Bramble Bears

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 06/12/2004 Inspector Name Andrea Caroline Snowden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Bramble Bears Setting Address Ashwellthorpe Village Hall The Street ASHWELLTHORPE Norfolk NR16 1AA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Bramble Bears Committee 1072656

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Bramble Bears Committee Address Ashwellthrope Village Hall The Street Ashwellthrope Norfolk NR16 1AA

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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

Bramble Bears Pre-school was established over 25 years ago and operates from the village hall in Ashwellthorpe. A maximum of 24 children may attend each session. The pre-school is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings between 09:45 and 12:15. The children use the main hall, a side annex and there is an enclosed courtyard for outdoor play. There are currently 18 children on roll, 8 of whom receive funding for nursery education. There are no children with special needs or with English as an additional language on roll at present. The pre-school is managed by a voluntary committee who employ two staff members. The supervisor is suitably qualified and the assistant holds a level 2 qualification.

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How good is the Day Care?

Bramble Bears Pre-School provides satisfactory care for children. The environment is welcoming and children are happy and well settled. Activities are set out ready for children's arrival and there is a good selection of resources, which help most children progress in their development. The layout and use of some areas in the hall are not effective in ensuring activities are used to their maximum effect and that children use them appropiately. Staff and adults in the setting have a warm rapport with the children and children respond well. Staff help children to learn right from wrong, through dealing with unacceptable behaviour in an appropriate manner. Staff know the children well and their individuality is respected, however there are few resources and displays, which encourage children to think about our diverse society. Children's health and safety is considered carefully and there are regular risk

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How good is the Day Care?

assessments and daily checks to maintain standards, however the fire drill is

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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 practised infrequently, meaning that new children to the group have not been involved in the evacuation process. Effective hygiene procedures are in place and children enjoy a variety of healthy snacks during a sociable snack time. The setting works well with parents. There is a good exchange of information and parents are involved in events to support the setting and the children's development. All the necessary paperwork is in place, but some is out-of-date. The operational plan has not been completed.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There were no actions set at the last inspection.

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What is being done well?

• The partnership with parents is working well. There is an active committee of parents and all are willing to help out on the pre-school rota. There is valuable information for parents via the notice boards and they receive termly updates detailing what theme and activities their children will be following. • The interaction with children from all adults, both staff and parent helpers, is warm and positive. There is a friendly atmosphere and children are relaxed and happy.

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What needs to be improved?

• the operatioal plan • the complaints policy • the layout of the hall • the frequency of fire drills • resources and displays which reflect equal opportunities principles

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Outcome of the inspection

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

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 2 Complete the operational plan. 2 Consider the layout of areas within the setting and it's impact on the way children use play equipment and resources. 6 Increase the frequency for practising the fire drill, in line with the setting's policy. 9 Provide resources and displays, so that children's awareness of a diverse society is raised. 12 Update the complaints procedure, to include details of Ofsted as the regulator.

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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 provision for nursery education at Bramble Bears Pre-school is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by significant weaknesses in some areas. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses, although staff are kind to children and they encourage them to share, take turns and co-operate within the setting. They promote children's self esteem and as a result they have very confident, able children. Staff constantly question children during their play, but do not always leave time for them to freely explore, experiment and create for themselves. Staff do not sufficiently challenge children or extend their learning at the activities or in their day to day routine. Children are not always given sufficient time to complete an activity in which they have become engrossed. Staff carry out regular observations of children in order to monitor their progress, however the next steps

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How effective is the nursery education?

for learning are not consistently identified. The leadership and management of the setting has significant weaknesses, although the setting is committed to improving the care and education offered for children and the staff and committee are enthusiastic and willing. Weak systems are in place to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and its progress, particularly in areas of teaching and children's learning. Staff are unable to detect whether all areas of the curriculum have been taught in the year and they have not had time to monitor the use of different areas of the setting. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are invited to become involved with their children's learning by joining the committee and attending sessions to help staff in working with the children. Parents see their children's developmental records and receive a written report at the end of the academic year. Parents state they find

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How effective is the nursery education?

staff approachable and feel able to make suggestions.

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What is being done well?

• Children's development in personal, social and emotional development is well fostered. Staff have a warm rapport with children and the children are confident in telling staff what they want to do. Children are aware of routines and take pride in the pre-school room when helping to tidy away. Their behaviour is good. • Children's development in mathematics is well fostered. Children are interested in number and are heard counting in their play, sometimes from 5 down to 1. Maths is featured across all activites and staff draw children's attention to patterns and number issues.

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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?

• children's assessments • the challenging of children • curriculum planning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvements made since the last inspection have significant weaknesses, although generally good progress has been made in addressing the issue of mathematical development. At the last inspection the setting was asked to improve planning for maths, providing more opportunities for children to learn order, sequence, pattern and recognise numerals. Much emphasis is now being placed on number and recognition of numerals. Activities are provided which help children learn about pattern and resources, such as the compare bears, are helping with order. The setting was also asked to develop the assessments for children to record more fully children's achievements and use them to inform planning. Some progress is being made here. A new system of assessing children's achievements has been introduced since September 2004, and although staff are beginning to use these to inform their planning, the system is not yet consistent and therefore not effective in

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What has improved since the last inspection?

ensuring children's learning needs are incorporated in planning for all areas of learning. Finally the setting was asked to review and develop planning to ensure all aspects of learning are adequately covered and to include details about small group work. In addition to ensure that teaching methods and groupings are appropriate to ensure learning is achieved. Limited progress has been made on this as planning does not ensure all aspects of learning are adequately covered, nor does it highlight teaching methods or grouping of children.

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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 separate from their carers with ease and are confident in choosing which activity they would like to do. Friendships have formed and children show care and consideration for their peers. Children's self help skills are developing well, they put their own coats on, some fasten them and they serve themselves at snack time. There is some low level storage and children are seen to select activities, however there is little space provided for them to use the equipment effectively.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Speaking and listening skills are well fostered. Children chat about play and they listen attentively at group times. Chances for children to practise mark making are limited and they are not actively encouraged to build on skills already gained. Writing materials are provided but there is an expectation that they will be used for a specific purpose rather than to practise freely. Children's free access to books is limited and staff are not available to support a child who traces over his name.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's number skills are developing well. They count confidently, recognise numerals and count with correspondence. Staff reinforce mathematical language and assessments show they are encouraged to think about numbers with personal significance. Children's knowledge of shape and pattern is good. Children are beginning to use the skills of calculation and solving simple number problems but opportunities are not always taken by staff to reinforce this during the daily routine.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing a good sense of the world around them and photographic evidence shows children have visited the fire station, nurtured plants, observed light refraction making rainbows and studied mini beasts. Planning shows a variety of materials available to foster design and making skills and there is a variety of equipment to support ICT. Activities in this area are sometimes too directed and do not always encourage children to explore and experiment for themselves.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move confidently in and around the activities and have a good spatial awareness. They also respect others space. They use large apparatus such as the trampette confidently and when running are able to change direction quickly and some are able to throw and catch competently. Small tools are used with precision. One child cuts around a pre-drawn circle with accuracy and ease, but another who holds his pencil in an awkward grip is watched but not helped by staff.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children work together on group displays using different methods of painting such as wellie prints, vegetable and sponges, however there are few chances to develop in this area through free expression in painting, drawing, collage, modelling or junk. Children enjoy singing and are able to use instruments to explore sound. They play alongside adults in role play situations rather than each other and although role play resources are varied children's imagination is not always effectively promoted.

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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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Ensure assessment records are maintained and consistently identify children's next steps for learning across all areas of learning and that planning identifies the required differentiation to meet children's individual learning needs. • Ensure children are appropriately challenged and extended in their activities and normal routine to ensure they reach their full potential, whilst ensuring they have time to explore, investigate and experiment for themselves. • Further develop the curriculum planning to ensure that all aspects of each area of learning are adequately covered each year.

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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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