Coppull St. John's Pre-school

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 29/06/2004 Inspector Name Michael, David Charnley

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St. John's Pre-School and Playgroup Setting Address St. John's CE Primary School Preston Road. Coppull Chorley Lancashire PR7 5DU

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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

Coppull St John's Pre school and Playgroup is registered to provide full day care for 24 children aged 2 to 5 years and is based in a purposely built mobile unit next to St John's primary school. The facility is located in a semi rural district of Coppull on the outskirts of Chorley. Children attend for morning and afternoon sessions with hours of opening from 9:00am to 11:30 am Monday to Fridays and 12:30 pm to 15:00 pm Monday to Thursdays during term time only . Children stay for lunch as part of the 'wraparound care' arrangements. Children access one main room which is split into various aspects of play. There are toilet and kitchen facilities on the premises with access to an enclosed outdoor play area with part grassed and concrete surfaces. There are a total of 45 children on roll at the facility of whom 20 receive funding for nursery education, namely 8 funded 3 year olds and 12 funded 4 year olds. There is

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Information about the setting

one child who is identified as having special needs and one child who speaks english as an additional language. The setting receives input from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership ( EYDCP ) teacher team. The staff team consists of 4 members, two of whom including the manager are qualified to NVQ level status in early years child care and education, one who is qualified to level 2 and the other who is employed as an assistant.

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How good is the Day Care?

Coppull St John's Pre school and Playgroup provides good quality care for children. A well motivated staff team provide a warm and welcoming environment for children and organise space and resources to meet children's needs effectively. Very good relationships are developed with the children, who are happy, confident and secure within the setting. Staff have good practical skills in caring for children and access training courses to improve and build on these. Records are well organised, mainly accurate and up to date.

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How good is the Day Care?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 The staff team have a good awareness of safety issues and take positive steps in most areas to promote safety with children's welfare in mind. Good hygiene practices are encouraged as part of the daily routine. Healthy, nutritious snacks are provided and any special dietary requirements are met with sensitivity. The role and responsibilities in reporting child protection matters are understood by staff. There is regard to the special needs 'code of practice'. The provision offers a very good range of activities indoors and outdoors which help children progress in all areas of their development. Children with enthusiasm freely access a good range of play materials. They are well stimulated and interested in

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How good is the Day Care?

their play. The staff team's interaction with individual children is very good with appropriate levels of support and attention given. They talk, listen and ask appropriate questions to challenge children's thinking. The staff team manage children's behaviour well with consistent use of praise and encouragement. Children are aware of the boundaries and are comfortable with these. Staff have good relationships with parents and receive positive feedback about the provision. Children are looked after according to parent's wishes and parents are kept well informed about daily activities through informal and formal lines of communication. Staff have established home links which encourages parents to support their children's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the provider agreed to develop the operational plan and procedure for administering medicines and also obtain a valid first aid certificate. All these matters have been attended to resulting in a more efficient and safe management of the provision.

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What is being done well?

• Children are happy and secure within the setting, they move around the environment freely and confidently. They are comfortable in the care of staff and pleasant in their attitude towards them. • Staff pay good attention to meeting the children's individual needs and build caring and very positive relationships with them. They interact with the children very well, dedicating a lot of time talking, playing and listening to them. • Staff plan an interesting and stimulating programme of activities to foster children's development in all aspects of their learning. Children show good levels of interest and concentration in the activities provided. They talk enthusiastically about their experiences. • The good health of children is fostered well within the setting. The setting invites professionals such as the dental nurse to talk to and educate children about the importance of brushing teeth and eating healthily.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are very positive in their approach to managing children's behaviour with emphasis given to praise and reward for their achievements to bolster self

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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 esteem. Children respond well to the praise given by staff and are well mannered. Children are also helpful in tidying away equipment.

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What needs to be improved?

• the child protection policy to include the relevant contact details and display of the recent government publication • the safety of the steps leading to the outdoor play area

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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 Review the safety arrangements for children and staff when accessing the steps leading to the outdoor play area. 13 Ensure the child protection procedure includes the contact details of the local area child protection team and display the government publication ' What to do if your worried that a child is being abused' for staff and parents.

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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?

The Shining Stars, St John's Pre School and Playgroup provides good quality education overall which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six aspects of learning. The quality of teaching is very good, staff have a sound knowledge of the early learning goals and the stepping stones. They are very good role models who have high expectations of children, as a result children are extremely well behaved, polite and considerate within the setting. Staff work with enthusiasm when planning interesting and challenging learning opportunities for children. They keep detailed records which are highly pertinent to the development of three and four year olds and place a high emphasis on fun and learning in a safe and welcoming environment. Leadership and management is very good. The manager leads with enthusiasm and commitment. An emphasis is placed on continuous improvement and staff are

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How effective is the nursery education?

actively encouraged to participate in external and in house training. The manager ensures that literature associated with good childcare practice is readily accessible to all staff members. Staff are aware of their responsibilities and are supported by the manager in relation to the planning and evaluating activities for children. Partnerships with parents is very good. Parents are provided with ongoing detailed information about the setting and the early learning goals. They take part in children's learning and are actively involved in some activities, they contribute to the setting evaluation of service process via the 'What Do You Think' questionnaire. Parents speak with high regard for this setting and the continuous level of education provided.

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What is being done well?

• Children are confident, interested and highly motivated to learn. They build sound relationships with adults and peers. Children greet the inspectors with great enthusiasm and confidence. • Children enjoy stories, they follow the sequence of the story very well and know that text runs from left to right. They 'read' confidently to each other in the book area and take delight in wring their own story books, complete with illustrations. • Staff are very good role models who speak to children in calm and reassuring tones, as a result children are extremely well behaved, polite and considerate within the setting. They are proud to wear their 'well done' badge for good work and kind deeds to others. • Children are confident counters, they count to ten and beyond during registration and during the outdoor counting game. Children use addition and

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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 subtraction very well and are able to compare number when calculating the date. • Children enjoy learning about living things, they watch in wonder as the slugs and snails feed on the leaves in the snail tank. They make bird cake to feed the birds and observe a variety of birds come into the garden to feed. They examine the workings of the camera and are amazed to learn about icebergs. • Children enjoy a wide range of interesting and imaginative creative opportunities. They explore the texture of the paint and twigs when making 'frosty tress' and use felt strips when weaving pictures. They use imagination when making houses from large cardboard boxes and are skilful when playing the musical instruments. • Partnerships with parents and carers is very good, parents take an active part

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What is being done well?

in children's learning. They enjoy participating with the children in a dance activity organised by the setting professional dance instructor. There are positive links between the setting and home and parents contribute to the settings evaluation process. Parents speak highly of the service provided.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunity for children to transfer out of door activities indoors.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. Children are able to enjoy a wide variety of text around the setting, magazines, posters and newspaper cuttings. They recognise their own name and other familiar words around the setting, for example chair, table and door. Children make excellent use of letter sacks and link letters to sounds and syllables. As a result children are confident in relation to communication, language and literacy. Children are skilful when using addition and subtraction during every day activities, they count the number of children present during registration and the number of circles left after the collage activity. They compare number and can sequence number one to ten and beyond, they put two numbers together when calculating the date. As a result children are confident and understand number and early mathematics.

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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 are interested and highly motivated to learn. They pay very good attention in a large group and when working independently. They take listening carefully, such as to the dental nurse during a 'teeth cleaning' activity. Children are extremely confident, they greet adults with great enthusiasm and build sound relationships with adults and peers. Children know their boundaries and are very well behaved. They display their smiley face badges with pride, given for good work.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children learn to discuss very well, they listen intensively to the teacher during circle time. They enjoy stories and follow the sequence of the caterpillar story very well. Children know that text runs from left to right and take pleasure in writing their own story books, for example 'Peace At Last'. Children link letters to sounds and make excellent use of the letter sacks, they learn from a variety of text around the setting. Children show a keen interest in poetry and rhyme.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident counters, they count to ten and beyond when counting during the running game and counting the number of children present during registration. Children link two numbers; they know that two and eight equals twenty eight. Children use addition and subtraction very well, they count the numbers of circles left during the collage activity. Children use mathematics when problem solving, they ask that a large cardboard box be cut in half when constructing a house.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about living things, they plant bulbs and watch in wonder the snails and slugs feed in the snail tank. Children investigate how things work, they show a great interest in the workings of the camera and are confident when using the mobile telephone, cash register, computer and the mouse. Children are skilful when designing and making musical instruments and a system for collecting rain water using plastic pipes and funnels. Children enjoy learning about other cultures.

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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 are confident and have very good control over their bodies. They show great skill when kicking a football and throw balls using over and under hand movements. They have a good sense of space and find their own space on the carpet ready for circle time. Children learn about healthy eating, they enjoy fruit at snack time and talk about the contents of a healthy lunch box. Children are skilful when using scissors and cutters, they cut around shapes correctly during collage time.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children take delight in exploring colour and texture, they use felt strips when weaving and textured paint and twigs when creating 'frosty trees'. They are imaginative when making three dimensional models for the canal boat display. Children enjoy playing musical instruments, they laugh as they make soft and loud noises with the symbols, one child uses a twig to beat a rhythm on the drum. Children develop great imaginations during role play, they use props to make a house, train and a bus.

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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 improving rthe foillowing; • the opportunities to build independence and allow children to transfer and continue activities from the outdoor play area indoors.

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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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