Little Fingers Preschool & Out of School Club

Little Fingers Pre-School and Out of School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY398605 Inspection date 09/06/2010 Inspector Alison Edwards

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Setting address Shree Ram Krishna Community Projects, Alfred Street, LOUGHBOROUGH, Leicestershire, LE11 1NG Telephone number 01509232401 Email shreeramkrishna@btconnect.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 .

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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

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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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

Little Fingers Pre-school and Out of School Club opened in 2000 and re-registered as a limited company in 2010. It is run by Shree Ram Krishna Community Projects from a building close to the centre of Loughborough in Leicestershire. There is lift access to the first floor of the premises, where children have use of the large room, small room, hall and associated cloakroom facilities as needed. There is an enclosed outside area for outdoor play. The pre-school, which is based in the large room, operates during school terms, regularly opening from 09.00am to 12.00pm each weekday, and opening from 12.30pm to 03.30pm subject to demand. The out of school club runs during some school holidays subject to demand.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school and club are registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of 40 children between the ages of two and eight years at any one time. Of these, not more than 24 may be in the early years age range. The pre-school receives nursery education funding for three and four-year-old children. There are currently 19 children on roll within the pre-school, including 12 who receive nursery education funding., all are in the early years age range. As yet, there are no children on roll in the out of school club. The setting is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register to care for older children. The setting has experience of supporting children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. Including the manager, there are currently three regular childcare staff working in the pre-school. Of

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Description of the setting

these, one is qualified at Level 4, one at Level 3, and one at Level 2.

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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

Adults responsible for children's care have a good understanding of their individual roles in implementing the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, so ensuring that there are good arrangements to ensure children's care, safety and health. There are very strong links with the parents of pre-school children. This ensures that staff know children well as individuals, and that parents are encouraged to be very closely involved in arrangements for their children's care and progress. Children attending the pre-school are confident and settled and enjoy their play. Staff have a clear understanding of what each child needs to learn, so helping them to make good progress in relation to their individual starting points. Those in charge have a good understanding of the existing strengths of the provision. There are good systems in place to identify priorities for further development, and to monitor how these are being addressed in order to ensure

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

continued improvement in the existing good quality of provision for all children.

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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  review risk assessments to ensure they cover everything with which children come into contact, with particular regard to access to toilet facilities  develop further the planning and provision for outdoor opportunities to more fully extend the promotion of all areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Arrangements to protect children from harm are good. Effective recruitment, clearance and induction procedures ensure that pre-school staff are suitable to work with children, and have a good understanding of their roles. Management also recognise their responsibility to ensure that any additional staff appointed to operate the out of school club are carefully recruited and fully cleared to ensure their suitability and qualifications. Arrangements are in place to ensure that adults responsible for the overall organisation of the provision have appropriate enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearances to demonstrate their suitability for this role. Recently reviewed policies, used by both the pre-school and the out of school club, accurately reflect current nationally and locally agreed procedures and guidance. Staff and management have a generally good understanding of how to implement these. Consequently, they are clear on what child abuse and neglect

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the early years provision

mean, and recognise their responsibilities to liaise with the relevant agencies in the event of any concern about a child or allegation of abuse. Clear records are maintained regarding individual children's personal, contact and health details, including written parental permission to seek medical advice in an emergency. This effectively underpins staff's ability to act promptly in children's best interests in the event of any accident or sudden illness. Pre-school children are based in a well- organised and stimulating play area which reflects their community and lifestyles. They regularly use the small outdoor area, and frequently visit the local school playgrounds, so helping them to experience aspects of their local environment. Staff offer consistently good levels of supervision and implement good precautions to help maintain their safety. Systematic risk assessments effectively manage most practical arrangements for children's safety on the premises and on outings.

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the early years provision

However, they occasionally omit consideration of specific aspects of children's activities and routines, with particular regard to children's use of the main cloakroom area in this community building.

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the early years provision

There are excellent arrangements to work in partnership with parents because pre- school parents and children are strongly encouraged to share their views and be involved in decision making processes. For example, 'tea and talk' sessions very effectively promote the contributions of parents with a range of community languages to processes of evaluation. Staff make excellent use of children's ideas when planning future experiences and activities. For example, they build on a child's idea of 'finding a tree that has fallen down to make a flag pole for the pirate ship' to suggest a walk looking for fallen twigs and sticks. Parents gain an excellent understanding of how the pre-school operates, and how it supports their children's care and learning through extensive pictorial displays, clear written information and very well-organised arrangements to frequently review their child's progress with relevant staff. The pre-school is extremely active in providing excellent

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 guidance to parents on how to support children's continuing development. For example, many parents greatly value sessions run in conjunction with other local agencies on specific ways to encourage children's learning through practical experiences and activities at home. Pre-school staff work closely with parents to ensure that they have a thorough knowledge of each child's background and their initial interests and abilities. They make the most of diversity to help children gain a good understanding of the wide range of cultures in their local community. For example, they frequently borrow resources from the multi-cultural toy library based on the premises, and incorporate use of a range of community languages in songs and stories. Staff are familiar with effective ways of working with other agencies, such as health professionals, to support the identification and inclusion

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the early years provision

of any child with special needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school has developed strong links with the local school to which most children progress, such as regular visits throughout the year. It actively seeks to extend links with other schools in the area, which take smaller numbers of children, so showing a good awareness of the importance of promoting continuity and progression in children's care and learning.

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the early years provision

The pre-school leader has a strong commitment to continued development of the existing provision. The pre-school takes careful account of guidance and support from local authority advisers, and involves staff and parents in ongoing review of the effectiveness of its provision. The leader works closely with the managing organisation and her staff to ensure that there is a shared understanding of existing strengths and priorities for further improvement. Consequently, there are clearly identified targets to build on existing good practice. These are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure the continuous improvement of the existing quality of provision for children.

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and outcomes for children

There are good arrangements to promote children's health. Children show growing understanding of the importance of good hygiene practices as they wash their hands thoroughly and talk about the reasons for doing so. They enjoy a good variety of nutritious snacks, such as fresh fruits, salad, vegetables and breadsticks, helping to contribute to a healthy diet. Staff promote children's awareness of how their bodies work by encouraging conversation about why they feel hot and thirsty after exercise, and by encouraging them to independently access fresh drinking water. Children enjoy a range of worthwhile energetic activities. For example, singing games such as 'Hokey Cokey' help them to identify different parts of their bodies, whilst parachute games help to promote their coordination and movement skills. Children usually make daily use of the small outdoor play area for activities, such as climbing and balancing, and frequently visit the local school playground

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and outcomes for children

providing greater scope for energetic play.

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and outcomes for children

Children show a good understanding of safety issues. For example, in spontaneous pretend play, 'superman' calls out 'emergency, emergency, someone has had an accident and needs help'. Children are careful and controlled in their independent use of items such as scissors. Staff encourage them to safely extend their skills This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 through activities such as using small knives to cut soft fruits or spread sandwiches. Children behave sensibly on local outings, talking knowledgably about the need to stay on the pavement. Staff help to build their safety awareness by encouraging them to think and talk about issues, such as why older children wear helmets and fluorescent jackets when practising their cycling skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds are consistently developing good relationships with adults. They are confident and settled, enabling them to play well on their own, or with other children. For example, children readily introduce each other and spontaneously identify their friends. They freely talk with each other about what they are all doing in the 'pirate ship'. Staff are effective in promoting children's choice and motivation. For example, they actively involve them in planning future experiences linked to their current interests, such as going to the car wash to see how water is used there. Children show good levels of care for their surroundings, as when they independently notice that 'counting cookies' have been put in the 'wrong' jar, and replace them in the 'correct' container. They frequently show high levels of concentration and focus, for example, when attentively listening to favourite stories.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a thorough knowledge of the areas of learning identified within the Early Years Foundation Stage and clearly understand the value of practical play and first hand experiences in supporting children's development. There are clear and robust systems to track children's changing abilities and interests, and to plan for the next steps in their learning, so ensuring good levels of challenge and achievement. Consequently, children, including many who are learning English as an additional language, make good progress towards the early learning goals and establish a good basis for their future skills. For example, children show awareness of rhyme, rhythm and sequence as they anticipate events or retell events in favourite stories. Staff help them develop their vocabulary by introducing words, such as 'telescope', that are linked to children's interest in pirate play. Planned activities, such as map

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and outcomes for children

making, help to extend children's purposeful mark-making. Children often count reliably in sequence. They enjoy songs, such as 'Five little ducks', and begin to work out how many ducks are left after each one has swum off. They show good levels of concentration as they fill and empty different sized containers with water, so developing a practical understanding of size and capacity. Children are often confident in their use of everyday technology, for example, as they use a mouse to 'drag and drop ' when playing a simple computer game. Children show interest in life cycles and the natural world as they eagerly talk about the display they have created about 'The Hungry Caterpillar'. They explore and investigate how different substances behave as they experiment with floating and sinking, or with melting ice. They experience a wide range of stories, songs and play opportunities linked to their own and other cultures, lifestyles and abilities. Children enthusiastically

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and outcomes for children

enjoy a good range of different songs. Staff promote children's use of drawing and painting to express their own feelings and creativity. For example, children's captioned drawings of what makes them feel happy and sad are displayed. Children enjoy a good variety of pretend play opportunities, enabling them to act out simple roles. Staff understand the value of outdoor play in supporting children's active learning. They already include some planning and provision for this on a regular basis. However, they acknowledge that they have not yet fully This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 explored ways to fully extend outdoor play provision to consistently best promote children's progress across all aspects of development. 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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