Parson Cross Church of England Primary School

White Tree Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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White Tree Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 107107 Inspection date 28 April 2006 Inspector Flo Griffin-Taylor

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White Tree Pre-School

Setting Address 4 North View, Westbury Park, Bristol, Avon, BS6 7QB

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White Tree Pre-School

Telephone number 0117 9731562 E-mail white_tree_group@hotmail.com Registered person White Tree Pre-School Committee Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

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White Tree 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?

White Tree Pre-school is a well established group, which has been open since 1993. It operates from the first floor hall of Westbury Park Methodist Church, North View, Bristol. It is overseen by a committee from the church, and led by a pre-school manager, who is accountable for the overall organisation and the daily management of the group. A maximum of 28 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The group is

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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 open during term time only. Sessions run Monday to Friday, from 09.15 to 12.00, with one afternoon session held on a Thursday, from 13.00 to 15.00. There are currently 43 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these 32 children receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school has provision for children with learning difficulties and for those for whom English is an additional language. Currently eight staff are employed to work directly with the children on various days of the week, all of whom have a range of qualifications and experience. A rota system is in operation. The manager is a trained teacher and two other staff hold a Level 3 qualification in child care. One member of staff is working towards an NVQ level 3. The pre-school receives support from the Early years Development and Child Care

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is actively promoted through well established routines and good practice. This is supported by a wide range of written statements, which include sickness, medication and health and hygiene procedures. Children are protected from illness and infection through the provision of a clean environment and the exclusion of children who are sick. Staff support the children and act as good role models. They help them to develop a positive awareness and understanding of health issues and an eagerness to become increasingly independent in their personal care. Children learn about adopting good procedures through well planned and established daily routines. For example, they know that 'germs stop spreading' when they wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating and after messy play. Staff ensure that all play materials and equipment items are washed regularly and

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Helping children to be healthy

that tables are cleaned and disinfected at snack times. Parents are informed of outbreaks of childhood illnesses within the setting. Children are appropriately looked after if they become ill and are well protected through the staff's knowledge of first aid and the procedures to follow if medication is administered and accidents occur. All records are shared with parents. A varied range of enjoyable activities are on offer which contribute to children's good health. They enjoy physical play on a daily basis, which helps them learn to control their bodily movements, develop co-ordination and maintain good fitness levels. Staff have a good understanding of each child's stage of development and plan activities which give them the confidence to try out new experiences. For example, crawling through a tunnel and ascending/descending the climbing frame. Children move around the premises with confidence. They ably find their own space when sitting in

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Helping children to be healthy

groups and move around tables and chairs with ease. They enjoy the freedom of space and develop a very positive attitude to physical exercise and enthusiastically take part. They take delight in the challenge of negotiating an obstacle course,

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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 balancing as they walk on apparatus cups and manoeuvring trikes. Children follow action songs and develop climbing, throwing, jumping and batting skills. Staff support the children to develop new skills such as using scissors safely and effectively and holding a pencil correctly. Children find out about the effects of exercise on their bodies. They listen to their heart beat after active movement. They warm up before moving to music/dance sessions and group games, and rest when finished. Children are developing an understanding of nutrition and are encouraged to eat healthily. They are offered a varied range of nutritious snacks, which includes fresh fruit daily, together with either milk or water to drink. These comply with special dietary requirements and the wishes of parents. Staff promote conversation about

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Helping children to be healthy

which foods are healthier and those which are less healthy if eaten in larger amounts. Children are introduced to new tastes, for example, different fruits and vegetables, and undertake projects on food with regard to various countries around the world. Good levels of parental involvement in healthy eating projects also contribute to children's understanding of maintaining a healthy life style.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed and greeted into the safe, relaxed and inviting environment. They use a wide range of good quality play resources and equipment appropriate to their age and stage of development, all of which conform to safety requirements. Toys are attractively set out prior to their arrival. They are well organised, with a good balance of floor toys and table top activities. All are safely accessible to children. Other play items are stored in boxes, cupboards and on low shelf units, and extend children's choice, enabling them to self select and encouraging independence. Many samples of children's art work are attractively displayed on the walls, giving additional colour to the surroundings. Children's freedom to move around is maximised as the main play area is well arranged and structured, with space between activities, set out in clearly defined areas. Safety is given a high priority so that children are protected from harm. Risks of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

accidental injury are minimised as staff are very vigilant and use detailed risk assessments to reduce potential hazards. Children are made aware of safety issues. Staff gently and skilfully explain safe practices, such as why it is important to pick up play items dropped on the floor, so that other children do not fall and hurt themselves. As a result children are developing a regard for their own safety and that of others. Fire drills are undertaken on a regular basis and details noted. However, these are not formally recorded. Safe procedures are in place for any outings and visits undertaken, with children aware of the need to stay close together. Regular and on-going communication with parents also contributes to children's safety. Children are well protected by staff and prime concern is given to their welfare. They are closely supervised at all times and are never left in the care of any adult who is

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

not vetted. The child protection co-ordinator has a good and clear understanding of her role and has received training in this area. She ensures that the policy and procedures are up to date and that all staff understand their responsibilities. She is

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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 clear as to the actions to take if concerns are noted and shares this information with parents. However, there is no written statement on the procedures to follow if allegations were made against a member of staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. They progress well as staff use their knowledge, expertise and understanding of child development to plan a wide range of activities which excite and stimulate children's natural curiosity and desire to learn. Children arrive happily at the setting and are eager to participate. On starting at the pre-school children's individual needs are taken fully into consideration, with staff gently and sensitively introducing and helping them to settle. Parents attend as many sessions as needed until their child feels secure. Once settled children confidently enter and enthusiastically join in with the activities. Children say they enjoy being at the pre-school, they like the toys and playing with their friends. They form a close bond with both staff and peers. All children benefit from the individual care and attention given within the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff recognise the uniqueness of each child. They are listened to and valued, thus increasing their confidence to learn new skills. Close and caring relationships with staff increase children's sense of trust and help them to develop a strong sense of self. Early communication and language skills are well supported and promoted through good adult-child interactions. Children begin to make sense of the world and ably express their thoughts and ideas as they join in a wide range of exploratory and sensory experiences. For example, they examine objects under a magnifying glass and explore the textures of paint, glue, 'gloop,' shaving foam, dough, clay and jelly. Children are relaxed, comfortable and fascinated by the wide range of stimulating and interesting activities on offer. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a clear understanding of how children learn and a good knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Curriculum. They plan a wide range of topic related activities which appeal to children and cover all six areas of learning. A flexible approach is applied, with a good balance between adult and child led activities, which allows children to develop at their own pace. A key worker system is in operation and children's progress is carefully monitored. A clear picture of children's learning and progress is identified through the effective use of on-going written observations and assessment records that are linked to the stepping stones, and which are used to plan experiences that support children take the next step in their learning. A new system has recently been introduced and is under review and being further developed. Children's interest is well sustained during group activities and a calm atmosphere is created, with children given the time and opportunity to complete tasks in an unhurried way. Staff are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

perceptive to children's interest during self-initiated play and use pertinent questions to challenge children's thinking and language skills.

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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 show a strong sense of belonging and develop good self-esteem. They enjoy looking at photo's of themselves and proudly show and point to their own displayed work. Children are interested, keen to learn and actively and purposefully engaged in activities. They play co-operatively together, show concern for others, are able to wait their turn and share tasks, such as tidying up at the end of the session and placing resources back in storage containers. Children chat confidently to each other and in a group. They talk about their home and family, for example, playing with their brother/sister or visiting their grandmother. They are able to readily recall past events, for example, looking at some photographs on display children were able to talk about the activities undertaken and identify friends. They listen carefully and with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

interest to stories and are able to recount significant details. All children recognise that print has meaning and use marks readily to represent their ideas. Many are beginning to recognise their names in print and practise writing it. They link sounds to letters and can identify different shapes and sizes. They enjoy looking at books and telling stories to each other. Children work well together and help, support and guide each other, for example, when building structures using large construction blocks, completing a puzzle and operating computer equipment. During free play children select from a wide range of age appropriate and well chosen resources which offer challenge and stimulation and supports their learning across all areas of development. They match shapes, bears, buttons and animal figures, comparing the colours and sizes, before counting and estimating the total. They use different sized measuring utensils in the sand and water play, using

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

mathematical expressions such as small, large, full, empty, heavy and light to compare quantities and weight. Children organise their own thoughts and ideas while playing with small world figures, farm and zoo animals and understand positional language. Through participation in singing some of their favourite rhymes such as '5 little speckled frogs', '5 current buns', and '10 fat sausages', they learn to subtract. Children develop a good sense of time and space through well established group routines. They are inquisitive about the world around them and fascinated by living things observed at first hand. They eagerly hunt for bugs and snails in the garden and excitably watch frogspawn become tadpoles, examining them all carefully, gently, and using words such as wriggly, slimy and slippery. They enjoy simple cooking activities, and make and decorate biscuits and cakes. Children learn about the wider world and about their surrounding environment through the many

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

meaningful experiences and activities on offer. For example, planting flowers, herbs and bedding plants in the rear garden, and carefully watering, nurturing and observing them. They also go on local walks and nature rambles around the area, with trips to Durdham Downs, the library, garage and church. Children develop their fine motor skills and use small tools effectively through threading, cutting, moulding and spreading activities. Their physical skills develop and improve through a wide variety of different experiences, including music and movement, dance and team games. They express their imagination and creativity and explore their senses in a variety of ways through role play, construction, painting, drawing, modelling and sensory topics and activities.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed, included and valued as individuals. They are encouraged to feel special and all achievements are acknowledged. Staff work well with parents, ensuring that children's individual needs are met. There are effective arrangements in place to care for children with learning difficulties, who integrate well with the group. Equipment and resources are adapted and the necessary staff support provided, to ensure they are able to participate fully. Children benefit from the positive partnership between parents and staff. Parents views about their children's needs, interests and abilities are actively sought before a child commences at the pre-school, and on a regular basis throughout their time there. Parents are kept well informed and receive good information about the setting through a detailed prospectus booklet and welcome pack, daily discussion, clear notices on parents boards, regular news letters

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and meetings. Children gain a good sense of belonging to their local community through visits to the local shops and walks around the surrounding area. They gain an awareness of the wider world through well planned activities. Visitors to the pre-school, play resources representing positive images, topic work undertaken on food, and celebration of festivals, such as the Chinese New Year, Divali and Eid, increase children's understanding of diversity and of other cultures and ways of life. Children behave well. Staff support children in sharing and turn taking and have a proactive approach to behaviour management. They set clear, calm and consistent boundaries, age appropriate, with lots of positive praise. This helps children to learn to negotiate with others and take responsibility for their own actions and behaviour. Children's understanding is increased as they respond to gentle reminders to care for

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Helping children make a positive contribution

the resources and each other. Children know what is expected of them. They relate well to each other, show care and concern for others around them and are polite, co-operative and assist with tidying up. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The partnership with parents is good and contributes significantly to the children's well-being at the pre-school. Parents receive good information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and of their children's progress. This is achieved through specific information meetings, planning and activity sheets clearly displayed, easy access to children's written records and folders, and daily discussion with staff. Children benefit from their parents active involvement in activities that contribute to their learning, for example, providing photographs and resources from home.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and learning is enhanced by the good quality of organisation within the pre-school. The good staff to child ratio and effective deployment of staff ensures that all children are well supported in their play, receive good attention and that their well-being is promoted. The areas used within the premises are well set out and structured. Space is arranged attractively and creatively to maximise play opportunities for children. Resources and activities are easily accessible. Staff work

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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 well together as a team, are keen, interested and clear as to their roles and responsibilities. The legally required documentation, together with the operational plan and comprehensive file of policies and procedures is in place. These all contribute to children's health, safety and protection. However, some items lacked further detail and not all paperwork was readily available, systematically maintained or filed appropriately. Some policies and procedures are due for review. Leadership and management is good, as is the quality of teaching and learning. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage Curriculum and how to apply this in practice to support children in their learning and development. There is a clear vision for the future and the manager is able to identify the strengths

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Organisation

and weaknesses of the setting. Children benefit from the well motivated, enthusiastic and experienced staff team, who are effectively inducted and receive on-going supervision and annual appraisals. Priority is given to training. Staff regularly update their skills and knowledge by attending various courses and workshop training sessions throughout the year. One staff is currently working towards a Level 3 qualification in child care. All are committed to continuous improvement and development. Staff meet regularly to plan, reflect and monitor the quality of care and education they provide, to ensure that children make good progress in all areas of learning. They commenced late last year the Bristol Standard For Early Years, a self evaluative assurance scheme. The project is nearly completed and will soon be ready for submission. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

A recommendation and point of consideration was raised at the last care and education inspections regarding: the availability of trained staff to cover emergencies and staff absences; the clarity of the written planning to show how children's needs will be met by the specific activities provided daily. Since then the pre-school has made very good progress to address these issues and have carried out improvements which promote children's well-being and their learning opportunities. Any agency or supply staff used to cover emergencies and staff absences have a Level 3 qualification in the field of child care, and have been suitably vetted. Planning sheets, which are linked to the early learning goals, give clear detail on how to promote and extend children's learning from the activities on offer. They include prompts for questioning, key vocabulary to use and evaluation comments. These are used to plan experiences that support children take the next

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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

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Complaints 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 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): • devise a written statement of procedures to be followed in the event of allegations of abuse made against a member of staff, and comply fully with fire safety recommendations and record full details of fire drills. • ensure that all documentation is made readily available, systematically maintained, filed appropriately, with policies and procedures reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

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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): • continue to review and develop the children's assessment system, to further support and provide on-going evidence of children's progress and achievements.

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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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