Ilchester Community School

Tiggywinkles Pre-School and Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 151508 Inspection date 09/06/2010 Inspector Janette Mary White

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Setting address Joydens Wood Community Centre, Birchwood Drive, Joydens Wood, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7NE Telephone number 07867523545 Email tiggywinkles@cad-designs.co.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

Tiggywinkles Pre-school and Playgroup opened in 2001 and operates from 3 rooms in Joydens Wood Community Centre. It is situated in the town of Dartford, Kent. This group is privately owned. A maximum of 36 children may attend the pre- school and playgroup at any one time. The pre-school and playgroup is open each weekday from 9.15am to 12.00pm for 38 weeks of the year. Children have access to a small outdoor play area. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 53 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children come from a wide catchment area. The pre-school and playgroup currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school and playgroup employs nine staff. Six of the staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. Three staff are working towards a qualification.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The owner and staff make sure that children enjoy a varied range of appealing activities. Overall the setting promotes children's care and learning, and there are policies and procedures in place. The group value and respect their partnership with parents. They are beginning to foster links with the other agencies. Staff's knowledge and understanding of child development supports the individual needs of children through a variety of play opportunities. Children develop an understanding of the wider world and their local area through activities and displays of positive images of diversity. They play in an environment where safety is assessed supporting their welfare. The setting has a written action plan which highlights how they consider their future practice to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure the safeguarding children policy contains information relating to the process for contacting all the relevant agencies, and develop staff’s understanding of this procedure including allegations of abuse made against a member of staff. (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 23/06/2010

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  increase staff’s understanding of some procedures. For example, the lost or missing child policy  ensure good hygiene practices are in place in order to prevent the risk of cross infection  update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for outings and trips.

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the early years provision

The provider and staff have a positive knowledge of child protection issues. They are aware of their responsibility to protect the welfare of the child should they have any concerns. The staff are generally familiar with most policies and procedures. However, the safeguarding children policy does not clearly identify the process relating to contacting all the relevant agencies, and some staff do not know the procedure should an allegation of abuse be made against them. In addition, not all members of staff have a clear understanding of the lost or missing child policy. Parents are given or have easy access to a range of written information including the policies and procedures, such as the policy for parental responsibility. Children and their parents are invited to attend a settling-in session. They are allocated a key person who is then responsible for keeping parents informed about the child's time at the group. Staff make time for informal

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the early years provision

meetings with parents or carers. They are continuing to develop systems for formal meetings to discuss the child’s progress. They work together with the parents and are beginning to develop links with outside agencies.

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the early years provision

The owner organises yearly staff appraisals. The individual staff members are asked to consider their strengths or areas for improvement, in both their own practice, as well as how they can continue to develop the group. The provider has implemented a written process to make sure that there are robust recruitment and vetting procedures in place. This makes sure that children are safe and secure at all times. A daily record of children’s hours of attendance is well maintained with details of arrival and departure times. Core times for staff are noted in order to make sure that the staffing ratios are maintained. Visitors are challenged and their details are recorded. Details of accidents are maintained on loose leaf sheets which are sequentially numbered. The staff complete a daily risk assessment sheet which records details for the indoor and outside play area. However, they do not carry out a risk assessment for each type of outing, subsequently hazards are not

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the early years provision

identified and there is no record of how children are kept safe whilst on outings. The owner supports the staff team in planning the daily routine to make sure they observe what works well or less well during the session. She has undertaken, together with the staff, an assessment and evaluation of areas where they wish to make future improvements. All staff confidently work together in teams and explain how they take part in planning for their continuous improvement. Staff work well as a team and support each other to adapt activities to include different elements of the six areas of learning. Most aspects of children’s welfare, care and learning are satisfactory and some areas are good. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The child record form includes details of their individual background needs, such as religion, ethnicity and language at home. This enables staff to research and gain

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the early years provision

an understanding of each child's background requirement. The owner makes certain that procedures are in place for the assessment of children with special educational needs and disabilities. This includes a system to make sure parents are kept informed. Children are settled and seek familiar staff for reassurance. This supports their individual need as they look for comfort from friendly staff. Enrolment at the group includes discussions with parents. This includes gathering information about the child's routine, likes and dislikes and child’s capabilities. This means that staff are aware of the vital information regarding children’s starting points in order to make sure they consider the individual planning for every child. Staff have a sound knowledge of how children learn. They have a good understanding of their role and spend time interacting with children. From the observations, documentation and evidence gathered children are offered a range

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the early years provision

of activities covering the six areas of learning, although the timing of some activities do not always ensure that children are fully engaged and stimulated.

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and outcomes for children

Children's individual dietary needs are catered for through the provision of nutritious snacks. Healthy eating is promoted through the written information for parents and in their every day practice. Children have choices in the fresh fruit provided each day. Drinking water is readily available. Children understand the importance of hand washing before eating and after toileting. For example, they say germs will make them ill. However, there is a risk of cross infection as all children use the same bowl of water when washing their hands prior to snack time. Children are able to self-select from a variety of prepared toys and equipment. They are able to ask or freely choose the resources they wish to play with. Activity plans follow children’s individual interests and the activities support different experiences. For example, children use the role play area and dressing up to pretend they are 'princesses'. Children are given opportunities to explore, make

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and outcomes for children

their own discoveries, solve problems and learn skills through their self-initiated play. For example, they make a large wall with plastic connecting squares. Staff are observing them and choose the appropriate time to intervene by offering suggestions on how to resolve the problem or by providing other resources linking to their interest, such as extending their 'dinosaur' role play by offering the small coloured dinosaurs to match and count. Overall, the planning of the daily routine and activities meets the children's individual needs. However, there are some occasions when the adult led focused activity does not always engage children in meaningful activities. For example, some children are restless and not always engaged. They are sitting in large or small groups and waiting for others with limited resources to play with.

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and outcomes for children

Staff link-up the individual planning to the expectations of the early learning goals and the next step in the child’s progress. They are continuing to establish the ‘unique’ child system to record their ongoing observations in order to track their continuing development, although some aspects of this process are not yet fully embedded. Most parents share the child's achievements at home to connect their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 interest and developmental achievements when they are at the group. The staff and the welcoming environment play a vital role in supporting and extending aspects of children’s development. This allows them to explore safely and encourages some areas in their independence. For example, when seeing to their personal needs or pouring their own drinks at snack time. However, some articulate older children are not able to describe the fire escape plans and

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and outcomes for children

therefore some children are not sufficiently aware of what they should do in an emergency. Children learn how to keep themselves safe through gentle reminders from staff, such as not running inside. This is further extended in discussions at circle time through the ‘golden rules’. Staff use positive behaviour management strategies to help children manage their own behaviour. For example, when sharing toys and taking turns. In addition, a one or three minute timer is used to show children how much longer they can play until it is the next child’s turn.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from a variety of activities this helps support their learning and development, such as, using stepping stones, balls, bikes and ride on toys in their physical activities. They have opportunities to take part in creative activities and there is a sufficient range of books and problem solving resources. There are displays of positive images of diversity and multi-lingual signs to help children learn about each others' differences. There are toys and resources reflecting equal opportunities, diversity and some information and technology. This provides a broad base for all children and staff recognise that they all develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. Children enjoy coming to the group and are developing a sense of confidence and self-esteem. For example, children's peg mosaics are labelled and kept until they show their parents. Children take part in daily routines, such as large group time which helps to build upon their

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and outcomes for children

communication skills. For example, as they discuss the weather, count the number of days, name the day of the week, month and season of the year. Most children sing along with songs and action rhymes. They are familiar with the daily routine and readily lend a hand at tidy up time. Activities support each child’s future economic well-being, such as being active, inquisitive, and independent learners. They are developing problem solving and collaborative skills as they gain an understanding of the wider world. For example, through discussions and planned activities about how to save and not waste the worlds resources. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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 3

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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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