Hollinsend Nursery

Hollinsend Pre School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Hollinsend Pre School

Unique Reference Number 300830 Inspection date 25 November 2005 Inspector Geneen Yvonne Hulse

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Hollinsend Pre School

Setting Address Hollinsend Park Pavillion, Hollinsend Road,,, Sheffield, S12 2EH Telephone number 0114 2656716

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E-mail

Registered person Hollinsend Playgroup Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Hollinsend Pre-school opened in 1963. It is located in the Gleadless area of Sheffield. The pre-school serves the local community. The group has access to a large hall, toilets, kitchen and storage space. There is a small secure outdoor play area available to the children. The playgroup cares for a maximum of 26 children aged from 2-5 years. There are currently 34 children on roll, of whom 17 receive funded nursery education. The

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 pre-school supports children with special educational needs. The group offers sessional care Monday to Friday, term time only and children attend for a variety of sessions per week between 09.15 and 11.45. Eight staff work with the children, four have early years qualifications, with the rest of the staff team on training programmes and three are due to be completed by December 2005. The setting receives support from the local authority community teachers and the Pre-school Learning Alliance. The pre-school is managed by a voluntary management committee.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children take part in and enjoy a balanced range of activities that contribute to keeping them healthy. They independently undertake physical activities on a daily basis to develop their skills, enjoying dancing, ring games and pedalling bicycles. Staff make appropriate use of the premises to allow the children space to play and have identified the importance of developing the outdoor area to offer more opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children are developing an understanding of their bodies and know when they want a drink or snack. Children’s fine motor development is successfully promoted as they manipulate tools, such as scissors, pencils, glue spreaders and paint brushes. Staff create opportunities to help children learn about being healthy through the use of projects, displays and planned topics. Children are cared for in a warm, clean environment, where positive methods ensure

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Helping children to be healthy

they develop good personal hygiene practices, such as hand washing before snack and after messy play. They are starting to understand the importance of caring for themselves and demonstrate it in their play and activities, for example, spreading jam on their bread at snack time. Children are developing an understanding of a healthy diet. Staff talk to them about healthy eating as part of the daily routine, offering fruit for snack and using displays and themes to help children explore what foods are good for them. Children make choices about what to have for snack and eat together around small tables in a social setting. Staff are aware of children’s individual dietary needs and plan accordingly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment where risks are minimised. They confidently move around the premises, developing their independence and are learning to keep themselves safe. Children are reminded not to run indoors and take care with knives at snack time. Staff talk to the children about keeping safe as part of regular discussions and use topics to develop their understanding. Staff are effective in ensuring that the premises are kept safe and secure.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children self select equipment and activities from a balanced range of easily accessible resources from low shelves and boxes around the room. Well planned areas allow them space to be quiet, use their creativity and access interesting activities. Sound procedures are in place to support good practice and almost all of the staff team hold current first aid certificates. The staff demonstrate a sound understanding of child protection procedures and how to keep children safe. They understand their role in protecting children and use this knowledge effectively to promote the children’s wellbeing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at pre-school. They make good progress in all areas of development as staff are knowledgeable and offer activities and experiences that keep children interested and motivated. Staff make effective use of the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage to provide good quality care and education.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are well settled, happy and secure as they enthusiastically undertake a wide range of activities. They are confident and interested in their surroundings and have established good relationships with staff and children alike. Children make choices about their play, selecting activities and resources from the wide and interesting range available. They are developing their independent skills and successfully plan their own time, making decisions about what to do. Children enthusiastically act out roles using small world play, making rockets and flying in to space. Staff respond to the children's individual needs and adapt activities to follow their ideas and suggestions. They are well supported to extend and try out new skills, such as using the computer. Staff are starting to familiarise themselves with the Birth to three matters framework and plans are in place to continue to build on this. The setting is in

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the process of developing new planning, assessment and observational systems to ensure that children receive good levels of support from staff. These observations and staff’s knowledge of the children will inform how to extend activities to build on their experiences. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff's good knowledge of the Foundation Stage ensures that children progress well in all areas of development. Children are interested and motivated to learn, using well planned activities and experiences, which challenge and extend them. They use their imagination very well during role play activities, making up simple stories when playing space stations using small world resources and dressing up as Harry Potter. They are developing good concentration skills and have free access to tools and materials to make models. They build and design and extend their imagination when creating pictures

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

from a well resourced craft area. Children are confident speakers and listen well to each other. They share experiences, talking about home and family, and staff show interest by offering support and suggestions to enhance their experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children are very confident and engage well with each other and visitors, sharing their achievements and negotiating roles in games. They play well together and alone and enthusiastically progress their ideas. Behaviour is very good and reflects the staff's high expectations. Children take turns, share and are successfully helped to learn how to manage their own behaviour and respect others. They enjoy learning about the lives of others through topics and planned activities, for example, talking about where they live and how they get to pre-school. Children are introduced to number and problem solving through daily activities, counting and sorting as part of daily routines, when using the computer and when singing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are starting to use observations to monitor children's progress and use information from parents to complete the picture. A variety of methods are used to offer a good balance of focused and freely chosen activities. Staff have a secure knowledge of the early learning goals and use this to plan a broad based curriculum to include all areas of learning. Planning is flexible enough to respond to children's individual ideas and interests. Staff use open ended questions well to extend children's language and develop their thinking. They value what the children say using positive responses, displaying their work attractively and promoting their self esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children build good and respectful relationships with staff and each other. They show positive self-esteem and confidently ask questions and make choices. Children are warmly welcomed by staff who are sensitive and value their individuality. They receive praise and encouragement for achievement and attempts, for example, when making Christmas baubles and attempting their names. Meaningful activities and resources help children become aware of similarities and differences and increase their understanding of the wider world. Books, toys and pictures show positive images and children share their home experiences and culture. Children with special educational needs are welcomed into the provision and staff work well with other agencies to ensure the children are cared for according to their individual needs. Children's behaviour is good and reflects the staff's high expectations. Children

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Helping children make a positive contribution

understand clear and consistent boundaries, demonstrating care and respect for each other. They wait their turn and understand how to share toys and play games in small groups. They follow good role models in staff showing care and consideration for others. Partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff ensure parents are kept informed about what the children are doing and use topics to help parents build on pre-school activities at home. Parents and staff work well together to meet the children's needs. They are given good quality information about the setting and encouraged to stay to sessions and share information about their child. However parents are not routinely kept informed about what the children do on a daily basis, as staff are in the process of developing new planning, observational and assessment systems. Parents confidently approach staff and demonstrate satisfaction with the setting. The

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and learning are well supported by the effective organisation of the setting and good quality leadership and management of the educational provision. Knowledgeable staff understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure that all children's individual needs are met. Staff work well together and there are effective procedures in place to monitor and evaluate the provision. The leader is supported by a committed management committee who ensures that all staff are involved in reviewing practice and adopting new procedures. The setting is committed to training and development to consolidate their practices and enhance the provision. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are in place to support good practice and an effective service. The established staff team have many opportunities to meet together, share information and develop working practices. They are in the process of developing new planning, observation and

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Organisation

assessments systems to monitor children's progress and identify gaps in the provision. Overall the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Recommendations arising from the setting's previous care inspection related to documentation and activity planning. These issues have successfully been addressed and contribute to the effective organisation of the setting and children receiving a balanced range of meaningful activities. Nursery Education recommendations related to planning, assessments are in the process of being addressed. The development of new planning, observation and assessment systems will ensure that records effectively assess and demonstrate children’s attainment and progress. Children are being successfully introduced to mathematical development as part of everyday activities and routines.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to extend opportunities for children to develop physical skills (also applies to nursery education) • continue to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs of children under three through the use of the Birth to three framework • continue to develop information for parents and extend how this information is shared with parents and carers. (also applies to nursery education)

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to develop planning, assessment and observational systems.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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