Harbury Pre School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 01/07/2003 Inspector Name Paula Hunt

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Harbury Pre School Setting Address The Wight School High Street, Harbury Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV33 9HW

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Harbury Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Harbury Pre-School Address The Wight School High Street, Harbury Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV33 9HW

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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

Harbury Pre-School opened in 1972. It operates from a single storey building at the rear of the library. There is a large outdoor area with a safety surface available for outside play. The children come from the village and outlying areas. There are currently twenty-three children from two years, nine months to five years on roll. This includes funded three and four year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports a number of children with special needs and all speak English as their first language. The setting opens four days a week during school terms times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 13:00. Five part time and one full time staff work with the children. A third of the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. A third of the staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership

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How good is the Day Care?

Harbury Pre-School provides satisfactory care for children. Staff work well together as a team and are clear about their roles. Interaction between staff and children is good but staff need to be more skilful in managing children's behaviour although good behaviour is encouraged and valued. A variety of activities is provided which help children make progress in all areas of their development. However, children would benefit from a wider range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity with regard to gender and disability. The environment is happy and welcoming to both children and parents. Staff take steps to implement safety requirements but attention is needed to the flooring in the

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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 main play area and a risk assessment needs to be undertaken. There are good procedures in place in case a child is ill. It is the policy of the pre-school to treat all children equally and to ensure that their differences are acknowledged and their needs met. Good support is in place for children with special educational needs. Partnership with parents is good, with good procedures to keep parents informed about the pre school and their children. Most of the policies are in place.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the pre-school agreed to ensure children were unable to leave the outside play area unsupervised, to ensure Ofsted were informed of any significant changes in staff or committee, ensure the ages of children attending complied with the conditions of registration and to prepare an action plan detailing how staff qualification requirements would be met. The pre-school have secured both exits from the outdoor area using a high latch on one gate and a floor bolt on the other to ensure children are not able to leave unsupervised. Procedures have been put into place by the current committee to ensure Ofsted are notified of any significant changes in staff and that the ages of children attending complies with the current registration. An action plan detailing how staff qualification requirements would be met has been submitted to Ofsted and a copy is available to parents and visitors in the operational

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What is being done well?

• Staff work well together to provide a happy and welcoming environment for both children and their parents. They plan a range of interesting activities to enable children to progress in all areas of their development. • Staff promote good hygiene practises and act in the child's best interest should they become ill. • Children are treated with equal concern and their individual needs are met. • Parents and staff have a good relationship and are welcomed into the pre-school. Parents receive plenty of information and verbal feedback about the pre-school and the progress of their child.

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What needs to be improved?

• policies and procedures, a review to take account of children aged from 2 years and to update the complaints policy ; • children's safety, with regard to the flooring in the main playroom and the completion of risk assessments;

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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 • written consent for emergency medical treatment; • children's access to activities and resources which promote positive images of gender and disability; • staff's awareness and implementation of behaviour management strategies.

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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 2 review and update all policies and procedures to include children aged from 2 years; 6 complete risk assessments and take steps to reduce any identified risks; 6 make the flooring in the playroom safe; 7 obtain written consent to emergency medical treatment for each child; 9 ensure children have access to activities and resources which promote positive images of gender and disability; 11 increase staff awareness of behaviour management strategies and ensure they are consistently applied; 12 review and update the complaints policy to include Ofsted’s details.

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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?

Harbury Pre-School provides a welcoming and friendly atmosphere in which children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of the curriculum. Children are keen to learn and respond well to the questioning and encouragement of staff. Those with special educational needs are supported well. Teaching is generally effective and the staff work well together as a team. The activities provided are suitable and worthwhile. Planning and assessment is generally good however older children have limited opportunity to develop independent play and learning, in extending their skills in writing, free creative expression and using numbers in every day activities. Interaction with the children is very good, but the challenging behaviour displayed by some children has a negative impact on relationships. The quality of leadership and management is good overall, the pre-school is fully

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How effective is the nursery education?

committed to the improvement of care and education for all children, through regular evaluation of the educational provision, staff development and training. There are many positive links with parents and these contribute to the children's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents are encouraged to share what they now about their children and how to be involved in their children’s learning.

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What is being done well?

• Partnership with parents is good, they are given good information about the pre-school. • Children settle well and show interest and enthusiasm in the activities. • Staff provide a friendly atmosphere in which to promote learning. They work well together as a team and provide good role models for the children. • Children' s speaking and listening skills are developing and their recognition of letters by name and sound is good. • Children's personal social and emotional development is good. Children are confidant, interested and eager to learn. They work well together and have good relationships.

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What needs to be improved?

• staffs knowledge and understanding of the Foundation stage to ensure children are fully engaged and interested throughout the session; • assessment procedures and record keeping systems;

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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 • more opportunities for children to solve simple mathematical problems for themselves through daily routines and to recognise their own names and familiar words; • more opportunities for free creative expression; • work to identify Strategies to deal with more challenging behaviour shown by a few children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has had a complete change of staff since the last inspection. Together they have formed a close team and made some improvements, which have had an impact on the quality of provision. However, they did not have a copy of the last inspection report or an awareness of the previous key issues for action.

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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 make generally good progress in personal, social and emotional development. They are happy to come into the setting, leave their parents and settle quickly to activities. Most of the children are well behaved. Most children have a positive attitude towards learning but more meaningful activities need to be planned to extend their learning. Opportunities are missed to further the children's independence.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in communication, language and literacy. During activities children are encouraged to talk about their experiences and staff use this opportunity to extend their vocabulary. There are many opportunities to enjoy and listen to songs and rhymes. Children use books sometimes but not in any planned or purposeful way. A few children who do not concentrate disrupt group time.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area. They show an interest in numbers and counting and some can recognise and use numbers well. They show an interest in talking about shapes and demonstrate an awareness of similarities and differences with in their environment. There are missed opportunities in daily routines for children to count, for example, the number of cups needed at snack time.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in this area is generally good. Children enjoy recalling the past as they look at photos of events at the pre-school. They are learning about a range of cultures and beliefs through celebrating different festivals such as Chinese New Year when participating in the local carnival, however the lack of a range of resources which reflect equality of opportunity limit children’s opportunities. A good range of technological equipment is available.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in physical development. They have opportunities to use a variety of small equipment and tools such as threading, jigsaws and play dough and a range of larger equipment such as the tunnel and climbing frame, these are generally adult lead. Children enjoy regular music and movement sessions. Good use is made of the outdoor area.

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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 make generally good progress in creative development. Children's work is displayed around the walls of the pre-school and they have learnt techniques such as painting, printing and collage. There are good opportunities for the children to mix their own paint and blend colours together but are not given sufficient time to experiment with the colours they produce. Through role-play children show good imagination as they begin to make up their own stories.

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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

• The staffs knowledge and understanding of the Foundation stage to be able to define more precisely what children will be learning from the activities in the daily plans. • Implement use of the new assessment and record keeping systems to ensure they show clearly and accurately what the children have been learning and use to aid staffs future planning for extension and adaptation to further children's learning. • Provide more opportunities for children to solve simple mathematical problems for themselves through daily routines. Make better use of snack times to help children develop independence and an understanding of addition and subtraction. Examine the ways in which words are presented to enable children to have more opportunity to recognise their own names and other familiar words. • Provide more opportunities for free creative expression encouraging children to use their imagination. Allow time for them to experiment in depth and to

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

modify their work when using paint, dough and making their own music. • Seek and implement strategies to deal with more challenging behaviour shown by a few children.

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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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