Perranporth Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 27/01/2004 Inspector Name Heather Tanswell

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Perranporth Pre-School Setting Address Perranporth Primary School Liskey Hill Perranporth Cornwall TR6 0EU

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Perranporth Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Perranporth Pre-School Address The Scout Hut Budnick Perranporth Cornwall TR6 0DB

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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

Perranporth Pre-School is a well established committee run group. It moved to the Skylark Room in Perranporth Community Primary School in 2003. The pre-school serves the local area. There are currently 39 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 19 funded 3 year olds and 1 funded 4 year old. Children attend a variety of sessions. The setting currently cares for children with special needs. None of the children who attend speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The group opens five days a week during school term times between 09:00 and 15:00. Nursery education sessions are from 09:00 until 11:45 and from 12:30 until 15:00. Children may stay all day if parents wish. Nine part time staff work with the children. Five have early years qualifications. Three staff are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). The group is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA).

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How good is the Day Care?

Perranporth Pre-school provides satisfactory care for children. There are effective induction procedures to ensure all staff are made aware of and implement policies and procedures. Staff are well qualified and attend regular training and staff meetings to update and share their knowledge of good practice. Children benefit from using the well-resourced outside play areas and school hall for physical activities. Some policies and procedures need updating to have regard for recent guidance and changes. The security of the premises is taken very seriously by staff. They follow effective procedures to monitor arrival and collection of children. Medication and health records are well kept with comprehensive advice on how to use specialist

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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 equipment. However, first aid cover is inadequate. Children receive regular, healthy snacks and drinks. Children who stay all day bring packed lunches but they are not stored safely. Additional risk assessments and action is necessary to cover areas of the school used in addition to the registered premises. Some areas of the setting and some resources are not clean. Staff make good use of large group activities to introduce and re-enforce learning. Children are interested in the wide range of activities on offer. They are proud, of what they achieve, and wish to share their success with staff who offer praise and encouragement. Lack of a named person to deal with behaviour management leads to some inconsistent handling of disruptive behaviour. Children have insufficient

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How good is the Day Care?

opportunities to develop their imagination and creativity. The role play area is not well planned or resourced. Very attractive displays provide positive images of other cultures and support for learning. Partnership with parents is good. They are invited to share and record what they know about their child's development and learning. Parents report that staff are friendly and approachable.

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What is being done well?

• Induction training is used effectively to ensure all new staff are well informed about policies and procedures. Staff attend regular training days and staff meetings to update and share their knowledge and understanding of good practice. • Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are invited to complete a useful initial profile about their child's learning and development on entry to the setting. • Records are kept in confidence in well organised files that can be easily accessed for inspection by authorised persons.

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What needs to be improved?

• the cleanliness of the toilets • the safety of areas of the school premises used to provide additional play space • the availabilty of at least one member of staff with a current first aid certificate • the safe storage of perishable food provided by parents • the procedure for behaviour management to include the role of the named person who takes responsibility for behaviour management issues

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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

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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 11 Ensure that there is a named staff member who is responsible for behaviour management issues. 4 Ensure toilets are checked for cleanliness before the beginning of each session. 6 Conduct a risk assessment on areas of the school premises used to provide additional play space identifying action(s) to be taken to minimize identified risks. 7 Develop and implement an action plan detailing how at least one member of staff with a current first aid certificate, which includes first aid for infants and young children, will be on the premises or on outings at any one time. 8 Ensure all food and drink supplied by parents is stored safely.

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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?

Perranporth Pre-school offers good quality nursery education where children are able to enjoy learning through play. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning apart from mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world which are limited by some significant weaknesses. Teaching is generally good. Children are becoming independent at the setting and are learning to show respect for the staff, each other and their environment. Curriculum planning is now being linked to the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and staff carry out developmental observations on children. Not all key staff understand the purpose of evaluating the observations against the early learning goals. As a result the observational records are not used to plan the next steps in children's learning. There is no designated staff member responsible for

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How effective is the nursery education?

co-ordinating behaviour management issues and, as a result, staff do not make plans to manage the behaviour of more disruptive or challenging children. Leadership and management of the group is generally good. The setting is currently undergoing staff restructuring and the staff team are working hard to ensure that a consistent approach is offered to children throughout the week. The management committee is strongly supportive and evaluates staff development and progress through appraisals and regular meetings. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents receive written information about the setting and are sent regular newsletters about planned curriculum activities. They are encouraged to support their children's learning by contributing resources. Good initial entry information is provided by parents about their child. At present an informal system is used by staff to share on going observations about children's

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How effective is the nursery education?

progress and achievements. A formal parents review meeting is in the process of being developed.

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What is being done well?

• Children's independence and self esteem is promoted well. Staff encourage children to cope with their own needs and to support each other, they offer appropriate support where necessary. • The majority of staff are suitably trained or attending relevant qualification training. Their professional development is evaluated and encouraged by reviews and appraisals carried out by the supportive management committee. • Staff are starting to plan to offer a variety of interesting activities for children that will cover all six areas of learning. They structure their sessions well and use a good range of appropriate resources.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• The staff's understanding of the purpose and use of the developmental observations carried out on children • the opportunities for children to develop their mathematical understanding, particularly in relation to ordering by length, height, weight and capacity and of recognising numerals • the opportunities for children to make independent choices from a range of tools and resources in order to construct, design and express their creativity.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made limited progress since the last inspection. Since that inspection the group has re-located premises twice and has undergone several staff changes and re-structuring. The group were asked to provide extended time and resources for imaginative play. The role play area is not clearly defined within the layout of the room and consequently, although children enjoy their play and are supported by a reasonable range of props, imaginative play activities tend to impinge on other activities taking place during the session. Creative materials are being provided as requested, but mainly during adult led activities. Children do not have many opportunities to select resources independently to express their own creative ideas. There are still significant weaknesses in the planned curriculum for mathematical development, children are not regularly encouraged to recognise numerals or develop an understanding of the concept of space, shape and measure.

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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 are developing personal independence and confidence. They are learning to maintain attention at registration and circle times. They share their thoughts and ideas in group discussions, when they talk about toys they have brought in. Staff encourage children to care and support each other, suggesting older children take responsibility for children new to the pre school, by helping them settle in. Staff do not plan effective strategies to manage the behaviour of more challenging children.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing their listening skills and enjoy stories in large group activities. Their enjoyment of books at other times is limited by the location and use of the book corner. Staff are starting to teach children phonic sounds which are reinforced well at circle time using name cards and sounds of the week. Children are given opportunities to develop their emergent writing when using the literacy table to practice mark making and to write their own names.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children are able to count up to ten, and some beyond, using everyday routines such as the number of children at registration and snack times. Children are starting to compare groups of objects to learn about addition. A number line and counting activities are offered to help children to recognise numerals but these are not used effectively by staff to reinforce children's learning. Children learn about two dimensional shapes and compare sizes, but are not given chances to weigh or measure.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Staff plan activities such as "feely boxes" to allow children to use their senses to explore. There are few opportunities for children to initiate their own ideas in order to design and construct and to explore and investigate objects or living things. Children have few opportunities to learn basic computing skills and about simple technology. Children learn about their environment when they discuss the icy weather and its effect on them getting safely to pre-school.

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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 learn to move with confidence and control when using the large outside climbing and play equipment and in planned indoors physical activities when they crawl, slither, jump and hop. They ride bikes and expertly negotiate obstacles and each other. Children are starting to develop fine motor skills using scissors, glue sticks and spreaders; however a lack of range and variety of equipment and tools means that not all children's developing abilities are appropriately supported.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Staff plan activities for children to explore different media, such as mixing paints, feeling dough, exploring cooked and uncooked rice and noodles. Some children are becoming skilled at creating, discussing and naming representational drawings. Children enjoy imaginative play but the lack of a defined role play area within the setting, means that imaginative games tend to overlap and affect other play activities taking place during the session.

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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

• ensure that all staff carrying out developmental observations on children's progress understand their purpose in relation to the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and the process for using these records to plan the next steps in children's learning • provide and plan more opportunities for children to develop their mathematical understanding of measurement and comparisons by weight and to develop basic numeral recognition • provide more opportunities for children to make independent choices from the resources available to design and construct, explore and investigate and express their creativity.

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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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