Little Buds Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/11/2003 Inspector Name Caroline Valerie Novak

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Little Buds Pre School Setting Address Brickfields Avenue Newmarket Suffolk CB8 7RX

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Little Buds Pre School 1019920

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Little Buds Pre School Address Community Centre Brickfields Avenue Newmarket Suffolk CB8 7RX

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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

Little Buds Pre-School opened in 1990 as Studlands Playgroup and changed to its current name in 2002. It operates from one large room in the Community Centre in Brickfields Avenue in Newmarket. The children also have supervised access to the enclosed public outdoor play area adjoining the premises. The pre-school serves the local community and surrounding areas. There are currently 41 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 10 funded 3 year olds and 6 funded 4 year olds. The setting provides support for children who have special needs and for those who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 12:00; 13:00 until 16:00 with an optional lunch club from 12:00 until 13:00. Five members of staff work with the children; two of the staff have a level 3 early years qualification, and two members of staff are planning working towards an

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Information about the setting

accredited training qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Little Buds Pre-school provides good quality care for children aged two to under five years. Staff supervise children well and maintain good adult to child ratios. All areas of the premises are safe and all essential documents are in place. However, some documents need updating. An induction procedure is in place to help new staff work effectively, and all members of the team are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Relationships between adults and children are very good. Children initiate conversations and adults are interested in what children say and do. Staff make very

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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 good use of the indoor and outdoor play space available. They provide a warm and welcoming environment to help children and their families feel welcome. Children have access to a wide range of interesting resources and equipment to enable them to pursue their own interests and become independent. Staff plan stimulating experiences for children and encourage them to initiate and choose their own activities. Snack time is organised so that children's individual needs are met and staff provide children with nutritious snacks. However, children are not able to help themselves to drinking water when they want to. Very good procedures are in place to help children learn about good health and hygiene. There is a satisfactory system

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How good is the Day Care?

to provide support for children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Partnership with parents is good. Parents know what is going on through regular newsletters and an informative Parents' Information leaflet. They receive regular updates on their children's progress and are confident to discuss their children with the staff at hand over times.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the pre-school agreed to establish a written procedure for outings and obtain parents consent prior to taking children out of the setting; make the gate on the outside play area secure; make the front entrance door secure and display fire procedures on each exit. All actions have been completed successfully. The written procedure for taking children on outings is understood by all staff and parents give their written permission for children to be taken on visits. The gate on the outside play area and the entrance door are both alarmed so that children can not leave the premises unaccompanied by an adult and persons can not enter the premises unannounced. The fire procedures are suitably displayed so that everyone knows what to do if the building needs to be evacuated in an emergency.

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What is being done well?

• Staff provide a stimulating and welcoming environment for the children, despite having to pack away at the end of each day. Attractive displays of children's work are well labelled and help children and their families to feel comfortable in the setting. • A wide range of good quality resources are available to the children, and they are able to initiate and choose their own activities so that they can become independent and self motivated. • A very good operational plan provides staff and parents with access to good quality information about the setting. It contains a wide range of documents including a comprehensive risk assessment, which helps the staff to reduce the risk of accidents; plans for future staff training, so that adults can continue to update their knowledge and skills, and an action plan for further development of the provision as a whole.

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What is being done well?

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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An aspect of outstanding practice:

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff use a wide range of very good strategies to help children to behave well and understand what is expected of them. Adults present themselves as good role models for the children, interacting with each other and the children respectfully and in a polite manner, showing genuine interest in what each person has to say. The staff allow adequate time for children to explore activities, carry out instructions and pursue their own interests, and the daily routine is planned around the needs of the children. Adults enable children to choose and initiate their own activities and they ensure that group activities such as snack time, meet children's individual developmental needs so that children are not kept waiting for long periods of time without purposeful activity.

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What needs to be improved?

• documentation, so that the complaints procedure reflects the changes in the regulator and the child protection statement shows a procedure to be followed in the event of allegations of abuse against a member of staff or volunteer

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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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 14 Update the child protection statement to show a procedure to be followed in the event of allegations being made against a member of staff or volunteer and ensure the complaints procedure reflects the change in the regulator.

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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 Little Buds Pre-school is good. It enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals, with very good progress in creative development. Teaching is generally good with some very good aspects. Adults use their sound knowledge of how children learn, to plan a range of practical activities for children to experience. They provide an attractive environment, with well-defined areas for children to engage in different activities, and work alongside the children to help them become confident and form good relationships. However, curriculum planning does not follow the stepping-stones and is not informed by assessment. This leads to missed learning opportunities and some activities lack challenge for older or more able children. Behaviour is excellent. Children show respect for each other, follow instructions and understand what is expected of them.

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How effective is the nursery education?

A satisfactory system is in place to identify and support children with special educational needs, but planning does not show differentiation for individual learning needs. A range of appropriate strategies helps children with English as an additional language to communicate effectively. Leadership and management are generally good. Regular staff meetings enable the staff to share ideas and exchange information. Relationships are good, and staff work well together as a team. The management committee of parent volunteers delegates the day-to-day running of the group to two joint managers. A system of appraisals for all staff helps to identify areas for further development. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are well informed about the foundation stage, activities, and routines. They are able to discuss their children's progress and they receive regular written reports. Their comments about their

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How effective is the nursery education?

children's achievements outside the setting are not yet used to help plan the next steps for progress.

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What is being done well?

• The staff use their sound knowledge and understanding of how children learn to provide a wide range of interesting activities and a stimulating environment for children to use. They provide children with free access to resources and materials, so that they can pursue their own interests and become independent learners. An excellent graphics and 'make and do' trolley provides children with a wide assortment of resources to encourage them to make marks on paper and experiment with different mediums. They are able to use their imagination to produce two and three dimensional creations whenever they want, extending their creativity and knowledge and understanding of how things work. They 'write' birthday cards to their friends

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What is being done well?

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 and make pictures from stones, lentils, shells and sequins. • The management team are pro-active in identifying areas for further development. All staff are committed to their own professional development and are keen to continue to increase their knowledge and understanding of early years. A training audit has been carried out to identify areas for further staff development and an action plan is in place, showing key areas that the group want to address in order to improve the provision as a whole. • Relationships between adults and children are very good. Adults work alongside children, supporting them in their exploration and independent learning, and provide opportunities for children to demonstrate what they

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What is being done well?

know and understand. They are interested in what children say and do and treat children's comments and suggestions seriously. As a result, children are confident to initiate conversations, ask questions and extend their own learning.

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What needs to be improved?

• children's opportunities to learn about numbers and calculation through everyday routines and in meaningful contexts • children's access to information and communication technology, and programmable toys and equipment • staff's knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage curriculum, so that they can take advantage of everyday opportunities to promote children's learning and know how the activities that they provide contribute to children's progress towards the early learning goals • curriculum planning and assessment of children's progress, so that the activities provided build upon what children already know and understand, and offer appropriate challenges for all children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This is the first inspection of funded education provision in this setting.

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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: Generally Good Children are confident to initiate their own activities and conversations. They show high levels of self esteem and form good relationships with each other and with adults in the group. They concentrate and sit quietly at self chosen activities, such as jigsaw puzzles or water play, and they share resources at activities. However, some adult led activities such as making collages for a display, lack challenge for older or more able children, affecting their motivation to take part.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children interact and speak clearly, using a wide range of vocabulary. They explore new words when they talk about 'slimy' glue, or invent words of their own to describe the textures that they encounter as they play with the dough. They know about initial sounds and recognise some written words. They enjoy looking at books and make up their own narratives as they play together in the home corner. However, opportunities for them to write for a purpose in meaningful contexts are missed.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use numbers and counting in their play. They recognise written numerals and are beginning to show some understanding of simple calculations as they work out how many currant buns are left in the bakers shop. They use appropriate vocabulary to describe size and shape, and recreate simple patterns. They use their developing knowledge of mathematics to pour their own drink at snack but some opportunities for them to learn about mathematics through daily routines and activities are missed.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children design and build constructions from a range of materials, selecting their own resources. They observe the life cycle of butterflies and watch with interest as they hatch from the cocoon.They use everyday technology such as telephones and calculators with confidence, but lack opportunities to explore computers and operate programmable toys. They talk about their families and home lives with understanding, and learn about different cultures as they dress up in the home corner.

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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 move confidently and imaginatively, indoors and out. They use a wide range of tools and handle large and small items with co-ordination and control. They are able to ride bicycles, balance and climb in safety. They show an understanding of how their bodies work, and know that fruit is "good for you". They use a range of techniques to shape dough and pick up lentils or sequins to put on their pictures. However, opportunities for children to develop new physical skills are missed.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children explore texture and colours making hand prints or looking through coloured cellophane. They experiment with sounds that they can make using everyday objects, shaking a sweet container rhythmically. They explore the effects of 'squishing' glue between two sheets of card, and they enjoy using musical instruments and singing songs. They create their own stories and dress up in role play situations, using their imagination to act out their narratives in the shoe shop or the home corner.

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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 and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Develop the systems for curriculum planning and assessing children's progress. Record parents' comments and observations of their children's achievements outside of the preschool and use children's assessment records to plan the next steps and inform planning of future activities. Use stepping-stones to identify learning objectives and show how activities will be adapted for more or less able children, so that they provide appropriate challenges for all children. • Develop staff's knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum, so that they understand how the activities that they provide contribute to children's progress towards the early learning goals, and enable them to take advantage of all of the available opportunities to promote children's learning through everyday routines and activities.

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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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