Daisy Hill Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 03/12/2004 Inspector Name Christine Fraser Turner

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Daisy Hill Pre School Setting Address Westhoughton U.R. Church Hall Leigh Road Westhoughton Bolton BL5 2JE

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Daisy Hill Pre-School Playgroup 1045977

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Daisy Hill Pre-School Playgroup Address Westhoughton UR Church Hall Leaigh Road Westhoughton BL5 2JE

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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

Daisy Hill Pre-school is located in the Westhougton area of Bolton. It opened in 1974 and operates from a church hall within one room and has use of the hall. A maximum of 30 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09:15 to 12:00 term-time only. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. There are currently 30 children from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 13 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area. The pre-school employs six staff. Four staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards a qualification. The pre-school receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Daisy Hill Pre-School provides good quality day care for children. Effective procedures are in place for appointing staff. They have a good awareness of protecting children from people who have not been vetted. The clear operational plan supports the organisation of the group. Staff training is given a high priority. Staff use space well for most of the time. A key worker system ensures staff know the children well. Children have ready access to activities in a clean, welcoming, child friendly environment, including informative displays. Toys are checked regularly for safety. Children have access to good quality toys. Documents are in place to support the care of children. Staff have a good understanding of health and safety. Most areas within the pre-school are safe. Staff share the settings policy for the exclusion of sick children with parents. Staff take appropriate action if children become ill whilst in their care.

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How good is the Day Care?

Staff encourage good hand washing routines. Children have good access to drinks.

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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 Staff respect children's dietary needs, including allergies. They provide healthy snacks for children. Staff use information from parents to provide appropriate care for children. They have a positive attitude towards children with special needs. All staff are clear on their role in protecting children but the policy needs to be updated. Children are able to make their own choices for play. Good interaction takes place between children and staff. Children experience a wide range planned of activities but the plans for continuous provision need to be reviewed. Staff observe and record children's development using the appropriate records for the age of the child. Children's behaviour is well managed. The partnership with parents is good. Parental questionnaires and discussion with

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How good is the Day Care?

parents show that they are happy with the care their child receives.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the provider agreed to ensure that the outdoor area was fully secure. This has been achieved by providing a lock which ensures the gate is fully secured when children are playing outside, improving the safety of the children.

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What is being done well?

• Preliminary visits to the setting by parents with their child help children settle easily into pre-school. Children become familiar with the staff and premises. • Staff have a good understanding of the settings behaviour management policy which ensures that children's behaviour is managed consistently. • The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents feel well informed on the provision and daily discussion keeps them informed on their child's day. • Good quality resources available to children that enables them to make progress, including toys that promote equality of opportunity.

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What needs to be improved?

• the child protection policy to include action to be taken if there is an allegation against a member of staff • the storage of equipment for physical play which is stored in the cloakroom area • the plans for continuous provision • the grouping of children at carpet time.

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PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS (This section applies only to inspections carried out

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 4 Ensure the storage of equipment for physical play does not present a hazard to children. 3 Review the plans for continuous play to ensure activities provide variety for children that attend for more than one session. 13 Review the child protection policy to include the action to be taken if there is an allegation made against a member of staff. 3 Review the grouping of children at carpet time in order that children's developmental needs are fully met.

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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?

Daisy Hill Pre-School provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Provision for their personal, social, and emotional development as well as mathematical development are well planned and they make very good progress in these areas. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a generally good understanding of the early learning goals. They observe children well but do not yet use the information to identify next steps for learning for individual children or use the information to inform the planning. Staff use questioning effectively to develop children's thinking. Staff manage children's behaviour well which helps children to concentrate on activities. They are able to identify how activities can be used to challenge children who are at different stages of development. The leadership and management of the pre-school is generally good. The manager

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How effective is the nursery education?

and staff are clear on their roles and responsibilities. Staff work well as a team. They are committed to ongoing development through training. Aims and objectives of the pre-school are clearly identified in the operational plan. Staff are able to identify strengths and weaknesses of the educational provision. The operational plan is reviewed on a regular basis. There is not yet a system in place that monitors the effectiveness of the planning to ensure that all areas of learning are covered over a period of time. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Regular news letters keep parents informed of current events. Parents are able to access their child's records at any time and staff arrange meetings with parents to keep them well informed of their child's progress. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning via the home links sheet.

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What is being done well?

• The partnership with parents and carers is effective as staff and parents share information on a regular basis. • Staff are committed to ongoing development through training. • Staff work well as a team and are clear on their roles to promote children's learning. • Staff and children have good relationships. Children are confident to communicate their needs to staff and respond positively.

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What needs to be improved?

• the use of observations and assessments to identify next steps for learning

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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 and use the information to inform planning • the monitoring of the educational provision.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. Staff have provided good quality information for parents on the Foundation Stage which has increased parents understanding of what children are learning in pre-school. Staff have worked hard to provide three computers for children. Two are used independently where children can gain confidence and expertise in using computers and one is used with adult support. Children are now able to share listening experiences through the use of equipment purchased by staff. Children are confident to use the equipment independently.

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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 encouraged to be independent and are able to select their own activities. They are able to concentrate for extended periods of time e.g. when completing puzzles. Children have good relationships with each other and are learning to co-operate in play e.g. building towers with large bricks. Children's self esteem is promoted well as children share items from home such as 'Me boxes'. Children are proud of their achievements and share them with staff.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are encouraged to learn about initial sounds and are beginning to recognise letters. They discuss their feelings as they take part in 'Sandy Fingers and Toes' activity. Children use books independently and also listen carefully to informal stories during the session. Children are able to recognise their own name at self registration. Some children are beginning to write with most letters correctly formed but activities for mark making are not sufficiently extended into role play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are learning to count very well as part of daily routines and during naturally occurring opportunities in play. They confidently name two dimensional shapes. Children are introduced to calculating through daily routines e.g. and one more at registration time, and practical examples matching tops to mince pies. Children learn about shape as they fit puzzles together. They are beginning to learn about weight and capacity as they play with sand and water.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Planned activities help children to learn that changes occur e.g. when making jelly and when baking. Children use tape recorders independently. They have regular visits in the community looking at features as they visit the local library, shops and park. They learn about living things as they create their own garden, plant beans and take care of pet fish. Children learn about other peoples cultures. Opportunity for construction is sometimes limited e.g. train track pre-built on board.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to use tools with increasing control e.g. scissors and pencils. They are learning to throw and catch as they play with bean bags. Children are beginning to recognise changes in their body after exercise. Good quality climbing equipment that can be used indoors and outdoors provides good challenges to children for climbing and balancing. Planning for outdoor play lacks detail and there is insufficient use of additional space in the hall for physical play.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have daily opportunities to use their imagination in role play. They explore colour, texture and shape as they choose materials to decorate Christmas party hats. Children enjoy singing as they join in with songs for the nativity. They listen to Christmas music from a selection of tapes that they choose themselves. A self identified area for development is the need for children to have more opportunities to enjoy dancing and ring games.

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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 the planning takes account of the next steps for learning for individual children, using the information from assessments and observations of the children. • Introduce a system to ensure that the educational provision is monitored. 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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