Ormesby Village Pre-School

Ormesby Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Ormesby Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY244425 Inspection date 20 March 2006 Inspector Susan Cox

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Ormesby Pre-School

Setting Address Ormesby First School, Spruce Avenue, Ormesby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR29 3RY Telephone number 01493 731274

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E-mail

Registered person Ormesby Pre-School 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Ormesby Pre-school is a well-established group that has been registered within the grounds of Ormesby First School since 2002. The group uses one schoolroom, a mobile classroom and outdoor areas on the site. The group also has access to other first school facilities including the library and the hall.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 43 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. It is open 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 weekday during term time from 08.55 to 11.30 and 12.30 to 15.00. Children may stay for lunch between the morning and afternoon sessions. Out of school care is available from 08.00 to 09.00. There are currently 70 children aged from 2 to under 8 years on roll. Of these 38 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the village and surrounding area. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with special needs. The pre-school employs nine staff with seven, including the manager, holding appropriate early years qualifications. A member of staff is working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children’s health is well promoted as there are effective procedures in place to gather and exchange information with their parents. This ensures individual medical needs are met and staff can respond appropriately in the event of an emergency. Sensitive care is provided for children who become unwell and parents are informed to be able to take any further action required. Good hygiene practices are in place which includes helping children learn how to keep themselves well. Older children effectively manage their personal hygiene. They use the toilet appropriately; wash their hand before snacks and dispose of tissues in the bin understanding this is the expected routine to prevent the spread of germs. Younger children are supported sensitively as they gain confidence with these skills. Children benefit from a range of fresh fruit and snacks that encourage healthy eating. They chatter eagerly about foods that are good for them as they share bowls of

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Helping children to be healthy

chopped vegetables, fruit, or a plain biscuit or cracker at break time. They learn where foods come from through a range of projects, activities and spontaneous events. For example, playing with farm animals and vehicles leads to discussion about growing crops and then the children enjoying Weetabix for their snack. Having grown potatoes, runner beans and courgettes they help prepare these for the staff to cook and they love the experience of eating them. This understanding of where food comes from and how it is produced encourages them to adopt positive attitudes to healthy eating. Children who stay over lunch time bring a packed meal which staff help them manage appropriately. Younger children are sensitively supported as they learn a range of physical skills and how their bodies work. They are confident in the care of the well-established staff team and are able to build secure and trusting relationships with the individuals of

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Helping children to be healthy

their choice. When children are tired they relax happily on the comfortable furniture receiving appropriate support from staff to ensure their needs are met. All children enjoy being active and are learning how their bodies work. They frequently play in the fresh air using the garden to ride their bikes, run races, fish for

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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 ducks in the water tray, dig and plant and, when the weather is better, use the large climbing frame and balancing equipment. Older children enjoy using the space in the school hall for games, dancing and moving to music. The parachute is frequently used with great excitement. Children understand that they can be active when they like. For example, some decide they want to, ‘wake up their muscles’, so they put on the tape and enthusiastically sing and exercise with their friends under general supervision of the staff. Walking to local shops, the post office or the butchers plus collecting resources such as gathering sticks and logs for a project also helps them have good physical exercise which interests them. Exceptional skill is shown by the older children in using a vast range of tools and equipment to develop fine motor

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Helping children to be healthy

skills and hand-eye coordination. They independently and confidently use resources like scissors, staplers, hole punches and a range of drawing, writing and painting equipment as part of their everyday activities. They construct models manipulating junk items and finding out how to join them successfully. Consequently all areas of physical development are exceptionally well promoted.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children’s safety is ensured as staff understand and effectively implement sound procedures to assess situations and take action to minimise risks. The premises are secure with appropriate collection procedures in place to make sure children are only released to authorised persons. Children play happily and confidently within their rooms with easy access to toilet facilities enabling them to use these safely and develop appropriate independence. They love using the enclosed garden area with many activities taking place in the fresh air, in the better weather, so giving them a changing environment for their play. All children have very easy access to a vast and stimulating range of appropriate resources. Staff have sensitively considered storage and clearly label boxes for all to make safe and easy choices to help them effectively organise their play promoting independence and self-esteem exceptionally well. Staff

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

monitor their choices to ensure younger children access appropriate resources and help them learn about safety as part of their play. Older children have a very clear understanding of the safe use of a range of resources. They know not to walk around with scissors, to sit down when eating or drinking and find a friend if the want to move the large junk box with each taking a handle, looking where they are going and taking care not to bump into others. Projects help them learn about keeping themselves safe and this is practised as they use this understanding in role play. Practical experience secures their understanding, for example, road safety as they go for a walk in the local area, meeting the local policewoman to learn about her work and how the police are their friends and finding out about the fire brigade. Fire drills help them understand how to leave the premises safely in an emergency and unexpected

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

school drills keep all aware of the correct procedure to follow. All staff understand the importance of clear child protection procedures. The manager is confident in her role as the lead person but senior staff are not fully familiar with the procedure to respond effectively in her absence to ensure children are protected promptly.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are extremely confident, independent and developing self-esteem as they arrive happily and start playing with enthusiasm. In the breakfast club, children of mixed ages work well together. They chatter as they eat their meal in a relaxed and sociable manner enjoying talking about school, what they will do when they finish eating and catching up on news in general. As they finish eating they select their own activities with confidence, for example, a group decide to use a construction set to build towers. Building them on the table they soon become too high to reach and staff notice their dilemma. A suggestion is made that they move them to the floor then they could continue building. This they do and some help support the towers with bricks or their hands as they notice them tilting. Again, reaching as high as they can, they are asked what they would need to continue their work and reply, ‘steps,’ so

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff find a set, open them up then support a child to climb safely to complete the building to the ceiling to the delight of all the children taking part. A sense of achievement is felt by all who have joined in the activity as they have completed the task using problem solving and cooperation skills very effectively. In the pre-school children experience an excellent range of activities that are exciting, stimulating and supported extremely well by the staff. This promotes their learning and development effectively resulting in all children making rapid progress and becoming inquisitive and motivated learners. Staff know the children well and use their interests as starting points for their learning. For example, a child likes diggers so compost is used in a tray with a range of diggers and earth moving equipment for them to explore. They listen carefully as staff explain how they can use these safely

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and work out how many children can play at the activity together. They love the feel and smell as they move the compost about with the vehicles and look at a book to find out how the vehicles should be used. Later they use larger vehicles with sand on the floor and move small bricks around effectively. Children cooperate well, chatter freely about the task with staff and thoroughly enjoy this activity. An exceptional range of resources stimulates children’s interest in making their own choices of activities which they do with supreme confidence. All areas of learning and development are extremely well resourced and staff have considered storage and clearly labelled items so children can identify and select them easily. Children routinely make their own choices of resources from dressing up items on the racks, puzzles and games from the shelves, construction sets from units and small world play items in storage boxes. They use these effectively to plan and organise their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

own play including helping to tidy up when they have finished using them. For example, children work together to move the junk box into the area ready to use then decide what they need to construct using their imaginations well to plan this out. They construct joining yogurt cartons with glue then find the sellotape dispenser and use this with confidence to attach pipe cleaners. Having decorated their creation they find brown paper and effectively wrap a parcel to take home being proud of the finished product. Other children want to use a roll of paper, they clear space on the floor but find that it rolls up before they can measure and cut it. Thinking about this, one asks a friend to put a chair on the end to hold it still whilst he measures and decides where to cut. This demonstrates how children cooperate and problem solve

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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 as a matter of course in their play. Children are well supported by the team of staff who know how to support their learning and use a range of teaching techniques to help them make very good progress. However, at lunch time the children have to wait for most of their friends to finish their meal before they can return to play. Some, particularly the two year olds, become restless as staff are busy organising lunch and are not readily available to work with them to ensure they remain interested and engaged. The manager is looking at strategies to implement the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework effectively to further develop the service for these younger children. Children who are new to the pre-school are sensitively supported and helped to settle by staff who are caring and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

responsive to their needs. Secure relationships are forming as the children are confident in the care of the staff understanding that they will listen to them and value what they say and do. Children are beginning to make sense of the world through the varied and wide ranging activities that are presented with enthusiasm and are well-resourced. For example, they eat vegetables they have grown, meet a range of people from their community, learn about the wider world, how to be safe and develop independence to play happily and purposefully. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children are making very rapid progress as the staff are expert at helping them learn. Working with parents, they assess the children’s starting points and get to know the family to build a secure foundation on which to base the children’s learning. They use their knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage to provide a comprehensive and flexible

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

curriculum which is responsive to children’s needs and this is reviewed on a daily basis to ensure all children are learning effectively. They ensure all areas of learning are covered appropriately as they make up individual children’s files with samples of their work, photos and comments on their progress and use these to plan the next steps in their learning. Excellent team work ensures all staff respond appropriately to support children in their learning and development. Children are captivated and well motivated by the way staff respond to their interests and promote a wealth of learning opportunities spontaneously. They all access the comprehensive range of resources with confidence understanding what is available and where it is kept. For example, many are fascinated by the inspector using a laptop and several have a turn. They wish to extend this so staff find a key board and they copy typing on this. Others find a toy laptop to practise this skill, then a portable

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

typewriter so a small office is developed. Later groups work on the school computers with most using the mouse effectively to draw pictures and being able to create shapes as desired. Sensitive support is provided by staff to ensure the less able are given appropriate guidance and they thrill at producing their pictures which they take to show friends and other staff. Children work exceptionally well together. They are making friends, cooperate and play happily together and are able to organise their play with a purpose. Their behaviour is exemplary. They follow instructions well, listen to staff, and understand the routine of the sessions including helping to tidy up spontaneously when they finish playing or when requested. They show excitement at new discoveries, 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 example, playing in the compost, going out to find sticks and logs and finding out how new toys work. They are learning about our multi-cultural society by celebrating a range of festivals and considering other countries and how people live and speak. This is brought alive as they copy an African man learning his traditional style of dance and watch an Indian girl as she shows how people dance in her society. They chatter freely to their friends and staff as they play telling their news, explaining what they are doing and responding to open ended questions that make them think and organise their thoughts. They understand the purpose of writing and practise this skill as they write a letter to their parents, address the envelope and take it to the post office to buy a stamp and post it home. They take messages in the office, write their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

names on their work and recognise simple words and letters in books. All thoroughly enjoy using books. They know that they can read and share stories with friends or in a whole group when they sit and listen intently, joining in enthusiastically and appropriately. They act out familiar stories, for example, the Three Little Pigs using puppets then think about how to build their houses finding bricks before going outside to gather sticks and logs. Some go to the butcher to buy sausage meat and they make sausage rolls with clear links across many areas of learning being explored in a relaxed but effective manner which captivates their interest. Children are developing mathematical concepts as they play. They routinely count, for example, how many are present, how many can play at an activity at a time then match this number to the picture card. They talk about shapes they find, look at the clock to try to work out the time, write numbers on their tickets and understand you

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

can find a telephone number in the directory and use this to phone someone. They measure out ingredients as they cook, consider how to move compost with the earth moving equipment, find out how heavy the logs are by lifting them and if they need help to move them safely so they effectively problem solve in situations that arise in their play. Rich opportunities to be creative see children painting freely, mixing paints and representing the world according to their level of development. Staff develop this by looking with them at them at artists’ work, for example, Monet pictures and the children recreate these effectively painting what they have seen and learnt. They engage in rewarding imaginative play which often reflects real experiences such as caring for the dolls, hanging their washing on the line and reading stories to friends as they snuggle down to pretend to sleep. Being active is part of daily life as they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

practise a range of small and large physical skills. They love to play in the fresh air and discover how their bodies work, for example, as they run and get hot and know when they are tired it is good to rest or do something less energetic.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed and play a full part in the pre-school because staff know them, and their family, well and they respect their individuality. They use the children’s interests to provide a stimulating curriculum and work to meet their individual needs by effectively assessing their starting points. Children with special needs are sensitively supported and fully included in the range of activities. There are good links with external agencies to support this work effectively in partnership with parents. Children manage their behaviour extremely well. They cooperate, share,

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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 take turns, help each other and are courteous as a matter of course. Younger children are helped with this in a supportive and sensitive manner by staff who are good role models and intervene quickly and quietly to explain to them if their behaviour is not of an acceptable standard. This promotes their self-esteem and helps them learn positive strategies for the future. They have extensive opportunities to learn about themselves and the world around them through planned activities, visitors to the group and outings in the local community. This positive approach fosters children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding and contributes significantly to children’s well-being. They receive clear information about the service the group can

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Helping children make a positive contribution

offer and a flexible settling-in procedure enables all to be confident and ensure the children’s needs are met. This is enhanced by many attending the Owlets group, with their parents, prior to moving into the pre-school. As a consequence, children and parents are familiar with the premises and some of the staff which further helps the settling in procedure. Excellent written information is provided to help parents and carers understand about the Foundation Stage and what their children will learn in the group. This is supplemented by displays within the rooms, files of photos demonstrating what the children do and open evenings for adults to learn more. They are encouraged to access their children’s files and several take these home to contribute information to their learning story. Parents and carers often accompany their children into school, for example, to attend special assemblies and birthday

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Helping children make a positive contribution

celebrations so they understand how their child’s education will develop and can support them in this. A complaints procedure is in place but none have been received. Parents and carers spoken to confirm their satisfaction with the group and feel confident in the progress their children are making.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children’s safety and welfare is promoted as they are looked after by staff who have been vetted and have an affinity for working with this age group. They ensure children are supervised at all times and that persons who have not been checked do not have unsupervised access to them. As a team, they have worked together for several years and do so very effectively. Most of the staff hold qualifications well above the required minimum level and all are very experienced using their skills well when working with the children. They are well-organised before the group opens leaving them free to work directly with the children supporting their play and talking to parents if needed. The use of space enhances children’s quality of learning with activities being organised for safety and availability and using the outside play area as a learning environment and for a well-balanced range of physical play. All legally

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Organisation

required documentation is in place to support children’s health, safety and well-being. It is readily available as needed and updated to ensure staff may respond appropriately to children’s needs. Overall the needs of all the children attending are met. The quality of leadership and management is outstanding. The manager is highly effective in supporting the well qualified and experienced staff team. She is proactive

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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 in continuing to develop her skills and understanding of how to promote children’s learning and development to a very high standard. She attends local and national training events to keep up to date and uses the information gained effectively as she works with the staff and children. Support is given to staff as required and planning is overseen with ideas contributed as to how children’s interests can be developed further. Room leaders have a clear understanding of their role. They use their considerable skills to promote all areas of learning for the children and to work with their staff effectively. Being keen to enhance the service offered whenever possible, advice from the link teacher is taken and ideas from the local cluster group considered. The manager monitors the provision on a daily basis as she works with

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Organisation

the children, staff and parents. She has reviewed the provision of nursery education by completing the Foundation Stage self review and is taking part in the Norfolk Kite Mark to further assess and develop the service that is provided.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection recommendations were made regarding the classroom; to develop the layout and to provide further furniture and first aid equipment. Written parental consent for emergency medical treatment was required. The classroom has been developed into an attractive, well-resourced and stimulating environment with appropriate furniture. First aid equipment is readily available and consent for emergency medical treatment is held to enable staff to respond appropriately in an emergency. There were no significant weaknesses to report from the last nursery education inspection but a point for consideration was to implement the plans for the outdoor area. Progress is being made with this as plans are displayed and fundraising is taking place. This will further enhance the provision.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection since 1 April 2004. 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 outstanding.

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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): • review child protection procedures to ensure room leaders are confident to make a referral, if required, in the absence of the manager • reconsider lunchtime arrangements to enable staff to work with the children to develop social opportunities as they eat their meal and ensure the younger children receive appropriate support.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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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