Risby Preschool and Childcare Services

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 26/04/2004 Inspector Name Susan Patricia Foulger

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Risby Pre-school Setting Address The Village Hall Alymer Close,Risby Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP28 6RT

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Risby Pre-School 1030761

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Risby Pre-School Address The Village Hall Alymer Close, Risby Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk IP28 6RT

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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

Risby Pre-School was established in the 1970s. It is run by a committee of parents. It serves the rural village of Risby in Suffolk, as well as a number of surrounding villages. The group meets in Risby Village Hall and has access to a small fenced garden. Sessions are held each weekday from 9.15 to 12.00 noon during the school term only. The age range of the children is from rising three to five years. There are currently 24 children on roll of whom 8 are funded four year olds and 10 are funded three year olds. Four of the funded children have special needs. There are no children for whom English is an additional language. There are two long term staff and a third member who will be leaving shortly. Parents help on a rota basis. The pre-school has close relationships with the village school which is adjacent to the village hall. The setting receive regular support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and the

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Information about the setting

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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How good is the Day Care?

Risby Pre-school provides a satisfactory standard of care overall for children aged 2 to 5 years. The village hall is an old building but is being re-furbished in stages. The use of the large hall for physical play is an advantage as the outside fenced garden is very small to accommodate all the children at the same time. The pre-school staff have to set up and clear away every session.

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How good is the Day Care?

Safety and security is considered to be important. Staff numbers are high and deployed effectively, so children are well supervised and have valuable one to one contact with the adults which helps them to make progress. There is a good range and balance of toys and activities, and while toys and

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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 equipment are of a high standard, the children are unable to make their own choices because of the lack of suitable storage units. Staff work well together, the children appear happy and settled and parents approve of the care their children receive. Staff are very experienced and are confident in their handling of the children, so behaviour management is excellent. Children are encouraged in good hygiene practices and are closely monitored by the adults. A well thought out comprehensive policy allows the pre-school to ably support children with special needs. The staff have recently completed child protection updated training. The overall organisation of the pre-school is effective, but there seems to be a lack

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How good is the Day Care?

of knowledge of national health and safety guidelines and employment law. There is no induction programme for new staff. Record keeping is kept confidential, but there are no formal arrangements made for the parents of funded children to see their children's records on a regular basis.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the setting were given a number of actions to complete in relation to medication administration, and accident and incident recording; these have all been implemented. Evacuation procedures have been produced that conform to the local fire safety officer's requirements and the premises are now secured so that children are safe. A procedure has been written in the event of a child going missing and a satisfactory behaviour management policy has been produced giving due regard to the National Standards. The pre-school have obtained a copy of the ACPC procedures and contact details and earlier this year staff members completed a child protection course.

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What is being done well?

• The staff relate well to children. They are interested in what they say, ask questions to make them think and respond to their interests. The children are happy and secure in their company. • Behaviour management is excellent. Children behave well and respond positively to the adults. Explanations are always given and praise and encouragement is used at all times. Children are encouraged to share and be kind to each other. • Through careful planning the adjacent very large hall gives the children opportunities to develop physical skills, move with control and co-ordination and become confident in the use of their bodies.

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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 • Safety and security is considered to be important. Staff numbers are high and deployed effectively, so children are well supervised and have valuable one to one contact with the adults which helps them to make progress. • The special needs statement is thorough and put into practice effectively. There is good support from the SENCO worker and the children in the pre-school with special needs are well catered for.

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What needs to be improved?

• an awareness of requirements of national health and safety and employment legislation • opportunities for the children to self select their own toys and activities • the introduction of an induction programme for new staff

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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 To implement an induction programme for new staff 5 To consider ways in which the children could be given more opportunities to select toys and activities for themselves 6 Develop knowledge and understanding of health and safety regulations and implement procedures to ensure that all staff are kept up to date with current requirements

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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 Risby Pre-school is of good quality overall. It enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. The adult:child ratio is high which allows children to learn with strong adult support in small groups. The staff's style encourages children to think and demonstrate what they know and understand. However, there is no assessment process to identify the next steps for individual children and planning and evaluation is not always used effectively. Behaviour is especially good. A valuable strength of the pre-school is that they offer strong support for children with special needs. They work closely with parents, workers and the co-ordinator to offer the children a supportive and inclusive environment. The quality of leadership and management is generally good. The day to day organisation works well; children are settled and happy. Effective use is made of

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How effective is the nursery education?

time and resources, including accommodation. Fund raising is a strong feature of the committee's support and this is reflected in the wide range of toys and activities available to the children. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are provided with information through newsletters, a prospectus and policies. Daily information sheets tell parents what their children will be learning during the session. Parents help on a regular basis in the pre-school so are able to experience first hand what their children are learning. Parents are positive and complimentary about the setting. However, there are no formal reports or opportunities for the parents to learn about the individual progress of their children.

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What is being done well?

• Behaviour is especially good and is valued and encouraged. Routines are important, understood by the children and followed closely. • The pre-school offer strong support for children with special needs. They work closely with parents, their workers and the special educational needs co-ordinator to offer the children a supportive and inclusive environment for their needs. • The staff make good use of the large hall on a very regular basis and through planned activities are helping the children to develop their physical skills.

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What needs to be improved?

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 • Assessments and recording to enable the next steps in planning to be initiated • Planning and evaluation by staff • Arrangements for formal meetings with parents to exchange information about the progress their child is making.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Poor progress has been made in tackling the key issues identified at the last inspection. These required the pre-school to monitor the contents of the medium and short term plans to make sure that all the stepping stones needed to help the children meet the early learning goals were covered. Broadly, planning is improved, but the monitoring to identify strengths and weaknesses is insufficient. Also, the pre-school was asked to extend the current assessment system to show more clearly children's attainment in relation to the early learning goals and to use this information to help plan new activities matched to the children's needs. They were asked to plan to share the information with parents and encourage them in turn to share with staff what they know about their child. Assessments of activities are not being carried out, either in their general impact or in relation to individual children, so it is not possible to plan new activities matched to the children's needs

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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 form strong relationships with the staff and each other. Staff show them that they are valued and use frequent praise and encouragement. Independence is part fostered through pouring drinks, tidying away etc, but some opportunities are being missed to develop their confidence further. E.g. the children could go to the toilet on their own or be given greater choices in making their own selection of toys. Behaviour is excellent.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are using language to communicate with the adults and negotiate with their peers. The adults take time to listen and respond appropriately and ask open ended questions but there is no evidence of planned activities to extend the children's vocabulary. They respond with enjoyment to stories in circle time and in the book corner but opportunities are not offered frequently enough. They spontaneously use the writing desk for mark making. Some are beginning to write their names.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are beginning to show confidence in numbers and are capable of simple addition, subtraction and calculation. They encounter a range of mathematical experiences in day-to-day play e.g. weighing and measuring in cooking, and counting children at circle time. They are beginning to use mathematical language e.g. heavier, lighter. The children have some knowledge of shapes. However, there is little evidence of written planning for mathematical development.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good The current theme 'Growing' is giving the children opportunities to explore familiar things e.g. babies, sun flowers etc. The role play area is varied frequently and gives the children opportunities for imaginative play. Festivals and features from other cultures are being introduced. However the chance to explore information and communication technology is limited so children are not getting the chance to know about or develop any related skills.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good There are valuable opportunities for children to develop physically with confidence and safety through their daily use of the very large hall. Children are offered a wide range of planned activities including running, balancing, etc. However, these activities are somewhat adult directed, for example, the obstacle course. They enjoy a wide range of resources, handling a variety of tools and equipment with growing confidence with appropriate adult support.

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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 Through the role play area and quality dressing up clothes the children can develop their imaginations. There are opportunities for the children to explore colour, texture and shape. They play with water and sand frequently. A music worksheet supplied by their Early Years teacher is excellent, but is only used intermittently. Children enjoy music in all its forms and they would benefit from increased use of this activity to enhance their enjoyment and learning in this area.

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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

• extend the current assessment system to show more clearly children's attainment in relation to the early learning goals and to use this information to help plan new activities matched to the children's needs • introduce more formal arrangements for consultation meetings with parents to talk about their child's progress.

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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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