Longdendale Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/06/2004 Inspector Name Jannet Mary Richards

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Longdendale Pre-School Setting Address Mottram Community Association, Community Centre Church Brow, Mottram Hyde Cheshire SK14 6JJ

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Longdendale Pre-School Address Mottram Community Association, Community Centre Church Brow, Mottram Hyde Cheshire SK14 6JJ

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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

Longdendale Pre-School has been operating for more than 20 years at Mottram Community Centre. The centre has a large room and toilet facilities on the ground floor which are used by the pre-school. There is an outdoor play area to the rear of the building. There are currently 25 children aged between two and a half and four years on roll. This includes eight three year old children and six four year old children who are in receipt of nursery education funding. The setting supports a small number of children with special needs. There are no children currently attending who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school is open from 09.15 to 11.45 Monday to Friday and currently operates until 15:00 on Thursday, though this arrangement is under review. There are seven staff in total who work with the children. Three staff have early years qualifications and four staff are working towards obtaining relevant

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Information about the setting

qualifications. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Longendale Pre-School provides satisfactory care for children. The staff work well together and have a good commitment to development of the pre-school provision. They often attend short courses and training events to develop their knowledge and understanding of issues relating to the care and education of young children. They have policies and procedures in place for most aspects of the provision, and implement most of them effectively in their day to day practice. They do not yet, however have written procedures for lost or uncollected children, procedures to

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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 follow in the event of an allegation of abuse against a member of staff and accessible information for parents about how to complain to the regulator. The staff get to know the children very well, by observing them, talking to and playing with them, and by asking parents about children's individual needs. The children behave very well in response to the frequent praise and encouragement they receive from the staff. The staff keep the children safe by supervising them well both indoors and out, and most safety measures are in place. The pre-school has a good range of equipment and provides a good range of interesting activities which the children enjoy. There is strong emphasis on health and hygiene and healthy eating is well promoted.

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How good is the Day Care?

The staff develop good relationships with parents, and many parents are actively involved in the running of the pre-school. Parents are provided with good information, verbally and in written form, to ensure that they are well informed about their children's progress and the day to day activities of the pre-school. At the time of the inspection the pre-school is operating for a full day each Thursday to prepare older children for school. This arrangement, however, does not comply with the definition of sessional care and is currently under review.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the time of the last inspection the pre-school was required to address six issues. Three issues related to documentation- to provide a policy for sick children, a procedure for outings and procedure to be followed in the event of allegation of abuse against a member of staff. The pre school has drawn up suitable procedures for outings and for children who are ill, though has not yet produced a procedure for allegations against staff and this forms part of an action arising from this inspection. The pre-school was also required to inform Ofsted of the appointment of a supervisor. This has been done following appointment of the new supervisor. The pre-school was required to minimise hazards on the premises. The staff ensure that any hazards such as children climbing up and down steps are minimised through good supervision of the children. The final issue was to provide drinking water for children at all times. The staff now

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What has improved since the last inspection?

ensure that a jug of fresh drinking water is accessible to the children at all times. Good progress has been made on most actions raised which has led to improvements in the documentation and procedures followed in the pre-school.

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What is being done well?

• The whole staff team have a strong commitment to further development through access to training.

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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 • Partnership with parents is very good. The welcoming atmosphere and good communication ensures that parents are well informed about the pre-school activities and children's progress. • The staff interact well with the children. They are calm and caring in their approach, and meet each child's individual needs well. They praise and encourage the children often to encourage good behaviour and positive self-esteem. • There is a strong emphasis on health and hygiene to promote a clean and healthy environment for children. There is particularly good emphasis on healthy eating through provision of a range of healthy snacks.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of the sessions to ensure that the pre-school is working within the definition of sessional care • the documentation relating to lost or uncollected children, complaints and child protection • the safety of plants in the outdoor area and water temperature in the bathroom.

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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 Provide an action plan stating how the pre-school intends to operate within the definition of sessional care. 15/07/2004

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

14 Provide clear documentation to indicate procedures for the event of lost or uncollected children, allegations of abuse against a member of staff and contact details of the regulator in the complaints 15/07/2004

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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 procedure.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 6 Put measures in place to minimise hazards such as hot water temperature in the bathroom and hazardous plants in the outdoor area.

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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?

Longendale Pre-School offers good quality educational provision which helps children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children's progress in all six areas of learning is generally good. Teaching is generally good. The staff's good understanding of the foundation stage and their effective planning of an interesting range of activities helps the children to make progress. They are particularly skilled at managing children's behaviour, the children respond very well to the frequent praise and encouragement they receive from the supportive staff members. The pre-school has a good range of resources and the environment is generally well organised, though the children are not always able to access a wide range of resources to initiate their own play ideas, practice their skills and be freely creative. The staff generally question children well during play to encourage their learning in most areas, though are less skilled at encouraging the children to use

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How effective is the nursery education?

their mathematical knowledge to solve problems regularly during play and daily routines. The staff use assessment systems well to monitor children's progress. They know the children very well and have a good awareness of their individual needs and abilities. Children with special needs are well supported in the pre-school. Leadership and management are generally good. The staff communicate well and have a good awareness of their roles and responsibilities. They are supported directly by a manager who works alongside them to ensure the smooth running of the provision. The partnership with parents and carers is very good and contributes to children's progress. Parents are very welcome in the setting, they share information about their children with staff and their views are valued. They are well informed about the children's progress and activities they have been involved in.

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What is being done well?

• Partnership with parents is very good. The staff have good systems in place for sharing information about how the children are progressing. Parents value the educational provision and the progress which children are making. • Children's behaviour is well managed in the setting. The children respond well to clear boundaries and praise and encouragement from the supportive staff team. • The staff place strong emphasis on encouraging the children to co-operate with each other during play. They provide good opportunities for the children

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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 to learn new language and develop their skills in communication, and some very good opportunities for the children to develop their imagination in a variety of interesting role play settings. They are skilled at observing the children and following their interests during play. • The staff team work well together, and have a strong commitment to further development through access to training.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of the play environment to enable the children to see numbers and letters in the environment to consolidate their learning in these areas, and to access additional resources to extend their play ideas and practice and consolidate their skills • the range of opportunities to find out why things happen, for example through simple experiments such as observing ice melt or playing with magnets • the frequency of opportunities for children to develop their mathematical understanding by solving simple problems during play and routines.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the time of the last inspection two key issues were identified for development. The first issue was 'settle on an effective method of planning, particularly in relation to medium and short term planning. The plans should be specific with regard to the activities and learning experiences that are provided under the six learning areas, and what the children are intended to learn from the activities that are provided. The plans should also show how children are to be grouped and how the staff are deployed.' Good progress has been made on this issue. the staff now plan an effective curriculum which clearly indicates the learning intentions of activities and promotes the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. The second issue was to ' Provide individual files for each child's assessment record and examples of work showing progression. These should be completed on a more regular basis in order to identify any areas of concern. Begin to use the assessments

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What has improved since the last inspection?

and planning documentation as a means of cross-referencing and monitoring the programme of teaching and learning.' Good progress has been made on this issue. The staff have implemented effective assessment systems to monitor children's progress on a regular basis.

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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 have a positive disposition to learning, they are confident and secure in the pre-school environment and eager to engage in play activities. They work well alone and in groups, they concentrate and persist at activities which interest them. They develop good relationships with staff and friendships with others in the group. They respond very well to praise, encouragement and clear boundaries.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are very confident speakers and good listeners. They talk confidently in front of the group at circle time, and listen with interest at story time. They use many opportunities to practice making marks, using rollers in the paint for example, as well as with paper and pencils to practice emergent writing, such as making lists in role play. They recognise some letters of the alphabet and say their sounds during focussed activities with adults, though do this less often during play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use a good variety of resources to promote their understanding of mathematics during focussed activities with an adult. They often use mathematical language during play, when they sit on the 'top' 'middle' and 'bottom' mats in the playroom for example. They do not have access to numbers in the play room to consolidate their number recognition skills and do not often use their mathematical knowledge to solve simple problems such as 'how many more cups do we need'? at snack time.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children observe changes through activities such as planting seeds and watching them grow. They develop an understanding of time through discussion about routines and days of the week. They have good opportunities for learning about the world around them when they go for walks in the local area and talk about far away places in the world which they look up on a map. They have fewer opportunities to experiment with resources such as magnets find out why things happen.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children make good use of activities both indoors and outdoors to practice and refine movement, control and co-ordination. The children learn how to handle and manipulate tools and materials, such as cutting shapes in play dough and making collage pictures, using a range of different equipment. Children have appropriate challenges to develop a range of physical skills such as climbing, balancing and jumping.

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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: Generally Good Children use their imagination very well during role play, they create storylines such as sailing on a galleon over the sea, or making each other 'better' in the hospital area. They explore a variety of creative media such as paint, play dough, paper mache. They enjoy singing and exploring sound using percussion instruments. They use good opportunities to explore their senses during play.

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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

• review the organisation of the play environment to enable the children to see numbers and letters in the environment to consolidate their learning in these areas, and to access additional resources to extend their play ideas and practice and consolidate their skills • increase the range of opportunities for the children to find out why things happen, for example through simple experiments such as observing ice melt or playing with magnets • develop the questioning skills of staff to provide increased opportunities for children to develop their mathematical understanding by solving simple problems during play and routines.

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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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