South Bretton Preschool

South Bretton Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 953368 Inspection date 04/05/2010 Inspector Elizabeth Disckson

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Setting address Middleton Primary School, Middleton, South Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 9XJ Telephone number 07790 895825 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

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

South Bretton Pre-School is a committee run group which opened in 2001. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a classroom within Middleton Primary School in Peterborough. It is registered to care for up to 35 children aged between two years and the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are currently 54 children on roll. The pre-school provides care from 9.00am to 3.00pm each weekday during school terms, organised into a morning and afternoon session and a lunch club. Children attend for a variety of sessions, with younger children attending the morning sessions.

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Description of the setting

Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school serves the local surrounding area. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs 10 members of staff. Over half of these hold appropriate early years qualifications, and one of the managers is currently studying for an Early Years degree.

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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 are welcomed into a child-centred, stimulating environment where they feel included and safe. The setting's close relationships with parents and other settings that children attend ensure they fully understand each child's starting points and developmental needs. The setting has improved significantly since the last inspection, and has an excellent capacity to improve because all staff, under the strong leadership of the setting's two managers, have rigorous systems for evaluating and improving their practice.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide more opportunities for children to develop numeracy skills  ensure that all staff develop their skills through sharing their knowledge and practice in order to deliver the setting's ambitious plans for improvement  develop the settling in process by using a home visit for all new children and their families to enable children to settle more quickly and feel secure. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The two managers lead a committed, hard-working staff team very well, and have an ambitious vision for the group's progress. They ensure that the pre-school is a safe environment and that each session runs smoothly. The children's daily welfare and safety is paramount to all staff. Comprehensive policies and procedures ensure children are kept safe at all times. All staff are suitably vetted, and detailed health and safety risk assessments are routinely carried out. The high ratio of adults to children means that children are closely supervised at all times. Staff have undertaken training in child protection and are very secure in their knowledge of safeguarding children.

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the early years provision

Regular meetings provide staff with opportunities to discuss individual children's progress as well as identifying individual training needs. These meetings enable all to be involved in the ongoing improvement and development of their provision, ensuring that all children have their individual needs met and the practitioners have the opportunity to extend their understanding and knowledge of early years practice and guidance. The managers continuously and tirelessly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and take well focused steps to improve practice. For example, they identify the skills and expertise of individual members of staff and try to match these closely to the particular needs within the setting. Staff understand the need to build on this process by encouraging individual staff members to share their knowledge and skills more freely with the rest of the team. Consequently, the setting's self-evaluation processes and its capacity to improve

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the early years provision

further are both of an outstanding quality. Resources are excellently deployed, carefully chosen, fit for purpose, and support the children's learning and development and learning extremely well.

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the early years provision

Staff develop excellent relationships with parents, who appreciate the care and attention given to their children, and value the happy, friendly atmosphere. They have confidence that any queries or concerns about their child will be swiftly addressed. Parents are encouraged to be part of the committee, enabling them to have a voice when making decisions. Good settling in routines ensure children settle well, although the pre-school would like to develop this further through a home visit system. Parents receive an abundance of information on the setting, the educational framework and their child's welfare and progress. Many parents volunteer to help on outings, or come in to the pre-school to speak to the children about their occupations. Staff work exceptionally well with other early years settings that children attend, enabling them to provide activities that complement those children engage in elsewhere. They cooperate very closely with outside

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the early years provision

agencies to ensure the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are recognised and met. Children moving onto school settle quickly as they are extremely well prepared through visits with staff members and shared activities with the adjacent reception class.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has a very positive attitude towards equality and diversity and promotes understanding of the wider world to an outstanding level. All children are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 valued and included in all its activities. Bilingual labels are used to help any child who has English as an additional language.

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive happily at pre-school, are warmly welcomed by the staff, and quickly settle to the activities on offer. The industrious staff team work hard at organising an extensive programme of activities each week to keep the children engrossed and busy at all times. They have made good use of the available space to create a stimulating and safe environment, both indoors and outdoors. The indoor area is well organised, and decorated with photographs and displays of children's work. Resources are highly accessible to children so that they can make choices in their play. Children enjoy experimenting with the playdough 'spaghetti', using a range of utensils to lift and mould it. They happily absorb themselves in drawing, looking at books, playing with toy cars or engaging in role play as doctors. Photographs show other activities, such as performing a dragon dance to celebrate Chinese New Year and singing songs at Easter. The doors to the outside

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and outcomes for children

area are open at all times and children enjoy access to all areas of learning while playing in the well-resourced and exciting outside area. For example, they enjoy filling containers with water, playing in the sand tray or using the ride-on toys. Adult-led activities, such as one-to-one self-portrait paintings on paper plates, provide opportunities for children to develop their observational and creative skills.

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and outcomes for children

The staff record the children's starting points, so they are aware of the stage of development the children have reached. This information is sought in partnership with parents and informs planning to enable staff to organise a suitable range of activities to meet the needs and interests of all children. Observations take place which are evaluated to ensure continuous progression. The children enjoy their learning and are developing good life skills, as they learn to play together, sharing and taking turns with equipment and resources. They follow instructions well as they join in singing songs and performing the actions accurately. While there are many, varied strategies and activities arranged to promote children's communication and language skills, opportunities for them to develop numeracy skills are not as well established.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a healthy lifestyle as they move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. They enjoy nutritious and fun snacks including bread sticks, raw vegetables and fresh fruit. They learn of the importance of nutritious food through growing vegetables. Staff follow effective systems to enhance the health of children, such as reminding the children to wash their hands before snacks and after using the toilet. Children clearly feel immensely safe in the setting as they have strong relationships with staff and know they can go to any adult if they are upset. They show their self-confidence through moving confidently from indoors to outdoor activities. They make a positive contribution as they willingly participate and make choices about the activities they engage in. They gain an in depth understanding of the local community through visits to the local library and church. 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 1 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 1 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 1 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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