Almonds Pre-school

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 29/09/2003 Inspector Name Heather Jeanette Knox

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Almonds pre-school Setting Address Bromham Village Hall Village Road BROMHAM Bedfordshire MK43 8JP

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

The Almonds Pre-School opened in 1966. It operates from two rooms in Bromham village hall. The pre-school serves the local area. There are currently 43 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 27 funded three year olds and 1 funded four year old. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are no children who currently attend with special needs or for whom English is an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 0905 until 1300. Nine staff work with the children, two of whom are available to provide emergency cover. A minimum of four staff work each session. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Almonds Pre School provides good quality care for the children who attend. The children are keen to attend and are happy and settled in the setting. The staff are experienced and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They work well as a team to provide a warm and welcoming environment and they make good use of the facilities available. Children are provided with a wide range of equipment to cover all areas of development, a selection of which they can self select. Staff plan a range of interesting activities for the children to help promote early learning. They set clear boundaries for the children which they effectively reinforce as needed. Staff treat children as individuals and are aware of any special dietary or educational needs. They ensure the premise is safe and suitable for use but need to monitor children's access to the kichen area. Staff encourage the children to develop

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How good is the Day Care?

good hygiene practices by encouraging regular hand washing.

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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 Parents are encouraged to be fully involved with the group and assist on a regular basis. They are welcomed at the beginning and end of the day when staff update them on any information. The documentation is well organised to support the organisation of the setting although the child protection policy needs amending.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the pre school was asked to amend their sickness and complaints policy, and to ensure sufficient information was obtain from parents to enable appropriate care to be given to their children. All these issues have been addressed. The policies have been reviewed to meet requirements and the registration form completed by parents, gives full details regarding the child's background and requirements.

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What is being done well?

• The staff work well as a team and support each other during the session which ensures that a calm and relaxed environment is provided for the children. • The staff involve the parents in the groups activities and keep them well informed about current topics and any events that are happening. • Documentation is well organised to support the organisation of the preschool. • Full use is made of the premises to provide a stimulating environment in which the children can learn. Children are provided with a range of activities and plentiful resources.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

The staff build warm and trusting relationships with the children and the quality of their interactions significantly enhances all aspects of children's development. (Standard 3)

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What needs to be improved?

• the child protection policy to include procedures in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff; • the monitoring of children's access to the kitchen to ensure their safety.

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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 6 ensure children are not able to have unsupervised access to the kitchen area; 13 ensure that the child protection policy includes procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation against a member of staff.

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by the time of the next inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

Almonds Pre School offers good quality provision which helps the children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Teaching is very good. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage and use effective questioning techniques to encourage the children to think for themselves. They have a good range of resources which are used effectively to support learning. Children are well behaved and respond positively to the high expectations of the staff. The staff plan a range of interesting activities for the children, though daily written plans could be more detailed. A thorough assessment system is in place and is used well to check the children's progress through the stepping stones. Assessments are informed from regular on going observations and are used to set future targets for the children. There are no children attending with special educational needs but good systems are in place to

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How effective is the nursery education?

provide support if needed. Leadership and management is very good. The pre school benefits from the strong leadership of the supervisor. The staff have built up an effective team and are very supportive of each other. Methods are in place to help monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the practice. Partnerships with parents and carers is very good. Parents are welcomed into the group and are involved with the activities and routines. They are kept regularly informed about the groups topics. Staff complete termly reports on the childrens development which are shared with the parents and parents contributions are requested and valued.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is given high priority which helps children to feel settled and relaxed in the group. • Children are confident at using numbers in their play and they are given good support by the staff who help to introduce them to mathematical vocabulary. • Staff have developed an effective assessment system which clearly shows the childrens progress and is used to inform future targets. • Children have a good introduction to music and enjoy regular singing / movements sessions which involves a wide repertoire of songs.

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What needs to be improved?

• The short term plans to accurately reflect the breadth of learning the staff

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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 make available to the children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre school has made very good progress since the last inspection and this has had a positive effect on the children's learning. Staff demonstrate good questioning skills and are constantly encouraging the children to think and use their own knowledge. The assessment system has been extended and is used to set individual learning targets. Staff carry out regular observations on the children to help build up a clear picture of childrens attainments.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children have good relationships with each other and the adults in the group and behaviour is good. They are confident, happy and relaxed and have good independent skills as they pour their own drinks and put on their shoes. Children enjoy attending the group and take part in all the activities. They show good concentration and perseverance in their tasks as they build models and create house collages.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in communication, language and literacy is very good. Children enjoy using a range of books and they are developing an understanding that print has meaning. They are beginning to recognise their own name as they select their name cards on arrival and at snack time. Opportunities are provided for children to write their own name and activities help to promote handwriting skills. Children have good listening skills and are keen to talk about their own experiences.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in mathematics. They are confident at using numbers in their everyday activities as they talk about their house numbers and collect the appropriate number of cups at snack time. Children use mathematical language to discuss different sizes and are able to recognise when amounts are the same. They compare different shapes and can sort, match and follow a pattern.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. Children discuss features of their local environment as they go for walks, collect leaves. Visits are made by the local police and farmers. They bring in photos of themselves to develop an understanding of time and they enjoy discussing events in their lives. Children are competent at using materials to construct and make models. They have opportunities to use a computer and play phones in their play.

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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 Children make very good progress in their physical development. Children are able to move with confidence, control and coordination both indoors and outside as they gallop to music and use climbing frames and balancing beams. They competently use a range of different tools such as knives, spoons, hammers and nails. They successfully use scissors to cut a straight line and can screw and unscrew shape blocks. Children have good hand to eye coordination and confidently catch and throw balls.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in creative development is very good. Children enjoy using their voices and listening to music played on the piano and on the CD. They use their whole bodies to move to the music as they jump, wriggle and clap their hands. Children show good imaginative skills when using the role play and puppet theatre. Children have a good understanding of colour and are able to work with a range of textures in their creative work as they make two and three dimensional creations.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to the following: • Review the short term plans to accurately reflect the range of activities and resources that are provided for the children to use.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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