Somerleyton Pre School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/12/2003 Inspector Name Glenda Kathleen Field

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Somerleyton Preschool Setting Address Somerleyton Village Hall The Street, Somerleyton Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 5QB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Somerleyton Pre School 1029669

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Somerleyton Pre School Address Somerleyton Village Hall The Street, Somerleyton Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 5QB

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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

Somerleyton Pre-school opened in the early 1980's and are a committee managed group. They operate from the village hall in the village of Somerleyton, Suffolk. There is no outside play area. The pre-school serves the local community. There are currently 20 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll, this includes 3 funded three-year-olds and 8 funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports one child with special needs. The group opens 5 days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:30 until 12:00. Two full time staff and one volunteer work with the children, both members of staff are currently working towards a recognised Early Years level 3 qualification. The group are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and receive support from advisory teachers from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The setting works in close partnership with the local primary

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How good is the Day Care?

Somerleyton Pre-school provides good quality care for children. All staff are vetted and checks are in the process of being completed for committee members. Staff are committed to ongoing training which ensures they have up to date knowledge and skills that are practiced in the setting. The well organised child centred environment and warm welcome from staff help children to settle and separate from their carers with ease. Staff provide a well-organised environment where children are independent in their choice of activities and resources, however children's independence could be encouraged further. Staff are guided by a set of policies and procedures which they understand and consistently implement. In all aspects of provision, children with special needs are well supported and fully included in activities.

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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 Staff interaction with the children is very good. They make sure that they spend time with each child to help them feel valued and included. Children are confident and happy. Staff knowledge of safety requirements enable children to play with the minimum of risk. Hygiene practices are good and parents are notified of infectious diseases in the pre-school to help prevent infection. Staff have a good understanding of behaviour management strategies, they are calm and consistent with the children, and children behave well. The pre-school works in close partnership with parents and the local primary school in order to help children to feel secure and to provide a consistent approach to their learning. All appropriate documentation is in place.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the setting agreed to minimise hazards within the setting; update register details and accident and medication records and ensure a complete first aid box is in place; develop an operational plan; ensure that staff records are maintained and stored appropriately; ensure that parents have access to a copy of the group's aims and policies and procedures; ensure staff are aware of local child protection procedures; ensure facility operates within local planning and environmental health requirements; ensure statutory checks are completed for all persons working with children and identify a plan that will ensure that the person in charge completes a level 3 qualification in early years. The group has satisfactorily completed all the actions identified at the last inspection.

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What is being done well?

• Staff interaction with children is skilful. They position themselves at the children's level and make effective use of questioning to develop children's learning. • Staff manage children's behaviour well: they are calm and consistent with the children, and plan activities to help children to share, take turns, and work together co-operatively. • The staff, committee and parents have made great efforts to improve the environment and make it child centred . This helps children to settle and separate from their carers with ease • The pre-school works in close partnership with parents, there are good procedures to keep parents informed about the provision and their children, and parents are encouraged to be involved in the running of the group. This helps children to feel secure, and to provide a consistent approach to their learning.

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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?

• provision of regular drinks • written parental consent for the seeking of emergency treatment/advice • encourage children's independence by involving them at tidy-up time

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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 Encourage children’s independence by involving them at tidy up time. 7 Ensure that written parental consent is obtained for the seeking of any emergency treatment or advice that may be necessary in the future. 8 Ensure that drinks are provided for children regularly.

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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 of nursery education at Somerleyton Pre-School is good. It enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a good understanding of the early learning goals. They support children well in all areas of learning. They ask open-ended questions and answer children's questions well. Differentiation is built into tasks, and staff are effective in implementing this. Staff are deployed well for most of the time, although this is not clearly stated in planning. Staff are aware of children's achievements. They assess them thoroughly against the early learning goals and record this well. They manage children's behaviour well, and intervene appropriately to promote positive behaviour. Leadership and management of the pre-school is generally good. It is committee run. The committee support the paid staff well in the work of the setting. They are

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How effective is the nursery education?

aware of the necessary documentation and are working to provide this. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good quality information about the setting. They receive regular newsletters informing them about themes and are given opportunity to support the learning. They are welcomed into the setting for special events to work alongside their children. Parents are involved in group sessions on a rota basis. Clear guidelines have been produced to ensure they understand their role and can work effectively with staff.

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What is being done well?

• Relationships between staff, children and their parents are very good. This aids children to develop confidence and supports their learning. • Children are motivated to learn through the provision of good quality resources in a stimulating environment. • The committee and staff work well together to provide good quality education for the children • Outings are well planned to ensure children gain experience to extend their learning in all areas of the curriculum.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of circle time to ensure the time is used effectively and it's content fully developed in the session • the short term planning to ensure that it fully reflects what is taking place, shows dates and deployment of staff

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What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • the encouraging of children's independence in activities such as writing their names and participation in tidying up

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The planning is linked to evaluation and assessment of children's achievements There is an agreed behaviour policy which is implemented by all those working in the 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 make generally good progress in personal, social and emotional development. Children's confidence and self-esteem are built up by staff who know the children well. Children's independence is encouraged in some areas but needs further development. Children learn to share and take turns. They bring in a range of resources from home to support learning or to share, and take books home to share with parents. They are finding out about the beliefs of others. They behave well.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in communication, language and literary. They are confident in communicating with adults and children. They can recognise their first names and are learning to write these correctly. There are opportunities for children to practise writing in a variety of situations. Letter sounds are introduced but structured learning opportunities are limited. They listen to stories well and are aware of rhyming sounds. They share books from a wide range.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in mathematical development. Numbers are used well for labelling and children can order numbers to ten and above confidently. They recognise new numbers in circle time. These number opportunities need to be more fully developed in group work. They solve problems in practical situations and planned activities extend their understanding of addition and subtraction. They use coins in role play and can name a range of simple shapes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in knowledge and understanding of the world. The local area is used to stimulate children's interest in the natural world and features of the locality. They are confident in using a range of tools and are able to construct models. Planned activities enable them to learn about a range of people and how they are part of the community. There is limited access to information technology.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in physical development. Plans do not effectively show how children's gross motor skills are developed. Good use is made of one end of the hall for play as they is no outside area. Staff encourage children to explore the apparatus well. However not all children access these opportunities. Children's fine motor skills are well developed as they use a range of brushes, pencils, scissors and cutters with increasing confidence.

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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: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in creative development. Children explore a range of colour, texture and shape. They explore pattern and use opportunities to produce 2D and 3D pictures. They develop their imagination well in role play, using a variety of dressing up clothes and a range of resources. Although they have a new large range of musical instruments there needs to be more opportunity for children to develop their understanding of their use. They sing confidently.

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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

• increase children's independence, in accessing name cards, encouraging them to help with tidying up and enabling them to make choices • improve short term planning by ensuring that the learning intentions for all areas of the curriculum are covered, staff deployment shown and dated accurately • improve the organisation of circle time, ensuring the time is used well and it's content is developed through the session

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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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