Learning for Life Education Centre

Doris Venner Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Doris Venner Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 131807 Inspection date 10 March 2006 Inspector Amanda Jane Tyson

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Doris Venner Pre-School

Setting Address The Venner Youth & Community Centre, The Manor Drive, Worcester Park, Surrey, KT4 7LG Telephone number 020 8330 2805 E-mail venneryc@rbk.kingston.gov.uk Registered person Doris Venner Pre-School Learning Alliance Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

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Doris Venner 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?

The Doris Venner Pre-School has been registered by the current owner since 1999. It operates from a community hall in Worcester Park within walking distance of the main line station, schools and high street. They have sole use of the premises whilst in operation. They use a large main hall, a smaller adjacent hall, toilets and kitchen. The group is used by the local community, which spans the boroughs of Kingston, Sutton, and Epsom and Ewell.

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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 The pre-school operates during school term times and runs two sessions; 09:30m to 12:00 and 12:45 to 15:15, Monday to Thursday, and on Friday the group is open for the morning session only. They are registered for 32 children, aged from 2 to 5 years, to attend either session. There are currently a total of 72 children, aged from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 32 children who are in receipt of funding for nursery education. The pre-school welcomes children with special educational needs. A number of children attending speak English as an additional language. In total, there are 9 staff employed to work with the children. The owner is also the manager, and she is supernumery. There is a deputy and a named special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). Staff are either qualified in early years

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

childcare, or working towards a qualification; 4 staff, including the manager and deputy hold a level 3 qualification; 1 staff member is working towards a level 3 qualification; and the remaining staff are qualified to level 2. The setting receives support from an early years advisory teacher. The group are currently more than mid-way through a quality assurance accreditation certificate; Quality in Learning and Teaching (QuILT).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children's good health is well promoted through a high standard of record keeping and documentation, thematic play experiences, visual media, and nutritious snacks. A wide variety of daily fresh fruit and the wealth of conversation which evolves between staff and children is encouraging their fondness for healthy foods. Staff are equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to respond to minor accidents and some emergencies, because they have all completed first aid training. Accident and medication records contain comprehensive detail. Children's individual health needs, such as allergies are well documented. All the necessary written parental consents have been obtained from parents. The settings robust policies and procedures protect children from the spread of infection and germs. Children with contagious diseases are excluded from the setting for 24 hours. The bathroom is well monitored to ensure it is kept hygienically clean.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children are reminded about good hygiene practices by the posters displayed around the setting, and they independently wash their hands using the available liquid soap after visiting the toilet. The staff have completed basic food hygiene training, the guidance for which is well implemented when staff use the kitchen facilities. Foundation Stage curriculum planning provides very good opportunities for the children to take part in daily physical exercise, such as, music and movement and parachute games. However, the use of the outdoors to encourage a healthy lifestyle, is less well developed. The children learn how the body works through themed activities and demonstrate their learning whilst acting out medical experiences, such as, visiting the health centre. Their small and fine motor development is accelerated

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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 by the wide range of exciting activities and excellent range of resources. They skilfully use small tools daily, for example, hammer and nails, and stationary equipment. The children build and assemble intricate models with construction sets and malleable resources, for instance, 'cogs and wheels' and clay. Young children's emotional needs, particularly those still settling in, are given high priority; staff are kind, gentle and physically demonstrative towards them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The children are cared for in a warm and extremely welcoming environment whereby the children's safety is prioritised. Toys and resources are maintained in excellent condition, regularly checked for broken parts, replenished and supplemented. The staff maintain high levels of supervision, particularly when activities, such as woodwork are provided. The building is secure and the children can play safely both inside and out. A log of all visitors to the premises is maintained and all staff working with the children have been suitably vetted. The comprehensive health and safety policy is supported with rigorous procedures to protect children from potential hazards. For example, the fire evacuation procedure is practised each month, so the children are familiar with what to do and where to go. The electrical appliances are inspected yearly by a qualified engineer, which ensures that they are in safe working

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

order. The teams pro-active commitment to monitoring the safety of the children, and subsequent attention to detail in their risk assessment procedure is excellent. The children's welfare is highly safeguarded because the staff's knowledge and understanding of the local area child protection committee guidelines is comprehensively sound. They keep up to date with changes in regulation and guidance, and adapt their own internal procedures accordingly.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The children are consistently absorbed in a hive of exciting and innovative play and learning activities. They happily fluctuate from independent to group play. Toddlers are keen to attempt new skills and experiences and they confidently speak out to express themselves. Staff's knowledge and understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework is rapidly progressing; they skilfully combine it with the foundation stage curriculum, which means that more able toddlers are very well challenged. For example, water play is equipped with wide rimmed jugs to encourage their coordination skills as they transfer water, but more challenging resources, such as cylinders are also available. They access writing resources in the role play area; many are able to recognise their names in print and enthusiastically trace their names using developing pencil control. They learn their colours and experiment by

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

mixing paints. Opportunities for them to use their imagination in art and design are extensive. The daily routine is well balanced to provide them with times when they can be together as a group, away from the older children, so that discussions can be

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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 suitably pitched at their levels. As a result, the children are becoming confident communicators. For example, a wealth of discussion evolves between the children as they explore the smells and textures of the fruits; a pineapple is described as, 'like a horse', strawberries are 'cold', and they show interest as they closely observe the inside of an orange. They make their own choices about what they want to play with and work together in highly worthwhile play, such as, when building with construction. Less confident and quieter children are closely monitored and supported by staff who join in play to encourage their participation. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good, and there are many outstanding aspects. The staff's knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

associated stepping stones is very well established. As a result, an exciting variety of activities and learning experiences are consistently provided. The children are making very good progress overall. Staff know the children well and skilfully exploit play situations to encourage the children's developmental progress, which is well monitored and documented. They use this knowledge to inform planning, which ensures consistent and extended challenges for all children, based on their identified next steps for learning. The methods used to support children who have special educational needs are very good. Named staff have completed relevant training and their sound knowledge and understanding of the Code of Practice for special educational needs, ensures a high level of support and advocacy for children. The programme for mathematics and literacy is exemplary. The children count reliably well into double figures, they recognise and write single digit numbers and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are developing good early calculation skills. They explore weight, volume and capacity during activities, for example, water play and when using scales to weigh real fruits. Equipment, such as, rulers and calculators are well placed to encourage experimentation. The children become absorbed in concentration as they create patterns with flat shapes and more able children are beginning to recognise a cube and a cylinder. All the children recognise their names in print; 4 year-olds are able to write their names clearly and some children are beginning to work out simple words, by linking letters to sounds. Children who speak English as an additional language confidently use script from their first language, in conjunction with English. Their understanding of purposeful print is enhanced by the wealth of captions and labelling around the setting, much of which is the children's own work, and in other languages.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The skilled and animated storytelling techniques of staff keep the children enthralled and group story times are highly effective. The children's imagination has no boundaries. They create and design intricate models using malleable and natural resources, such as, with clay and wood, and they draw and paint still-life and self portraits. They freely access the extensive supply of re-cycled boxes, cartons and tubes, textured materials and dried pasta. The frequently changed role play theme encourages the children to act out real and imaginary experiences and they enjoy music and movement sessions. The thematic approach to planning provides a wide range of opportunities for children to learn about the wider world. For example, to support the topic on 'space', the children were introduced to the role of an astronaut. Their understanding of what it might feel like to walk on the moon, was brought to life

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

as they stomped over cling-film wrapped shaving foam. The natural and living world is well introduced through engaging the children in practical and real experiences, for

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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 instance, watching a butterfly evolve from a chrysalis. The computer provides daily opportunities for children to develop their skills in information, communication technology; they navigate the mouse with increasing skill. Some children visit the outdoor play area for short periods, but whilst indoor curriculum planning is exceptionally good, it is not yet fully accessible to children outdoors.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children from a variety of ethnic, cultural, religious, and social backgrounds are warmly welcomed within the setting. The staff embrace the wide variety of cultures, religions, and languages of the attending children, which is well demonstrated by the availability of written information in other languages. The children made a giant dragon and learned a dance to celebrate Chinese New Year. Play and learning resources reflect positive images of race, gender, and disability; the children delight in dressing up in multi-cultural costumes and they become immersed as they play with dolls house figures in wheelchairs. The children behave extremely well because staff are consistent in their approach to encouraging positive behaviour. Their self esteem is consistently raised in response to the frequent praise of their efforts and achievements by staff. They willingly share, take turns and are eager to support each

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Helping children make a positive contribution

others learning. The children are happy and confident. As a result, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of those in receipt of funding for nursery education, is well fostered. The partnership with parents and carers of children who are in receipt of funding for nursery education is outstanding. They receive regular developmental reports, which highlight children's individual next steps for learning towards the early learning goals. The weekly newsletter informs them of the planned group learning intentions, activities and topics. For example, 'making life cycle books', planting seeds, and what shapes and colours are being focussed on. Parents liaise with key staff on a daily basis. The combination of the effective verbal and written communication means that parents fully understand what, and how their children are learning. They are therefore able to provide consistent learning support outside the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All parents are provided with comprehensive information to explain the pre-school's policies and procedures and how they are implemented in practice. The weekly newsletter keeps them well informed of planned activities, changes to the staff and current issues, such as, fundraising. Parents are encouraged to contribute towards the children's learning; they add their comments to the developmental reports, help out on a rota basis, share their skills, religious and cultural beliefs, and attend the yearly trip. The parents high regard of the nursery provision is very well demonstrated by their written contributions to the questionnaires that they were asked to complete, as part of the groups commitment to the QuILT accreditation. The quality of care and learning is highlighted as a key strength, with a wide range of outstanding examples. Parents of children aged under 3 years are aware that their child's progress and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

development is monitored towards the 'Birth to three matters' framework. The staff's professional approach with outside agencies, such as, those involved in supporting children with special educational needs, is highly commendable and undoubtedly

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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 provides parents with much needed support.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The children are cared for by staff who have relevant qualifications and experience. Adult to child ratios are consistently maintained above the minimum requirement, which enables the children to benefit from individual attention when needed. For example, to support toddlers who are learning to separate from parents for the first time. The robust staff recruitment procedures ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The team work exceptionally well together. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. The children's welfare is effectively safeguarded because the staff are well deployed throughout the session to ensure high levels of supervision to children. Maximum and effective use is made of the indoor space, but more could be done to encourage outdoor play. The setting has a wide range of comprehensive policies and procedures which cover the pre-schools provision for care and learning very well. A summary of these is

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Organisation

detailed in the information leaflet for parents. Management were unaware of the recent regulative changes to the procedure for making a complaint, but the policy was amended during the inspection process. The leadership and management of the nursery education is outstanding. There is an exceptionally well implemented appraisal system which provides staff with a high level of professional developmental support. Team meetings are regular and staff attend a wide range of training in relation to the Foundation Stage curriculum, and in-fact, the ' Birth to three matters' framework. The pre-school closes for 6 days per year for 'in service training' (INSET). These opportunities are maximised to develop staff's knowledge and skills, and to identify further ways in which they can improve the provision for nursery education. The consistent commitment towards self evaluation and continual improvement is a key strength of this provision. This is well

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Organisation

demonstrated by the numerous modifications made to the methods used for curriculum planning and how children's progress and development towards the early learning goals is monitored and assessed. Management demonstrate a clear vision for the future; there is a well thought out action plan for improvement in place, such as, the development of the curriculum for outdoor play. This is based upon the teams highly effective internal evaluation systems and the regular advice from the local early years teaching advisor. The high standard of leadership and committed staff team provide delightful play and learning opportunities for all children. The setting therefore meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection for care, the setting agreed to implement a policy relating to the

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 exclusion of children who are ill or infectious. This is now in place. Two key issues for improvement were recommended at the last inspection for nursery education. These related to: increasing opportunities for children to develop independence and social skills during snack time; and to develop the use of music and physical activities. The children help to lay the table in preparation for snacks and they pour their own drinks. Staff exploit opportunities to encourage social conversations during these times and the children demonstrate impeccable table manners. They participate in daily tuneful singing and have obtained a wide range of good quality musical instruments. The focus on developing skills, such as, rhythm, is less well established. However, management have identified this and training to develop staff's confidence

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Improvements since the last inspection

is planned. The children participate in a wide range of physical activities. Their small motor, and hand to eye development is exceptionally good. There are regular opportunities for them to use their gross motor skills, such as, when riding bikes, dancing, running and balancing.

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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

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):

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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):

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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 • develop the provision for outdoor play; provide opportunities for children to access the full curriculum (also applies to care, in relation to 'Being Healthy').

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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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