Thurton & Ashby St. Mary Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/11/2004 Inspector Name Jane Louise Tallent

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Thurton & Ashby St. Mary Pre-School Setting Address Thurton Pre-School Thurton Village Hall Norwich Norfolk NR14 6AX

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Thurton & Ashby St. Mary Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Thurton & Ashby St. Mary Pre-School Address Thurton Pre-School Thurton Village Ha;; Norwich Norfolk NR14 6AX

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Thurton and Ashby St Mary Pre-school opened in 1992. It operates from Thurton Village Hall, where children have access to a main play hall, quiet room, toilets, cloakroom and an enclosed outdoor area. The pre-school serves the local area and neighbouring villages in rural Norfolk.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 22 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 16 funded 3-year-olds. The setting does not currently support any funded children who speak English as an additional language. They are supportive of children with special educational needs. The group opens on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during term times. Sessions are from 9:00 to 11:30. Three staff work with the children. Two staff have level three qualifications in child care. The pre-school receives support from their Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Thurton and Ashby St Mary Pre-school provides satisfactory care for children. Most of the staff are qualified and all are well intentioned. They provide many worthwhile activities for the children to play with and work hard before each session to ensure that children are greeted with a bright and stimulating environment as they arrive. Most aspects of safety are well promoted. However, the children are not given sufficiently clear boundaries to follow and as a consequence, children demonstrate poor patterns of behaviour, such as throwing toys or refusing to pick up discarded items. This in turn, has a detrimental impact on the group's ability to meet some of the national standards well. Children behave particularly poorly at snack times, but staff do attempt to encourage good nutrition and provide regular drinks and snacks

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How good is the Day 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 for the children. No effective hand washing routine is currently in place. Staff attempt to treat all children with equal concern and provide many worthwhile activities and resources to promote cultural diversity. Staff are less able to make sure that all children, including those who are less boisterous, or who do not have English as their first language, are fully integrated. The pre-school has devised a comprehensive set of policies to use as a point of reference in child protection cases and when dealing with special educational needs of children. The partnership with parents is effective and they are well supported. Parents help during sessions and some also serve as committee members. They have opportunities to engage in daily interaction with staff as the children arrive and

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the pre-school were asked to confirm that they operated within local planning regulations. Since then, they have obtained the clarification that they sought which successfully addresses the issue.

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What is being done well?

• The way that staff interact with children is kind, friendly and well intentioned. As a consequence children demonstrate high levels of confidence. • Resources are provided in sufficient quantity to stimulate the children's interest and offer them many worthwhile activities. • The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents feel involved in their children's care and are welcomed into the group in order to settle their children or to help with domestic tasks. • Records are well maintained.

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What needs to be improved?

• staff's awareness and understanding of effective ways to manage children's behaviour and promote their involvement in activities • good hygiene practices with regard to handwashing • snack times.

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inspection or 1st April 2004 whichever is later.)

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 11 Improve staff's awareness and understanding of effective ways to manage children's behaviour, taking into account their age and stage of development. 10/01/2005

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 7 Promote regular handwashing with the children. 2 Improve the staff's understanding of their role in ensuring that children are involved in activities. Help them to fully understand what the children are expected to get out of the activities, which are provided at each session. 8 Support children in managing their behaviour at snack times and encourage them to develop good social skills.

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by the time of the next 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The provision for nursery education at Thurton and Ashby St Mary Pre-school is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement. Children make generally good progress in their physical and creative development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world, but their personal, social and emotional development is poor. This impacts on their communication, language, literacy and mathematical development, which is significantly weak. The quality of teaching is weak. Staff are friendly and positive towards the children. They understand the early learning goals and provide appropriate equipment. They plan activities well but do not follow through with guidance, nor provide sufficient challenge for more able children. Expectations that children will take part in activities means that participation is not well monitored. Nor do the staff plan how all children will be involved. The staff are aware that children disrupt activities but do not have

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How effective is the nursery education?

high enough expectations of them, nor always reinforce positive patterns of behaviour. Observations are positive but inaccurately reflect children's social skills, which makes planning challenges for children weak. Children trust the staff and stretch boundaries when they are not sufficiently reinforced. They respond well to one to one interaction with staff and enjoy exploration and outdoor play. Leadership and management is weak. Children demonstrate negative patterns of behaviour which are having a detrimental impact on their ability to make suitable progress. The group have clear aims and demonstrate much commitment to providing good quality education. However, they do not have sufficient ability to be able to assess their own strengths and weaknesses and monitor the effectiveness of teaching. The partnership with parents is generally good. A good system is in place to keep parents informed of the curriculum and how their child can be involved.

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What is being done well?

• Staff consistently provide children with many worthwhile resources to stimulate their imagination and encourage them to explore and discover how things work during outdoor play and physical movement. They are creative and have good opportunities to cook, plant, go on visits and learn about cultures. This helps children to make progress with their knowledge and understanding of the world, and with their physical and creative development.

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What needs to be improved?

• the quality of teaching • leadership and management

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What needs to be improved?

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • assessments.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Since their last inspection staff have begun to address the key issues and have made generally good progress. They have introduced a number of accessible labels in the pre-school environment to increase the opportunities that children have to see and use words. They have also made children's learning stories into a shared document, where parents can contribute to their children's assessment portfolios.

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What has improved 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children demonstrate high levels of self-esteem and confidence in their relationships with other children and adults. However, they show little consideration of the need for there to be agreed codes for the group to work together harmoniously. They are aware of what is right and wrong but overall patterns of behaviour are poor. This hinders the children's personal and social development, and has a detrimental impact on the amount of time children spend at activities before they are disrupted.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Most of the children are confident speakers. They are helped to recognise their name cards as they arrive. They enjoy individual stories and most are beginning to understand that words have meanings. Staff encourage children to extend their vocabulary during imaginary play, as they wrap parcels in the shop. Children are given opportunities to see words displayed, but are not challenged to identify sounds and letters. Some have begun to make marks on paper but not all children chose to do so.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Some children are able to count towards ten during routine activities and some are beginning to use simple addition and subtraction when balancing and counting objects. They learn about colour, shape and size through practical activities. Staff use mathematical language to help children to recognise patterns when making craft frogs for example. There are few planned opportunities for children to identify written numerals and recreate them, although the numbers are displayed in the rooms.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Opportunities for children to explore their environment are prioritised, and this is an area that interests them. They are developing early scientific skills when they use pulleys, wheels and magnifying glasses. They also observe changes as they mix water with sand or soil during outdoor play. Most of the children are familiar with their local environment and talk about features and changing weather patterns. They have begun to think about other cultures and ways of life through topics.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy outdoor activities and are developing spatial awareness. They move with control and can be considerate of one another on large climbing equipment. They are learning how to share responsibility for their own care, by putting on coats and wellies in cold and wet weather. Co-ordination and manipulative skills are developing well. The children are able to throw, ride and balance. They show control of their hands and fingers when building, using pencils, paint brushes and scissors.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use a variety of materials to communicate their ideas and explore textures, colour, shape and form, such as paint, stickers, paper, leaves and other materials. The children's sensory development is nurtured effectively by hands on activities, such as mixing ingredients for cooking. Some opportunities are provided to allow children to explore musical instruments and help their creative development. There are also some planned opportunities for children to move spontaneously to music.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Improve the quality of teaching, to challenge older and more able children, encourage personal, social and emotional development and monitor children's involvement in activities that promote literacy and mathematical skills. • Develop a structure to monitor and assess the pre-school's strengths, weaknesses and efficiency. • Make assessments evaluative, so that they can be relied upon when planning activities to help individuals to make significant progress in their learning.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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