Christopher Robyn Pre-School

Christopher Robyn Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY399723 Inspection date 17/05/2010 Inspector Christine Myerscough

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Setting address St Alban's Church Hall, St Simon's Close, Offerton, SK2 5AG

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Telephone number 07855 627594 Email mark.sharon@ntlworld.com 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

Christopher Robyn Pre-School has been operating since 2001, and was re- registered in 2009 due to a change of premises. It is privately owned and is based in St Alban's Church Hall in the Offerton district of Stockport. The children have access to two rooms and there is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The pre- school is open each weekday from 9am to 6pm during school term time only.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 40 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 53 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The pre-school support children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff, of whom, four hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-olds.

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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 children are cared for in a positive environment, where they have fun. The pre-school promote the children's welfare and learning with success, ensuring they are safe and secure. Each child is treated with warmth, friendliness and respect so they feel welcome and fully included. Good relationships with parents promote continuity in the children's lives. Through self-evaluation, the pre-school is aware of its development needs and is proactive in implementing ongoing improvements. It is committed to practising regular evacuation drills, improving partnerships with others involved in the children's care and inviting parents to contribute to the observations of their children's learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 build on existing good partnership working by inviting parents to contribute to the observations of their children's learning to fully support and inform planning for the next stages in children's development  ensure steps are taken to further promote children's safety, by practising regular evacuation drills with children  develop partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, to promote the integration of care and education. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The pre-school runs smoothly, because staff work very well together as a team and are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Systems for recruitment and vetting are effective in helping to ensure that children are only cared for by people suitable to do so. The children's well-being is fully safeguarded, as staff have a secure understanding of their responsibility to liaise with appropriate agencies if child protection concerns arise and robust safeguarding procedures are in place. Staff deploy themselves well to ensure children are supervised at all times and thorough risk assessments keep children free from harm. Record keeping is well- organised to ensure the children's welfare. The children are cared for in spacious, suitably maintained surroundings and move around in a confident manner. A welcome sign in different languages is on display to help promote an inclusive environment and enable all families to feel valued. The layout of the main hall and

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the early years provision

the equipment is well-organised into specific learning areas and a good range of resources are available, which meet the children's developing needs. Boys and girls gain pleasure from independently choosing toys, which appeal to their individual interests.

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the early years provision

The dedicated staff team demonstrate a strong commitment towards the continual improvement of the pre-school. Staff attend regular training, to extend their knowledge and skills and to keep up-to-date with current issues in childcare. Ongoing self-evaluation, through constant communication and weekly staff meetings, provides a good opportunity for staff to reflect critically on their practice and plan and review outcomes for children. Good links are established with a local authority advisory teacher who offers advice and guidance to staff to further enhance the quality of care and education.

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the early years provision

An open and friendly approach with parents contributes to establishing a highly effective working partnership. Parents speak very positively about the pre-school. Good information is sought prior to admission, as parents complete an all about me sheet, which provides staff with information about how to meet their child's individual needs. This enables staff to take into account parents' wishes, such as meeting the children's specific dietary requirements. Parents are valued and visit the pre-school to share their knowledge, such as helping children to understand about other cultures. However, parents are not yet invited to contribute to the observations of their children's learning to share what they know about their children's ongoing learning. The pre-school is beginning to try and establish links with other providers, who are involved in the children's learning. However, these links are not yet secure to promote the integration of care and education.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy themselves and develop a positive disposition to learning. They thoroughly enjoy their play, because a variety of activities captures their interest and imagination. This enables them to become active, curious and inquisitive This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learners and, as a result, they make good progress in their overall development. Staff adopt a kind approach and cheerful manner, which encourages children to be good humoured and self-assured. They play closely with children and good quality interactions effectively promote the children's understanding and motivate them to learn. An effective key person system helps staff to get to know the children well and to develop trusting relationships. Observation and assessment systems are currently under development and are used to note each child’s progress, and to plan the next steps towards their early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

The children are very familiar with the routines and make independent decisions about what they want to do. Staff manage the children's behaviour in a positive way and children enjoy receiving stickers for achievements, which successfully promotes their self-esteem. The children become fully aware of the 'golden rules', such as, 'be nice to your friends' and 'walk around safely'. Circle time is very effective in encouraging the children's listening and speaking skills. The children listen intently for their name at registration time and eagerly discuss the weather and the days of the week. Staff introduce some basic sign language to help children become aware of the needs of others and children confidently use sign language to wish their friends a good morning. Staff value linguistic diversity by requesting that families who speak English as an additional language share some basic greetings in a child's home language to enable them to support the child and

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and outcomes for children

help them settle in quickly. Mathematical awareness is well promoted. Staff make very good use of number rhymes and other opportunities to help children learn to count and solve simple number problems. The children eagerly identify shapes, such as a circle and rectangle on the flag of Bangladesh and competently complete jigsaws.

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and outcomes for children

The children develop a positive attitude towards diversity and take part in activities linked to various festivals. For example, during Diwali, children use spices and herbs to create Rangoli patterns and at Easter time, a local vicar visits to tell the story of Easter. The children develop their curiosity about living things, as they grow cress and enjoy bringing in their pets from home, such as a tortoise, to show their friends. They have opportunities to play with a range of programmable resources and enjoy looking through binoculars and operating a camera. The children thoroughly enjoy participating in activities, which promote their physical skills. They keep fit, as they eagerly scramble through a long play tunnel, enthusiastically jump into hoops and carefully balance across beams. Activities, such as threading beads and fastening buttons on dolls clothes, enable children to develop good skills with their hands. The children express their creativity, as they

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and outcomes for children

freely paint at the easel and use a range of recycled materials during craft activities. They enjoy experimenting with different sounds by vigorously shaking a range of musical instruments.

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and outcomes for children

Planned visits from a local crossing patrol officer and the fire brigade help children to develop a good awareness of safety practices. A clear fire safety plan is in place in the case of an emergency situation; however, children do not take part in regular evacuation drills, to enable them to become familiar with emergency procedures. Well established routines help children learn about healthy practices. The children become independent in their personal hygiene and after drying their hands, remember to place their paper towels in the bin. They independently help This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 themselves to fresh drinking water, to quench their thirst and carefully listen to stories about the importance of taking care of their teeth. Meal times are a relaxed and social occasion and children eagerly tuck in to healthy food options to promote their growth and development.

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and outcomes for children

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 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 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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