Wembury Preschool

Wembury Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Wembury Pre-School

Unique Reference Number EY242951 Inspection date 27 April 2006 Inspector Leoarna Mathias

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Wembury Pre-School

Setting Address Wembury Pre-School, All Sorts Building, Wembury Primary School, Knighton Road, Wembury, Plymouth, PL9 0EB Telephone number 01752 863472

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E-mail

Registered person Wembury Pre-school Committee 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?

Wembury Pre-school has been registered for many years, having moved in 2003 from the village hall to new purpose built premises within the grounds of the village primary school. The new building comprises an entrance hall, a large main room, separate toilets, kitchen, office and storage facilities. There is a secure outside area available for play. An after school club and holiday play scheme also operate from the building under a separate registration. The village is a short distance from both

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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 the city of Plymouth, rural and coastal areas. The group is open from 09:00 hours to 11:30 hours Monday to Friday, with further sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 hours until 15:00 hours for children preparing to attend school. A lunch club from 11:30 hours until 12:30 hours is available on these days. There are 42 children currently on roll, including 38 children in receipt of nursery education funding. Three children with special educational needs attend. There are six part time staff who are employed by the voluntary committee to work with the children, five of whom hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 qualification. The group receives support from the Local Authority and is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children are developing a good understanding of what it means to be healthy. They are increasingly independent in the personal care, knowing the benefits of washing their hands before handling food or after toileting. They can name many nutritious foods as a result of regular teaching in this area, and enjoy healthy items such as fruit salad for snack. Drinking water is readily available throughout the session. Staff employ sensible hygiene routines throughout the pre-school, keeping surfaces clean and ensuring that resources are in good order. Children's health needs are also suitably monitored through the use of clear documentation systems that keep parents fully informed of accidents, the administration of medicines, or the use of first aid, as well as all staff having a good awareness of any children with particular dietary requirements. Children move around, both indoors and out, with confidence and

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Helping children to be healthy

safety. They enjoy very regular access to outside activities in the form of planned group games and times for free play. They access a good range of equipment, such as stilts, tunnels, balls, and a climbing frame, that promote the development of their physical skills.

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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 safe environment where they are closely supervised, reducing the risk of accidental injury. Risk assessment systems work effectively to ensure that hazards are minimised, and action is taken promptly when necessary. Resources and equipment is well organised to be safely and easily accessible to children. Fire drills are regular and fully evaluated. Access to the provision is closely monitored as a result of clear arrival and departure procedures and the recording of visitors to the group. Children are encouraged to participate in being responsible for their own safety, as they have regular opportunities to learn from outside professionals, such as the police, who promote safety. Children's welfare, while they

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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 are at the setting, is fully promoted, as staff have a good understanding of their child protection responsibilities, and are aware of the procedures they should follow if concerns arise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children show good levels of confidence and self-esteem as they participate in a pleasing range of activities designed to promote their learning and development. Children readily gravitate towards staff for support, comfort and to share their achievements, and new children are effectively supported so that they settle quickly. Staff have worked hard to revise planning to meet the changing age range of the group, paying particular attention to successfully introducing the Birth to three matters framework. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children settle quickly to activities and show high levels of concentration and persistence on tasks such as using the educational programmes on the computer or making a fruit salad. They are enthusiastic participants in their own learning, being keen to answer questions and to try new activities. Children demonstrate genuine pleasure when greeting each other,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

showing spontaneous affection and consideration for each other, and playing co-operatively for extended periods of time. They respond well to reward systems for good behaviour, and are thus increasingly able to manage themselves so that they give of their best. All children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. Children communicate clearly with staff and each other and enjoy contributing to group discussions at register time. They listen attentively at story time. Children readily recognise the letter of the week, and the letters of their own names. Children approaching school attendance are encouraged to borrow books from the neighbouring school library. Children access many writing materials within the setting, and as such are beginning to be able to write their names and use writing for a purpose, though, occasionally, opportunities to further challenge in this area are not

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

taken up. Similarly, numerous opportunities to discuss number and to count are taken up throughout the session, but group times are not used as fully as they might be to promote knowledge of counting and number. However, concepts such as 'one more' are appropriately introduced to children during small group work, and children are increasingly familiar with a range of shapes and comparative words. Children are curious about the world around them, observing the features of a bumble bee in the garden and the fruit they are chopping up. They make good use of information technology and resources that promote their designing and making skills. They have regular opportunities to learn about their local environment and the wider world. Children's fine motor skills are developing well as a result of their access to a good range of resources, such as pens, paint, scissors, shovels, jugs and spouts. Children can make meaningful comments about colour and texture as they access a wide

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

range of media and materials. They enjoy song singing and music and movement

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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 sessions. They are encouraged to express their thoughts during group discussions, and they use their imaginations to the full when using art materials and role play areas. The play leader and her well qualified team have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Written plans allow staff to focus on the learning intentions of each activity, and staff are becoming increasingly skilled in challenging the now more diverse range of children attending to achieve their potential. At the same time they acknowledge that there is work left to be done in this area, particularly in how they use time, and group the children throughout the session. Nevertheless, adults are calm, are positive about children's achievements, and have clear expectations of their behaviour at all times. Resources are put to very good use,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and all available space is used to provide an engaging learning environment. Assessment systems have been revised to ensure they monitor children's progress in all parts of the curriculum, and are now more effectively used to plan the next steps in children's learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The pre-school staff go to a great deal of effort to ensure that the individual needs of the children in their care are met. Children also receive a lot of encouragement to be respectful of each other, enjoying plenty of meaningful activities that explore difference and diversity. They are considerate and well mannered, playing co-operatively with each other, and responding well to adult encouragement to be kind to each other and to share. Children with special educational needs are given effective support from a particularly experienced SENCO practitioner who works hard to access appropriate outside agency support for the children in her care. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered appropriately. The partnership with parents is outstanding. Strong relationships are very much in evidence between parents and staff. Parents' views are sought, and suggestions for

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Helping children make a positive contribution

change responded to quickly, for example, allowing two year olds to attend. Notice boards are particularly informative, and parents access good levels of information about current topic planning. An open house feel pervades the setting, with many parents staying during register time, and a parents volunteer supporting every session. In this way parents become familiar with how their child learns, and through regular parents' evenings, they also have opportunities to learn about their child's progress and contribute to further planning for their child's learning. As a result, children enjoy high levels of continuity of care and education between home and the pre-school.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The pre-school meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. There is a high ratio of well qualified staff to children at every session, and sensible

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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 deployment plans allow children to access effective support for their care, learning and development. Staff access a thorough induction programme as well as regular top up training, and as a result, are confident in their roles. Policies that reflect the work of the group are in good order, are reviewed regularly, and are readily accessible to parents. The committee further works to ensure that they can fund administrative support for the group, and this further ensures that all regulatory required documentation is in good order. The leadership and management of the pre-school is good. The Chair and committee offer active support to the staff team, through regular contact and appraisal systems. Both the Chair and the Play Leader have worked particularly hard to strengthen

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Organisation

relationships between themselves and the Foundation Stage within the neighbouring school, to ensure a smooth and positive transition for the children going to school. The Play Leader has effective evaluation skills that she puts to good effect on a daily basis. She meets new challenges, such as adapting the organisation of the group to meet a now more diverse age range, with enthusiasm, while acknowledging there is work left to be done in this area. When taken overall, however, the group is continuously working towards improvement. The whole team has a strong ethos, working well together and adopting a positive attitude towards inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection of nursery education the pre-school was asked to further challenge older and more able children through the use of incidental opportunities, and to improve assessment systems so that the information gathered could be used to plan the next steps in children's learning. A clear action plan was established in response to the last inspection, and staff are now able to offer effective challenge to children more of the time. Assessments of children's progress are also now used more formally during regular meetings with parents, and from these discussions, the next term's targets for each child are established.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration Ofsted has received one complaint relating to Standard 12: Working in partnership with parents and carers and Standard 13: Child Protection. These concerns were related to a referral made to Social Services and the communication between the complainant and the setting. Ofsted wrote to the provider and asked them to investigate the complaint within 10 working days. The provider wrote back giving details of their policies and procedures. From the information received, Ofsted found that no breach of the National Standards occurred and the provider remains qualified for registration. 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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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):

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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): • further improve teaching strategies and the use of time in order to meet the learning and developmental needs of the now more diverse age range of the group (applies to Care also).

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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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