Puddleducks Pre-School (Colchester) Ltd

Puddleducks Pre-School (Colchester) Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY400272 Inspection date 24/03/2010 Inspector Deborah Kerry

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Setting address Kendall Primary School, Recreation Road, COLCHESTER, CO1 2HH Telephone number 07807 938 106 Email info@puddleduckspreschool.org.uk 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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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

Puddleducks Pre-School (Colchester) Ltd is privately owned and managed. The pre-school was established in 2007 and became a limited company in 2009 and operates from a designated building within the grounds of a primary school in Colchester, Essex. Access is via four steps with a handrail. A secure enclosed outside area is available for physical play.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 26 children aged from two years to under five years may attend the setting at any one time. The pre-school is open five days a week term time only from 9.00am to 3.00pm. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the childcare register.

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Description of the setting

There are 12 members of staff, including the joint owners who co-manage the early years provision. Of these all hold appropriate early years qualifications and four of these are undertaking a higher 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

Children's welfare, learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage is effectively supported by staff who are well qualified and experienced. The staff know children's individual needs well and through regular observations, the next step in their learning is clearly identified. This is then used to inform the weekly plans to support children's ongoing learning. The setting has good relationships with parents and seeks support and advice from a range of other professionals to ensure that each child's individual needs are fully understood and can be met. The setting has established excellent procedures for evaluating and monitoring their good practice and have identified areas for improvement to benefit children's continued learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further opportunities for children to use, hear and see their home language in their play and learning.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is fully supported as all staff have undertaken training on safeguarding children and they are all fully aware of the necessary steps to take should they have any concerns about the welfare of a child. The pre-school have clear policies and procedures in place for staff to follow and includes local contact numbers, which are displayed so they are fully accessible. There are clear written This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 risk assessments in place on all areas and equipment within the setting to ensure that children are effectively protected from any potential dangers. Staff complete risk assessments before any outings to ensure that children remain safe when away from the setting.

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the early years provision

Parents are kept fully informed about their child's learning and development through daily verbal feedback and the home contact books. Children's progress records are available for parents to view at any time. Parents regularly add comments about their child's interests and learning at home to their development records. This ensures that they are fully involved with their child's learning. Parents are kept informed about the provision through the notice board in the entrance which displays the setting's prospectus, policies and procedures. The weekly plans are also displayed and show the range of activities available to children during each session. This helps to keep parents further updated on what their children are learning each day. Each term the pre-school holds an open day where parents can come in to view their child's progress records and talk to staff about their child's progress. There is a parents' forum which enables the parents to put across their

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the early years provision

views, opinions and concerns regarding the running of the pre-school. The pre- school has a website for parents to access so they can find out all information regarding the setting. The pre-school have established excellent links with other settings within the local area. The pre-school have developed excellent links with the primary school where the pre-school is based and make regular visits with children to help them get used school in readiness for their transition. This ensures that children's learning and development is fully supported between the two settings.

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the early years provision

All staff hold appropriate qualifications in early years which effectively supports children's learning and development. All staff have undertaken Early Year Foundation Stage training and help with planning activities each week around the individual needs of their key children. The staff are fully supported in further training for their continued development. This ensures that outcomes for children continue to remain positive and helps to extend their knowledge. All staff members are included in reviewing and evaluating the pre-school's practice. Areas for improvement have been identified to benefit children's learning and development and to further improve the staffs' current good practice. The pre-school has in place a comprehensive range of policies and procedures to support their good practice which are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain up-to-date. Parents are provided with regular questionnaires to gain their feedback on the pre-school's

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the early years provision

policies and procedures. This knowledge is then used to make positive changes and to develop and improve staff practice further. They are currently undertaking Quality Assurance accreditation and have obtained funding for a purpose built building to improve their provision. This shows their ongoing commitment to maintaining continuous improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a variety of different foods for snacks which effectively promotes their healthy development. Children eat snack together and staff sit with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 them to make it a social occasion. Staff question children to extend their learning around healthy eating practices and encourage children to develop good manners. Fresh drinking water is freely available to the children throughout the sessions. All children are supported in developing a good understanding around personal hygiene, as they all know that they need to wash their hands before eating. Free access to the outside play area ensures that children are developing a good understanding on how to keep themselves healthy through regular exercise and fresh air. Children are provided with a wide variety of different resources and equipment in the outside play area. This helps to promote their physical

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and outcomes for children

development well and their progress in all areas of their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff undertake regular observations on children's individual interests and the next steps in their learning has been clearly identified. Children's developmental matters records are updated on a regular basis. Children's individual interests and learning needs are incorporated into the weekly plans to ensure that they are able to make progress in their learning. Plans show both adult- and child-initiated activities, these are evaluated to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved and include any areas for future learning to support children's continued progress. Two staff hold additional qualifications so that children with special educational needs can be fully supported. Children learn about the wider world and other cultures and beliefs through a range of activities throughout the year. For example, children talk about activities they will undertake to support 'Sports Relief'. Staff ensure that

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and outcomes for children

information about children’s home language and key words they use for support are obtained from parents. However, children have few opportunities to use, hear and see their home language in the setting to help them confidently use their own language outside the home and build strong bilingual foundations when learning English.

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and outcomes for children

Children have opportunities to solve problems as they experiment with volume as they fill and empty containers during water play. Children play games on the computer and use the mouse with skill and confidence, sand timers are used to ensure that each child can have an equal time playing and ensures they are all able to have a turn. This supports children in developing a concept on time and on sharing and turn taking, promoting positive behaviour. Children develop their knowledge on their environment as they go for a walk in the woods within the school grounds, they use magnifying glasses to help them look for bugs. Children's knowledge on problem solving is promoted as they make a chart to record how many different types of each bug they have seen when on their walk. Children use bricks to build towers and use them to compare how tall they are, who is taller or smaller than the towers. Children self register on arrival, they find their own name

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and outcomes for children

card and enjoy listening to stories read to them by staff. This supports their early reading skills and develops their understanding of literacy. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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