West Hill School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/10/2003 Inspector Name Leoarna Mills - Allen

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Ugborough Under Fives Setting Address Ugborough Village Hall The Square, Ugborough Ivybridge Devon PL21 0NT

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Ugborough Under Fives Committee

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Ugborough Under Fives Committee Address Ugborough Village Hall The Square, Ugborough Ivybridge Devon PL21 0NT

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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

Ugborough Under Fives opened in 1994. It is held in the main room of Ugborough Village Hall. For two days a week a further upstairs room is used. The group use the playground of the neighbouring primary school for outside play. The group serves the local community, with many children attending resident in the village, but children from surrounding areas are also welcomed. The group is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 09:30 to 12:30, term time only. On Mondays and Fridays children preparing to begin school receive extra support, which includes visits to the reception class in Ugborough Primary School. There are currently 19 children on roll, including 7 funded three-year-olds, and 11 funded four-year-olds. Children with special educational needs can be supported. The group, which is run by a voluntary committee, is led by joint supervisors both holding NVQ 3 qualifications. There are two further NVQ 3 qualified staff, and two

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Information about the setting

NVQ 2 trainees working with the children. The group is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

Ugborough Under Fives provides good quality care for children. The group is lead by experienced joint play leaders who provide coherent leadership to an enthusiastic and well-qualified team. Roles and tasks are clearly outlined, which enables the team to create a stimulating and well-resourced environment, and to adhere to the timetable effectively. Staffing ratios are excellent, allowing adults to give ample individual attention to children. Documentation is comprehensive, and kept up to date by staff and a proactive committee. There are minor weaknesses in the child protection and complaints policies.

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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 are safe and well cared for, with adults maintaining a vigilant approach to fire safety and health and illness issues. An imaginative range of healthy items is provided for snack. Individual needs are well met and child protection issues receive proper attention. Children's learning and development are very well supported by an excellent and varied range of activities. Staff place strong emphasis on helping children to understand and develop respect for difference and diversity in their community, and children with special educational needs are effectively included. Children behave well as a result of adults' skilful and consistent approach. Parents and carers receive good amounts of information about the group when they

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How good is the Day Care?

register, and are asked to sign to confirm they have read all policies and procedures. They are also kept well informed about their child's progress.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group were asked to keep a record of visitors; to request written consent from parents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment and to keep a record of incidents. All these requests have been completed to satisfaction.

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What is being done well?

• The joint play leaders give coherent leadership to a well-qualified team. • Excellent staffing ratios lead to children being supported very well. • Adults provide a strong range of educational activities and are skilled in encouraging children's active participation. • The environment is well organised to meet children's needs. • There is a healthy range of items for snack. • Adults place clear emphasis on teaching children to have respect for difference. • Adults are skilful and consistent in their management of behaviour. • Staff and committee are proactive in maintaining thorough documentation.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

Adults make exceptional use of incidental opportunities to further children's learning and understanding. They are very interested in what children have to say, and are skilled at entering into children's worlds.

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What needs to be improved?

• the complaints procedure; • some elements of the child protection policy.

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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

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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 12 ensure that the complaints procedure does not make innapropriate reference to the role of other organisations, that parents and carers are fully aware of the role of Ofsted, and can access the full contact details of Ofsted. 13 include in the child protection policy the procedure should an allegation of abuse be made against a member of staff or volunteer.

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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?

Ugborough Under Fives offers high quality nursery education, with children making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching at the nursery is very good. Planning for the Foundation Stage is very well structured, although learning objectives could be more explicitly identified. Adults encourage the development of children's self esteem and confidence well, and take every opportunity to extend children's learning across the curriculum. Staff deployment, room organisation and the use of resources is all thoughtfully managed to ensure children remain engaged, motivated and supported throughout the session. Systems for recording children's progress give detailed and useful levels of information, and this information is used to great effect to further plan for each child, through the implementation of individual learning plans. Leadership and management of the setting is very good. The distribution of key

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How effective is the nursery education?

responsibilities across the team is seamless, and the joint supervisors, along with the proactive committee, provide coherence and genuinely successful leadership. They have put meaningful evaluation processes in place, and a rolling action plan programme ensures the educational provision is continually assessed and improved. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents are provided with plentiful information about the group, and about their child's daily participation in activities. The information available to parents about their child's overall educational progress is detailed, but at present systems for conveying this information are overly informal. However, through the use of 'work packs' and other strategies, parents are very much encouraged to share in their child's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children’s confidence and self-esteem is encouraged through skilled adult practice. • Children are making very good progress in linking sounds and letters. • Children are very confident counters. • Children have excellent opportunities to learn about the world around them, and to develop an understanding of, and respect for, difference. • Children access an interesting and thoughtful range of activities that support their physical development. • Children enjoy music and learn songs with enthusiasm. • Staff organise the environment and resources carefully, and ensure that they are deployed effectively, allowing them to make exceptional use of incidental opportunities to extend children's learning and understanding.

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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 • Parents and carers receive thorough information about the educational programme. • The committee and staff are proactive in looking for ways to improve the provision.

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What needs to be improved?

• the clarity with which learning objectives are identified for each planned activity; • the formality of feedback to parents and carers about their child's educational 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 motivated to learn throughout the session, and their confidence and self-esteem is well enhanced through skilled adult encouragement, particularly during the daily show and tell time. Children demonstrate increasing independence in caring for themselves, self selecting activities with ease, and pouring their own drinks. They are forming good relationships, saying sorry without prompting, and expressing genuine pleasure when meeting each other.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident conversationalists with strong vocabularies. They are making very good progress with linking sounds and letters as a result of carefully planned adult led activities. They enjoy stories, and make frequent independent use of the book corner. Work packs for older children encourage parents to support children with their reading. Children are increasingly competent in handwriting, making good use of the varied and plentiful opportunities to practice provided by adults.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Many children can already use numbers as labels and for counting, well beyond the expectations of the Foundation Stage Curriculum. Children approaching school age are particularly well supported in the development of their calculation and problem solving abilities. All children show a good understanding of shape, space and measure, and use comparative language with ease, during both adult led and child led activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children participate in a very varied and interesting programme that helps them to know about, and understand, the natural world, their local community, and other cultures. All major festivals of the world’s religions are included, as well as other celebrations such as American Independence Day, Burns Night and Australia Day. Design and making skills are also emphasised, with many construction activities using three dimensions. Children also have a clear understanding of the passage of time.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy participating in physical activities, such as Olympics, Highland Games, egg and spoon races and sports day. They move with confidence, control and co-ordination and their gross and fine motor skill development is carefully monitored. Children understand their physical needs, about staying healthy, and the importance of washing their hands.

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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 very much enjoy listening to and making music, and learn songs with enthusiasm. They have many opportunities to explore media and materials, and use their imaginations in role-play well. They actively respond to their experiences, and in conversation with each other and with adults, are able to make links and communicate their ideas and feelings.

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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 the following: • increase the clarity with which learning objectives are identified for each planned activity, making clear links to the Foundation Stage Curriculum; • make the system for giving parents and carers information about their child's educational progress more formal.

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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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