West Slaithwaite Junior and Infant School

Woodlands Under 5's Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Woodlands Under 5's Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 127783 Inspection date 05 May 2006 Inspector Susan Jennifer Scott

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Woodlands Under 5's Pre-School

Setting Address Vinters Park Community Centre, Aldon Close, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 5QF Telephone number 01622 671131

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E-mail

Registered person Woodlands Under 5's Pre-school Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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?

Woodlands Under 5's Pre-School is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children at the pre-school. It opened in 1982 and operates from two main rooms in the Vinters Community Centre, in Vinters Parks, Maidstone. A maximum of 36 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday during school term times from 09.15 to 11.45 Monday to Friday and 12.45 to 15.15 Monday and Tuesday. All children share

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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 access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 60 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 47 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area. Currently no children attending have special needs, but the pre-school supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs a total of seven staff, all work part time and hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children play in a clean and tidy environment where there are good routines to ensure toys, resources and equipment are clean and hygienic. Children participate in routines, activities and topics that enable them to learn the importance of good hygiene and healthy living. For example, staff encourage hand washing before eating and after they use the toilets through conversations and the pictures displayed. As a result children's skill in managing their personal hygiene is good. The children are protected from infection by the appropriate practice of staff. The record keeping and documentation ensures parents are informed of accidents and illness so that children's health is protected. Children are also protected by procedures such as ensuring that most staff have first aid skills and can deal appropriately with injury, although they do not have training to administer specialist

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Helping children to be healthy

medication should this become necessary. Children benefit from a choice of healthy food and drink at snack times when they enjoy a good variety of fruits, breads or vegetables. They independently pour themselves drinks, although they cannot choose when to take their snack. This encourages children to develop healthy habits and staff ensure that all food and drink complies with parental instructions and children's preferences, enabling them to have confidence in the choices offered. Children move confidently and in a variety of ways. They are competent when using the parachute and move enthusiastically when doing action songs. Children’s fine motor skills are developing well. They are encouraged to select and use small equipment such as scissors and benefit from using a selection of tools, crayons, and paintbrushes in everyday activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children arrive happily and settle very well. Staff provide sensitive support for new

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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 children to enable them to feel secure and happy. Children benefit from using the spacious and attractive environment, with individual coat hanging facilities and displays of their work. This makes them feel welcome and that their contributions are valued. Children have easy and safe access to a good range of toys and resources appropriate for their age and stage of development. Resources are used well by staff to meet the needs of the children; for example, there is a system to ensure the rotation of resources and equipment each session. The means that children are interested and involved in their play. Toys and resources are carefully selected and regularly checked to ensure they are safe and suitable for children to use. Children enjoy their play in a safe, secure environment and regular risk assessments, indoors and outdoors, ensure children’s

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

safety. For example, there are emergency evacuation drills planned for the inside and the outside areas. Staff are vigilant all the times and have a good understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of a fire because these are regularly practised. This ensures all children are aware of the procedures to keep them safe. Good staff interaction helps develop children’s awareness of safety within the setting and when they go out. Clear procedures ensure children understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, children benefit from good security of the premises which ensure they are unable to leave without a suitable adult. Staff have a good understanding of the procedures to be followed if they have concerns about child protection issues. This safeguards children's welfare in the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children who attend the setting are confident and secure. Staff work together effectively, utilising weekly team meetings to get to know the children and to plan for their development effectively. Children are very confident have a relaxed relationship with the staff. Children benefit from routines and plans which are displayed for parents and which encourage contributions to be brought in to support activities occasionally. Children have good conversations with staff, who ask open ended questions and encourage them to talk about themselves; this is helped by the fact that staff are able to differentiate the needs of the children and therefore promote their understanding and development effectively. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children’s assessments are regular and frequent and cover their progress in all six areas of the curriculum. The staff ensure that children are assessed during planned

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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 and spontaneous activities. Staff are confident in adapting the planned activities so that these are linked to the individual learning plans and assessments of the children. Children make good progress due to the good understanding staff have of their needs and developmental stages. Children develop their personal, social and emotional development when the staff encourage them to take responsibility, helping to tidy up or to use tissues independently. However, the snacktime routine does not fully promote the involvement and independence of children, resulting in some restlessness. Staff encourage children to discuss their ideas and experiences during activities, which enables them develop their confidence and feel valued. Children extend their communication and language skills when they happily listen to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

stories. Many of them are beginning to recognise letters and write their names. Children experience several opportunities to recognise their name labels or words during routines and they have free access to mark making facilities. Children confidently participate in counting activities, developing their familiarity with numbers. They build these skills by counting and comparing the number of boys to girls. Planned activities provide opportunities for children to measure ingredients, for instance, when they cook. Children experience interesting opportunities to celebrate varied festivals and foods such as during Chinese New Year. They have good access to varied and stimulating construction resources and they receive good staff support to extend their knowledge of technology by using the computer and varied software. Children’s physical development is successfully encouraged through both outdoor and indoor activities; for example, they use the parachute with great enjoyment. They

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop their dexterity when they sing action songs, which they perform confidently, and when they use a variety of resources and equipment such as scissors and glue spreaders. Children experience stimulating opportunities to paint and their work is displayed to support topic work, making them feel valued. Children enjoy using the imaginative play resources in the role play area such as the play kitchen, workbench, tools, telephones and dolls.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children share their thoughts and feelings during individual interactions with staff. These opportunities develop their self esteem which enables them to feel valued as individuals. They develop a positive attitude to others and gain a balanced view of society and their community through topic work, celebrating festivals and having access to a good range of play resources which show positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability. The individual needs of all children who attend are met successfully. The setting has

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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 made good arrangements to care for children with disabilities or special educational needs and liaise with various specialist agencies to support those who attend. As a consequence, children feel confident and enjoy their experiences at the setting because they are well supported. Children develop confidence and their self esteem is promoted effectively through encouragement and recognition of their efforts. Their behaviour is positive and they play together harmoniously. They begin to understand right and wrong through the explanations and good one to one support that staff provide. Children learn to take turns and share, for example, when using the computer. They receive gentle reminders and lots of praise to boost their self esteem. Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Children benefit from parents’

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Helping children make a positive contribution

involvement in their learning. Parents are given information on the planned activities and routines so that they can support their children and receive information on the Foundation Stage curriculum and funding. The parents and children benefit from effective communication through good newsletters, verbal feedback and a termly reports on their children. There are informal verbal consultations and parents can contribute by becoming involved with the management committee. This underpins the work of staff and parents to help children make progress. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Children benefit from an organisation which has secure systems in place to support staff and value their contributions. Consequently, staff morale is good, they are enthusiastic and motivated to offer good quality care and education. Systems for training and regular staff meetings are in place and there are policies and procedures to meet the National Standards so that children benefit from a staff team that have a secure understanding of these. The required documentation is all available. Children benefit from a staff team with knowledge of current good practice to ensure their needs are met. The staff are successfully implementing the Birth to Three Matters framework to ensure methods of working with younger children appropriate. As a result, outcomes to promote children's welfare, care and learning are

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Organisation

successful. Leadership and management of the setting is good. Children benefit from a strong staff team who share common aims. Staff work closely together to ensure the delivery of the programme and experience good support and guidance from the supervisor and management committee. Staff have a secure knowledge of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage which has a positive impact on the quality of education provided for children. The staff are able to identify areas of strength and weakness and use this to plan and provide a balanced curriculum. Children benefit from frequent and clear assessments of their individual progress which are shared with parents.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous care and education recommendations have been addressed successfully so that children now experience a limited amount of distraction as the hall and smaller room have been re-organised. There are clearly defined areas to cover all activities and offer variety and stimulation in appropriate surroundings. For example, children enjoy good opportunities to access books in a comfortable and quiet area. Children and parents benefit from the frequent and regular sharing of their assessments which are effectively linked to planning so that they make good progress. Children's safety is also safeguarded by the clear procedures used to register them.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider notified Ofsted of a complaint received since the last inspection. The complaint concerned National Standard 1 (suitable person). The pre-school took legal advice, investigated the complaints and took appropriate measures to ensure that adults caring for children are suitable. They have maintained a record of the complaint as required. The registered provider continues to remain qualified for registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which can be seen on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that staff receive appropriate training to administer specialist medication

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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 develop opportunities for children to exercise independence, particularly at snacktime

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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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