Hurst Methodist Junior School

Stokenham Pre-School Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 106232 Inspection date 15/01/2010 Inspector Kevin Wright

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Setting address Stokenham Pre-School Building, Stokenham Primary School, Stokenham, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2SJ Telephone number 01548 580202 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 .

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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

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

Established in 1972, Stokenham Pre-school is managed by a committee of parents and operates from a single storey building in the grounds of Stokenham Primary School. Children also have access to a secure, enclosed, outside play space. The pre-school is open from 9.00am to 3.45pm Monday to Friday term-times only. Currently there are no children on Friday afternoon but this is expected to change in the near future. Funded nursery education sessions run from 9.30am to 12 noon and 1.00pm to 3.30pm. Children can attend for a variety of sessions and can bring their lunch if they wish to. There is a lunch-time session each day from 12 noon until 1.00pm. The pre-school also offers parent and toddler sessions on Wednesday afternoons from 1.30pm to 3.30pm and Friday mornings from 10.00am to 12 noon. There are currently 20 children enrolled, 13 of whom are three-year-olds and four-year-olds in receipt of nursery education funding. There

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Description of the setting

are no children currently attending who have a disability and there is no disabled access. A staff of four support the provision, three of whom are qualified to National Vocational Qualification standard at level 3 and one to National Vocational Qualification at level 2. The group receives the support of the local authority and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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 enjoy attending the pre-school and they make good progress in their learning because this qualified, experienced and committed staff team demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. In this caring and welcoming pre-school all is done to ensure the health and safety of the children and involve them in their community. Learning opportunities are planned to meet the needs of all children and those in charge work effectively with other agencies to ensure children’s needs are properly met. Managers regularly review the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and act to make improvements. The pre-school’s strong links with parents support each child’s welfare and development. Parents and carers are well- informed of their child’s progress.

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further?

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

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further?

 review how staff intervene to develop children’s independent play  review opportunities for children to move freely and individually between outdoor and indoor play  review the role of a parent and carer’s input into their child’s development record This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Those in charge are focused on ensuring that all children make good progress in their learning and development. Recent revisions in the methods of how children are observed and assessed and how this is recorded have enabled staff to fine tune the provision to meet individual children’s needs. Also to identify quickly where areas of a child’s development within the six areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage need to be reinforced or extended. The key worker system functions effectively. The recommendation from the previous inspection with regard to developing planning and assessment tools to support differentiation has been securely met. There is a strong and effective focus also on welfare. The recommendations from the previous inspection with regard to improving accident and medication records have been fully addressed. Staff work well as a team to ensure the health and safety of the children. A full range of appropriate policies

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the early years provision

and procedures guide everyday practice and staff clearly adhere to them. This enables the pre-school to run smoothly on a day-to-day basis. The pre-school has a wide range of toys and equipment which are accessible to children. Space is well-used, and activities are set up in a manner which allows children to move around freely in the rooms selecting equipment and resources for themselves. However, children are not always able to move freely and individually between outdoor and indoor play. Resources are well-used and the managers are alert to improving facilities and resources to further meet children’s needs. For example in recent times comfortable seating has been placed in the book area, a toddlers’ area has been established separating it from the 2-to-under-5’s space, a children’s computer unit and camera have been purchased. Effective self evaluation that takes into account the views of the children and the parents and carers has

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the early years provision

provided a strong basis for the continuing development and improvement of the provision. This has had a positive impact on the well-being and development of the children. For example in enhancing the level of differentiation to meet the range of needs. Managers work effectively with a range of external agencies and organisations. For example, by accessing funding to help cover the attendance fees, thereby enabling increased attendance levels where there is socio-economic need. Safeguarding policies and procedures are followed properly and vetting procedures for all adults working with children are robust.

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and outcomes for children

Children are enthusiastic about coming to the bright, attractive and well-resourced setting and they separate easily from their parents and carers. In this nurturing and safe environment, children learn to relate harmoniously to one another and build strong trusting relationships with the staff members. Parent helpers make a strong contribution to the quality of the provision. Staff show a high level of commitment to meeting the needs of all the children. The setting’s revised observation and assessment system enables individual children’s progress to be tracked against the six areas of learning and development. The managers’ monitoring of the records of each child’s progress in the six areas of learning and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development enables remedial or extension activity to be planned for each individual. Parents and carers do not currently have a significant role in adding

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and outcomes for children

information to the child’s individual development record. Behaviour is managed well by staff, and adults provide good role models in helping children learn to be considerate to one another. Children are developing a good awareness and understanding of maintaining their own safety as staff discuss this with them throughout the session. For example, adults talk them through safety matters before they go outdoors or handle tools and equipment. At snack time, the child who acted as special helper for the morning knew how to cut apples up with a knife in a careful and safe manner. Risk assessments are well organised and managed properly. For example a group visit to the supermarket using the bus was carefully planned and checked. The partnership that exists between parents/carers and staff is very positive. Parents are pleased with the care provided and the progress their children make in their learning and development. The pre-school works very effectively with

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and outcomes for children

parents/carers and organisations to ensure children are well cared for. Parents report that the pre-school is very alert to each child’s needs. For example one parent described how staff had identified speech problems for their child and had then arranged regular speech therapy support. Another child had their sight problems identified by staff which led to spectacles being prescribed.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident to play on their own or with others. Children relate to one another harmoniously. They are encouraged to take on responsibilities for small tasks. They access equipment and resources for themselves from the wide range available. For example some four-year-old children who were enjoying selecting and gluing a variety of items to a paper sheet had brought the paper and trays of items from the shelves by themselves. Children confidently engage in role-play, making use of the range of facilities and resources available. For example, one three-year-old boy acted out a scenario by himself within the play ‘house’. He gathered and stacked toy supermarket items, used the toy telephone to speak into and pushed the keys off a toy till. Constructional toys are well used. One two-year- old, whilst tentative with soft toys, was fully immersed in connecting building pieces together to see how they could be joined. Clear planning based on accurate

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and outcomes for children

observation and assessment means that each child is able to engage in activities with the right level of challenge for them. Children are sometimes left to enjoy their independent play, where brief interventions by staff might add an extra challenge or dimension to their activity. Children work well with adults. Well-planned adult-led activities extend the children’s learning in interesting ways. For example, one adult-led activity introduced the children to blowing air. The children enjoyed finding out how far they could blow sheets of tissue paper and were delighted at the way the sheets spun and swirled in the air. Older children (four-year-olds) became particularly adept at co-ordinating the fine motor skills of handling the tissue and releasing it at the right moment when they blew. The planning sheets showed that staff were alert to the range of the six areas of development that might be evident in the

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and outcomes for children

children’s activity. Blowing through straws into soapy water led to interesting discussion of how air travelled from the body into the bubble. Children enjoy singing together and using percussion instruments to mark time with the song. Staff make the physical exercise activity at the start of the day a pleasurable experience for the children. 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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