Aveley Pre School

Aveley Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 401544 Inspection date 22/01/2010 Inspector Gillian Walley

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Setting address The Discovery Centre, Stifford Road, Aveley, South Ockendon, Essex, RM15 4AA Telephone number 01708 864747 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

Aveley Pre-school is a privately owned setting. It opened in 1997 and moved to new premises in 2006. The pre-school operates from a room in the Aveley Discovery Centre within the grounds of a primary school in Aveley, Essex. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre- school is open each weekday from 9.00 to 12.00 and 1.00 to 3.30 term-time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 68 children aged from two to under five years on roll, most of whom receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area. The pre- school currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and children who are learning English as an additional language. The pre-school employs seven staff. Four of the staff, including both managers, hold an appropriate early years qualification. Three staff members are currently attending

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Description of the setting

training. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and the local authority. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the provision was judged to be outstanding, where all children make very good progress. It is inclusive and meets the needs of all children well because the managers and staff team assess the children‟s progress accurately and use this to plan the next steps in their learning. The setting has very good capacity to continue to improve because the staff evaluate their provision continually and implement the changes they feel will make an improvement.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 support children‟s independent learning and reinforce their learning in the classroom by displaying letters and sounds, numbers and shapes in the outdoor area.

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the early years provision

The staff work closely together and there is a high ratio of adults. All staff are very vigilant about the children‟s well-being, safety and security. Visitors sign in and doors and gates are kept locked. There are excellent procedures in place, for example, to vet new staff when they are appointed, and daily checks of the premises are carried out to assess any risks which might lead to accidents. If children need to be given medicine or are unwell two members of staff take This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 responsibility and parents are asked to sign records so that they are fully involved. If a parent is delayed and needs to have another person collect the child there is a secure password system. Consequently children feel safe, and parents are confident that their children are very well looked after. The pre-school has an outstanding capacity to improve because the staff evaluate the provision regularly

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the early years provision

and systematically with very good support from the local authority.

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the early years provision

The managers have made many changes since the last inspection report. The outdoor learning area has been refurbished and it is now used freely by the children, who are closely supervised by adults. The setting now has very good provision for the younger children so that they make very good progress. The children have opportunities to learn outside the classroom, for example, when they make visits to a nearby allotment, and by going to the primary school for special events such as Sports Day and at Christmas. The pre-school has very good links with the school and the Reception class teachers visit so that the children get to know them. This helps the children to settle easily when they move on. There are good procedures in place for supporting children who may find learning more difficult or who are learning English as an additional language so that they make very good progress. There are good links with outside agencies which provide

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the early years provision

additional support for those children who need it, and for their families.

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the early years provision

There are also very good links with parents, who have every confidence in the managers and all other adults to care for their children. Parents are kept very well informed about policies and procedures, they receive regular newsletters and there are notice boards providing them with a lot of very useful information. Parents are asked for their views in surveys. They feel that the managers value their opinions and they like the fact that they can contribute to the children‟s learning. For example, they have home link books where they can write what the children have been doing at home and this enables the staff to plan more activities which will develop this new learning. Parents feel their children make very good progress, especially in their social development and communication skills. They like the regular open day meetings with key workers when they can discuss the children‟s progress and they receive detailed records. They also appreciate the informal

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the early years provision

discussions they have with their children‟s key works at the end of each session.

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and outcomes for children

When children begin attending the pre-school adults observe them to get to know their likes and dislikes, and they ask parents for information which helps them to plan some activities the children will enjoy so that they settle easily. There are very good resources to support them in all areas of learning, both indoors and in the spacious outdoor area which includes boards for mark making and areas where they can enjoy books. However the children do not have opportunities to reinforce their learning about letters and sounds, numbers and shapes when they are playing outside. There are very good opportunities for the children‟s physical development and learning about the world around them, for example by observing how plants grow, and there are also good resources for learning to solve problems such as puzzles and construction sets. The children develop their imagination in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

role play areas with a wide range of dressing up clothes, and outdoors they enjoy playing on a pirate ship and spacecraft. Resources are well labelled so that the children can find what interests them easily. The children enjoy a wide range of creative tasks, and many of the pictures they make are displayed on the walls. At special times of the year such as Divali or Chinese New Year the children may choose crafts linked to that theme and they can taste different foods. All adults observe the children closely both while the children have chosen what they would like to do and during the activities which are led by adults. These observations are used to plan activities which will help the children to take the next steps, and they also enable the key workers to monitor the children‟s progress and identify areas where they may need additional support. Each key worker plans some sessions so that they all become very experienced in planning for all areas of learning. The

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and outcomes for children

adults meet to evaluate each session and this evaluation helps them to plan for the next day.

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and outcomes for children

The children have opportunities to take responsibility, for example, they register themselves at the start of sessions and they help to prepare their own snacks. They help to count how many children are present, they decide whether there are more boys or girls, and they find their own names on their chairs. They learn about sounds by singing rhymes and talking about the words they know. The adults encourage the children to think and to persevere, and they use very positive language to reward their success. The adults know how to question the children well and what to expect of them because guidance for them is clearly displayed in each area of the premises.

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and outcomes for children

The children‟s behaviour is exemplary and the staff have very high expectations of them. Each session begins by talking about their golden rules, which are displayed with photographs to remind them, and the children develop very good attitudes to learning as a result. They listen when others are talking, they take turns and share their toys. The children enjoy being with their friends and being able to choose what they want to play with. They learn to accept people‟s differences because there are multicultural books and dolls to play with, and they learn to say words such as “hello” in different languages. They learn about healthy lifestyles because they enjoy healthy snacks and drinks, and get plenty of exercise, and they learn how to avoid infection, for example, by washing their hands before they eat. The children learn about road safety and the roles of people in the community because of the wide range of visitors who talk to them. They understand how to leave the

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and outcomes for children

building in an emergency because they practise fire drills. 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 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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