Whitehall Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/06/2004 Inspector Name Carol Newman

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Jiminy Cricket Playgroup Setting Address The Cricket Pavilion Horsell Moor Woking Surrey GU21 4NH

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

Jiminy Cricket Playgroup has been established since 1967. The playgroup operates from a cricket pavilion at Horsell Moor and serves the local community and the surrounding area.

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Information about the setting

Opening times are five mornings per week from 09.15 to 12.00 and four afternoons from 13.00 to 15.30 hours. Children have access to two rooms and a large outdoor play area. There are currently 77 children on roll. This includes 40 funded 3-year-olds and 19 funded 4-year-olds. The setting has experience of dealing with children with English as an additional language. Seven members of staff work with the children on various days, of which four have a recognised early years qualification. Two members of staff are on a training programme. Four members of staff hold a current first aid certificate. The setting receives support from an early learning advisor from the Early Years Childcare Service.

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How good is the Day Care?

Jiminy Cricket Playgroup offers satisfactory care for children. The staff offer a warm and welcoming environment where children feel valued and secure. The owner carries out regular risk assessments to identify possible hazards. Staff pay adequate attention to children's dietary needs and encourage the children's understanding of appropriate hygiene practices. Children have access to a wide range of toys and equipment and staff plan and provide a choice of appropriate activities each day. More able children are not always sufficiently challenged and resources do not adequately reflect positive images of disability. Staff take the time to talk to children in order to build strong

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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 relationships. They treat all children with respect and procedures are in place to support children with English as an additional language. All children are welcomed in the setting, however staff are not proactive in accommodating children's special educational needs. Children understand the boundaries for behaviour and staff value and support good behaviour. Children play happily together. Parents are encouraged to ask questions and exchange information for the benefit of the children. All record keeping is in place and efficiently maintained. The child protection policy requires some amendments in order to meet the current requirements.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are active in promoting good health and hygiene practices and children are provided with regular drinks and snacks. • Staff understand and implement age appropriate strategies for dealing with unwanted behaviour. Good behaviour is valued and encouraged. • Good information is given to volunteers about their roles and responsibilities.

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What needs to be improved?

• the resources that reflect positive images of disability • the procedures followed to meet any special needs of the children in the setting • the child protection policy in order to meet current requirements.

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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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WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NEXT?

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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 9 Ensure that children have an appropriate range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, particularly with regard to disability. 10 Ensure that appropriate advice and action is taken to meet any special needs of the children in the setting. 14 Ensure that all policies meet the current requirements, particularly with regard to child protection.

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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 of nursery education at Jiminy Cricket Playgroup is acceptable and of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy and mathematical and physical development. There are significant weaknesses in personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses. Children learn through a range of adult led activities, however they do not explore and investigate, or access equipment, independently. The cultural diversity of the children in the setting is not used as a learning tool. Staff make some regular observations of individual children, however these are not used to inform planning, particularly with regard to more able children and those with special educational needs. Children are confident. They

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How effective is the nursery education?

behave well in response to the high expectations and sensitive support of staff. Staff keep some examples of children's work and children's significant achievements are recorded. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is not clearly identified in the record keeping. Leadership and management have significant weaknesses. Staff are committed to the improvement of the educational provision and are keen to access training opportunities. No formal evaluation to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the educational provision takes place. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Parents are well informed about the playgroup activities through regular newsletters. Children's records are available on request and staff share their observations of the children informally, on a daily basis. Parents complete an initial observation record to share what they know about their child, but the opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's

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What is being done well?

• Children are well supported by the sensitive staff. They maintain meaningful conversations whilst engaging in activities. • Children enjoy books. They show a good understanding of how books work and handle them carefully. • Children understand the properties of two dimensional shapes such as square, triangle rectangle, circle and semi circle. They count sides and corners accurately and are able to recall the shape names. • Staff are enthusiastic and willing to develop their skills and knowledge and the setting is committed to the ongoing improvement of the provision.

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What is being done well?

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

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What needs to be improved?

• the provision and development of activities so that children can explore and investigate and access equipment independently • the planning, observation and recording so that children's progress through the stepping stones is clearly identified and children's individual needs are met, particularly with regard to more able children and children with other special educational needs • the children's understanding of and respect for the cultural diversity of the children in the setting • the opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There are significant weaknesses made in the improvements identified at the last inspection. Four key issues for improvement were identified. The setting was asked to improve the programme for knowledge and understanding of the world by the addition of investigative and technological resources; strengthen the programme for creative development by promoting the use of all the five senses in investigation; enhance the partnership with parents by revising the playgroup leaflet so that they are well informed about the educational provision; strengthen the quality of teaching further by finding ways to make the planning of teaching more secure. Opportunities for children to investigate and to use technological resources remain limited. A topic entitled "Senses" has been introduced in order to promote the use of the children's senses. The parents are now given information about the early learning goals in documentation and on the notice boards.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Staff are encouraged to access further training to strengthen the quality of teaching.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children confidently try new activities such as experimenting with floating and sinking. They attend to their personal needs such as finding tissues and washing their hands. They negotiate and understand the codes of behaviour required to work as part of a group. Children take turns and share fairly whilst confidently expressing their own views. Children have limited awareness of the cultural diversity of the setting. They do not select resources for themselves and most activities are adult led.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children listen attentively to stories. They use books for enjoyment and with care. Children recognise familiar words, such as their first names, at snack time. Children are beginning to write their names and they mark make with chalk and at the colouring table. Children link sounds to letters at group time. Staff extend children's vocabulary during discussions and at story time. Some activities, such as familiar word recognition, are not extended for more able children.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count reliably up to ten and beyond. They show a developing understanding of the concept of subtraction when they sing songs such as "Five Little Firemen". Children compare time using sand timers and learn about the properties of shapes through group activities such as guessing the shapes in Squeaky Mouse's box. Children create patterns using the Scope equipment and the Pathfinder board. There are limited opportunities for children to problem solve in the daily routine.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children observe floating and sinking during an adult led activity. They build and construct using lego and bricks. They operate the computer keyboard in their office and talk on the telephone in the home corner. Children talk about familiar events such as holidays and children's birthdays are celebrated in the group. Children celebrate festivals such as Christmas and Chinese New Year, however, the cultural diversity of the children in the setting is not exploited as a learning opportunity.

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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 move confidently as they climb on the frame indoors and outdoors. They roll hoops, throw and kick balls and bounce on the trampoline. Children show a consistent preference for the left or right hand when they use a range of small equipment such as pencils and the Pathfinder board. Children use rollers and cutters to manipulate playdough and use buckets, spades and moulds in the sand tray. Children do not develop an understanding of how to use and store tools safely.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children print with fruit and stencils. They learn a range of familiar songs for their "People who help us" topic and sing songs spontaneously during group time. Children pretend to be firemen indoors and outdoors and develop role play scenarios in the home corner and with the small world equipment. Children compare wet and dry sand in the outdoor area. Most activities are adult led. Children do not use their senses to explore materials freely and do not select their own resources.

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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

• organise the provision and develop activities so that children can explore and investigate and access equipment independently • develop planning, observation and recording so that children's progress through the stepping stones is clearly identified and children's individual needs are met, particularly with regard to more able children and children with other special educational needs • develop the children's understanding of, and respect for, the cultural diversity of the children in the setting • provide additional opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning.

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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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