East Chinnock Under FivesOfsted inspection, 30 Mar 2006

East Chinnock Under Fives

Inspection report for early years provision

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East Chinnock Under Fives

Unique Reference Number 143112 Inspection date 30 March 2006 Inspector Bridget Copson

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East Chinnock Under Fives

Setting Address The Church Room, Weston St,East Chinnock, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 9EL Telephone number 07798 812540 E-mail kaystrode@aol.com Registered person East Chinnock Under Fives Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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East Chinnock Under Fives

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 satisfactory. 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?

East Chinnock Under Fives is a committee run pre-school which opened in 1992. It operates from within the church hall in the village of East Chinnock, close to Yeovil, Somerset. It is open Monday to Friday term time only from 09:15 to 12:00 with a lunch club until 13:15. It is registered to provide care for a maximum of 18 children under 5 years. The premises offers use of a play room with a kitchen area and toilets. The children have access to a garden.

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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 There are currently 18 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 5 children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school cares for children with special educational needs and offers sessional care to children from the village and surrounding areas. The pre-school employs five members of staff, most of whom hold or are working towards appropriate early years qualifications. They are supported by the Local Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn about keeping fit and healthy through the range of activities and play provision which is used to promote their physical development. For example, they enjoy the rocket, tyre stack, bikes, bouncers, roller skates, balls, tunnel and parachute games in the garden. In addition they enjoy regular music and movement sessions and ball skills activities indoors. Also special activities are organised, such as Indian dance and Chinese ribbon dancing. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and good eating habits through enjoying a nutritious choice of snacks at break time. For example, toast with different toppings, fresh fruit or porridge with drinks of water, milk or squash. Children are provided with drinks in between if they ask. However, they cannot access drinks of water for themselves throughout the session to ensure they do not get thirsty. Children are cared for within a generally clean and hygienic environment where staff

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Helping children to be healthy

have some systems in place to prevent the spread of infection. For example, regular hand washing for staff and children, disinfecting table tops before break times, cleaning the premises on a rota basis and cleaning toys and equipment throughout the year. However, some of the more popular toys, such as the role play resources and book case are dusty and have greasy marks on them. This does not further promote good standards of hygiene. Also, the nappy changing mat is in poor condition and therefore not possible to disinfect effectively to further prevent the spread of infection. Children's health, medical and dietary requirements are met efficiently by staff who keep written records of care required. They provide parents with written details of any accidents, incidents or medication administered and copies of their health and hygiene policies for consistency of care. They all hold appropriate first aid certificates

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Helping children to be healthy

and a first aid kit to support them in caring for children appropriately in the event of an accident.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for within a well-organised environment which allows them to play freely and safely under close supervision. Children are kept safe and secure by staff

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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 who have good measures in place to protect them. For example, external door locks, secure cupboards, safe toilet door locks, radiator grills, socket covers and secured leads. Staff carry out annual risk assessments of all areas and monthly checklists to ensure high standards of safety are maintained. Children learn about safety and looking after themselves through good practical activities and staff guidance. For example, using equipment safely, road safety on walks, practising the fire evacuation procedure and discussions about personal safety and strangers. Children access a good range of play provision freely and independently from the low cupboards, window sills and units. For example, they freely look at objects on the interest table, explore items on the science windowsill, choose books from the display

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

unit and choose small world and constructional activities form the boxes. Children do not have access to anything that is not safe for them to use independently. Children are protected well by staff who have effective systems in place to safeguard their welfare at all times. For example, good supervision, details of adults authorised to collect children, a visitors record book and key workers observing children's well-being each day. In addition, the staff are all aware of their roles and responsibilities regarding child protection issues and procedures to support them in keeping children safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy a good range of activities to support their learning and development. For example, many different constructional activities, puzzles, games, threading and peg boards. They also enjoy different role play environments, small world sets and a cosy book corner offering story and reference books. In addition, they use many different materials to create pictures, collage and models as well as cooking. Younger children benefit from the same activities and learning experiences as those in receipt of nursery education funding. These activities are planned according to themes and the learning intentions linked to the Foundation Stage Curriculum. This provides children with many different experiences to support them in making connections in their learning. However, not all challenges within this framework are realistic for younger children. For example, they quickly become distracted and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

disinterested in a game to promote an understanding of counting and number recognition. Children are making sound progress. They arrive happy and settle quickly. They find toys for themselves, use their labelled boxes to store they own possessions and craft work in and seek out staff to share news and show their work to. This demonstrates children have a sound sense of well-being and are developing some personal independence. Children communicate appropriately. For example, they listen well to those who are talking and communicate through speech, pointing and facial expressions. This is supported well by staff through activities designed to encourage them to express themselves through use of all their senses. Children use their

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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 imaginations in a variety of activities, such as playing with small world sets, organised and spontaneous art and craft, music, stories and role play in the home corner. Children's progress and well-being is monitored appropriately by key workers who observe them in play and spend time working in small groups each session. As children develop they highlight their achievements linked to the Foundation Stage areas of learning. Children's next stages of development are planned through team discussion. There is not currently a system of recording this for consistency. Therefore, this system does no ensure all younger children's learning and development is planned accurately to ensure realistic challenges are given. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy interesting activities and practical experiences linked to themes which promote their learning and development in all areas. This is supported well by staff who have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and are clear what they intend children to learn from activities. Staff provide children with lots of practical activities using real life resources to allow them to explore and experiment freely themselves. They ask children lots of questions, encourage them to make decisions, to express themselves and to share their own knowledge to allow others to benefit. Staff plan activities linked to changing themes and celebrations to reinforce learning and provide children with interesting and varied environments. For example, for the 'Five Senses' theme they explore 'touch' in the home corner 'toy shop' with different textured toys, they handle textured malleable materials and used many fabrics for

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

collage. Staff use the interest table, varied role play environments, their local outdoor environment and innovative activities to support children in making connections. Children's progress is monitored well by key workers who observe them each day. They keep assessment files for each child in which they highlight their achievements linked to the Foundation Stage areas of learning. These assessments do not include any areas for development to promote children's next stages of learning, although staff plan this through discussion regularly. However, as most staff work on a part time basis, this system does not ensure all children's learning is planned accurately to promote their next steps. Children are happy, they settle in quickly and focus well on their play. They are forming sound relationships with staff and early friendships with peers whom they seek out to play and sit with. Children sit and listen well to others speaking at

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

appropriate times and respond well to staff instruction. Children make very good use of books. For example, they listen well to stories as part of a group, choose books independently, handle them appropriately and can re-tell elements of favourite stories. Children also visit the mobile library regularly and use books to seek information linked to themes, such as different natural resources. Children write spontaneously for many different reasons and are developing good early handwriting skills through use of one handed tools. Children are developing a good understanding of numbers. They count to ten in group activities, action songs and spontaneously in their play. More developed

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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 are learning to recognise numerals and groups of objects as well. Children explore many different objects and materials to find out more about them and how they work. For example, magnets and what they can attract and what will float or sink in water. They study living things to monitor growth and change, such as planting and tending flowers and observing tadpoles in a tank. Children learn to operate lots of different equipment independently throughout the session. For example, they play music on the home corner tape machine, they photograph each other with the digital camera, they operate the remote control car outside and find objects with the metal detectors. Children are developing a good understanding of time and place through exploring aspects of their own lives, re-calling events at pre-school and exploring

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their local environment. They also explore the cultures and beliefs of others both within their community and from around the world. Children move with control and co-ordination around the room, during physical play activities and in music and movement. They enjoy a good range of small and large scale equipment indoors and in the garden to promote their physical development. They also learn to use different tools with materials to promote their hand-eye coordination. For example, glue sticks and brushes with craft work, spades, rakes and funnels with sand, whisks and spoons to cook, rollers and cutters with dough and real tools for woodwork. Children use all their senses to touch, smell, hear, taste and see a broad range of media and materials. Staff record children's expressions to re-call later for discussion. For example, children said paint feels 'squidgey' and 'soft' and the sound of a truck was 'like a rumbling noise'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are cared for equally and fairly by staff in most areas of the provision. Staff have some effective systems in place to ensure children's individual needs met. For example, records from parents, the key worker system, communication with parents and assessments of children's progress. The pre-school has a special educational needs co-ordinator in place. She works closely with the staff and parents to ensure children with additional needs are supported consistently and well. Children learn about diversity through exploring their own environment as well as beliefs and cultures of others from around the world. They also play with good quality resources which reflect positive images of different cultures and disabilities. Children are cared for within a warm and welcoming environment where they behave well and are learning about what is right and wrong. For example, older children will

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Helping children make a positive contribution

correct younger children appropriately when they snatch. Children show a good sense of belonging within the group. For example they are confident where to find things, use their own labelled pegs and boxes to store their own possessions, look at photos of themselves and receive lots of encouragement and praise from staff. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are cared for consistently and according to parent's wishes in all areas of the provision. To support this parents receive a comprehensive pack detailing setting information, staff, activities, the curriculum, committee roles, copies of the policies

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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 and procedures and the previous inspection report. Parents also complete child record forms and sign consent forms and acceptance of the group's policies and procedures. Parents are kept well-informed by staff through notices displayed inside and outside the building, regular newsletters, lots of discussion time at the start and end of sessions and half termly coffee mornings, which are very well supported. Partnership with parents is good. Parents have many opportunities to get involved in their child's learning and development. For example, newsletters and displays inform parents of all forthcoming topics, events and special activities and how to get involved in sessions and events. Parents are also invited to share their skills, for example, discussing their role as a doctor and organising woodwork activities. Parents also attend coffee

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Helping children make a positive contribution

mornings where they join in, discuss their child's well-being and progress and view their work files.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are cared for by a team of staff, most of whom hold or are working towards an appropriate child care qualification. There are effective systems in place to ensure staff are, and continue to be, suitable and prepared to carry out their roles effectively. For example, a vetting procedure, an induction programme for new staff and staff appraisal and training programmes. Children are cared for within suitable premises which staff organise appropriately to ensure they have sufficient space and resources to play safely. Staff make appropriate use of their time to provide children with active sessions within which they are not kept waiting at any time. For example, they take turns to organise activities and prepare snack time, they work together tidying up and meeting children's routines and spend time each session in small key groups. There are some systems in place to monitor the quality of care. For example, activity plans, monthly

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Organisation

safety checklists, risk assessments and rotas for cleaning the premises and equipment. However, these systems are not always effective in ensuring all areas of the provision are monitored to improve the quality of care. For example, aspects of health and hygiene, younger children's learning and development and the organisation of documentation. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Staff keep all records relating to children secure to maintain confidentiality whilst allowing them access to relevant information easily. However, some documentation, such as staff records and safety checklists are not well organised or easily accessible. This does not, therefore, support staff in carrying out their roles efficiently. Leadership and management is good. The setting has effective systems in place to monitor the quality of nursery education and its strengths and weaknesses. For example, staff meetings each term to discuss

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Organisation

planning and each half term to discuss all other issues as well as regular committee

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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 meetings. In addition, staff also evaluate activities each week to record successes, issues and how activities can be extended and supported for children. They also keep an account of any special activities, such as recording children's comments on how the flowers planted are growing. The group shows a good commitment to improvement. For example, welcome external support and guidance and act upon any recommendations. In addition, they have good liaison with the two local schools which most children will attend to provide consistent teaching methods and to aid children's transition into school.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting agreed to obtain written permission from parents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. It agreed to update the child protection policy to identify procedures if an allegation of abuse is made against a member of staff or volunteer. Also to update the complaints procedure and operational plan to identify OFSTED as the registering body and an avenue to voice concerns or complaints. The setting has obtained written permission from all parents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. The manager has also updated the child protection policy to include procedures in the event of an allegation of abuse being made against a member of staff or volunteer. This all promotes consistency of care. She has also updated the complaints procedure, which is included in the operational plan, to identify OFSTED as the registering body. Whist this informs parents of how to

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Improvements since the last inspection

make a complaint, it does not include all aspects of the new requirements regarding the complaints procedure to fully inform parents. At the last education inspection the setting agreed to develop plans to include more opportunities for children to calculate. It agreed to develop methods of planning and evaluation to include how activities can be extended and supported as necessary. The setting provides children with good activities to promote an understanding of early calculation. In addition staff plan and evaluate activities well to include how children's learning can be extended and supported as necessary.

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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

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 quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. 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): • develop learning opportunities for younger children to ensure realistic challenges are provided and their next steps planned accurately, for example, through implementing the Birth to three matters framework • improve systems of monitoring the quality of care, especially regarding aspects of hygiene, younger children's learning and development and the organisation of documentation

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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): • develop systems of monitoring and assessing children's progress to ensure their next steps are planned accurately

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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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