Watnall Preschool

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 10/02/2004 Inspector Name Helen Clark

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Watnall Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address Victoria Institute Main Road Watnall Notts NG16 1HS

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Watnall Pre-School Playgroup 1017646

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Watnall Pre-School Playgroup Address Victoria Institute Main Road, Watnall Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG16 1HS

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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

Watnall Preschool Playgroup opened in 1978. It operates from two rooms in the Women's Institute building in the village of Watnall. The group serves the local and surrounding areas. There are currently 37 children from two to five years old on roll. This includes 12 funded 3-year-olds and 10 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend a variety of sessions each week. The group provides support to children with special needs and English as an additional language. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday during term-time only. Sessions are from 09:15 - 11:45 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and 09:00 - 11:30 and 12:30 - 15:00 on Tuesday and Thursday. There are six part time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level two or three. There are two members of staff currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a specialist teacher from the Nottinghamshire Early Years

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How good is the Day Care?

Watnall Playgroup provides good quality care for children. The physical environment provides adequate play space for the children with an additional room for rest and quieter games. Good use is made of the space available which is decorated to a good standard and planted flowers and shrubs outside make it bright and colourful. Toys and equipment are set out for the children's arrival ensuring a warm and welcoming environment. Staff deployment is good and a well developed operational plan ensures all staff know their roles and responsibilities. Overall most aspects of documentation needed are in place. Staff have access to regular training to update their knowledge and skills.

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How good is the Day Care?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 Staff pay particular attention to health and safety. Daily risk assessments are carried out to ensure the environment and equipment is safe and suitable. The group also give high priority to providing healthy snacks and drinks and dietary needs are catered for well. Most aspects of hygiene within the group are promoted well. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of child protection procedures ensuring children's safety. Staff plan a varied curriculum for the children, this includes for indoors and out. The children have regular trips out for example to tend to their allotment or visit local attractions. The staff are very proactive in arranging visitors to the setting to give the children a wide range of experiences and to make learning fun. The group is well

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How good is the Day Care?

resourced and ensure they are fully prepared for each activity. Children's behaviour is managed consistently well. Systems are in place to ensure children with special needs are supported appropriately. The partnership with parents is good. Detailed information is provided to parents about the provision. Parents regularly get involved through the parents rota, fund raising and by volunteering on the committee.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group agreed to ensure appropriate public liability was in place, keep a record of any complaints received and detail how they would ensure a sufficiently qualified deputy was in place in the absence of the supervisor. The group was able to provide evidence that sufficient insurance was in place for the building in which they run. The group also appointed joint deputies with appropriate qualifications to ensure there is always someone available to deputise in the supervisors absence. Although the group have not received any complaints from parents, they have devised a system to ensure that any received would be recorded appropriately.

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What is being done well?

• Children are involved in a broad range of well planned activities that promotes their language, imagination and mathematical thinking. • The group have developed an extensive operational plan which is understood by all staff and shared with parents. The policies and procedures contribute directly to the effective management of the group. • The well trained and experienced staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and how children learn. They have high expectations of what children can achieve and plan accordingly for their individual needs. • Information provided for parents is very good. They all receive detailed information about the provision and the curriculum. Information about their children's progress is regularly shared.

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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 records kept on the premises, about staff members, to include evidence of checks carried out on their suitability • hygiene practices, regarding hand washing before handling food.

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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 1 Ensure records held about staff members includes evidence of checks carried out on their suitability. 7 Promote good standards of hygiene, ensuring consistency with hand washing before handling food.

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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?

Watnall Playgroup provides good quality nursery education where children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Staff plan a varied curriculum as a team, ensuring all staff have a good understanding of the stepping stones and early learning goals. Staff have a good knowledge of the purpose of activities and ask appropriate questions to make children think. Challenges are appropriate for both three and four-year-olds and planned activities are continued throughout the sessions to consolidate children's learning. Systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and English as an additional language. Children's behaviour is managed consistently well and staff present themselves as good role models. Staff use their time and resources effectively to ensure children are well supported at each activity, however, the routine of the day does not always

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How effective is the nursery education?

allow time for children to complete tasks or finish their work. Children are regularly observed to ensure they are making progress and the information gained is used to inform planning. Leadership and management is very good. The group benefit from clear leadership and a strong committee to ensure the setting is managed well. Staff work well as a team and are committed to the improvement of the care and education they provide. They achieve this by attending regular training events to update their knowledge and share this with others at team meetings. They regularly evaluate their activities and use this information to inform future planning. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good quality information about the setting and its provision. Parents are well informed about their child's progress and information is regularly shared. They are fully involved in their children's learning both in the setting and at home.

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What is being done well?

• There is effective planning for knowledge and understanding of the world. Children look carefully at their environment which includes developing and tending their own allotment in which they grow many plants and vegetables. • Regular visits out to observe local attractions and visitors to the group help children develop a strong sense of community. • The setting benefits from clear leadership and good teamwork from the consistent staff team. They regularly update their knowledge and skills through self evaluation and training.

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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 • Information provided to parents is good. All parents receive a welcome booklet that is clear and informative. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning. They regularly use the groups library to share books at home and are encouraged to complete simple tasks such as planting seeds and measuring and recording their growth.

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What needs to be improved?

• the routine of the day, to ensure children have sufficient time to develop their own ideas and complete their work • the labelling and print displayed around the room for children to see • the opportunity for children to listen to and enjoy a wide range of music.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The improvement since the last inspection has been very good. All of the key issues from the last inspection have been addressed. This included, providing more opportunity for children to develop their awareness of simple addition and subtraction through practical activities, provide more opportunity for children to question why things happen and how things work and to ensure questioning was sufficiently challenging for the more able children. The group make good use of everyday routines such as register time and snack time to introduce simple concepts of addition and subtraction. Planning now includes appropriate questions to ask children, particularly the more able ones, to promote language for thinking. Staff plan many experiences for children to question why things happen, particularly through their current theme about the weather. The children are regularly exposed to many exciting experiences and are involved in simple scientific experiments in which they

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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 becoming increasingly confident and have a developing awareness of their own needs. They operate independently within their environment and are able to sit quietly and concentrate when required. Children are developing a good sense of community through well planned activities and trips out. They are polite, well behaved and have a good understanding of the set rules within the setting.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children communicate well, they talk freely about home, recall past events and ask simple questions. Their writing skills are developing well. They use mark making equipment in the home corner and attempt to label their own art work. Children enjoy an increasing range of books and stories and take books home to share as part of the settings library service. There is limited use of labels and print around the room to encourage children to recognise simple words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use numbers and counting throughout the routine of the day. They begin to represent numbers using fingers and marks on paper as they find out how many children want milk or water. Children find the total number of items by counting all of them and most four-year-olds can say with confidence the number that is one more than a given number. Children use many practical activities to develop concepts of space, shape and measure and are beginning to use mathematical language appropriately.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children participate in many activities to find about features in the place where they live and the natural world. They show an interest in programmable toys to support their learning and have regular access to a computer. Children show an interest in why things happen and how things work and ask appropriate questions. Social occasions such as snack and story time provide opportunities to discuss past events and children freely talk about home and ask questions about the lives of others.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children demonstrate increasing skill and control when using mark making equipment. Hand-eye co-ordination is good. They are able to participate in many activities that develops their small muscle skills such as threading, sorting and sewing. They have good control when using large equipment such as the climbing frame. They move confidently as they run, pedal, scoot and practice their balancing skills.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children explore colour as they mix their own paints. They design and create their own 3D models and structures using recycled materials. They work creatively on a small scale alone and on a larger scale in big groups. They show an interest in what they see and respond in a variety of ways. Children join in with their favourite songs and rhymes. They use instruments and move creatively to music, although the range of music available is limited. Children use their imagination in role play.

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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

• provide an environment that is rich in print and encourages children to pay close attention to the features and purpose of written language in their surroundings • ensure the routine of the day provides sufficient time and freedom for children to develop their own ideas and finish their work.

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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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