St Margaret's Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 12/07/2004 Inspector Name Kathryn Margaret Clayton

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Margarets Pre-School Setting Address The Church Hall Grimsby Road, Laceby Grimsby North East Lincolnshire DN37 7DB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of St Margarets Pre School 1091004

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St Margarets Pre School Address The Church Hall Grimsby Road Laceby North East Lincolnshire DN37 7DB

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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

St Margarets Pre-school was first registered in 1983. It is run by a voluntary committee and operates from the church hall in the village of Laceby. The pre-school serves the local community. There is one main playroom and a small enclosed grassed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school has places for twenty-six children aged from two to five years. There are currently sixty-one children on roll including thirty-five in receipt of nursery education funding. The pre-school is open from 09:15 to 11:45 on Monday to Friday for older children and from 13:15 until 15:15 every afternoon, except Wednesday, for the younger children, during term time only. Nine full and part time staff are employed, including support staff. Seven hold or are working towards a relevant childcare qualification. The pre-school receives the support of the North East Lincolnshire local authority and is a Pre-school Learning Alliance accredited setting.

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How good is the Day Care?

St Margarets Pre-school provides satisfactory care for children aged two to five years. The well-qualified, stable staff group work well as a team to provide consistency of care for children. The management team make sure staff receive good support and development opportunities. Children attending the pre-school are given a warm welcome by staff and can play with a good range of toys and equipment. The smooth running of the pre-school is ensured by having well-organised documentation including most of the required procedures. Staff give a high priority to ensuring children's safety and make sure children learn about aspects of safety and good hygiene as part of their daily routines. They have a good understanding of the individual needs of children and are aware of the importance of treating children with equal concern. The pre-school have good systems in place to support children who have special educational needs.

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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 The pre-school plan an interesting and varied programme of activities that promote all areas of children's development and learning. They listen and support children's play and encourage acceptable behaviour by the use of appropriate strategies. Children are given excellent care according to their individual needs. Staff develop very good relationships with parents by keeping them informed about all aspects of the pre-school, including the progress made by children. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the group through helping at sessions or being on the committee. Staff do not ensure parents acknowledge every medication record.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There is now a clear system of ensuring an accurate record is kept of who is on the premises, by recording the time of arrival and departure for staff and children. Parents are now made aware in the welcome booklet of how to make a complaint.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have a good understanding of promoting the inclusion of all children. They are very aware of the individual needs of the children, and have systems in place to ensure all children have equal and fair access to play. Staff understand the need to respect religious differences. • Staff have a good understanding of how to create a safe environment. They effectively monitor children's safety according to their stage of development, for example, when using the climbing frame. • All staff and students are given good support through the induction procedure to help them when first working in the group. • The documentation in place is well-organised and understood by staff. The pre-school have worked hard to achieve accredited status, and have a commitment to ongoing improvement.

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What needs to be improved?

• the documentation, by providing a procedure to follow should a child be lost • written acknowledgement from parents, by ensuring they sign every record of medication administered.

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 2 Devise a procedure to follow should a child be lost. 17/07/2004 7 Ensure parents sign the medication record book each time medicines have been administered to acknowledge the entry. 12/07/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

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?

St Margarets Pre-school provides good-quality nursery education overall, which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Progress made in mathematical and physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. Children make generally good progress in the other three areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a good knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum and plan together to deliver a well-organised programme of activities, including a good balance of focused activities and active learning. They have built trusting relationships with children and have a good knowledge of their individual progress. Staff offer children good explanations to extend their learning and plan to challenge children, although there are times when children were not extended or supported in their learning during free play. The environment is welcoming and children have a good choice of activities during the

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How effective is the nursery education?

session, although resources are not organised to allow self-selection for children. The leadership and management of the pre-school is generally good. Management give good support and encourage the on-going personal development of this stable well-qualified staff group. Staff work well as a team, they have clearly defined roles and work to their individual strengths. They offer very good support to children within special educational needs. Key staff had identified, but not addressed some minor weaknesses in the educational provision.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are given good quality information about the pre-school, including useful information about the foundation stage curriculum. They are welcomed into the pre-school for visits before their child starts to attend and are encouraged to help and be involved on an ongoing basis. Staff make sure they are available to share information about children's progress with parents

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What is being done well?

• Children attending the pre-school benefit from there being a very stable and well-qualified staff group who have a commitment to their own development and that of the group, through, for example, continuing to undertake training. • Staff give a high priority to building a very good partnership with parents. They keep parents well informed about what is happening at the pre-school by providing good quality written information, sending letters home and asking parents to bring in items to support the work being done. Staff make sure they are available every week to talk to parents confidentially about their child's progress or any concerns they may have.

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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 • The pre-school offer very good support to children with special educational needs. Staff make sure children work towards clearly identified objectives which are regularly reviewed. • Staff understand the importance for children and families of building close links with the community. They do this in a variety of ways, for example, by inviting visitors in to speak to children, by going on walks in the village, by holding events and making sure children are familiar with the school they will attend.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to explore creatively through self-selection from a wide range of tools and materials • the methods used to engage the interest of older and more able children and help them to learn through purposeful free play • the challenge for more able children in recognising familiar words, for example, their full name.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school have made generally good progress since the last inspection. There are now opportunities for children to question why things happen, for example, when experimenting with melting jelly, and there are more resources such as binoculars, torches and kaleidoscopes to enable children to see how things work. Staff now meet regularly to use the information gathered when assessing children's progress to enable them to plan the next step in their learning. However, children still do not have enough opportunities to explore creatively, to self-select resources and initiate activities.

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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 independently select activities, they are confident and easily initiate contact with staff and their peers. They adapt well to changes in routine and are becoming increasingly independent in their personal care. Staff encourage children to become aware of themselves as part of a community by, for example, arranging visits to the local school. Older children are not always interested or encouraged to learn during free play sessions.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Many children confidently initiate conversations, they speak clearly and respond well to simple instructions. They listen attentively to stories, for example, 'Whatever Next' and carefully handle books. They use a good range of mark making equipment correctly. Children are starting to learn some letter sounds and many are confident in recognising some familiar words, for example, their first name, however, more able children are not challenged to, for example, recognise their full name.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good All children enjoy counting and are becoming aware of larger numbers, for example, when counting children at circle time. Many children are aware of number values to five. They are learning to solve simple problems in play, for example, how many more children are allowed on the climbing frame. They learn about shape through construction and model making, and name basic shapes when playing with moulds in the sand tray. Children use the language of size correctly when matching compare bears.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have appropriate planned opportunities to learn about living things when a rabbit and snails are brought into the pre-school. They notice changes as jelly cubes melt in hot water and when mixing ingredients. They eagerly explore in sand and show very good skill when using technology toys. They learn about their local environment when making maps of the village and through visits to the local school and library. They are encouraged to talk about significant events in their own lives.

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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 Staff ensure children have planned opportunities to move to music. Children negotiate space well around the hall, and when finding places to sit and play. They move confidently and safely on large climbing equipment and have planned opportunities to use a good range of small equipment. They are learning about good hygiene practices as part of their daily routines and show good skill when exploring malleable materials.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have many opportunities to effectively explore colour when painting and mixing different types of paint. They sing enthusiastically when practising for the leavers' service.They explore sounds appropriately using musical instruments, and other means, such as listening tapes. Children joyfully explore their senses when, for example, outdoors, however, they do not have opportunities to explore creatively through the self-selection from a wide range of tools and materials.

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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

• Key Issues • provide more opportunities for children to explore creatively through the self-selection from a wide range of tools and materials • consider methods of engaging the interest of older and more able children to enable them to learn through purposeful free play

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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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