Georgina Perkins School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 26/05/2004 Inspector Name Anne Munro

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Orchard Pre-School Setting Address St Andrews Church Hall Beaulieu Road ,Dibden Purlieu Southampton Hampshire SO45 4PT

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of ORCHARD PRE-SCHOOL COMMITTEE

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name ORCHARD PRE-SCHOOL COMMITTEE Address U/A U/A

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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

Orchard Preschool opened in 1985. It operates in the St Andrew's Centre, using the preschool room, two smaller rooms and an enclosed garden, and having shared access to kitchen and toilets. The preschool is a community group managed by a voluntary committee of parents. Children attend from the local area. The setting is registered to accept up to 22 children aged from 2 to under 5 years. There are currently 72 children on roll, including 40 funded 3-year-olds and 23 funded 4-year-olds. The preschool supports a small number of children with special needs and with English as an additional language. The preschool opens five days a week in term time. Sessions are from 09:00 to 11:30 and from 12:30 to 15:00. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are two full-time and four part-time members of staff working with the children, all with early years qualification to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support

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Information about the setting

from a teacher from the Hampshire Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and is a member of the Preschool Learning Alliance.

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How good is the Day Care?

Orchard Pre-school provides good care for children. An active management committee provides strong support to an experienced and well-qualified staff and enables them to develop their skills with ongoing training. Children have plenty of space to play in a warm and bright environment and the pre-school provides an excellent range of toys and equipment. Clear policies and procedures underpin the running of the pre-school and most documentation is in place. Staff are conscientious about ensuring children's safety and carry out regular risk assessments and safety checks. All staff have first aid qualifications. They have procedures in place to deal with illness and are careful in maintaining good hygiene practice. They promote healthy eating with nutritious snacks and encourage children to try new things. Staff have experience in catering for special diets and allergies.

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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 regularly observe and record children's progress and have good knowledge of individual needs and abilities. They plan an exciting programme of activities that stimulate learning in all areas. They liaise with other professionals to ensure that children's special needs are met, and use praise and encouragement to promote confidence and good behaviour. Good working relationships are developed between parents and staff. Parents are made welcome in the group and receive good information about activities and events, and about their children's progress. Staff maintain accurate records and give careful attention to confidentiality.

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What is being done well?

• Long-serving members of staff are all very experienced in childcare and education, are all qualified to NVQ level 3, and continue to update their skills and knowledge with ongoing training. They maintain high staffing ratios so that children receive good levels of supervision and support. • The preschool provides an excellent range of toys and equipment which is well maintained and regularly updated. Resources are stored within children's reach, allowing them to make choices and develop independence. • Staff are experienced in working with children with special needs and liaise with parents and other professionals to ensure that their needs are met. They devise individual learning plans, adapt activities and provide resources to ensure that all children are included. • Partnership with parents and carers is very good. Good working relationships are built with their children's keyworkers and communication is encouraged.

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What is being done well?

Records of progress are sent home regularly and parents are able to contribute their observations. They receive good information about activities and are involved in their children's learning. They provide practical help in sessions, share their expertise and join in both social and fundraising events.

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What needs to be improved?

• checks on committee members; • parents' consent for emergency medical treatment; • child protection procedures.

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Outcome of the 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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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 1 request CRB checks for committee members. 7 request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment. 13 ensure that the child protection procedure for the preschool includes procedures to be followed in case of allegations against a member of staff.

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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 Orchard Pre-school is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas. The quality of teaching is very good. All staff have secure understanding of the early learning goals and are involved in planning a balanced curriculum of activities to stimulate learning. Plans are shared with parents but do not always make intended learning outcomes clear. An effective keyworker system ensures that staff have good knowledge of children's abilities and needs. They regularly record children's achievements, although the current record system does not clearly identify next steps for learning. Staff constantly engage children in conversation, asking questions and developing language skills. They plan exciting topics that encourage children to learn from experience. Space and resources are well organised, enabling children to

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How effective is the nursery education?

make choices and develop independence. Staff liaise with parents and other professionals to ensure that special needs are met and use praise and encouragement to promote children's confidence and good behaviour. Leadership and management of the setting are very good. An active management committee provides strong support to an experienced and well-qualified staff. The committee takes responsibility for finance and is very successful in fundraising, ensuring that the group is well resourced. They are responsible for employment and support staff in accessing training. The supervisor provides strong leadership, ensuring that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and are deployed effectively. Committee and staff together evaluate provision and discuss plans to improve and develop the preschool. Partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents receive good information about the group and its activities, and about their children's progress. They provide

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How effective is the nursery education?

practical help in sessions and are involved in social and fundraising events.

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What is being done well?

• Children's creative development is very good. Imaginative art work is displayed around the preschool room and children show particularly good skills with recognisable paintings and drawings, for instance paintings of sunflowers and drawings of themselves. Children are encouraged to use their own ideas, for example in designing bridges for the three Billy Goats Gruff, and to explore techniques and media, mixing their own colours and finding additional resources in accessible storage units. • Staff plan imaginative role play activities that stimulate children's learning about the world around them and provide opportunities for development in all areas. While learning about construction children 'painted' and 'wall-papered' their builders' hut, where they made tea and wrote plans on clipboards.

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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 Visiting parents helped them use carpentry tools and build a scaffolding platform to climb on. Dressed as firemen they climbed a step ladder with hoses to 'put out' their collage fire and as policemen they manned their police station and guarded prisoners with the help of a visiting police officer. • All children learn to write their names and they are encouraged to write them on all their work. Three year olds make marks and learn to go over dots made by staff until they can form recognisable letters. Four year olds can all write their names unaided and use emergent writing skills in their role play, using recognisable numerals as well as letters. • Parents form an active management committee, providing good support to

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What is being done well?

the staff and organising successful fund raising and social events. They involve other parents and the local community in securing excellent resources and providing children with a stimulating learning environment. Notice boards and newsletters keep parents informed about activities in preschool and outside events such as car boot sales, quiz nights and theatre trips, encouraging parents to be part of the group and to be involved in their children's learning.

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What needs to be improved?

• records of progress, to identify next steps for development • detailed activity plans, to make clear the intended learning outcomes.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The group has made very good progress since the last inspection . They were asked to "further encourage children to use their developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems in everyday situations". Children use their developing understanding of size, shape and number in building with construction toys and use counting and simple calculation in games and everyday activities. The second requirement was that staff should "continue to develop the use of appropriate questions which will enable children to think and solve problems". Throughout this inspection, staff were seen to use good questioning skills to stimulate children's thinking and learning.

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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 come confidently into preschool and settle quickly to chosen activities. They sit quietly to listen and are able to concentrate for long periods. They develop independence in choosing resources and in personal care, and are familiar with daily routines. Staff use praise and encouragement to promote good behaviour and self-esteem, so children play well together and interact confidently with adults. They talk about their homes and families and learn about their own and other cultures.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. They learn to recognise their written names, and clear labelling around the room introduces them to other written words. They are learning the links between sounds and letters and many can write their names. They use emergent writing in role play, for instance using notepads in the police station and clipboards in the builders' hut. They become confident speakers as staff encourage conversation, developing vocabulary and language skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Most children can count to ten and many beyond, as counting is included throughout activities. Children use simple calculation in daily routines and particularly enjoy counting down to 'blast off'. They learn to recognise numerals and many four year olds can write them unaided. They learn about shape and size, and sort and recreate patterns with a wide range of games and construction toys. They practise mathematical language playing with sand, water and playdough.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have good opportunities to study natural objects and record their findings in art work. They learn about their community and environment in well-planned topics, including outings and visitors to the group, and staff encourage them to talk about past and present events in their lives. They design and build imaginatively with a variety of construction toys and with recycled materials. They use simple technology such as tape players and battery operated toys to support their learning.

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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 Large equipment such as climbing frame, trampoline and balancing bars are used effectively to promote children's physical control and co-ordination. Children develop good spatial awareness steering ride-on toys around paths and enjoying such activities as chasing bubbles in the garden. They show increasing manipulative skills in planting seeds, using playdough, building with small bricks and using a variety of tools such as pencils, brushes, scissors and glue sticks.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy many opportunities to express their own ideas in imaginative art and craft work. Four year olds produce very good recognisable drawings and paintings which are displayed with pride. They use a range of techniques and media to explore colour, shape and texture. They learn about sound and rhythm with percussion instruments, and join in songs with enthusiasm. Staff organise stimulating role play situations that enable children to develop imagination and learn from their experiences.

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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: • review the system of recording children's progress to ensure that the next steps for learning are identified • ensure that plans make clear the intended learning outcome of activities and the input needed from staff.

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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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