Holmes Chapel Community Preschool

Holmes Chapel Community Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 305107 Inspection date 04/03/2010 Inspector Sheila O’Keeffe

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Setting address Holmes Chapel Primary School, Middlewich Road, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, Cheshire, CW4 7EB Telephone number 07773 489 720 Email info@hccp.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

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

Holmes Chapel Community Pre-School is run by a voluntary parent committee. It was registered in 1985 and operates from one large room within a self-contained mobile building in the grounds of Holmes Chapel Primary School in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. Children have access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 24 children aged from two years and six months to five years may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 32 children on roll within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. The pre-school is open from 9am until 3pm Monday to Friday, term time only, although all sessions can be used flexibly.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff, including the supervisor, who work directly with the children; of these, six hold early years qualifications at Level 3, one holds a qualification at Level 5 and is working towards Level 6, and one currently working towards a qualification at Level 2. The setting can access support from Sure Start.

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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 are happy, settled and comfortable with their routines. They enjoy a wide range of interesting activities at the pre-school. The supervisor and staff are continually seeking ways to develop the provision and outcomes for children, and as such, the capacity for continuous improvement is good. The staff work well to ensure they cater for the individual needs of the children and enable them to make good progress in their learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide further opportunities outdoors to ensure a good balance and range across all areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Good, accessible documentation is in place to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. Procedures are adhered to, to ensure the suitability of adults to work with children, and professional development for staff is good and on-going. Staff are capable and secure in their knowledge enabling them to deal with any concerns that may arise about children’s health and safety. Good partnerships with other early years professionals are sought to gain expertise and advice when This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 necessary, to support any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring their needs are met. Detailed risk assessments are completed alongside premises checks, indoors and outside, in order to maintain a clean, safe environment with good site security. Access to and from the building is monitored with strict signing in procedures and identity checks. Excellent hygiene procedures

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the early years provision

are in place. The outside provision is securely fenced and supervised. The clear routines, organisation and inclusive environment of the pre-school ensure children share equal opportunities, are settled, feel safe and are growing in confidence.

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the early years provision

The supervisor and her team have made significant improvements in their partnership with parents since the previous inspection, which has resulted in outstanding practice in this area. For example, parents are regularly invited to parents’ evenings to enable working parents to attend. Detailed daily records are available for parents outlining the activities that the children are engaged in. This has an excellent effect because parents obtain information about their children’s learning and development, and are able to offer complementary home support for their children. As a result, children show good progress. Parents comment on how happy their children are and how they enjoy themselves.

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the early years provision

The supervisor is very experienced and has a clear vision for the pre-school. She and her team have addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection, improved the premises and have plans for developing the leadership team in the future. All staff are enthusiastic and work well as a team to support the children. As a result of effective self-evaluation, the pre-school has a good understanding of its strengths and what needs to be done to improve on its current successful practice. Resources are well deployed. The re-designed room and ramps to the outside play area have improved access for the children. However, the attractive outside space, although well used and resourced, does not always mirror the balance and range of opportunities available across all the areas of learning that are on offer indoors.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well cared for and make good progress in their learning and development. Staff work together well to plan activities geared to children’s individual needs and interests. For example, the children were invited to a cake making session and were enthusiastic about putting on their aprons, taking turns mixing the ingredients and showing their cakes to their parents at home time. The staff record a range of observations daily, identifying children’s next steps in their learning and skills development. Good information is gathered when children enter the pre-school to inform the initial planning. Assessment records clearly indicate their progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children respond to specially recorded music that tunefully reminds them to wash their hands before snack time. They show extremely positive attitudes to learning about healthy lifestyles. They choose their nutritious food from the buffet and develop their social skills whilst talking around the table. Staff use this opportunity for number and name recognition. They show an outstanding level of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 independence as they take turns to tidy up their toys, set the table, pour their own drinks and choose their own food. The room is well planned to provide designated areas linked to all areas of learning. The children freely access activities of their choice and move around confidently with good spatial awareness; for example, when sharing a dinosaur book and a seesaw outside. They behave and cooperate with each other exceptionally well. They gain some awareness of our multicultural

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and outcomes for children

society through exploring the dressing up resources in role play and looking at books that reflect a variety of cultures.

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and outcomes for children

Staff supervise the children well at all times and are extremely vigilant. They respond well to the interests of the children and encourage them to try new experiences like planting vegetables in the garden and dressing up for World Book Day. This stimulates their interests and awareness of the world, and develops their creativity. During story time the children are able to sit and concentrate, and are inquisitive and ask questions. As a result children are acquiring a good foundation to prepare them for future learning. 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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