Edgar Sewter Playschool

Edgar Sewter Playschool

Inspection report for early years provision

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Edgar Sewter Playschool

Unique Reference Number 251469 Inspection date 06 March 2006 Inspector Gill Thornton

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Edgar Sewter Playschool

Setting Address Norwich Road, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8BU

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E-mail

Registered person Edgar Sewter Playschool 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?

Edgar Sewter Playschool is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children at the playschool and members of the local community. It opened in 1999 and operates from one classroom, which includes toilet facilities, within the Edgar Sewter County Primary School in Halesworth. A maximum of 15 children may attend the group at any one time. The playschool is open each weekday during term time from 09.00 to 11.30, with a lunch club from 11.30 to 13.00

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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 and an afternoon session from 13.15 to 15.15. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 31 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. Of these, 19 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local catchment area. The playschool employs four staff. Two of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications and one member of staff is working towards a qualification. The group receives support from the local authority and are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are beginning to understand simple good health and hygiene practices through the regular routines of the playschool. For example, they know to wash their hands before eating and to wipe their nose with a clean tissue and then throw it away. Children's well-being is promoted because staff are well informed about children's health care matters and all the required documentation and consents are in place to support this. All staff have attended first aid and food hygiene training to ensure they are aware of the correct procedures to follow to maintain children's health and prevent the spread of infection. Children's dietary needs are met through the provision of nutritious snacks, which children take turns to help prepare. They are able to choose from a wide range each day, for example, cucumber, grapes, raisins, sliced banana, and pieces of cereal bars. Children attending the morning session are joined by those from the school

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Helping children to be healthy

nursery for the lunch club, when children sit down with staff to eat their packed lunches. However, the diet policy does not include information about lunch time procedures, including food storage facilities, so potentially compromising children's health. Staff encourage children to eat the savoury foods in their lunch boxes first and emphasise the importance of eating fruit because the vitamins help keep colds away. Children enjoy a range of physical activities that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. They have daily access to the fresh air when using the nursery garden. They use wheeled toys expertly, practise their balancing skills and join in action rhymes and parachute games. Children demonstrate increasing control while using equipment such as peg boards, threading activities and variety of mark making tools to help them develop their hand eye coordination.

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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 clean and well-maintained environment where they can move about safely and independently under staff's supervision. Their risk of

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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 accidental injury is minimised because staff follow appropriate health and safety procedures including carrying out risk assessments and carefully escorting children to and from the outside area. Children's time of arrival and departure are accurately recorded and the main entrance to the school is very secure to prevent unauthorised access. Children have access to an extensive range of safe and suitable toys and equipment that are well maintained and meet safety standards. Toys and equipment meet the needs of all children and help to create a stimulating indoor and outdoor environment with suitable facilities to promote their independence. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe through practising fire drills with the whole school and through reminders by staff to pick up toys that are in the way on the floor in case someone

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

trips over. This helps children take responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe. Children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted because all staff have attended child protection training and are aware of the correct procedures to follow if they have a concern. The child protection policy is shared with parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Staff incorporate many aspects of 'Birth to three matters' in their practice based upon their sound understanding of the needs of younger children. A record of children's progress is maintained based upon observations within each aspect of the framework. Young children are developing caring relationships with each other, such as when helping another child put on their apron. They show pride in their achievements, for example, saying 'look at my painting' to a member of staff, who then encouraged the children to admire each other's pictures. Children aged from two to three are mainly cared for in a smaller group during a two hour afternoon session, when staff provide toys and activities based upon individual children's interests to promote their confidence and to help them separate from their parents and carers. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teaching provides realistic challenges for all children. Staff have a sound knowledge

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of the Foundation Stage and use this to provide a broad range of stimulating play and learning opportunities to motivate and extend children's learning. Planning is linked to appropriate stepping stones and balanced across the six areas of learning. Adult focused activities are well planned with appropriate learning intentions, however, they are not routinely evaluated. Staff show a genuine interest in children's play and use effective questioning skills to extend children's learning and promote their curiosity. Staff use observations to monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals in their records of progress. These are used to plan strategies to support individual

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 children's learning during weekly staff meetings. Staff provide children with a stimulating environment which reflects most children's backgrounds and the wider community. Children are happy and motivated with a positive attitude to learning. Most children are very confident and self assured and they spend their time engaged purposefully in a broad range of developmentally appropriate indoor and outdoor activities, which provide good levels of challenge. Children are beginning to develop self-control and are helped by staff to show an understanding of acceptable behaviour. They make positive relationships with each other and staff and are developing a strong sense of community through topics such as 'ourselves' and bringing in photographs of themselves as babies. Children show

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

good levels of independence, especially at snack time and when putting on their coats to go outside. Children are eager to take part in new activities, such as when joining with the 'Beat Baby' activity. All children are confident communicators and freely initiate conversations with their peers and adults. They use imaginary language freely during their play, for example, making up a story about the small plastic horses. Children are learning to identify the initial sounds in words during planned and spontaneous activities. They have good opportunities to ascribe meaning to marks and practise writing for a purpose during role play situations. Children enjoy listening and responding to stories in a whole group, however they do not routinely use books during their play. Children use numbers routinely during their play and count and sort objects by size and colour. They recognise and identify shapes and use mathematical language

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as bigger and smaller and explore capacity while playing with sand and water. They have planned opportunities to develop their simple problem solving skills, for example, when working out how to fit a large piece of paper into a small envelope. Children show good levels of curiosity, for example, when exploring items in the 'feely box' and investigate materials using their different senses during planned topics. They operate everyday technology such as a tape recorder and electronic toys during their play. Children explore their own ideas while painting on large sheets of paper at the easel, and when choosing what to use from the accessibly stored craft resources such as glue, scissors and collage materials. They join in with ring games and songs and explore rhythm and sound in the outdoor sound area. They enthusiastically engage in cooperative imaginary experiences in the well resourced role play area. For example,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

helping each other bandage a doll while playing doctors or making breakfast for their friends. Overall, children are making good progress given their capabilities and starting points.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are welcomed into the setting. They are valued by staff who respect their individuality and are attentive and ensure all children are able to play with toys and

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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 equipment to meet their individual needs. Children proudly point to themselves and their friends in a display of baby photographs to support the theme of 'ourselves' which helps them develop a strong sense of belonging to the group. The playschool have effective arrangements in place to care for children with special educational needs and are aware of the importance of working closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children's specific needs are met. Children generally behave well. Staff are good role models and their calm and consistent manner and use of appropriate strategies helps children understand the expected rules of behaviour. Children are consistently reminded by staff to share and take turns and to consider the feelings of others. They usually play together

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Helping children make a positive contribution

harmoniously in small groups and form strong friendships as they seek out their preferred playmates. Most children understand the rules of the group, for example, having to wait until everyone has had their snack before returning for 'seconds'. Children are beginning to develop an understanding of people's different needs through discussions and simple explanations from staff, for example, why some people use a wheelchair. Children have access to resources such as puzzles and figures for the dolls house to promote a positive view of diversity and they take part in different festivals such as Christmas and Chinese New Year. The partnership with parents and carers of children receiving nursery education is good. Parents receive appropriate information about the care provided including details of the Foundation Stage and activities which support the six areas of learning. Parents are involved in their children's learning through supporting topics and attending 'Stay

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and Play' open sessions, where they share and contribute to their children's records of progress. Parents sometimes volunteer to help on the playschool rota and are very supportive of fundraising activities. All the required documentation and consents are in place to ensure children are looked after according to the parents' wishes. Staff and parents share information verbally on a daily basis to ensure children's changing needs are met and to provide continuity of care. Parents are very positive about the care provided and complimentary about the caring and approachable staff. They particularly value the small and friendly environment which helps children settle and the strong links forged with the school nursery. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The effective organisation of times, space and resources ensures children’s needs are met and helps them make good progress. For example, having separate sessions for the Foundation Stage children with shorter afternoon sessions for two to three year olds. Staff work well together and are aware of each other's roles and responsibilities, they make effective use of the space available to provide children

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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 with a stimulating range of activities to support their care, learning and play. Documentation is satisfactory and most policies and procedures are in place and work in practice to promote children's good health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to take an active part in the setting. Children are cared for by suitable and experienced staff with a secure knowledge and understanding of child development. However, clear appointment, recruitment and induction systems are not in place for new staff to ensure they are suitable to work with children. The leadership and management of nursery education is good. The committee and established staff team are committed to continuous improvement. Weekly staff meetings take place to evaluate children's progress and the effectiveness of the provision of nursery education. The playschool works very

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Organisation

closely with the school nursery to ensure a smooth transition, including sharing planned topics and children's records of progress. Children attend sessions in the nursery with playschool staff to help them feel confident and secure in the new environment. Staff undergo annual appraisals to identify strengths and weaknesses and areas for professional development. Overall, children’s needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At their last inspection the group were asked to improve children's independence at snack time. Children freely help themselves to a choice of healthy snacks, pour their own drinks and take responsibility for putting their dirty cup and plate in the sink when finished, so promoting their independence. They also agreed to implement a system of staff appraisals. These now take place annually to monitor the quality of teaching and to identify areas for professional development so enhancing the provision for nursery education.

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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 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): • ensure robust appointment, recruitment and induction systems are in place to ensure new staff are suitable to work with children • improve diet policy to include lunch time arrangements including information on food storage facilities

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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): • extend the use of adult focused activities and evaluate against children's intended learning outcomes • provide further opportunities within the everyday curriculum for children to develop their interest in books.

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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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