Buxton Pre-School Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/07/2003 Inspector Name Rosalie Mary Turner

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Buxton Pre-school Playgroup Setting Address Buxton Village Hall Buxton NORWICH Norfolk NR10 5EN

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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

Buxton Pre-school Playgroup opened 23 years ago. It operates from the village hall in the rural community of Buxton, eight miles from the city of Norwich. The group serves the local area and reflects a range of social, economic and cultural backgrounds. The group is registered to offer sessional care for 26 children aged two to under five years. There are currently 30 children from two to four years on roll. This includes seven funded three-year-olds and thirteen funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. None of the children have identified special educational needs nor speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:30 until 12:00. Four part-time staff work with the children. Two staff are currently on training programmes and two staff are waiting for training courses. The group receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership

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Information about the setting

(EYDCP). Although staff do not follow any particular teaching methods, their aim is to work with the children to promote learning through play.

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How good is the Day Care?

Buxton Pre-school Playgroup provides good quality care for children aged two and under five years. Staff work well as a team. They are all continuing to train, which ensures they have up to date knowledge and skills which are practised in the setting. Staff group children well according to the activity they are involved in, helping children to be secure and confident with the adults. Staff have a good understanding of children's safety. The comprehensive risk

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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 assessment helps to protect children from harm, both inside, outside and on outings. Hygiene practices are good and staff protect the children from the spread of infection by teaching them about the importance of hand washing. Staff interaction with children is good. They encourage children to behave well by effective use of praise and rewards. Children have a thorough understanding of the guidelines for acceptable behaviour and set boundaries for themselves. Staff are aware of the signs and symptoms of children at risk to support children's welfare and safety. However, procedures do not identify practices if there is an allegation of abuse against a member of staff. The relationship with parents and carers is good and staff involve them in their

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How good is the Day Care?

children's learning. The two way flow of information between home and pre-school ensures children are given appropriate care to meet their individual needs. All relevant documentation is in place to enable the pre-school to operate smoothly, although some policies require updating to reflect Ofsted as the regulator and detail the roles and responsibilities of the committee members.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the pre-school agreed to produce an action plan to detail how staff would obtain suitable qualifications. They were asked to carry out a risk assessment, to develop child protection and behaviour management policies and to ensure staff and committee members updated statutory checks. Two staff are currently on training programmes and other staff will train when funding is available. As a result, staff carry out their roles competently and use their up to date knowledge to meet the children's needs effectively. All staff and committee members are vetted which ensures persons looking after the children are suitable to do so. A full risk assessment has been carried enabling children to play with minimum risk of harm. Individual members of staff have been identified to take the lead in child protection and behaviour management issues. Practices are known by all staff and shared with parents.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have good relationships with the children who are confident and at ease. They sit with the children and make effective use of praise to encourage play. • Staff make good use of their observations of the children to challenge children and support their learning. • The environment is warm and welcoming to children. The displays of children's work, child sized furniture and nursery patterned carpets help the children to settle quickly. • Staff plan effectively to provide a balanced range of toys and equipment that promotes children's learning in all areas of their development. The low level trolleys enable children to self select and develop independence.

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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 • Children enjoy a good range of resources which reflect our wider community. Images are positive and help children value and respect people of all cultures and of all abilities.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

There are excellent practices in place to prevent unwanted behaviour. Children are fully involved in setting boundaries which are based on their level of understanding. Staff reward children appropriately and help them to recognise the value of positive behaviour by their use of clear explanations to help children learn right from wrong.

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What needs to be improved?

• the system for recording staff attendances, to show names of staff and their times of attendance; • the child protection policy, to detail practices in the event of an allegation against a member of staff; • the policies, to reflect Ofsted as the regulator and to include guidance on the roles and responsibilities of committee members.

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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 2 develop a registration system and ensure details of adults looking after the children and their times of attendance are recorded 13 ensure there is a written statement of procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff 14 review policies and procedures to reflect Ofsted as the regulator and include guidance on the roles and responsibilities of committee members

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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?

Buxton Pre-school Playgroup provides a safe stimulating environment where children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development and creative development. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the early learning goals which they use to plan a wide variety of meaningful activities, designed to challenge and motivate children. Staff use assessment effectively to develop individual play plans for each child. Staff are kind and friendly towards the children and give clear explanations to help children develop their skills. They provide a good balance of adult directed activities and those where children play freely. Staff roles are clear. They are deployed effectively to support children and help them make progress. Suitable practices are

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How effective is the nursery education?

in place to include and stimulate children who have identified special educational needs. The leadership and management of the group is very good. The committee and staff work together to monitor the day to day running of the setting. Staff plan, monitor and evaluate the educational programme and make changes as necessary to ensure all children develop their skills. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are given clear information about the group and are encouraged to contribute to its running. Parents exchange information about children's progress through a 'home book' and they are welcomed to open days to discuss their child's achievements on a formal basis. Parents state they feel well informed about the contents of sessions and the progress that their children are making.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is excellent. They are confident, interested and able to work co-operatively in small groups. Children are happy and well behaved. • Children have a very good grasp of language which they use effectively in role play. They speak confidently, listen well and are aware of the listener in conversations. • Staff have a clear understanding of the early learning goals which they use to provide a balance of well planned activities which engage and stimulate children. • Staff provide a very good range of resources and activities to enable children

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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 to explore, investigate and find out about the world in which they live. Staff teach effectively and children's progress in knowledge and understanding of the world is excellent.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to use their imagination in dance

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Children make good use of books which are attractively presented. Staff use books to aid play and have developed a pre-school library. The play leader has completed training in communication, language and literacy. A broad range of writing activities are provided daily and curriculum plans identify activities to develop children's writing skills. Good resources and increased staff awareness support children who are making good progress towards the early learning goals for literacy. Staff are deployed effectively to support children as they work together in groups. They encourage sharing and support children to take turns. Children share news and resources and work co-operatively. The educational plan identifies how staff stretch each activity to ensure that older children are suitably challenged. Children are grouped according to their age and ability. Staff monitor their progress and make further adjustments to the programme if necessary.

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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 happy within the pre-school environment. They have formed friendships with peers and staff as they work co-operatively in small groups. Older children take turns, share readily and are beginning to develop personal independence. Children are motivated by the activities on offer and behaviour is very good. Staff encourage children to set their own guidelines to regulate their actions and children are learning right from wrong.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children have a very good grasp of language which they use effectively in role play and to communicate with each other. Staff place high priority on developing children's speaking and listening skills. Pre-school has an excellent range of books which staff use to support free play situations. Children use books correctly and self select independently. Staff help children to put meaning to mark making and make progress in early writing and reading skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are learning to count, some are able to do so up to 24, to recognise shapes and identify colours. Staff challenge older children to solve mathematical problems by introducing simple addition and subtraction. They plan activities to enable children to sort and match by position, shape, size and number. Children are making progress with patterns and are beginning to use mathematical language such as more, less, bigger, smaller.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing early scientific skills by using a good selection of resources to support their learning, especially in information and communication technology. Children are able to explore and investigate through an excellent range of planned activities. They have good opportunities to build and design using craft and construction materials. Planned topics and role play enable children to find out about the world in which they live.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident as they move between the activities and travel around the large hall avoiding obstacles. They are learning to control their bodies in a weekly physical activity, designed to challenge older children. Staff provide a good range of tools to progress children's manipulative skills. Children demonstrate increasing control when they cut, build and draw.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use a wide variety of two and three dimensional materials to explore texture, colour and form. They have opportunities to experiment with sounds and rhythms using musical instruments and enjoy singing. Children use their imagination well in the home area. They work together to cook a meal, expressing their ideas as they do so. However, there are few opportunities for children to use their imagination in dance.

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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 opportunities for children to use their imagination in dance 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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