Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 13/10/2003 Inspector Name Chris Gregson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Roman River Preschool, Fingringhoe Village Hall, Setting Address Chapel Road Fingringhoe Colchester Essex CO5 7BH

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Roman River Pre-School 1031056

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Roman River Pre-School Address Fingringhoe Village Hall Chapel Road Fingringhoe Essex CO5 7BH

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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

Roman River Pre-school opened in 1987. It operates from one room in a village hall at Fingringhoe. The pre-school serves the local and surrounding area. There are currently forty children from two to under five years on roll. This includes eighteen funded three year olds and eighteen funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports a number of children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 12:15 until 14:45 on Monday; 09:15 until 11:45 and 12:15 until 14:45 on Tuesday and Wednesday; 09:30 until 12:00 on Thursday and Friday. Eight part time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. One member of staff is currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher

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Information about the setting

from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Roman River Pre-school provides a good standard of care for children. An effective operational plan, with policies and procedures, is in place to ensure good management of staff and children. Staff know what is expected, have clear roles and work very well together as a team and with the committee. Children are provided with child-sized furniture and can rest on animal shaped beanbags in the book corner. Effective paperwork is in place to ensure staff have and use information about children's individual needs including diet, any health issues or allergies. Staff encourage good hygiene, are trained to provide first aid and to recognise signs for concern. Staff know, and parents are informed, about child protection procedures. There is an effective key worker system and staff are very supportive to younger

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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 to help them settle. Staff talk to, listen to and are interested in all the children and provide a good range of interesting activities over the week, however not always on a daily basis. Walks to the local park are enjoyed by the children. Staff management of children's behaviour is very good. There is a very good partnership with parents. Parents are informed of what is going on at the pre-school both informally by talking to staff and through informative newsletters that includes information about how to do activities. There are photographs of the children doing activities and a parent's and visitor's information file available in the entrance for all to see.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the provider agreed to provide an action plan to show how staff qualifications will be raised to meet the National Standard's requirement for a supervisor and how children would be prevented from accessing the outside area until safe. The supervisor is now on a list to upgrade her qualification through the Accredited Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) system. There is a new fence and gate so that children can now play safely outside in a small fully enclosed area accessed from, and to one side of, the hall.

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What is being done well?

• Support for children with special educational needs is very good. Staff are knowledgeable and attend a range of courses. They work closely and liaise with parents and other professionals to provide appropriate learning for the children. • A very good operational plan is available for parents that details how the pre-school is run. This includes the effective deployment of staff, use of space, provision of resources and policies and procedures that enable children to be protected, safe and secure when using the inside and outside areas and to enhance their early learning. • Staff are friendly and have very good relationships with parents so that children feel secure within the pre-school environment. Parents are confident in the care that the staff provide to enable children to settle and learn through play. • Staff interact well with the children and encourage their independence especially at lunch times.

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What needs to be improved?

• the provision of a greater variety of activities and resources on a daily basis.

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Outcome of the 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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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 5 consider how children can be provided with a greater daily range of activities to compliment the existing good range provided over the week.

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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 Roman River Pre-school is of high quality. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff provide interesting, well-resourced practical activities that cover all the six areas of learning. They encourage children to be independent and make choices. They talk to them and ask questions to make the children think and find out things for themselves through play. Staff make the whole-group activities interesting by being enthusiastic and children are willing to take part and try new songs and activities. The key worker system is in place and staff observe and assess the children's progress. This is linked to the stepping stones and used to inform planning for their future learning. Staff constantly monitor the effectiveness of this system. Activities are varied to challenge the more able child and provide additional help for a child

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How effective is the nursery education?

with a specific need. Support for children with special needs is very good. The leadership and management of the pre-school is very good. The playleader encourages staff to take an active part in staff meetings and in planning and assessing the activities. Annual appraisals are completed and training is encouraged and offered to all staff. Staff can attend the committee meetings and there is a good working relationship between them all. Partnership with parents is very good. Staff are friendly and talk informally to parents at the beginning or end of the sessions. Very good written information is provided in the form of a prospectus, newsletters and a file of information for parents and visitors. Parents are informed of the areas of learning and how the children learn through play in the early years.

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What is being done well?

• Children have opportunities to use their imagination in dressing up, role-play, arts, action songs, music, movement and dance. This allows children the freedom to develop their own ideas, thoughts and self-expression. • Staff use very good teaching skills to ensure children have opportunities to count, recognise numerals, hear sounds and learn letters. • Staff work very well together and in partnership with parents and the committee. This provides children with a secure environment and promotes their early learning. • Support for children with special educational needs is very good. Staff provide extra help and support if needed and work closely with parents and other professionals.

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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?

• opportunities for adding and taking away in everyday activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made very good progress since the last inspection when they were asked to the use the assessment records of children's progress to make it easier to track their development and plan work for each child. Assessments are now linked to the next stage of the child’s development enabling them to make good progress.

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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, interested in and able to choose their own activities. They respond positively to staff and their behaviour is very good. They are learning to be aware of their own needs and those of others. They help each other at activities and at lunch and are learning to take turns and share, be aware of right and wrong and be polite and considerate to others. Independence is encouraged. Staff arrange for visitors so that children develop a sense of community.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are good communicators using gestures, signs and talk. They are beginning to use language to talk about their imaginary play. They listen intently and with interest to the stories. They hold and look at books correctly, with increasing confidence. They recognise their names and have a letter of the week that enables children to link letters with sounds. They practice writing words on their drawings and work with support from staff.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children confidently count and can recognise numerals during registration time and playing matching games. They are learning to add and take away, however this good practice is not maximised in simple everyday activities. Children have good use of mathematical language and competently sort by colour and size. Staff give them opportunities to measure and use simple bar charts to compare colours of their eyes and clothes. Children can recognise simple shapes and do jigsaw puzzles.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about their environment through well-resourced activities and weekly visits to the park that allow them to explore and investigate various materials and the natural world. They build and use tools at woodwork and junk modelling. Staff encourage them to question why things happen and how things work, use tape recorders, computers and programmable toys. They talk about past events like birthdays and holidays and learn about different cultures celebrating a variety of festivals.

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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 confidently move around the room and are developing increasing control stretching up, climbing, sliding, balancing, jumping, and skipping at tidy up time. They show an awareness of space during drama games and are learning how exercise affects their body. Children safely use a variety of tools, such as scissors, paintbrushes, magnifiers, knives, peelers, cutters and rolling pins. They explore and use playdough and clay. They make bread, sandwiches and vegetable soup.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children explore colours by mixing paints. They develop creativity and use imagination through excellent opportunities that staff provide and support during role-play, action songs, drama games and painting activities. Children initiate their own game of musical statues and enthusiastically join in the music session playing instruments and pretending to be leaves blowing in the wind. They draw freely and use paint in many ways, enjoying blowing bubbles and predicting what will happen.

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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: provide more opportunities for children to add and take away in simple everyday activities to enhance the already good practice in the pre-school.

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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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