Norbury Hall Infant School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 28/06/2004 Inspector Name Sue Taylor

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Rolvenden Pre-School Setting Address Rolvenden Village Hall Rolvenden Cranbrook Kent TN17 4NE

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Rolvenden Pre-School Committee 1026434

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Rolvenden Pre-School Committee Address 12 Gatefield Cottages Rolvenden Cranbrook Kent TN17 4JH

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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

Rolvenden Pre-school opened in 1987. It operates from a purpose-built annexe attached to the new village hall. Children have use of this room with it's own enclosed outdoor area, plus occasional use of the large hall and kitchen. The group serves the local area. There are currently 23 children from 2 to 4 years on roll. This includes 4 funded 3-year-olds and 10 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group actively supports children with special needs and is happy to accept children for whom English is an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are run from 9:00 until 12:00. Five full time and part time staff work with the children. The manager has early years qualifications. Three staff members are starting training programmes.

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How good is the Day Care?

Rolvenden Pre-school provides satisfactory care for children. The manager is well qualified and plans are in place for the minimum requirement of qualified staff to be achieved. The correct adult to child ratios are not always met first thing in the morning. The premises are bright with good natural light, providing an inviting and welcoming environment. Space is well organised. The wide range of toys and equipment is of good quality, offering stimulating challenges for children. Though they lack in positive images of other cultures and disabilities. Documentation is available but some detail is missing or out of date. Records are kept secure and confidentiality is maintained well. Good attention is given to safety requirements. Staff are vigilant and supervise well. Routines are in place to enable children to develop their own healthy practices. They are provided with healthy and varied snacks. Staff are sensitive to children's

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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 individual needs. Child protection is seen as an important issue though the written policy is limited and some staff lack a good understanding of the issues. A stimulating, child centred learning environment is created. With a broad range of activities children are very absorbed and concentrate for long periods of time. They have excellent opportunities for investigation of the world around them. Children are able to make choices about their play. The staff are involved with the children throughout the session. All children are valued and positively included in all activities. On the whole children behave very well. Staff members use their knowledge of the children to manage behaviour and children respond positively.

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How good is the Day Care?

Parents and carers are happy with the care their child receives. They can talk freely to staff members and written summaries of children's progress are completed regularly. Children's records and work is shared with parents who are informed about their achievements.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection a number of actions were made. As a whole these have been met. Some have been met well whilst others remain outstanding in part and are covered by this inspection. With regard to improving the nappy changing facilities this has been completed well. Facilities are available within the main building. The facilities are safe and provide privacy. Practices are in place to ensure the areas are hygienic. Parents are aware of the new phone number which is clearly displayed at the group and on the prospectus. They are also informed via the prospectus and newsletters that they can see their child's records. The information they receive about their funded child's progress will be improved with a better assessment process. No concerns regarding fire safety requirements were noted at this inspection. Extinguishers are checked and regular fire drills are carried out. Good detail is recorded.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The majority of the policies and procedures still need attention and this will contribute to improving the overall operational plan and prospectus.

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What is being done well?

• The accessibility of resources. Children can participate in activities set out by staff or during most of the session they can freely access the boxes stored in low shelving around the room. This enables them to make choices about their play. • The involvement of the staff in activities and children's play. They spend a lot of time talking to the children, extending their thinking and language. They often take the child's lead in play, offering positive guidance and support. • Snack time is well organised. Children come together and good manners are

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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 encouraged. The snack is healthy and varied including fruit and warm food in the winter months. They try new tastes throughout the year. Drinking water is made readily available in the garden during hot weather. • The premises are very child centred. The décor is colourful and educational. Children's work is displayed, making use of walls and ceiling. The garden area belongs to the group and children can make a choice about indoor or outdoor play when appropriate.

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What needs to be improved?

• the adult to child ratio to ensure they are met at all times; • documentation, by updating the current policies and procedures to meet requirements; •• staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection; • resources that provide positive images of other cultures and disability. • the number of qualified staff at each session.

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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 ensure adult to child ratios are met at all times 2 ensure that the action plan in place to meet the minimum requirement of 50% qualified staff at each session is met 9 ensure that children have an appropriate range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice 12 include the contact details for Ofsted in the written statement that provides details of the procedure to be followed if parents have a complaint

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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 13 develop (staff's) knowledge and understanding of child protection issues 13 produce a written statement of the arrangements in place for the protection of children in line with the Area Child Protection Committee, including arrangements to safeguard children from abuse or neglect and the procedures to be followed in the event of allegations being made against a member of staff 14 ensure that medication records are retained on site for at least two years

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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?

Rolvenden Pre-school provides nursery education that is acceptable and of good quality. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals with very good progress being made in two of the six areas. The quality of teaching is generally good. Knowledge of the early learning goals is limited, though training is in place to remedy this with staff keen to learn. The manager and deputy verbally plan sessions from skeleton plans, ensuring others are aware of the activity intentions, though they are not linked to the stepping stones. Staff know the children well, adapting activities appropriately, aware of what works with certain children. Routines are flexible to meet children's involvement in activities. Behaviour is managed reasonably well. Assessment is weak with tick lists to the early learning goals but with no reference to the stepping stones. The leadership and management is generally good. The staff work well together.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Daily discussions help sessions run smoothly. Staff are able to make suggestions about activities or strategies to use with children. New staff are guided by the more experienced members. Their personal development is supported with staff meetings and appraisals. The committed team are well supported by the manager, who has a clear understanding of the group's strengths and areas for improvement. Effective monitoring of the learning programme is hindered by weak assessment and planning. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Parents are encouraged, to some extent, to be involved with their child's learning. Through informal discussions with staff they receive feedback about their child's progress, alongside half termly written summaries of achievements. Transition reports for leavers and a parents evening gives useful information about a child's continued learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children's access to imaginative play and creativity is well supported. Resources provide interest and staff encourage children to use their own ideas in their play. Construction sets are used well with children creating interesting models. The use of natural items collected by the children and man made items, allow them to create some well thought out pictures. • The staff support the children well in exploring and investigating objects. Materials are attractively displayed to encourage interest. Staff spend time with the children getting them to investigate using all of their senses. Good discussions arise looking at textures, patterns and similarities. • The planned session is flexible and children are given choices about their play. They are given time to finish an activity and not rushed. If a child is suitably occupied they can continue with what they are doing.

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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?

• staff's knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and stepping stones within the Foundation Stage • planning, to ensure that clear learning intentions are linked to the early learning goals through the stepping stones and provide useful guidance to staff • assessment by showing individual children's progress towards the early learning goals and using this to inform future planning • partnership with parents and carers by encouraging greater involvement in their child's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the pre-school were asked to look at the display and presentation of books in the reading corner. The book area is large and inviting with child sized seating and cushions. A wide selection of books are easily accessible and used by children independently throughout the session. They enjoy stories and factual books are used to illustrate certain activities. Snack times have been addressed to ensure children have an activity to keep them occupied, whilst they sit at tables waiting for snack time to commence. The activity varies daily to keep children's interest. Children are happy and chat cheerfully to other children or adults.

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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 All children have a sense of curiosity. They settle well, aware of routines but are able to deal with change. They persist for long periods of time at activities. Their self-care is helped to develop through easy access to the toilets and accessing all resources. They relate well to adults, readily asking for support after trying to achieve for themselves. Their behaviour is generally good. Their awareness of other cultures, beliefs and the lives of others is not fully supported by resources.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good The majority communicate very well, asking inquisitive questions and initiating conversations. They talk through their paintings or construction models, saying what they are. They are beginning to link letters and sounds. They use books well, showing an interest in words. Good hand-eye coordination is helped by a range of activities. They hold pencils effectively to start forming some recognisable letters. Pens and paper are not freely available to allow mark making in play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The majority of children count to ten comfortably, some beyond with understanding. They use counting spontaneously in their play. They are starting to understand more or less with number songs. The more able are beginning to add simple numbers or objects together. They use size language in their play. Some show sustained involvement and concentration in completing a pre-decided construction. Children's development is not fully explored particularly with regard to looking at quantity.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children examine objects to find out more about them. They talk excitedly about what they see, using other senses well. Some spend time looking at similarities and patterns, such as in shells. All use construction sets well to create imaginative objects. They use the computer to support their learning. They gain a sense of time in looking at their own growth and that of plants and animals. They get to know their local environment, observing features of the place they live and the natural world.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The majority move with confidence and coordination. They negotiate space when playing with others. They gain an awareness of their own needs with regards hygiene and other practices such as wearing sun hats and hand washing before snack time. Though they are not observing the effects of activity on their body after physical play. They use a range of equipment to extend various skills and abilities. In particular their hand-eye coordination is well developed.

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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: Very Good Children are enthusiastic about activities, keen to be creative and imaginative. They show a well-developed exploratory nature in looking at texture or objects. They respond to what they see, hear, smell, feel and taste, encouraged by the resources. They explore what happens when colours mix. Make pictures using a wide range of materials, both natural and man made. They are able to use their own ideas and have free expression. They sing simple songs from memory and use musical instruments.

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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

• develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and stepping stones within the Foundation Stage. Ensure they can appropriately extend or support children's learning during an activity. • develop the planning, to (i) provide clear learning intentions that are linked to the early learning goals through the stepping stones and (ii) provide useful guidance to staff • improve the assessment process by showing individual children's progress towards the early learning goals, using the stepping stones, and be clear how this is used to inform future planning.

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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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