Happy Faces Pre School Limited

Happy Faces Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Happy Faces Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY308187 Inspection date 07 December 2005 Inspector Joanne Wade Barnett

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Happy Faces Pre-School

Setting Address Hectorage Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2DS

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Happy Faces Pre-School

Telephone number 01732 368823 E-mail info@happyfaces.plus.com Registered person Happy Faces Pre-School Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Happy Faces Pre-School

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 good. 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?

Happy Faces Pre-school opened in 2002. It operates from two rooms in a mobile classroom in Tonbridge. A maximum of 36 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 08:15 to 16:00 term time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 64 children age from 2 to 5 years on roll. Of these, 42 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions each

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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 week. The setting currently supports children with special educational needs and children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs eleven staff. Over half the staff, including the manager hold an appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have a good awareness of keeping themselves healthy from illness and infection as staff provide a well organised environment. Children understand the importance of personal hygiene, for example discussing with staff how and why they must wash their hands before eating or preparing food. Children independently use the toilets, they confidently recognise the needs of their own bodies and understand good hygiene practice. There is a high level of first aid qualified staff, which allows appropriate care for children should an emergency arise. Children actively enjoy eating healthy fresh or dried fruit snacks. They are encouraged to use the milk bar during the morning and enthusiastically participate in the whole experience. Children confidently recognise the names of a number of fruit and vegetables and as a result children are developing a strong awareness of healthy eating patterns.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy opportunities to develop their physical skills though well planned and meaningful activities. These include regular outdoor play on bikes, push along toys and climbing frames. All children enthusiastically enjoy their time in the very large indoor sandpit.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a well-maintained, safe and stimulating environment. The two rooms are arranged to allow maximum flexibility for children to move around the table top activities safely and with ease. Staff deploy themselves effectively throughout the session, allowing children to independently make free choices from the toys and resources available. Children's safety is considered a high priority. Children's safety is promoted in practice by staff and they have clear systems to keep them safe indoors, outdoors and on outings. Risk assessments enable staff to ensure that any outstanding safety issues are addressed promptly. Consequently children have a clear message and understand the importance of pre-school rules regarding keeping themselves safe. Staff have a clear and knowledgeable understanding of child protection issues and their responsibilities to report any concerns through documentation. Policies and

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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 training are available and open to all staff. As a result, staff are able to safeguard children effectively.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are welcomed individually on arrival and settle easily. Children enjoy a good range of activities that are stimulating and well balanced for all ages and include quiet and active games. Staff help all children to make progress in all areas of learning. They foster good relationships with children who eagerly engage adults in conversation as they share their ideas. For example, a three year old dressing up as a nurse explains how the patient needs some medicine and that it is important to take all the medicine. Staff treat children with interest and respect; they eagerly listen to what children say, subsequently children learn to form their own ideas. Staff successfully recognise and meet children's individual needs. They are skilled at recognising children's level of abilities and understanding and are able to help children make progress according to this. As a result, children are making good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

progress and enjoy and achieve in all activities in which they take part. Staff are working towards including children from two years old in planning, thus enabling a smooth transition to the Foundation Stage, however this is still being developed. NURSERY EDUCATION The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage, they work closely with the children, challenging them to solve problems for themselves and describe what they do through open ended questioning. They make regular observations for each area of learning, identifying what children understand and what they need to do next, which in turn enables staff to focus their teaching to meet individual needs of the children. Children have good opportunities to learn a variety of interesting and stimulating topics through excellent planned activities. For example, they are making progress in mathematical development; looking at number games on the computer, however this

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

is limited due to the positioning of the computer. They sing number songs at Christmas and count the names on the milk bar. They have many opportunities to mark make and learn about letter sounds and letter recognition, as well as use books confidently through the groups own self-select system. Children enjoy both creative and imaginary play to the full, with opportunities to explore messy activities such as play dough and painting in various ways to enrich children's natural expression. However, some planned art activities use pre-cut shapes and therefore do not allow children to experience the whole task from start to finish. Children move around the setting both indoors and outdoors with confidence and are supported well by staff to help them achieve the most from all activities. They are engaged, animated, interested and absorbed.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual care and educational needs are well recognised and staff endeavour to identify children's needs early on and monitor progress throughout the time in pre-school. They are skilled in doing this and help children to feel valued, supported and well cared for. As a result, children are developing good levels of confidence and independence and are developing an awareness of the wider society. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are extremely well settled and they are learning to develop good relationships with their peers and staff. Children's behaviour is very good. Staff use positive behaviour management techniques and provide good role models. Subsequently children are valued and encouraged as individuals to contribute in group situations and are praised when they do something well. They know to share and to take turns, they are friendly,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

listening to each other, considering each others' feeling and sharing resources amicably. Staff have a good understanding of the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs and work closely with parents and other agencies to make sure that children with additional needs are fully included and thrive. Partnership with parents is good. Staff work with parents to ensure their children's care and education is met. This includes well-presented documents on the early learning goals. Systems to work with parents are effective and parents feel they help them to keep fully informed about their children whilst at the pre-school.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The organisation is highly effective and productive. An extremely well organised and accessible set of documentation is in place, which is clear, easily accessed and stored confidentially. However the complaints procedure has yet to be changed in line with current legislation. The manager understands her responsibilities and ensures appropriate checks are undertaken with all staff. Staff maintain excellent ratios, supervise and support children in a well organised, child-friendly environment where children feel at ease. Most staff are qualified or working towards completion of NVQ level two or above. Leadership and management is good. There are systems in place for assessing strengths and weaknesses, which staff use to help them make progress and develop. For example, they regularly offer parents questionnaires to receive feedback about changes they would like to see and aspects they think are going well. Parents are

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Organisation

very happy with what is available for their children and the relationship which the children form through caring and approachable staff.

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Organisation

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 setting has a clear vision and staff are enthusiastic and committed to their roles through formal appraisals and identified training needs. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides care.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. 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

The quality and standards of the care are good. 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 develop the system of planning and assessment for younger children, for example; by the use of Birth to three matters • ensure complaints policy includes new revisions made to the criteria in the National Standards

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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): • provide more opportunities for children to independently use the computer to develop an realistic awareness of their own abilities in information technology

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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 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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