Norbury Hall Infant School

Rolvenden Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127503 Inspection date 21/06/2010 Inspector Stacey Sangster

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Setting address Rolvenden Village Hall, Rolvenden, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4NE Telephone number 07729718181 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Rolvenden Pre-School opened in 1987. It operates from a purpose-built annexe attached to the village hall. Children have use of this room with its own enclosed outdoor area, plus occasional use of the large hall and kitchen. The group serves the local area.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and may care for a maximum of 18 children from the age of two until the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are currently 23 children in the early years age range on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group actively supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and a children for whom English is an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are run from 9am until 12 noon.

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Description of the setting

Five staff are employed to work with the children. The manager and deputy have a level 4 Early Years qualification and all other staff are qualified to NVQ at level 3. All staff hold a first aid 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 children in the Early Years Foundation Stage effectively and meets their care and education needs well. The setting has good systems in place to identify areas within its practice for improvement and focuses on issues that make the biggest impact on children's welfare when deciding which to focus on first. The setting demonstrates a good capacity to improve and is committed to continual development.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that the assessment of children's progress benchmarks how well they are making progress in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is given high priority by this setting. All staff and volunteers undergo appropriate vetting procedures and are not permitted to work with children until they are cleared as suitable. Recruitment is robust, with references taken up and checks on qualifications and identity confirmed. The committee undergo checks but delays in this process mean that some committee members remain unchecked This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 some months after being appointed. The arrangements in place that prevent any unvetted person from having unsupervised contact with the children prevent this from impacting directly on children's safety.

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the early years provision

Self-evaluation systems are effective. The setting responds to any weaknesses they identify in their provision quickly to resolve issues and has a clear policy of reflecting on their service and practices to look for ways to enhance even those things which they consider that they do well. They have identified the need for more challenging, large apparatus for the children to use both indoors and out and have plans of how to secure the funding to obtain it. Resources in the setting are well organised, plentiful and in good condition. Staff are deployed effectively to support children's care, safety and learning.

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the early years provision

Resources are well organised in low level storage. Some containers have both pictorial and written labels and this assists children in locating where to find and put away equipment. Resources are plentiful, of good quality and well maintained. Children have good opportunities to develop their knowledge of diversity. The children have access to a wide range of play materials representing different cultures, ethnicity, family groups and disabilities. This means that they are able to find positive images of themselves and their families within the resources on offer. Children have opportunities to share details of their own knowledge of different communities, for example by sharing family photos or photos of their holidays abroad.

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the early years provision

Steps to promote equality and diversity are good. Staff sign key words in Makaton and display simple signs in pictorial form so that parents can be aware of them and use them at home if they want to. Where children speak English as an additional language, good levels of support are provided to ensure that the children see the value that is placed on their first language. Examples of how the setting do this are by including displays of numbers and days of the week in the child's first language and engaging volunteers who can work with the child in the language that they predominately use at home. The setting, however, only records the level of progress a child has reached in English as such they may not be accurately recording these children's full abilities.

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the early years provision

The partnership with others is strong with the local authority being regularly accessed and used well to support the setting. The staff are committed to ongoing training which enhances their knowledge and strengthens their practices. Assessment systems to look at how well the setting uses and organises the environment are used and the information they provide is acted upon to ensure that the children make best use of the space and activities on offer. The setting is working with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage who share the care of a small number of children with them. They exchange information about observations and assessments to ensure that what each offers the child compliments what the other is doing.

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the early years provision

The engagement with parents and carers is good. Parents are encouraged to become involved with the setting in a number of ways. They are able to join the committee, and are asked for their views informally and formally via questionnaires issued. The setting shares information about what children have been doing, what This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 they have achieved and where they are in their learning. Parents share many details about children's changing care needs and are beginning to increase the range of information they provide to reflect what they notice their child achieving at home. This information helps staff to assess children's skills in areas that they may not be able to observe in the setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare needs are met effectively by the setting. Risk assessments ensure that the premises and environment are safe and children are encouraged to behave in ways that are safe to themselves and others. Good arrangements are in place to ensure that children's health is supported by routine practices and policies. These include not allowing children to attend the setting if they have an infectious illness, ensuring that the premises are clean and well maintained and encouraging children to lead healthy lifestyles. Children are taught about the benefits of exercise and enjoy regular dance, music and movement sessions. Children learn about the reasons for hand washing and are provided with liquid soap and paper towels in order to minimise the risk of cross infection. Children learn about healthy eating through discussions at snack times and through projects. They discuss during reading 'The hungry caterpillar' which foods are healthy and which need to

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and outcomes for children

be eaten in moderation. Children demonstrate a good understanding of the differences.

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and outcomes for children

Children very much enjoy themselves at the setting. The atmosphere is one of excitement and fun as children join in enthusiastically with activities that have been carefully thought out and planned to extend and support children's development. Staff know the children well. They are able to differentiate within activities to ensure that all children have an opportunity to take part at a level at which they can fully engage, but which also provides children at different stages of their learning with sufficient challenge. Staff use assessment records to support their planning of activities. These detail observations of children's achievements and record the date that children are identified as having reached a particular developmental goal. The assessments do not, however, pinpoint how well children are doing in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage, this makes it more difficult for the setting to target narrowing the gap between different children's

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and outcomes for children

achievements or to assess their own success in relation to how well they deliver each of the individual areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour in this setting is very good. Staff are positive role models, interacting with the children and each other politely and respectfully. Children receive positive praise for being helpful, being kind and sharing. They receive gentle reminders about how their behaviour makes others feel, or what the potential consequences might be, such as hurting a friend, if they demonstrate behaviour which is undesirable. Children learn about the community in which they live and work with, and are supported by other community groups. Children, for example, attend the local farmers market to purchase snacks and cooking ingredients and are working with the local Gardening Society and Women's Institute to redevelop the outdoor play space. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are given good opportunities to develop skills which will support them in

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and outcomes for children

the future. They are becoming independent, inquisitive learners, who enjoy exploring and investigating materials and ideas in order to find out for themselves how and why things work. Children have excellent opportunities to develop their self-care skills and show pride in their ability, for example, to do up their own buttons or buckles. Children's communication language and literacy skills are developing well, with plenty of opportunities for them to explore their ideas, thoughts and questions verbally on a one-to-one basis as well as in groups. Children have good access to a laptop computer, they use a CD player, have a range of toys and equipment such as tills and calculators and even assist staff with photocopying and printing tasks. They show a good understanding of problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. They can be heard to count spontaneously in their play and to negotiate difficulties with confidence and increasing skill when

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and outcomes for children

engrossed in their play. 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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