Woodside Community School and Little Bears Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 07/02/2005 Inspector Name Susan Jennifer Scott

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Kiddiwinks Pre School Playgroup Setting Address Gillingham Methodist Church Hall 100 Third Avenue Gillingham Kent ME7 2LU

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Kiddiwinks Pre-school

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Kiddiwinks Pre-school Address 76 Third Avenue Gillingham Kent ME7 2LU

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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

Kiddiwinks Pre-School opened in year 1979. It operates from a large hall and has occasional use of a second room in the Methodist church hall in Gillingham. The Pre-School serves the local area. There are currently 32 children from 2 years to 5 years on roll. This includes 20 funded three and four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. No children currently attend who have special needs. There are two children who speak English as an additional language who attend.

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Information about the setting

The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9:30 until 12:00. Six part time staff work with the children Three have early years qualifications and two staff are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). The group are a PLA constituted group with an active management committee.

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How good is the Day Care?

Kiddiwinks Pre-School provides good quality care for children. The staff are aware of the written procedures and policies and carry these out as part of their responsibilities. The documentation meet all mandatory requirements and provides good information for users of the service. Staff work well together to create a secure and relaxing environment for the children. Children arrive happily and staff build their confidence successfully. Children have access to a wide range of toys and resources and enjoy using these. The pre-school is clean, secure and well maintained with access to outdoor play space. There is a system for the safe arrival and departure of children Staff are diligent about promoting children's safety and conduct risk assessments. They work hard to minimise hazards and health and hygiene is promoted effectively.

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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 Children learn about personal hygiene through good routines and have access to healthy food and drinks. The staff are flexible in managing children's behaviour and meeting their individual needs. They encourage children to select for themselves and move freely between activities to enable them to fully participate in the programme. There is good support for children with special needs and the staff implement procedures to support programmes for individual development. There is an equal opportunities policy in place although the latest disability legislation is not referenced. Flexible planning allows for the needs of individual children to be met. There is a child protection policy and procedure in place and staff are aware of the local services which they

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How good is the Day Care?

might access. There is a good partnership with parents and carers. Parents are kept informed through regular newsletters and contact with committee members, some of whom attend daily sessions to deal with administration. The staff provide parents with information about children's achievements through the use of records of observations and examples of children's work.

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What is being done well?

• Children are making very good progress. They are involved in a broad and stimulating range of activities and staff successfully encourage them to be independent and make choices. • Children behave very well during the sessions. Staff give plenty of praise and encouragement and use good strategies to manage behaviour: there is good support and firm boundaries for children. • A good variety of information is available to parents and users of the Pre-School. Parents are well informed about their children's overall progress and what is being taught.

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What needs to be improved?

• the use of 'Birth to Three matters' for children under three years old; • the information available on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the obligations for the provider of care.

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inspection or 1st April 2004 whichever is later.)

Since April 1st 2004 Ofsted has not received any complaints about this provider.

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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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 3 Use a system for planning and observing a suitable range of activities for children under three years which is appropriate for their stage of development and based on their individual needs. 10 Develop staff's knowledge and skills on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and ensure the requirements are incorporated into practice.

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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 Kiddiwinks Pre-School is acceptable and is of high quality. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff plan a variety of practical activities that are interesting and imaginative so that they link into the topic successfully, enabling children to develop and progress in many areas of learning. Staff provide very good practical opportunities for children to develop their independence: snack time routines build children's self esteem by extending opportunities to share responsibility. Varied daily activities and learning extend the children's abilities and understanding in all areas. Staff observe and record children's learning in each of the six areas; their assessments are clearly evaluated against the stepping stones and early learning goals. As a result, these are used effectively to plan the next

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How effective is the nursery education?

steps in children's learning, and provide an accurate picture of progress to share with parents. The leadership and management of the Pre-School is very good. Staff are able to participate in a varied programme of training provided outside the setting and share this "in house". The supervisor and committee provide support and guidance for staff. Evaluations are recorded and used to improve and modify the activities on a daily basis. The staff review and evaluate changes at meetings before adopting or rejecting these. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive individual play plans and can contribute towards planning the next steps noted in these. They are invited to attend regular consultations to discuss children's progress and staff spend time talking informally with them about this. Parents are well informed about activities and can access the plans. They make very positive comments about the provision and are

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How effective is the nursery education?

encouraged to become involved in the management committee.

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What is being done well?

• Staff and volunteers successfully promote children's independence through routines such as tidying up, registration and use of the 'snack bar'. • Staff use good techniques to encourage children's confidence: they speak to them by name, recognising and praising their efforts. This effectively promotes children's confidence and they settle quickly and happily, exploring resources and participating in group activities well. • Children have good opportunities to select different activities. They freely access varied resources and make very good use of the choices offered to them, pursuing individual interests and playing well in small groups.

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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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What needs to be improved?

• the children's understanding of time by providing resources to enable them to understand the sequence of events during sessions • the children's independence and responsibility by displaying a rota for the day's tasks.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection two issues were identified: Assessment records to cover all areas of the curriculum in detail and to show clearly children's attainment and progress; use of the records to ensure that all children are challenged in communication, language and literacy and mathematics, and to keep parents fully informed of their child's progress. Also, that information provided for parents gives detail of the six areas of learning. The setting has successfully addressed these by ensuring: Assessment records cover all areas of the curriculum; Children's progress is recorded under the six areas of learning by spontaneous observation which are noted and written in by key workers and through the use of assessments which note areas for development on individual play plans. Staff plan the curriculum with the needs of specific children in mind and observe and record their learning during the sessions. The records show children's attainment and progress and include

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What has improved since the last inspection?

examples of work. The system for recording observations and assessments are methodical and regular and has recently changed to ensure these are thorough. Staff ensure that all children are challenged in communication, language and literacy and mathematics by encouraging participation in literacy and numeracy activities, such as name writing, the use of written 'props' in role play, mark making, reading and sharing stories. There are separate literacy and numeracy areas which promote the use of activities involving the use of letters, texts, and writing, and the use of numerals, counting, games and problem solving. Parents are now kept fully informed about their children's achievements through the use of Individual Play Plans which clearly note areas to be developed through activities and the learning achieved. These are sent home to parents who can contribute their comments and discuss them with key workers. Included in children's

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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: Very Good Children are confident and becoming independent, they choose when to eat and what to have to drink. They concentrate well as they work in small groups on self-chosen activities. Children voice their opinions, ideas and make choices, for instance, when they take turns to describe toys at circle time. They are familiar with the routines and are able to self register using name labels. They behave well as they work and play on their own, in small groups, or as a whole group.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy listening to stories and using the books independently as well as sharing stories in small groups. They discuss and identify animal noises and talk about their own feelings and experiences of pets and animals. Children are encouraged to name their own work and many are able to write their names with recognisable letters. Children confidently recognise their names. They use the varied resources enthusiastically to develop their reading and writing skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children experience good practical activities to encourage them to understand shape, colour and size; they enjoy singing action songs, reciting, anticipating and using their fingers to show number. They count how many children are present at registration, and recite up to 24. They are developing good skills in matching, which they do by finding toys in the tray of pasta or pairing shoes together in the 'shop'. Many recognise numerals and can use mathematical language such as 'more' and 'less.'

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children use the outdoor area to explore the natural world and the environment for topic work. Imaginatively planned activities and good questions help them investigate and explore; they enjoy discussing the topic of 'animals' and share photographs and talk about their habitats. Children use the computer with confidence, they have excellent skills using the mouse pad and enjoy responding to the questions asked by the programme. Children learn about the work of visitors such as the Dental Nurse.

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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: Very Good Children develop a very good understanding of health and hygiene through good personal hygiene routines; they describe why they need to push their sleeves up and wash their hands. They use scissors, pencils, paintbrushes and glue spreaders with increasing control. They use the stilts, trikes and prams confidently and carefully, waiting for others to move out of their way or deliberately riding over the sheets of bubble wrap to make sounds and feel the texture. They use small tools for woodwork.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy using role play resources which are imaginatively organised to support their learning: they play in small groups in the 'clothes shop' with the sale rail of clothes, the size charts and the till. Children explore a varied range of materials when they make models from recycled materials. They explore and respond to sound, texture and taste and enjoy expressing their feelings and ideas through song and rhyme and use of the piano which they can access.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report but consideration should be given to improving the following: • increase children's understanding of time by providing resources to enable them to understand the sequence of events during sessions, such as timelines • further promote children's independence and responsibility by displaying a rota for the day's tasks.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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

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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