Winfrith Pre-School

Winfrith Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Winfrith Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 153448 Inspection date 14 November 2005 Inspector Anne Legge

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Winfrith Pre-School

Setting Address School Lane, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8JL

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E-mail

Registered person Winfrith Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 satisfactory. 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?

Winfrith Pre-School has been registered since 1993. It is located in a self-contained mobile unit on the site of Winfrith First School, in the village of Winfrith Newburgh. Premises comprise of a play room, toilets, cloakroom, kitchen and storage areas. The pre-school has use of the school playground, field and hall for physical and outdoor activities. The group is registered to care for up to 15 children aged from 2 to 5 years. There

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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 are currently 15 children on roll from Winfrith Newburgh and surrounding villages. This includes 9 funded 3- and 4-year-olds. The group welcomes and supports children who have special needs. The pre-school opens on weekdays during term time from 08:45 until 15:15, although some afternoon sessions are cancelled, if there is no demand for them. Three members of staff work with the children. 2 staff have attained a level 3 qualification and 1 is working towards a similar qualification. The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children learn about healthy eating, as they discuss the benefits of eating fruit rather than sweets for their snack. They take part in healthy eating topics and grow vegetables in the garden. They develop a good understanding of which foods are the most important as they talk with staff about the contents of their packed lunches, or the need to clean their teeth after eating sweet things. Children receive good care when they are ill or injured. All staff have current first aid qualifications. There are appropriate systems for acquiring consents and exchanging information with parents about accidents and medication, although medication records lack sufficient detail. Children are very well protected from infection due to the staff's careful procedures, such as for cleaning tables and ensuring that food preparation and nappy changing are hygienic. Children learn good hygiene routines

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Helping children to be healthy

and always wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. An effective sickness exclusion policy helps to promote children's good health. Children enjoy daily opportunities to be physically active. They play in the school playground where they run, use wheeled toys or develop ball control skills. In wet weather, they use the school hall or their own premises to climb and balance on the climbing frame or to crawl through tunnels. They sometimes go for nature walks through the village, observing seasonal changes.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in comfortable and attractive premises, where space and resources are used effectively, to provide them with a range of activities. Staff use interesting displays and regularly re-arrange resources to create variety for children. Different areas of the room offer opportunities for role play, books, a computer, drawing, or messy activities such as glue, paint or sand. Resources are well organised, so that children can choose freely. Children enjoy a variety of outdoor and physical experiences as staff make good use of different areas of the school hall, playground or field.

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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 Children play in a secure environment where access is carefully monitored. Staff have a good understanding of many safety issues, but children's safety is compromised by a lack of systems to regularly risk assess the premises and activities, such as using climbing frames and other school equipment. Children learn to identify risks for themselves as staff teach them to use wheeled toys safely indoors. They are protected from abuse or neglect as staff have a good understanding of all child protection issues and procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy a satisfactory variety of activities. They have plenty of free choice in each session and take part in some structured activities such as circle-time, which are not always appropriate for the youngest children. All children attending are settled, content and are busily engaged in their play for most of the session. However, there is limited provision of sensory activities and tasks which promote communication in very young children. Staff are just becoming familiar with the Birth to Three Matters framework but they have not yet begun to use it to plan appropriately for children aged two and three years. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children develop their understanding of letters and numbers as they take part in focussed daily activities. They match numerals to picture groups, or letters to sounds. They count in a variety

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of routines, such as at registration or when making collages. They use mathematical language in their play such as when filling containers with sand and comparing quantities. They use the quiet area to share books and they enjoy stories at story-time. They make marks and sometimes write for different purposes such as writing letters for parents. They learn about the natural world by growing plants in the garden or going for nature walks. They discuss and investigate how things work, for example when playing with wheels and funnels. They develop their imagination in role play, which is well supported by staff, and in art and craft activities, but these are not always adapted to challenge all children appropriately. Children make satisfactory progress overall due to the staff's reasonable understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff frequently use their skills in questioning and discussing with children to support or extend their learning

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

appropriately. For example, they help able children to develop their understanding of number patterns by comparing groups or thinking about one more than a number. However, effective systems for planning and assessment do not securely underpin children's learning so individual learning needs are not consistently identified. There is not yet an appropriate system for tracking children's progress towards the early learning goals, or for planning the next steps in their learning. This means that younger or less able children are not consistently supported, such as in developing their communication skills and some activities, such as painting, are not always extended to challenge the most able.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children behave well as they respond to the positive approach of staff to the management of their behaviour. They develop good relationships with staff and enjoy plenty of praise and encouragement when they are helpful or make an effort. They receive stickers each week as a reward for good behaviour and work. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They learn to consider the needs of others as they share toys and take turns in the sand or play tent. They learn about cultural and religious differences as they celebrate a variety of festivals and use appropriate resources, such as dolls and books, which reflect diversity. Staff know children and their families well and aim to meet their needs, such as by having a flexible approach to the sessions they may attend. Children with special needs are well supported but there are no effective systems to identify and monitor the progress

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Helping children make a positive contribution

of those who may have additional needs. Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Children's care is reasonably consistent as parents receive some information which helps them to support their child's progress. This includes a prospectus which contains information about policies and procedures and the Foundation Stage curriculum. Regular play leader's reports and plans are displayed, and other information appears on a white board, but parents are not always well informed about their child's activities and current procedures as some documentation is out-of-date and plans contain little detail. Parents are unable to effectively support their child's learning, as there are no systems for regularly sharing information with them about their child's progress towards the early learning goals.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from good staff:child ratios and they are cared for by well-qualified staff. The staff are committed to increasing their skills by attending appropriate training courses. Time and resources are usually used effectively to give children a range of experiences, many of which are appropriate. Staff work well as a team and are supported by the committee. Children's care and welfare are not securely underpinned by current and comprehensive documentation. Some policies and procedures are out-of-date, and there is no system to review and update them regularly. Robust systems for recruiting and checking staff are not yet established. The pre-school has broken regulations by failing to inform Ofsted of changes to staff and the committee. There are no written risk assessments of the premises or activities. Leadership and management are satisfactory. There are adequate systems to

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Organisation

monitor the quality of nursery education provided as staff review activities and topics weekly. Annual staff appraisals help to identify training needs and staff are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of provision. For example, they have sought help from an advisory teacher to set up effective systems for planning and assessments.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, staff have improved children's safety in emergencies by regularly practising emergency evacuation procedures and requesting consents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. However, they continue to compromise children's safety as they have not yet implemented systems to complete regular risk assessments. Staff have increased opportunities for children to create freely and to make marks by giving them constant access to drawing materials and pencils. Able children are still not always challenged to begin to name or label their work. Staff have re-organised snack time so that children have some independence, such as in giving out fruit. They are also able to use this time to develop their social and communication skills by talking to each other and to staff. Assessment and planning systems have not yet been fully developed and implemented to ensure that learning objectives are

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Improvements since the last inspection

identified and able children are appropriately challenged.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. 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 satisfactory. 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve children's safety by implementing systems to regularly risk assess the premises and activities • continue to develop a range of activities which are suitable for the youngest children, by using the Birth to Three Matters framework

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • develop systems to regularly review and update policies and procedures, and ensure that records of incidents and medication administered are sufficiently detailed and shared appropriately with parents • make sure that Ofsted is informed promptly of all changes to staff and the committee, and implement effective recruitment and staff checking procedures, so that all the required checks can be completed, and children will be appropriately protected.

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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): • continue to develop systems for planning and assessment, so that children's individual learning needs are consistently identified and met • develop systems to effectively monitor the progress of children who may have special needs • implement systems for regularly sharing information with parents about their child's progress towards the early learning goals, so that they can effectively support their child's learning.

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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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