West Town Lane Academy

Barnhill Pre-School Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Barnhill Pre-School Playgroup

Unique Reference Number 137762 Inspection date 06 December 2005 Inspector Christine Bonnett

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Barnhill Pre-School Playgroup

Setting Address Chalkhill Community Centre, Poplar Grove Barnhill Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 9DB Telephone number 020 8904 1974

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E-mail

Registered person Barbara Maria Evans Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Barnhill Pre-School Playgroup is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of staff of the playgroup and community centre. It opened in 1992 and operates from the large hall within Chalkhill Community Centre, Wembley Park, in the London Borough of Brent. A maximum of 40 children may attend the playgroup at any one time. It is open each weekday from 09:15 to 13:00 all year round, with the exception of 4 weeks in the

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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 summer holidays and Christmas. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 43 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 5 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and wider community. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs nine staff, of whom, seven, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children begin to understand the benefits of a healthy diet through project work involving the parents. They are offered nutritious snacks, which comply with all special dietary requirements to ensure children remain healthy. Children's independence is not promoted at snack time as prepared food, such as sliced fruit, and cups of juice are handed to them. Children have the opportunity to make use of a large outdoor play area. They are able to climb, scramble and generally benefit from physical exercise. The large hall also enables children to enjoy strenuous play at any time of year. Although the cloakroom used solely by the playgroup children is maintained to a good standard of cleanliness, the shared main hall is dirty. The floor in particular is not cleaned sufficiently frequently, and is worn in parts. Also, some of the carpets under the play equipment are soiled. In addition, children are not expected or

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Helping children to be healthy

encouraged to wash their hand before eating. Consequently, they are not developing and understanding of good personal hygiene to maintain good health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's welfare is safeguarded as several members of staff hold a current first aid certificate. Staff also have in-depth knowledge and understanding of child protection matters. They know the signs and symptoms a child may exhibit that could indicate they were being harmed and also the procedure to follow to report such concerns. Children's safety and security is important to staff. They check the premises each day for hazards, and conduct risk assessments. Security systems are in place to ensure children cannot leave the premises unseen by staff. Children can move around the secure garden safely as it is suitably maintained, which helps to prevent accidents occurring. Although some of the equipment is well worn, it is clean and safe. Fire

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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 drills are held regularly, and children are learning to listen and respond appropriately when they hear the alarm to help ensure they leave the premises quickly and safely in the event of an emergency.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children benefit from the provision of a good range of toys and resources that promote their learning in a variety of areas, such as mathematics. Their vocabulary is developing as staff ask questions to encourage them to think and chat. For example, "what colour is it?" Children are also developing their imaginations and creativity through a wide range of resources and activities, such as arts and crafts, and a well equipped home corner. The children are very enthusiastic in their play, and have great fun. They join-in action songs with great excitement and initiate their own singing games, such as "ring-a-roses". Staff motivate the children and provide a warm and caring environment in which they want to learn. Children enjoy their time at nursery. They arrive happy and confident and quickly settle into the routine. They become competent learners as they make their own choices during the "free play" period, exercising their option to go in the garden or

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

stay indoors. Children also enjoy being in each other’s company and demonstrate this by playing co-operatively together. Younger children are beginning to benefit from the implementation of the Birth to Three Matters framework, which supports their learning and development. Nursery Education The quality of the teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children demonstrate good levels of concentration and persist at activities for extended periods. For example, rolling dough and completing jigsaws. Simple mathematics is regularly introduced into the daily routine, such as counting the number of children at the table. However, opportunities are missed to discuss concepts such as weight, volume and quantity during activities, such as sand play. Children enjoy developing their large motor skills as they pedal bikes and hop about in the garden. A high climbing frame provides suitable challenge for the older and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

more able children. They are also developing their ability to manipulate small tools with skill, such as glue brushes and scissors. Staff read stories to small groups of children at a time. A comfortable book corner is available, but its use is not promoted by staff. Consequently, children do not handle books or have stories read to them sufficiently regularly to enable them to develop a love of books and an understanding that print carries meaning. Children are able to develop their creativity in a number ways, such as imaginative play in the home corner or with art and craft activities. They have less opportunity to hear and create their own music. Children are encouraged to learn about the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 passage of time by discussing the days of the week, and monitoring the growth of seeds and plants. They also learn about how things work, and why, such as torches and magnetism. Staff have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage, and how children learn. Planning is satisfactory. Themes are devised and extended to cover each area of learning. Children's progress is monitored and recorded. The information gained is used to plan the next stage of their development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued and respected as individuals and are given appropriate praise and encouragement to enhance self-esteem and confidence. They learn about the world in which they live as they have access to resources that promote positive images of diverse cultures, ethnicities and abilities. They also learn about festivals and traditions celebrated in the local and wider community. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Partnership with parents is good. Children benefit from the friendly interaction between staff and parents, which are enhanced by the key worker system. Parents can discuss their child's progress with the worker at any time. Information about the playgroup is available for parents, such as regular newsletters. Partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is also good. Detailed reports are prepared each term, which highlight the child's progress in all six

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Helping children make a positive contribution

areas of learning. Children are also able to select books to take home and read with their parents. Children with special needs are fully included at the playgroup. Staff have developed effective working relationships with other professionals involved with the children to ensure a consistent approach to their learning. The manager has a sound knowledge of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and consequently is aware of her responsibilities as a service provider to act in the best interest of the child. Children who have English as an additional language are also well supported by staff who speak several community languages, including Polish. As children are engaged in meaningful play, their behaviour is good. Age-appropriate and positive strategies are used to manage any difficulties that may arise. Consequently, children learn right and wrong in ways that they can understand.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children profit from a staff team that works well together to deliver a stimulating and fun experience for them. Their welfare is safeguarded as appropriate policies and procedures are implemented effectively by staff, which successfully promote positive outcomes for children.

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and their deployment around the nursery is good. They ensure that all children are happily engaged in purposeful activities. Management support staff through daily communication and regular meetings. Children's learning is promoted through satisfactory leadership and management of the nursery education. The manager and staff value the input from advisory teachers. As a result, the setting is meeting the needs of all the children for whom it provides care.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, it was recommended that "circle-time" be re-organised to provide greater challenge for older children. This has been addressed by having two separate times during the course of the morning when all the children come together. This means that each period is short, which enables the children to concentrate for the whole period and not become bored. However, the group plans to develop "circle-time" still further to benefit the children. The playgroup was also requested to make the nappy changing area more comfortable for younger children. A changing mat has been installed which provides children with greater comfort. Detailed reports on each child have been introduced since the last inspection. Staff record the child's progress and development, in detail, each term. These are given to the parents. Parents also have the opportunity to discuss the progress of their child at any time with the key-worker.

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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 satisfactory.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND 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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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): • promote children's health by ensuring they wash their hands before eating and develop their understanding of why it is important • ensure the floor and carpets in the hall are clean and safe • promote children's independence at snack time by enabling them to help prepare the food and serve themselves.

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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): • promote children's understanding of mathematical concepts, such as volume, quantity and weight, when exploring sand and water • promote the use of the book corner to encourage children to select books for pleasure and to increase their understanding that print carries meaning • provide children with more opportunities to hear and create music.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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