Hulland Community Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 20/02/2004 Inspector Name Judith Allbutt

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Hulland Community Pre-School Setting Address Hulland Church of England Primary School Firs Avenue Hulland Ward, Ashbourne Derbysshire DE6 3FS

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Hulland Community Pre-School 102269

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Hulland Community Pre-School Address Hulland C of E Primary School, Firs Avenue Hulland Ward Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 3FS

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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

Hulland Community Pre School opened in the 1970's. It operates from the main hall within Hulland Ward Primary School. The playgroup serves the local community. The playgroup is registered to care for 24 children. There are currently 25 children from two years to under five years on the register. This includes eight funded three-year-olds and four funded four-year-olds. Children attend a variety of sessions. No children with additional needs or for whom English is an additional language currently attend the setting. The group opens 5 days a week during school term only. Sessions are from 09:00 until 11:30 and 13:00 until 15:30. Five part time members of staff work with the children, of whom four hold early year qualifications. The setting receives support from the Early Years Partnership and are members of the Pre School Learning Alliance.

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How good is the Day Care?

Hulland Community Pre-School provides satisfactory care for children. An operational plan has been established but currently it does not provide all the required information. The premises are clean and provide a welcoming environment to the children and their families. However, the heating is not maintained at an adequate temperature. Staff have a good knowledge of the children and use this to adapt activities well to meet their needs. Safety issues are being suitably addressed with a basic risk assessments of all areas, used by the children, being undertaken. Hygiene procedures are good and additional precautions are taken when children are handling animals. Staff are aware of their responsibilities relating to child protection and have an adequate understanding of issues that would cause them concern. A good and interesting range of activities are available to the children. Staff interact

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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 enthusiastically with the children and offer good levels of encouragement and praise to them in their play. Staff are consistent in their expectations of children's behaviour, which is mostly very good, and they provide good opportunities to promote children's consideration of others. Staff help children to contribute to discussions and by providing good role models are helping the children to listen and value others contributions. Good relationships exist between staff and parents, who have good opportunities to discuss their child's care. Generally parents are provided with useful information about the running of the playgroup through newsletters, the notice boards and one to one contact.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the setting agreed to ensure all areas used by the playgroup are suitably clean and well-maintained. The setting is no longer using the area which caused concern and is based solely in the school hall which is well- maintained and regularly cleaned by the playgroup staff and the school caretaker.

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What is being done well?

• The setting makes good use of the premises which are very welcoming. The activities are pre-planned and well set out to engage the children's attention. • Staff interact very well with the children and are able to engage and listen to them. The children's comments are valued and they are given lots of praise which encourages their self-esteem and confidence. • Staff offer very good support and care to the children, which enables the children to be settled and start to form secure relationships with the staff and their peer group. • Staff have good relationships with the parents. Parents have good opportunities to discuss their child's care and welfare.

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What needs to be improved?

• the operational plan, so that it fully reflects the practice of the setting • the policy for lost and uncollected children • the complaints procedure, so that Ofsted contact details are readily available • room temperature, to ensure that it is maintained at an adequate level at all times.

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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 2 Develop a clear procedure, for staff to follow, that covers a child being lost whilst in the settings care or for a child who is not collected at the end of a session. 2 Ensure that the operational plan fully reflects the setting’s practice and contains sufficient information to explain how the setting runs and meets the National Standards. 4 Ensure that the premises are maintained at an adequate and comfortable temperature. 12 Ensure that the complaints procedure gives contact details for Ofsted.

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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?

Hulland Ward Pre-School offers generally good pre-school education and the children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Staff have very good relationships with the children and this helps to create a happy and secure environment for the children to learn and develop in. Children are very well behaved and staff give constant praise and clear explanations to encourage and support this. Long, medium and short term planning is clear and relates to the stepping stones although links between the learning objective and the associated areas of learning are not always secure. Planning does not give adequate guidance on how activities can be extended for more able children. Children's development records relate clearly to the Foundation Stage Curriculum and staff make direct observations, which they feed into these records. Activity evaluation is undertaken and this along with the observations enables the

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How effective is the nursery education?

setting to access if the children have gained a secure understanding of learning objectives, although it does not highlight where challenges have been insufficient. Leadership and management is generally good. There is clear leadership for the staff form the committee and the setting's development is regularly reviewed at the staff and committee meetings. Staff show a valuable commitment to their professional development by the ongoing training that they attend. Working in partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are provided with generally good written information about the topics and the early learning goals, although some areas of learning stated in the letters do not then feature in the planning. They are able to help on the parent rota and join the committee, and they discuss regularly the care and welfare of their child. Parents have limited access to their child's development files and few opportunities to contribute their own

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How effective is the nursery education?

comments and observations into the files.

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What is being done well?

• Children are confident and interested in the activities, they speak clearly as a result of staff's consistent interest and engagement in their play and conversation. • Children have good opportunities to take part in singing and musical activities and do so with enthusiasm. • Children have good opportunities to take part in role play and with skilful staff support are using their role play to explore their feelings and how inappropriate behaviour impacts on others. • Staff's ability to manage children's behaviour effectively and in a positive manner which leads to children's overall behaviour within the setting to be very good.

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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 • Staff work well as a team, they are focused on the children's needs and help to create a happy and relaxed environment. Generally children are well-supported and encouraged in their activities which helps them to develop a positive self-esteem.

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What needs to be improved?

• the planning of activities, so that they clearly state how they can be extended to provide suitable challenges for older, more confident children to develop their early writing, recognition of letter sounds and mathematical problem solving skills • opportunities for children to observe changes over time and look closely at nature and their local environment and for the children to experiment with how to join, cut and design for their own purpose • the planned learning objectives, so that there is a clear link between each learning objective and the associated area of learning • parent's opportunities to be involved in their child's development records, throughout the child's attendance at the setting, so that they can regularly feed information in and receive updates on their child's progress.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made generally good progress since the last inspection. It now provides children with good opportunities to link sound with patterns in rhymes and their names, count total numbers of objects within a group and child assessment sheets have been completely reviewed and link closely to the early learning goals. However, there are still limited opportunities for children to develop their awareness of letter sounds, simple number operations such as addition and subtraction and child assessment records are not guiding planning so that suitable challenges for all the children can be set, particularly the older, more able children.

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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 The children have secure relationships with the staff and are able to separate from their carers. Children are confident and are gaining independence skills in routine activities as a result of the staff's constant praise and support. Children are interested in the activities available, they are acquiring new skills and playing for extended periods. Children are supportive of each other, they understand the need to take turns and given good consideration to others people's needs.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children speak clearly and communicate their needs well, they are able to listen and respond to others contributions. Children have adequate opportunities to develop their emerging writing skills and a few are confident at writing familiar letters. However, older children need greater support to enhance their learning in this area and in their growing awareness of letters and the sounds they make. Children have access to story books, which they enjoy, and understand that print carries meaning.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident in their use of numbers and some do this spontaneously, with four and some three-year-olds recognising total number of objects in a group and giving amount values to written numerals. However, older children need further practical addition, subtraction and problem solving activities to re-enforce and extend their mathematical learning. Children have a useful understanding of comparing size and shape and use this to successfully sort objects.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to use their senses, especially touch and hearing and are able to access a good range of activities to foster this. Children are exploring their own and others cultures and beliefs. They regularly access simple IT and button operated equipment, which some use skilfully. But children are not looking sufficiently at their local environment and the changes that take place in it over time or experimenting with how to join, cut and design independently with construction resources.

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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: Generally Good Children have a good understanding about caring for their bodies, which they have gained through daily routines. Children access a good range of physical and energetic activities, which builds on their co-ordination, climbing and balancing skills. They mostly show a good awareness of space and move around safely within the setting. Children have regular access to malluable materials such as play dough, but have limited opportunities to select and use a wide range of small tools and equipment.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have generally good access to craft activities, although the older children need greater opportunities to be independent and choose how resources should be used. Children are developing a good repertoire of songs and have opportunities to make, move and listen to a range of music. Children are able to play co-operatively and enjoy using their imaginations to develop their games in free play activities. Good adult support valuably extends the children's abilities to do this.

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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 planning, so that it clearly state how activities can be extended to provide suitable challenges for older, more confident children to develop their early writing, recognition of letter sounds and mathematical problem solving skills • provide greater opportunities for children to observe changes over time and look closely at nature and their local environment and for the children to experiment with how to join, cut and design for their own purpose • ensure that the planned learning objectives clearly link with the associated area of learning • provide greater opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's development records, throughout the child's attendance at the setting, so that they can regularly feed information in and receive updates on their child's progress.

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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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