Sunshine Corner Under 5'sOfsted inspection, 10 May 2005

Sunshine Corner Under 5's

Inspection report for early years provision

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Sunshine Corner Under 5's

Unique Reference Number 101666 Inspection date 10 May 2005 Inspector Linda Janet Witts

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Sunshine Corner Under 5's

Setting Address Evenlode Road, Tuffley, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL4 0JY

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E-mail

Registered person Sunshine Corner Under 5s Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 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?

Sunshine Corner operates from an area within Tuffley Primary School. The school is situated in a residential area on the outskirts of Gloucester city. The group is run by a voluntary management committee. The group is registered for 24 children aged 2 to 8 years and primarily serves children from the local community. There are currently 36 children on roll of whom 6 are funded 3-year-olds and 21 are funded 4-year-olds. Approximately 30% of those

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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 attending have special needs. There are currently no children attending for whom English is an additional language. Opening hours are from 09.00 to 15.00 hours, Monday to Friday during term time. During these times pre-school and playgroup sessions and a toddler session run. Subject to demand for four weeks in the summer holidays, the group offers sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10.00 to 14.00 hours. These sessions offer care to children aged two to eight years. Children have access to one playroom which is divided into different areas, and toilet facilities. Occasionally the group uses rooms within the school. This includes the library, family room and the school hall. The group has an outdoor play area which is part lawn, part hard surfaced and is fully enclosed.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A team of five full and part-time staff work in the group. The leader and deputy hold level three qualifications relevant to their roles. Teacher support is received from the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and additional support from Gloucestershire Playgroup and Toddler Association fieldworkers and from parent helpers.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy activities which contribute to good health. They enthusiastically prepare and serve themselves breakfast comprising of healthy foods such as cereals, toast, crumpets and fruit. They also have nutritious snacks and their parents/ carers are encouraged to provide healthy packed lunches for them. Older children show awareness of healthy foods and that people may have different food preferences. They show understanding of their own needs as they choose whether to have breakfast and how much they need to eat. Children follow an established hygiene routine, washing their hands after messy play and using the toilet and before eating. Younger children are helped by staff to do this as required. Children are reminded to look after themselves to prevent themselves from becoming ill, for example why they should not eat food which has been dropped on the floor. Children enjoy fresh air through ventilation of the premise, play outside in the garden

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Helping children to be healthy

or whilst on walks to other outside areas within the school premises. They are keen to engage in physical exercise, running freely outside and demonstrating what they can do for example. balancing. Pre-schoolers undertake physical education in the school hall one session per week and outdoor play is planned daily. However sometimes children do not have long enough to fully enjoy physical play activities which improve their physical skills and promote further development. Inside children negotiate the limited space successfully, avoiding obstacles whilst walking, pushing dolls prams and carrying resources.

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Helping children to be healthy

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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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are supervised well and risks of accidental injury to them are minimised by the staff, who are alert to hazards and take prompt action to minimise any risks. They also help children to gain an understanding of the risks to their safety. Visits from a road safety officer further promote children's understanding of the risks to them outside. Children are kept safe on trips. The indoor play space is limited but organised well so that children can move freely and safely between activities. Children are able to access resources for themselves. These are well maintained, of high quality, sufficient quantity to ensure that all those wishing to participate in an activity can do so and age-appropriate. Children are well protected by staff who have a clear understanding of child protection issues and give top priority to children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy themselves at pre-school. They are interested in all the activities offered to them and use their own ideas to extend activities, utilising the good range of high quality resources in a variety of ways. Children relate well to one another and to adults and happily link up with others for support. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teaching motivates children so they are keen to learn and most make good progress. Activities and experiences planned are broad, effective and meet the needs of individual children, although more able children may not always be sufficiently challenged. The activities offered are varied and appeal to the children. Children on occasion will see technological equipment in use but use of resources to promote their awareness of information communication technology further is not planned. Practitioners know the children well. They manage

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the children and their behaviour well, creating a happy, calm environment conducive to learning. They use questioning effectively to promote children's language and thinking. They make good use of practical meaningful activities to promote children's understanding of mathematical ideas and vocabulary. Staff work together to plan future activities and share information to ensure that children with special educational needs are able to be fully included in all activities, supported appropriately. Assessment of children's progress relies primarily upon the practitioners mental observations of children's learning; this is used to inform future planning, however, as there is no clear record of individual children's progress there is a risk that activities do not always build upon what individual children already know and can do. Children work well together and engage in freely chosen and adult-led activities with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

enthusiasm. They are making good progress in all areas of their learning. Children, including those with speech impairments show confidence with language, using it

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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 successfully to communicate their needs and wishes and to recall past personal experiences. They use mathematical ideas and vocabulary within their play demonstrating their grasp of concepts of number and size during practical activities. Children's use of imagination is impressive; they dress up and take on roles, playing co-operatively with others. They base their role play on personal experiences such as home life, a visit to the zoo, stories or those extending from themes introduced by staff such as weddings. Such play is encouraged by staff who give the children freedom to express themselves.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed and are valued by staff as individuals. Children are supported by staff who are sensitive to their needs and personal backgrounds. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children show awareness of the behavioural expectations within the setting. They resolve most minor disputes arising themselves and if not they are handled calmly and appropriately by staff. Children talk about themselves and their families and are introduced to their own and different cultures through planned activities. They are regularly involved in charitable events which help them to gain awareness of the needs of others. Visits within the local community and further a field enhance children's knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. Children play an active role in maintaining the pre-school environment. They know where resources are stored, select them for themselves and enthusiastically help to

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Helping children make a positive contribution

tidy them away. Children's independence is promoted. They are encouraged to try to do things for themselves before receiving assistance for example, putting on and fastening dressing up clothes or aprons. Partnership with parents is good. Parents/carers are warmly welcomed into the group. They are encouraged to share what they know about their child to help staff to meet children's individual needs. Ongoing two-way communication provides parents with some information on children's progress and opportunities to talk about achievements or any concerns. Parents are encouraged to show interest in their children's learning; children take home book and game bags regularly to use with their parents/carers at home, which further encourages parental involvement in their learning. Those involved in rota duty are able to gain awareness of how activities help their children to learn.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care is enhanced by the organisational skills of the leader and overall the needs of the range of children attending are met. Leadership and management of the provision for nursery education is good. There is good communication between staff and the committee and staff are given good access to training which aids professional development and supports children's play and learning further.

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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 Children play and learn within a well organised, attractive environment. Staff take time to set up exciting, tactile displays to interest the children, linked to current themes. Children were delighted to arrive the day after their trip to the zoo to find a penguin display and jungle/zoo area for imaginative play. Here they found realistic animal masks, soft toy animals and snakes, hanging and trailing across the floor and a monkey which moved and made realistic noises. This promoted a morning of role play based on their own experiences. Children are familiar with the daily routine and play an active role in helping to maintain the pre-school environment. Children have regular access to outdoor play but the outside play space is not used to its full potential all-year-round.

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Organisation

Children benefit from the caring attitudes of the leader and staff, who with different qualities and skills create a team of enthusiastic, committed adults who enhance the care of the group.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous care and nursery education inspections recommended that the pre-school complete all aspects of their operational plan and include a policy for the induction of staff and to continue to review and develop the way information is given to parents about their children. Staff have given thought to the recommendations but have not actively addressed the points raised. A written policy for staff induction and extension of the operational plan have not been produced, however staff work closely and are all familiar with the operational procedures which successfully run the group and children's care is not compromised by not having these procedures in writing. Methods used for sharing information about children with their parents have been reviewed but not further developed. There continues to be a reliance upon verbal communication about children's progress and parents are given samples of their children's work. Further

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Improvements since the last inspection

consideration to helping parents to gain greater awareness of children's progress in relation to the developmental stepping stones of the foundation stage would foster greater support for children in their learning.

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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 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

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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): • further enhance children's opportunities to use the outside play space to ensure that they all have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills

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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): • consider ways to show children's progress over time in a manner which encourages parents to gain awareness of their children's learning, for example, a profile from when a child starts to when they leave the setting, with examples of children's work, photographs and observations linked to aspects of learning

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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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