Sunshine Pre-School

Sunshine Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 219999 Inspection date 08/06/2010 Inspector Melanie Eastwell

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Setting address The Pavillion, Recreation Ground, Dunkirk Avenue, Desborough, Northamptonshire, NN14 4RG Telephone number 01536 763169 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 .

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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

Sunshine Pre-school opened in 1992. It operates from the pavilion community centre located within the recreational ground in the town of Desborough, Northamptonshire. The pre-school serves the local area and there is disabled access. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor area. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.00am to 11.30am and 12.30pm to 3.00pm during term time.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 78 children aged from two and a half to under five years on roll. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are nine members of staff, five of whom hold early years qualifications and the pre-school provides funded early education for 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

A well-developed knowledge of each child's needs makes sure that staff successfully promote children's welfare and learning. Children are safe and secure and enjoy the individual attention from the staff. The partnerships with parents, the local school and other agencies are a key strength and are significant in making sure that the needs of all children are met along with any additional support needs. This means that children progress well, given their age, ability and starting points. The pre-school has commenced the process of self-evaluation and are keen to continue to develop this to celebrate areas of strength and to identify their priorities for the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the system for observation and assessment to clearly identifiy whether the records refer to identified next steps in learning or an observation and consistently record the date of each observation  develop further the process of self-evaluation to continue to enhance the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Children's care, learning and welfare are enhanced by the effective way in which the setting is led and managed. The committee, the manager, supervisor and staff work very well together, which ensures that robust procedures are in place for establishing the suitability and qualifications of the adults looking after children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Safeguarding is given high priority. Stringent risk assessment procedures are in place that include daily checklists, the security of the building and outside play area. Children demonstrate that they feel safe in the setting. For example, they are confident to seek reassurance from the staff as they require and move confidently between their chosen activities. Regular emergency evacuation drills, gentle reminders from staff and group discussions promotes children's emerging awareness of safety issues. The requirements for documentation are met, kept

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the early years provision

well organised and are regularly updated. Staff are effectively deployed which means that children's individual needs are met at all times and rotas are in place for regular housekeeping and cleaning tasks. This organisation is reflected in the smooth running of the sessions. Children are actively supported to make choices and decisions about their activities. For example, they often request that a particular item is left out for them to continue their game the following day, planning is completed for individual children and they are able to choose resources and books for themselves from the low-level units and clearly labelled boxes around the room.

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the early years provision

The pre-school maintains a fully inclusive approach and the staff show a good understanding of each child's individual needs and preferences. Children are aware of their friends and work together very co-operatively in order to enhance their play. For example, they seek out their friends to sit next to during registration and snack time and giggle together during their play while deciding who will take on different roles in the game. All the children are respected and encouraged to listen to and to value other people's contributions to conversations during large and small group activities. Children begin to learn about the wider world through regular walks around the local area, a range of resources that celebrate diversity including books, posters and dressing-up clothes and the celebration of festivals.

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the early years provision

The management and staff team have commenced the process of self-evaluation. For example, the actions and recommendation made during the previous inspection have been successfully addressed and the views of parents and children are sought through the use of questionnaires. The staff team are keen to continue to develop this process to make sure that priorities for development are identified and acted upon to ensure the pre-school continues to respond to the children's and families needs. The partnership working within the pre-school is beneficial to the children. The staff make sure they are available to parents during arrival and departure times and parents can have access to their child's achievement records on request. Parents receive written daily feedback through a home communication book. Notice boards displaying a wide variety of information, such as, forthcoming events, general childhood information and details about the planning and

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the early years provision

assessment processes are available for parents in the entrance hall. The pre-school has developed effective links with the local school and other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure consistency and a smooth transition for the children. The pre-school welcomes any other agencies that may be involved with the children into the setting and works closely with their parents, again ensuring a consistent approach. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy high quality support from the staff in relation to their care and learning. The very attentive staff ensure that all aspects of children's care are managed well. For example, children are familiar with the daily routines in the pre- school. They begin to understand the benefits of maintaining good personal hygiene and they enjoy the variety of healthy snacks and drinks that are provided each day. Children are actively encouraged and supported to be independent. For example, the children who attend during the morning session are competent in undressing and dressing for the Physical Education (PE) session and all the children are supported to choose their own activities and to help themselves to fruit and to peel it at snack time. The staff listen to the children's requests for activities to be adapted through preference or for specific activities and ensure these are incorporated into the planning. Children play very well together; they are

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and outcomes for children

encouraged to follow their interests and to work together during a variety of activities, such as, art and craft, baking and imaginative and role play, which results in a harmonious and productive atmosphere in the pre-school. For example, the older children enthusiastically join in with the PE session. They listen to the leader and respond wholeheartedly to requests for singing and movement in specific ways. Younger children work hard to organise the farm set in the way they want it and others giggle together as they move around with the toy vacuum cleaners and pretend to vacuum up the farm animals! Children benefit from the staff's consistent levels of high quality interaction. They particularly enjoy the activities where the staff position themselves because they talk to them about what they are doing, make suggestions or ask questions where relevant in order to enhance the activity while being genuinely interested in the activity.

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and outcomes for children

The planning of activities is contributed to by all members of staff and includes a range of continually available child-led and focused activities. The pre-school works to different topics each half term. The current topic is 'Life Cycles' which involves the children experiencing chicks hatching from incubated eggs, caterpillars making their chrysalis and turning into butterflies before releasing them in the park and discussing how tadpoles turn into frogs. From the half term topic plan weekly plans are produced and these are then fine tuned to incorporate specific activities for identified individuals or small groups of children. This individual planning takes account of children's individual interests and contributes to their identified specific learning and development requirements. Children's achievements and progression is recorded through written snippet observations, tracking observations, samples of

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and outcomes for children

their work and photographs. The key workers watch children when they start attending and record a detailed tracking observation to help identify their starting points. This is used alongside the Practice Guidance document to plan individual activities that follow their particular interests. Key workers continue to record regular spontaneous observations that are linked to the relevant areas of learning and identify their next steps. However, although the records demonstrate children's progression, they do not consistently include the date the observation was recorded or clearly identify whether the records are a next step or an observation of the child's current achievement. The staff team are dedicated and committed to ensuring that each child is valued and receives positive experiences This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 at the pre-school and this is clearly reflected in the support, praise and

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and outcomes for children

encouragement they give to all children throughout the session. 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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