Baguley Hall Junior School

Manor Road Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127365 Inspection date 13/07/2010 Inspector Stacey Sangster

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Setting address Manor Road Playgroup, Church Hall, Manor Road, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8UD Telephone number 07972 739852 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 assesses 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

Manor Road Pre School opened in the 1960s. It operates from the church hall sited next to the church in Rusthall, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 26 children in the early years age range may attend. The setting is registered to offer care to children between the age of two years and until they reach the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The setting generally admits children from the term that they are two and a half. There are currently 58 children in the early years age group on roll.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am until 12 noon and 12.45pm until 3.45pm on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon during term time only. All children share regular access to a secure front garden, closely supervised by staff.

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Description of the setting

Families using the setting come from the local and surrounding areas. The pre- school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs six members of staff; of these, four staff hold appropriate early years qualifications and the remaining staff are engaged on courses leading to a childcare qualification.

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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

The setting supports the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage well and is effective in helping all children make good progress in the six areas of learning. The setting demonstrates no major weaknesses and monitors its effectiveness closely, to ensure that this remains the case. Arrangements for continually improving the service are particularly strong and ensure that the setting builds on what it already does well. The management and staff team work hard to ensure that every child has an enjoyable and productive time while in the setting. All staff are committed to the self-evaluation process which is effective in continually driving the service forward.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that benchmarking looks at how well children are making progress in comparison to the Early Years Foundation Stage and that children's progress as individuals and as a group is monitored to ensure that gaps in learning are identified and narrowed This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  widen the equalities monitoring arrangement to ensure that it is more representative of society, so that it enables the setting to be sure that it can accurately support all children to access positive images which reflect them and their family.

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the early years provision

Safeguarding arrangements are successful in reducing hazards to children. This results in children having access to premises, activities and equipment that are age appropriate and well maintained. Only adults working in the setting who have been vetted and completed Criminal Records Bureau checks are permitted to have unsupervised access to children. All staff have undergone a thorough vetting procedure as part of the robust recruitment arrangements that are in place. All staff are first aid trained and are fully aware of the setting's role and responsibility in relation to recording and reporting concerns. Four staff have attended training specifically related to safeguarding and the policy informs parents and guides staff, ensuring that all are clear about the procedures to follow if a safeguarding issue is identified.

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the early years provision

The leadership in this setting is outstanding in relation to promoting and driving continual improvement. Staff are committed and highly motivated. They undertake regular training to ensure that they remain fully up to date with ideas and good practice in the childcare field and there is clear evidence of a desire to enhance their services including in areas where it is already good. Management seize every opportunity to review their practices and respond immediately with ideas when gaps in their practice are identified. Staff deployment is very effective in supporting children, while not encroaching on child-led activities unless invited to join in. Resources are well organised and all staff demonstrate skills to support all of the six areas of learning from any individual piece of equipment.

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the early years provision

The setting is committed to supporting all children and their families and does this well in relation to most areas. They ensure that children develop a well rounded understanding of the similarities and differences that occur within society and develop a respect for the views and feeling of others. Children are recognised as being unique and nurtured and supported in ways which are tailored to meet their individual needs. There are good arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes offering key worker staff who have undergone specialist training to assist them in identifying additional support and helping the children to reach their full potential.

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the early years provision

The setting's self-evaluation is effective in identifying which areas to focus on next and there is clear evidence that once identified enhancements occur swiftly. All staff are involved in the process of identifying ideas of what needs to be done as well as how to tackle each issue. Staff are highly valued as the setting's most important resource and are treated as such. This results in a low turn over of staff, many of the staff have worked together for a number of years and this increases the stability of the staff team and provides excellent continuity for children and their families. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The partnership with parents is very effective in relation to care and developing well in relation to education. Parents routinely alert staff to any issue that may impact on the child's welfare, from a disturbed night to family breakups. There is a

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the early years provision

good flow of information from the setting to parents in relation to children's progress in their education, but limited systems in place to effectively capture the parents' observations of what their children are achieving at home. The arrangements to support those children who attend other Early Years Foundation Stage settings is emerging.

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and outcomes for children

Good arrangements are in place to support children's welfare. Staff appear genuinely caring and seek to support children to settle and find activities that they will enjoy. Friendships are encouraged and children are praised for acts of kindness, being helpful and sharing resources. The atmosphere is busy but calm. Children are engrossed in the interesting and stimulating activities throughout the session. They are supported where necessary for example when making bubble blowing pictures and are able to organise child-led games and activities. The children often call on staff, during their child-led games, to use them as a play resource. Children get staff, for example, to take on specific roles to enhance their games, such as asking them to be 'the children' when playing schools.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate that they feel safe in the setting. They move around with care and show a good understanding of the expected codes of behaviour which support them in keeping themselves and each other safe. Children, for example, know that if they run without looking where they are going they might bump into and hurt other children. The children's behaviour in this setting is excellent. Being healthy and promoting healthy lifestyles is well established as one of the routine focuses of the setting. Children help to prepare healthy snacks and choose from a varied selection of fruit, vegetables and savoury foods including radish, banana, apple and cheese. Staff take note of any special dietary needs and ensure that children are never permitted to consume forbidden foods. Children are engaged in a wide range of physical activity and have regular access to outdoor play. Inside, they enjoy energetic hoola hooping and bounce with control and enthusiasm on

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and outcomes for children

the trampet. Outside, children access a good range of ride on toys and challenging games to support their developing physical skills. Children regularly explore the local community on well organised and closely supervised walks.

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and outcomes for children

The setting supports children to learn about the wider community and each other's beliefs, values, cultures and religions. All children and families are encouraged to share details of the celebrations and festivals that are important to them. The setting is proactive in relation to checking that children see positive images of themselves and their families in relation to culture and religion but do not monitor other aspects such as the family composition or sexual orientation of families using their group. As such the setting cannot confidently be sure that it is providing opportunities for all children to see positive images of their home lives and is also missing opportunities to acknowledge some sections of their community. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 setting is keen to ensure that they are fully inclusive and identified a range of ideas

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and outcomes for children

Children very much enjoy their time in this setting. They are very settled, laugh often and show great pleasure in interactions with staff and each other. Many children show disappointment that the session is coming to an end and the activities have to finish. Children's achievements are celebrated and monitored on an individual basis. The setting does not, however, benchmark children's progress and record how well they are doing in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage, nor make comparisons between the areas to ensure that focus is on narrowing the gap in children in relation to achievements. This weakens the assessment process slightly and leaves gaps in staff's ability to be sure that they are supporting children to progress at their optimum rate. Planning both builds on the skills that children have gained and provides them with challenges which support new skills. There is a focus on supporting developmental goals in the Early

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and outcomes for children

Years Foundation Stage which will help children develop the necessary skills to support their future success both when they move onto school and function in society. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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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