They are very happy and settled at the pre school, and are keen to communicate with staff, enthusiastically showing them things they have done and talking to them about their experiences. Children benefit from staff who are very interested in them, giving them lots of praise and encouragement and they build warm relationships. Children play very well together, they learn to share and have respect for each others feelings. Nursery Education:

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have attended training on the foundation stage and competently put this into practice. They show good knowledge of the foundation stage and provide a wide range of activities and experiences to cover all areas of children's learning. Planning is flexible, clear and covers all areas of learning in the curriculum. Detailed planning for focused activities ensures clear learning intentions are identified for children. Suitable assessment records for each child clearly show children's approach to learning and their achievements, as well as planning for children's individual next steps in learning. The room is well organised and resources are attractively set out to stimulate children's interest in learning. Staff use open questions to effectively promote children's thinking and resources are used effectively. Children aged three are keen to share experiences with staff and other children and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

communicate confidently and clearly, talking activities through and reflecting on what is happening. They enjoy books, accessing them independently and listening attentively to stories in small and large groups. They handle books carefully and begin to understand print carries meaning. Children aged three count competently and reliably to ten and beyond. They begin to use number names accurately in their play and develop their calculation skills well through a variety of activities including singing, baking, and group times. They show interest in the lives of people familiar to them and develop a good understanding of the natural world through topics and focused activities. They enjoy using all their senses to explore a wide range of different materials including water, dough, soil, ice and through tasting and feeling activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The provision is good. Children are highly valued as individuals. There are effective arrangements in place to care for children with special educational needs and all children's individual needs are well met. Children develop a positive attitude to others and develop a good understanding about the wider world and community through celebrating festivals, trying food and having access to a good range of resources which show positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability. Children behave well, they are given lots of praise and encouragement and learn to share, take turns and begin to accept the needs of others. They begin to understand right and wrong through consistent boundaries, for example, two-year-olds know that running is not acceptable indoors. Age appropriate methods are used by staff to

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Helping children make a positive contribution

manage behaviour, including explanation and distraction. Partnership with parents and carers is good. Children benefit from effective information sharing with parents through a good introductory booklet, newsletters, daily chats and a notice board. Information on the foundation stage curriculum is available for parents and this helps them to be involved in children's learning. However, this is not displayed on the notice board. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The environment is well organised, staff know their roles and responsibilities and effectively implement routines to give children a broad range of experiences. Children benefit from well deployed staff, who consistently interact with them and give children effective support and encouragement, which helps them feel secure and confident. Children are kept safe and healthy as staff attend and up date training, including first aid. Children are generally well cared for through staff implementing good policies and procedures which help to keep children safe and healthy. However, the register does not show children’s times of arrival and departure. The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. Staff have attended foundation stage training and are involved in planning for the curriculum to help children develop in all areas. There are imminent plans to implement formal

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Organisation

evaluation of staff performance and appraisals to monitor staff development. Assessments records are always updated by key workers, who monitor children's achievement and development, they include plans for next steps in children's individual learning. The needs of all children who attend are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The playgroup has made good progress since the last inspection. More effective systems are now in place to monitor children's progress closely through regular observations. These are well recorded and children's learning needs are formalised in individual learning plans. Staff use the individual learning plans so that children are

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 provided with activities at the appropriate level of challenge. Parents now attend regular coffee mornings at playgroup where they look at their children's records of achievement and provide staff with information about their children. This results in a good partnership with parents and has a good impact on children’s learning as parents are involved in their children’s learning. Children now have more opportunities to practise their emerging writing skills, for example, in the role play area and to regularly write their names on their work. This improves their writing skills. A system is now in place to improve the recording in the visitor’s book. This contributes to an more organised environment for the children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure the register shows times of children’s arrival and departure.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • display information regarding the Foundation Stage for children’s learning on the notice board for parents.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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