Holmhirst Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 06/07/2004 Inspector Name Geneen Yvonne Hulse

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Holmhirst Pre-School Setting Address Woodseats Methodist Church Hall Holmhirst Road Sheffield South Yorkshire S8 0GU

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Holmhirst Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Holmhirst Pre-School Address Woodseats Methodist Church Hall Holmhirst Road Sheffield South Yorkshire S8 0GU

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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

Holmhirst Pre-school is a community pre-school, which opened in 1992. It is accommodated in Woodseats Methodist Church in the Woodseats area of Sheffield. The pre-school offers childcare to the local community and surrounding areas. There are two playrooms and the pre-school has all appropriate facilities including toilets, kitchen and storage space. There is no outdoor play space. The pre-school provides sessional care for up to 20 children aged two and a half to five years Monday - Friday 9:10- 11:40 and 12:20-14:50, during term time. They are currently caring for 57 children, of which 16 three year olds and 22 four year olds are in receipt of nursery education funding. There are four children with special educational needs and two children for whom English is an additional language attending the group at this time. The pre-school has eight staff working on a full time and part time basis and all staff

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Information about the setting

hold a recognised early years qualifications, with two working towards level three qualifications. The pre-school receives support from the teacher link at Abbey Lane School. They are currently undertaking the Sheffield Kitemark Scheme.

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How good is the Day Care?

Holmhirst Pre-school offers good quality care for children. They meet the National Standards in all areas of their work. Children use lots of opportunities to explore their natural creativity and develop their independence. Outdoor activities are planned into the children's routines and staff work hard to bring outdoor activities in, the addition of outdoor play space would offer children extra opportunities to explore and understand their surroundings. Staff respond flexibly and interact well, developing opportunities that follow the children's lead and extend their ideas. Children's

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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 behaviour is very good, they are valued and supported in their play and learning. Staff provide good role models using praise and encouragement to promote good social skills and respect for each other. Staff establish very good relationships with the children and offer them a wide choice of interesting and challenging activities. Parents contributions are welcomed and valued. They receive very good information from the setting and are offered many opportunities to share information and contribute to their child's experiences. Staff demonstrate a high level of safety awareness and good practice and talk to the children about keeping safe. Established procedures are reflected in daily practice that promotes good hygiene. The setting uses positive images effectively and a good

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How good is the Day Care?

range of resources to support and promote inclusive practice. There are very well organised systems in place to support the effective management and organisation of the setting and they should continue to keep updated about child protection issues. A wide range of policies and procedures are in place that evidence and support the development of good practice. The staff team work very effectively together and share a high commitment to training and development.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection an action was raised to use written contracts with parents, these are now in place.

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What is being done well?

• A well-balanced, interesting and stimulating range of activities offers children many opportunities to independently select activities and develop new skills. • Staff's flexible approach in changing planned activities in response to children's ideas offers them very good opportunities to develop their ideas and undertake new tasks. • Systems are in place to ensure that parents are welcome contributors to their child's experiences and their comments and views are valued. They receive good information about their child's time at nursery and find staff approachable, supportive and happy to discuss concerns and exchange information. • A well supported and committed staff team who work very effectively together to offer a quality service. They offer children good role models using praise and encouragement and this in turn results in them building good relationships and friendships.

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What needs to be improved?

• the addition of outdoor play space to offer additional opportunities to the children.

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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 continued updating of staff's knowledge of new legislation and child protection issues

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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 4 development of secure outdoor play space. 13 to continue to keep updated on new legislation and child protection issues.

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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?

Holmhirst Pre-School provides very good quality provision offering a welcoming atmosphere where children settle very well. Children are very confident, eager to learn and access a wide range of challenging opportunities, making very good progress towards early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff enthusiastically work well together to provide a stimulating, interesting and challenging curriculum. Children enjoy exploring the world around them and trying out new experiences. They are able to explore their environment through planned activities to bring outdoors in and on outings. Planning is very good and staff effectively challenge children, responding to and helping them extend their ideas. Staff build excellent relationships with children and know them very well. They are very successful in encouraging them to enjoy learning, build friendships and develop very good social skills. Behaviour is very

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How effective is the nursery education?

good, staff have high expectations of the children and manage behaviour very effectively. Staff value and identify the potential of all children, sensitively identifying concerns, promoting inclusion and offering positive images. The leadership and management is very good. The success of the setting reflects a shared understanding of good early years practice within a committed staff team. There is a high commitment to ongoing staff training and development. Appraisals and observational activities are used to identify individual and team needs. Partnership with parents is very good. They receive very good information about the setting and it's organisation and their contributions are valued. Additional photographic evidence of the early learning goals could be used to inform parents how children learn. Parents are offered regular opportunities to see their children's records and contribute to the life of the group. Parental views reflect a very high level

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What is being done well?

• Methods are in place to encourage children to be very confident, enthusiastic and enjoy learning. They enable children to co-operate very well together demonstrating very good turn taking skills, confidently build relationships and friendships. Children are able to initiate and progress their own thinking and play. • Interaction with the children is very good. A committed staff team work very effectively together to offer all children a stimulating and achieving environment, where children's natural creativity is fostered and their ideas responded to. • Partnership with parents is very good. Communication systems are in place to ensure parents and kept informed and their contributions valued.

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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?

• information about the areas of learning displayed for parents

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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 very confident, happy, interested and motivated, initiating and progressing their own play. They make very good relationships, express themselves well and welcome visitors with confidence. Children concentrate very well for long periods to complete tasks, are sensitive to the needs of others and form very good friendships. They behave very well, understand routines, respond to boundaries and demonstrate a very good awareness of their surroundings and sense of belonging.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are very confident talkers; they are developing very good language skills and use new vocabulary. They listen and respect contributions of others with interest. Children use language to question each other and respond well to the responses. They can recognise and write their names or match up initials and listen and retell stories with confidence. Children use many practical opportunities to practice and develop their writing skills using pencils and tracing their names in sand.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy and show interest in number, shape and mathematical language. They confidently recognise and count numbers in practical activities, such as snack time, register and baking, extending and consolidating their understanding. Children are able to use a wide range of experiences to learn about number and problem solving as a day to day part of their routine, playing number games, completing jigsaws and using IT programmes to solve problems.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are very curious, enthusiastic and able to progress their own interests, developing an awareness of the world around and talking about their visit to the zoo. They are able to extend and recall their own ideas and experiences and are competent users of technology. Children show enjoyment, interest and enthusiasm in the world around them, confidently exploring and investigating, recognising changes and talking about the growth of butterflies and the injured one they kept and cared for.

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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 move around very confidently, showing very good self-control, negotiating obstacles and spatial awareness. They use their bodies very well, enjoy running, crawling, balancing and manoeuvre bikes around obstacles. Children handle large and small equipment very well, developing safe use and increasing control with scissors, pencils and threading beads. They use equipment effectively to undertake and achieve a wide range of practical tasks as part of their day to day routine.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children explore colour, shape and texture with interest and enthusiasm, expressing their own creativity with a wide range of materials. They are able to initiate very good role-plays. They use their imagination to act out simple storylines in the 'hairdressers' and 'going swimming,' using imaginary props to extend their play. They express themselves very well in planned and spontaneous activities. Children enthusiastically join in singing and movement activities in group activities and games.

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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 improve the following: • the presentation of information about the areas of learning displayed for parents in the entrance.

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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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