Saughall Pre-school

Saughall Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 305287 Inspection date 12/07/2010 Inspector Rachel Ruth Britten

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Setting address c/o Vernon Institute, Saughall, Chester, CH1 6EN

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Telephone number 01244880954 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

Saughall Pre-school was registered in 1976. It is committee run and operates from Vernon Institute in Saughall village, near Chester. There are secure areas available for outdoor play. A maximum of 31 children aged from two to four years may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open five days a week from 9am to 12 noon and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm during term time. Children attend from the local community and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 51 children on roll aged from two to four years. All of these are within the early years age group. The pre-school receives funding for nursery education. It is not currently supporting any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are no children attending who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs five members of staff, including the manager. One member of staff is qualified to level 3 in early years, and four members of staff are qualified to level 2. The pre-school receives support from the local authority early years advisory team.

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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

Children's needs are met well and the uniqueness of each child is fully recognised. All children receive warm, stimulating and high quality care and support from staff. Consequently, they make good progress in their learning and development. Children’s welfare is promoted well and safeguarding procedures are effective. Partnerships with parents successfully support consistent progress for children, and smooth transition to school takes place, but information sharing with other childcare providers is underdeveloped. Processes for evaluation and continuous improvement work well because staff are highly committed to identifying and implementing techniques and approaches which ensure high quality outcomes for every child.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that information is obtained about who has legal contact and parental responsibility for each child  obtain information from parents about all childcare they use and facilitate the sharing of progress and next steps plans with these providers in order to promote consistency  extend the clear and prompt use of written and pictorial observations in individual learning journeys as evidence of progress and as a tool to make individualised next steps plans. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Robust steps are taken to ensure that children are well safeguarded in the pre- school. There is sole use of the accommodation during pre-school sessions and doors are locked once children are brought in by their carers. Daily checks, vigilance and head counts assure safety throughout sessions. Issues are dealt with efficiently and quickly because staff are proactive and work effectively as a team at all times. Risk assessments, records of emergency evacuation practises, and accident, medication and behaviour incidents are properly used, reviewed, updated and adapted to ensure that they continue to assure children's safety and promote equality of opportunity for every child and family. There is effective and efficient use of resources and continuing appropriate investment in sustainable, versatile equipment. The outdoor areas are now better developed to provide exciting, wide- ranging play covering all areas of learning. Staff are long-standing and were vetted

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the early years provision

prior to Ofsted and the Criminal Records Bureau. Effective procedures are used for the vetting of the parent committee. Visitors are logged in and supervised. Staff understand the need to disclose anything which might compromise their continuing suitability. However, children's enrolment forms do not obtain clear enough information about who has legal parental responsibility for each child.

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the early years provision

The manager is the named person for child protection procedures and has received suitable training for this. All staff are involved in the annual review of all policies, including safeguarding and complaints policies, and are confident in implementing them and providing them to parents. Good information about the curriculum, activities, policies, planning and purpose of the pre-school is given to parents in their prospectus and displayed in the pre-school entrance. Details of children's individual needs are clearly known and documented before new placements start, including necessary health, dietary and medication requirements. Arrival and departure systems successfully balance security with warm welcomes for families. Fruitful exchanges of information ensure that children's daily needs are known and family events celebrated. Parents’ own knowledge of their child's starting points is used and children's subsequent progress is regularly shared with them through

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the early years provision

photo displays, regular summaries of progress, and open play sessions. Parents are highly engaged and impressed with the success of the pre-school in promoting children's enjoyment and achievements. Parents frequently see first hand the positive relationships and enabling environment offered to children when they attend concerts, sports days, ceremonies, parades and special events in the community. Parents are given positive help to continue their child's learning at home and many parents provide direct teaching and learning by sharing their own talents, hobbies or careers in the pre-school.

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the early years provision

The whole staff group has a vision for the continuous improvement of the pre- school and works together with great enthusiasm and commitment. They successfully combine child-initiated and themed extended activities so that children are making very good progress and are highly confident and engaged. Staff diligently record regular observations of what individual children can do and tailor their planning and input to maximise each child's progress. Numerous This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 photographic records of activities are displayed for parents. However, staff are not using these observations to the full in children's records to show how individual assessments have been arrived at and how progress has happened. As a result, children's next steps are not very clear. Nevertheless, staff strive to develop best practice in their planning and provision. They evaluate the success of activities

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the early years provision

based on the outcomes for children and they make effective use of the Ofsted self- evaluation form to review and enhance their practice. The pre-school facilitates good transitions to the local school. However, links with other involved professionals and childcare providers, such as childminders, are not yet established. This somewhat holds back consistent and complementary care when children attend more than one childcare setting.

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and outcomes for children

All children are making significant gains in their learning and are thriving in the pre-school because they are secure and have fun. Staff plan interesting themes based around children's interests, such as the World Cup, dragons and fairies, and health and fitness. These are creatively developed and extended through diverse adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff expertly weave in challenge and support for every child to fully participate and learn actively, giving them time to experiment, create, think, and work things out for themselves. For example, children mix their own paints, learning how to create darker, lighter and different colours. They enjoy and feel special in the pre-school from the moment they come in because they are greeted warmly and know the routine to follow, finding their name card and placing it in the sleeve attached to the chair to use. Once everyone has arrived and had a chance to play with what is set out, children come together

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and outcomes for children

and sing their greeting song. This is another chance to gain confidence in speaking out loud as they stand to say their name and clap out the number of syllables. Song, rhyme, rhythm, clear speech, talk about sounds and letters, and sign language are used consistently to help children make quick progress with their speech and language development. Books are used well with puppets and props so that everyone can take part and answer questions, as well as listen to the story.

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and outcomes for children

Links between home, pre-school and the community are supported well so that children have a good understanding of the natural world and the village in which they live. They take harvest hampers to the older people and take part in parades and fundraising events, such as sports day. They practise balancing, walking and running with their eggs and spoons in the outdoor area and delightedly watch or stroke a toad they find in the garden. They use chalks to mark the paving stones and make shapes and letters using large media outside. Children are healthy as they wash their hands if they have touched the toad or been gardening. They behave safely, checking that everyone is together before walking in a line across the car park to the play area. Children are beginning to appreciate the wider world as they learn about countries taking part in the football World Cup. They try foods from around the world and undertake a recycling project to help earthquake

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and outcomes for children

victims. Staff sensitively bring issues to life and help children understand, always valuing the children's own family cultures and ways. They provide ways for children to link family life and pre-school firmly together when they take 'Dave the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 dragon' home for weekend adventures or share the use of their homemade story sacks to encourage active reading in the pre-school and at home. Children bring items from home and talk to one another about what they have been doing at home. As a result, children's confidence and behaviour are extremely good because they feel valued and included all the time. This can be seen in their levels of cooperation with tidying up and their smiles and delight when they have a sticker reward or are crowned 'VIP of the day'.

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and outcomes for children

Children, staff and families work together to improve the pre-school and make it a richer learning resource for children. They are fundraising to obtain a covered area to afford shade and shelter outside so that children can spend even more time outside in all weathers. Staff manage the large hall setting and the hazards posed in ways that teach children how to take care of their own safety and health. For example, children use evaporating hand gel to clean their hands before snacks and are skilled at operating the water dispenser and taking part in head counts to check everyone is together. Children understand the importance of recycling and taking care of the toys, resources and environment. They investigate a fishing game and weighing scales with care and are able to concentrate and persist well. They consider one another well for their ages and are able to compromise and share toys, enjoying the positive responses they consistently get from vigilant staff

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and outcomes for children

for any kindness and consideration. Staff explain and include children in all aspects of the daily routine so that they know what is happening now and next. They explain why some equipment is not available and give ideas about what they can do with the resources they see. For example, they talk about what pictures and symbols they could make today to decorate their sports day banner. Staff sit with children in small groups for snacks, making full use of the time to review and plan activities as well as learning good table skills and healthy eating habits. They talk about how the pre-school has been here for forty years and how they are going to plant a tree in honour of this on the occasion of the sports day. 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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