St Cuthberts Pre-School Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 10/02/2005 Inspector Name Lynne Roberts

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Cuthberts Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address St Cuthberts Church Hall Botanic Road Southport Merseyside PR9 7NN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name St Cuthberts Pre-School Playgroup 1085385

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St Cuthberts Pre-School Playgroup Address St Cuthberts Church Hall Botanic Road Merseyside PR9 7NN

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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

St Cuthbert's Pre-School Playgroup is a registered charity run by a board of trustees who are members of St Cuthbert's Church. It opened in 1984 and operates from two rooms in a church hall. It is situated in Churchtown, Southport. A maximum of 31 children may attend the group at any one time. The pre-school is open from Monday to Friday between 09:15 and 11:45. The playgroup is open on Monday and Wednesday between 13:00 and 14:45. Both groups open term time only. There are currently 57 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 25 children receive funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with special educational needs. The group employs 14 staff. Nine of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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How good is the Day Care?

St Cuthbert's Pre-School Playgroup provides good care for children. Staff work very well as a team. Clear induction and appraisal systems and regular team meetings ensure that staff have a consistent approach to their work. Excellent use is made of the large space, in the hall and the annex, to provide a stimulating environment. Children move around freely and safely. The register of children's attendance does not show when children leave early and the procedure to be followed if a child is lost is not clearly documented. However, the rest of the policies and procedures are clearly written and support staff well. Staff successfully promote the welfare, care and learning of children. Staff know the children well, recognise them as individuals and provide well for their individual needs. The kitchen door does not close securely, however, staff complete daily risk assessments and monitor safety well. Staff actively develop the children's

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How good is the Day Care?

understanding of good health and safety through the daily routine. Snacks are basic but satisfactory, with a choice of drinks. Staff provide good support for children with

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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 Special Educational Needs. Staff thoughtfully plan and provide a broad range of interesting activities, at each session. They help children make progress in all areas of their development. Children are kept well occupied with an excellent range and amount of resources, consequently they are busy and behave very well. Many of the toys reflect a diverse society. Children confidently move toys around the room to develop their own play. They are fully involved in activities and are keen to communicate with adults and each other. Much of the success of the group is due to the way staff link activities and interact with children. Parents and carers are warmly welcomed by staff and are well informed about their child's care through good informal systems. Regular newsletters and an informative

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How good is the Day Care?

prospectus keep parents well informed about the group.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Good progress has been made to address all but one of the actions from the last inspection. The person in charge and five staff have achieved appropriate qualifications. More than half of the staff now hold appropriate qualifications. A good record is kept of visitor's times of arrival and departure so it is now clear who is present. The operational plan is used effectively to manage the setting. A risk assessment is regularly reviewed and staff complete a safety checklist prior to each session. Written parental consent for the seeking of emergency medical advice and treatment is available. The procedures relating to bullying and complaints are clearly documented and shared with parents. Addressing these actions has improved the records and documentation used to promote children's health and safety and enhanced the quality of care. Staff closely supervise children to prevent them from entering the kitchen. However, the kitchen

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What has improved since the last inspection?

door is not secure. Therefore, this action continues as a recommendation following this inspection.

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What is being done well?

• Staff make excellent use of the available space to provide a broad range of interesting activities at each session. They create an accessible learning environment which is visually welcoming. Children move freely and confidently, choosing where they wish to play. The annex is used particularly well to provide children with very good opportunities to engage in vigorous exercise and be physically active indoors. • Toys, books and resources including craft materials and tools are of good quality. Many of them reflect a diverse society to promote children's awareness of people in the wider world. Staff use the equipment very well to help children make good progress in all areas of their development. • Staff are good role models of polite behaviour and use verbal praise well to promote children's good behaviour. Children are kept occupied with an excellent range and amount of resources, consequently they are busy and

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 behave well. Children are frequently praised and rewarded for their achievements. Staff value children's good behaviour. • Partnership with parents is actively encouraged. Staff warmly welcome parents and carers and good verbal information is exchanged which enables appropriate care to be provided. Good use is made of mobile screens to display photographs of the children playing and learning. These displays are attractive and keep parents clearly informed about the provision of activities.

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What needs to be improved?

• the documentation relating to the procedures to be followed if a child is lost • records of children's attendance, so times of arrival and departure are accurately recorded • the security of the kitchen

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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 Formalise the procedure to be followed if a child is lost and extend the system of registering children's attendance to show times of arrival and departure. 6 Take further action to prevent children gaining access to the kitchen.

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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?

St Cuthbert's Pre-School Playgroup provision is acceptable and of good quality. Progress in personal, social and emotional development, communication language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development is very good. Progress in mathematical development and physical development is generally good. Teaching is generally good. Staff make excellent use of the space to set up a stimulating environment. Children experience a good balance of well-linked activities. They work well in different sized groups with an adult or alone. Staff regularly assess and record children's progress but next steps for learning are not always formally identified. Consequently, mathematical and large physical activities are not always extended well for more able children. The staff team work well together and encourage children to be independent learners. They support children's spontaneous play well and successfully increase their vocabulary. They use praise

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How effective is the nursery education?

well to boost children's self esteem. Staff effectively support children with special educational needs. Leadership and management is generally good. Staff follow a clear induction programme and work well together to ensure the setting runs smoothly. Useful appraisal systems and regular team meetings are used well to monitor and develop the staff team. However, the system in place to evaluate the provision for nursery education lacks rigour. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents and staff share a good relationship which positively contributes to the children's eagerness to attend. Limited systems are in place to inform parents about what their child has achieved and what their next steps for learning are, so they can help their child at home. Parents can request access to documented policies and procedures and receive regular newsletters, which provide some useful information about the provision and

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How effective is the nursery education?

the current theme. Partnership with parents is valued.

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What is being done well?

• The large hall is very well organised to provides distinct play areas, which are well resourced. Staff make very good use of the areas to provide a broad range of activities every day. Good use is made of mobile units to attractively store equipment that is easily accessed by children. Consequently, children choose where they wish to work and confidently select equipment to initiate and develop their own play. Screens are used well to appropriately divide the areas and to display colourful posters and children's work linked to the activities, such as at the mathematics area. • Children behave very well and are confident, motivated and able to work independently and in groups. Staff are good role models of polite, courteous

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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 behaviour. They reinforce good behaviour through praise. Children are encouraged to share, take turns and show sensitivity to other children's needs. Parents and staff have a good relationship which positively contributes to the children's learning. • Children communicate happily with each other and adults, listen with enjoyment to stories. They are exploring the meaning of words. Children have very good opportunities to make sense of the world. They enjoy talking about past and present events in their lives and learn about their immediate environment through interesting activities.

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What needs to be improved?

• the link between the staff's good knowledge of the children's abilities and the short term planning so activities build on what children already know and can do, and consistently challenge more able children • the use of practical, meaningful activities and natural resources such as sand and water to reinforce children's awareness of number, capacity and calculation • the use of the excellent equipment to physically challenge more able children and to promote their learning of how their bodies change after exercise • parents access to information about the provision, the nursery education and their child's progress so they are kept well informed.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made to address the key issue from the last inspection. The issue relates to broadening the range of resources to represent a range of cultures, enabling children to become more aware of the different cultures in the world around them. Children now have very good daily access to a wide variety of resources that reflect positive images of culture and disability. Posters, books, jigsaws and role play equipment, which reflect a diverse society, are readily available and used well to promote children's view of the wider world. Staff also plan a range of other interesting activities at specific times of the year, such as at Chinese New Year, when children taste food, make dragons and lanterns, practice Chinese writing and are visited by Chinese people from the community.

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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 eager to attend. They are interested, motivated and confident to try new activities. They work and concentrate very well on self chosen tasks. They show good personal independence by selecting their own equipment and choosing where they wish to play. Children have good manners and behave well. They talk freely about their home and are developing a healthy respect for their own culture, beliefs, and that of others, through well planned activities.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's spoken language is developing well. They speak clearly and use language to explore ideas during activities. Children confidently talk about their families and shared nursery experiences. They handle books carefully and enjoy group story time. Children's early writing skills are developing very well. They make marks for many different purposes during well extended role play activities. They label their work, write letters and make lists. Some children write recognisable letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children recite numbers in sequence and enjoy counting up and down in rhymes. They recognise, compare, explore and fit shapes together well. Most children recognise and name numerals. Children's awareness of capacity and calculation is not sufficiently reinforced or extended through the use of resources such as sand and water or during practical activities. Children recreate patterns very well using small toys and paint.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy talking about past and present events in their own lives and have a good sense of time and place. They successfully identify features of living things and talk knowledgeably about their locality. They build well with construction toys and join together a good range of found materials, in a variety of ways. Children observe, manipulate and investigate objects well, using all their senses. Children's natural curiosity during spontaneous play is fostered well by staff.

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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 negotiate space well as they move around the room confidently and safely. They use good quality equipment to balance on and crawl through. Staff are on hand to give good support but new skills are not extended. Opportunities for children to learn about changes to their body after exercise are not exploited. Children handle tools such as scissors, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy well planned activities which allow them to develop creative skills and communicate their ideas. They are well supported to imaginatively use a wide range of role play and small world equipment to express their thoughts and feelings. Children enjoy singing, dancing and exploring sound patterns to piano music. They paint enthusiastically to explore colour and to respond to what they see, hear, taste and feel.

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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

• Key Issues • keep parents well informed about the provision and their child's progress on a regular basis • make greater use of natural resources such as sand and water and practical, meaningful activities to reinforce and extend children's learning in mathematical development • make more use of the excellent provision of climbing and balancing equipment to extend children's large physical skills and promote their learning of changes to their bodies after exercise.

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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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