Barlow Pre School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 06/10/2003 Inspector Name Gill Ogden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Barlow Pre-school Setting Address Village Hall, Millcross Lane Barlow Dronfield Derbyshire S18 7TA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Barlow Pre - School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Barlow Pre - School Address Village Hall, Millcross Lane Barlow Dronfield Derbyshire S18 7TA

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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

Barlow Pre-School opened in 1974. It operates from the village hall, using two rooms as play rooms and also the kitchen and toilets. The adjacent public park and grassed area are used for outdoor play as well as the local school's outdoor adventure area. The group serves the local, rural community. There are 33 children from two-and-a-half to five-years on roll. This includes 17 funded three-year-olds and 6 funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting does not currently support any children with special needs or who speak English as a second language. The group opens each weekday during school term time. Sessions are from 09:00 until 11:45 each morning and, additionally, in the spring and summer terms, every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 until 15:00. One full-time and seven part-time staff work with the children. Half the staff have early years qualifications. Four staff are currently on training programmes. The

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Information about the setting

setting receives support from an Early Years Officer from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

Barlow Pre-school provides good quality care for children. It achieves its aim of creating 'a happy, caring and stimulating environment.' The staff are enthusiastic and provide good role models for the children. The committee, staff and parents all work well together to provide the best they can for the children. All records and documents are maintained to a high standard. The staff regularly take up training opportunities and all of them are first aid trained so children benefit from their up-to-date knowledge and skills. They encourage the children to maintain good hygiene standards through regular handwashing and carry out thorough risk assessments to make sure the environment is safe.

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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 There is a good range of quality toys, play materials and equipment which the staff use to provide interesting and enjoyable activities for the children. Staff know the children well and children between 3 and 5 years have the extra support of a key worker. The positive relationships between staff and children result in children behaving very well and showing care and concern for each other. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents speak highly of the care their children receive and the progress they make. They are able to become actively involved in the group in ways that suit them and are beneficial to the children. Useful systems are in place to enable staff and parents to share information regularly.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group agreed to improve some aspects of health and safety. They have checked that they are conforming to environmental health and food safety regulations, made the electrical sockets safe and make sure that children do not go near the low level windows until they have been refitted with safety glass. The children now enjoy a safer environment.

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What is being done well?

• The group has very good quality documentation generally. It has very clear operational procedures which all staff understand and follow. • The children behave very well as a result of staff providing good role models and through children and staff drawing up rules for the pre-school together and re-inforcing them consistently. • Children take part in a wide variety of well planned, interesting and purposeful activities which motivate them to learn. • Parents are fully involved in the running of the group and in their children's learning.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

The involvement of parents in Barlow Pre-school has a high priority. They are able to share information about their children through completing an ' All about me' leaflet when they first start and through a comprehensive registration form. Parents are encouraged to share their skills and knowledge with the group and several have brought in, and played, musical instruments with the children. In turn, the group gives parents clear information about their role when they act as volunteer helpers. They receive a very useful information booklet and parents very much enjoy taking part in open days where they learn about the early learning goals and the activities which help their children to achieve the goals. Parents are able to discuss their children with staff at any time and also take home their children's assessment folder at each half-term holiday. They are encouraged to write comments in the folders and

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

also to use freely the 'comments book' which is available at every session. A 'Homelinks' sheet on display in the entrance gives parents information on the activities in which children are currently involved and suggestions for how to follow them up at home. Parents are involved in running the group through becoming

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

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 committee members and get to know the staff even better through regular fundraising and social events which they all enjoy together.

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What needs to be improved?

• the key worker system, to incorporate all the children;

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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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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

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?

Barlow Pre-school provides a happy, caring and stimulating environment where children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of the curriculum. The provision for knowledge and understanding of the world and the opportunities children have to underpin their learning in all areas through imaginative role play are particular strengths. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have an excellent understanding of the foundation stage curriculum and provide a stimulating range of practical activities to help children learn. Planning and assessment systems provide a useful framework to help children make progress. Good efforts are made to make sure that the delivery of the curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of all children. The leadership and management of the pre-school is very good. The commitment to improving practice is demonstrated through the regular monitoring and evaluation

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How effective is the nursery education?

procedures which take place, involving the support of the Early Years Officer from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The supervisor is a key central figure who, along with the committee, motivates and encourages everyone involved in the group to maintain standards and continue to strive to improve them. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are actively encouraged to become involved in and understand every aspect of their children's learning. They receive good quality information, both written and verbal, about their progress.

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What is being done well?

• Staff work well as a team and act as very good role models. This creates a positive and harmonious learning environment for the children. • The planning of the educational programme effectively promotes learning in all the curriculum areas with knowledge and understanding of the world being particularly well covered. The quality of the teaching and the availability of a wide range of resources ensures that the curriculum is presented through interesting, practical activities. • The strong leadership ensures that staff are encouraged and supported to take up training opportunities so that all staff have knowledge and skills in key areas and that children benefit from up-to-date practice. • Parents are fully involved in all aspects of the group. They receive useful information about the foundation stage curriculum so they are able to take an active part in their children's learning and contribute towards assessments.

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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 • planning and assessment for individual children to ensure that their personal goals are identified clearly.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made very good progress since the last inspection. Permanent displays of alphabet and number posters expose children more to letters and numerals. They are placed near areas such as sand trays, and staff draw children's attention to them and encourage them to try to copy them in the sand by using their fingers and other tools. Children are grouped for key activities, they quickly learn which group they are in and enjoy being part of it. The list of group members are displayed on the wall so that all staff are clear about who is in which group.

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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 behave well and are keen to learn. They understand the rules of the group and contribute towards reinforcing them by reminding each other of how they should behave. They develop caring attitudes towards each other, the older ones supporting the younger ones to take part in activities. They relate well to staff and confidently express their opinions, often through their facial expressions. They are able to persevere with tasks alone and work together in groups.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children listen well during register and circle times and respond enthusiastically to questions. They enjoy conversations with adults and each other and are confidently developing their vocabulary. They enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. Interesting role play activities encourage them to 'practice' writing and reading. Older and more able children link sounds to letters and write their names and other words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy counting and have lots of practical opportunities to practice counting in sequence to ten and beyond. They recognise and are beginning to write some numerals. They are gaining an awareness of calculation through daily routines,songs and rhymes and other practical activities including role play. They are developing and understanding mathematical language and concepts through describing shapes, sizes and positions.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children regularly talk about their lives and the people they know. They enjoy exploring their local environment and respond well to visitors from the community who talk to them about their work. Children construct and build models using a variety of materials and tools. They incorporate technology in their everyday activities using items like magnets, microscopes and a computer. Through topic work they are developing an awareness of, and respect for, differing cultures and beliefs.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have access to a good range of equipment, both indoors and outdoors, to support them in developing their whole body skills. They move around safely and confidently and handle tools and small pieces of equipment with increasing skill. They are developing an understanding of why they need to wash their hands regularly and have opportunities to try out healthy snacks.

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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 regularly enjoy exploring materials such as paint, clay, dough, sand and water and expressing themselves freely through painting. They become involved in purposeful role play activities which encourage them to use their imagination and support learning in other areas especially communication, language and literacy and mathematics. Children join in enthusiastically with songs, enjoy playing musical instruments and listen to a diverse selection of music.

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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: • A point for consideration is to: • continue to review planning and assessment systems to clarify individual children's goals.

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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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