St Dunstan's Abbey School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/11/2004 Inspector Name Lynn Reeves

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Maidenbower Pre-School Setting Address Maidenbower Community Centre, Harvest Road, Maidenbower Crawley West Sussex RH10 7RA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Maidenbower Pre-school Committee

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Maidenbower Pre-school Committee Address Maidenbower Community Centre Harvest Road, Maidenbower Crawley West Sussex RH10 7RA

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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

Maidenbower Pre-school has been registered since 1992. It is a committee run group and operates from the Maidenbower Community Centre, south of Crawley in West Sussex. A maximum of 26 children may attend at any one time. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday 09.00 until 11.45 and Monday and Tuesday 12.15 until 14.45 term time only. The children have access to the main hall, toilet facilities and a fully secure outdoor play area. There are currently 49 children aged 3 to under 5 years on roll, of these 36 children receive funding for nursery education. The group supports children with special educational needs and those whom English is an additional language. Six members of staff work directly with the children, three hold suitable childcare qualifications and one is on a training programme at present. The group is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and receives help and support from the Early

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How good is the Day Care?

Maidenbower Pre-school offers good quality care for children providing a bright, clean and stimulating environment. Space is used effectively to allow the children to make choices and access resources independently. Children's paintings and creations are displayed on the walls offering a sense of pride and self-esteem. Toys and resources ensure children are challenged both indoors and outdoors and help children learn and progress in all areas. Good written policies are in place, however, some required documentation has details missing. Staff are deployed effectively and are vigilant about children's safety; they complete written risk assessments which are reviewed and evaluated. Health and hygiene procedures are promoted and children are provided with a good range of healthy snacks and drinks. Procedures are in place to support children with special needs and for those whom speak English as an additional language. Staff are able to

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How good is the Day Care?

recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and are fully aware of the child protection

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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 procedures. Staff form good relationships with the children creating a relaxed atmosphere which enables the children to feel secure and happy. A good range of meaningful, interesting and stimulating activities are planned and provided for the children including indoor and outdoor activities. Religious festivals, outings and visitors to the group extend children's knowledge of the world they live in. Good strategies are in place for dealing with behaviour management. Good relationships are maintained with parents, they are provided with information about the provision via the notice boards and policies. Staff are friendly, know the children well and share information with parents about their child's progress through

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How good is the Day Care?

daily discussions, achievement records, assessments and termly newsletters.

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What is being done well?

• Staff value what the children say and do which has a positive impact on children's confidence and the relationships they build. Children show good levels of self-esteem, they remain interested in their play, share take turns and show consideration for others. Staff interact well; they use effective questioning, listen enthusiastically and use encouragement to extend children's learning and progress. • The resources are clearly labelled and rotated to ensure children receive a range of new challenges and experiences both indoors and outdoors. Children enjoy their play and receive help, support and guidance from well deployed staff. • Children learn about staying healthy by following good hygiene procedures, they understand why they need to wash their hands after toileting and before meals and have access to fresh drinking water and fresh fruit on a daily basis. • Staff act as good role models and remain calm and consistent in their

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What is being done well?

methods when dealing with unwanted behaviour, children learn what is acceptable during circle time discussion, they show respect for others around them and behave well. • Parents receive detailed information about the pre-school through a variety of ways, including the clearly displayed notice boards, the prospectus, policies and newsletters. They are encouraged to help on the parent/rota system, sit on the committee and are able to discuss children's achievements at any time.

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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 • the documentation, to ensure the daily register, visitors book and accident book are maintained with the required details

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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 14 Ensure the daily register, visitors book and accident book are maintained with the required details.

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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?

Maidenbower Pre-school is acceptable and of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff show a clear knowledge of the early learning goals and stepping stones, which enables them to effectively plan a wide range of interesting activities with clearly focused goals and objectives. Sessions are well organised, the resources are clearly labelled and used effectively to support children's learning. Staff take time to fully explain situations to the children which has a positive impact on their confidence. Effective support and sufficient challenges are provided for both three and four year olds, there is a minor weakness in communication, language and literacy. The assessments reflect children's abilities and are used to inform the next stages of planning. Good procedures are in place to support children with special educational needs.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The leadership and management of the setting is very good.There is a clear management structure in place; staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities, which ensures the smooth running of the pre-school. Staff appraisals ensure that teaching methods are monitored. All staff help with planning the curriculum and they work well as a team; they evaluate and review practice and show a commitment to improving the care and education of children. The partnership with parents is very good. A good range of information is available to the parents. Discussions take place with children's key workers. Staff encourage parents to be involved in their child's learning by being provided with activities to do at home that relate to the current themes. They are kept informed of their child's progress through detailed records and assessments.

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What is being done well?

• Children demonstrate high levels of self-esteem and independence, they are able to self-select activities and resources and make their own decisions about what they want to play with. They put on their own aprons for messy play, choose the appropriate dressing up clothes for the characters they want to be in the home corner Café and use their imagination well when creating designs, for example, the Christmas cracker cards and golf ball painting. • Staff make excellent use of planned activities, routines and free-play to extend children's learning. The systems used to monitor and assess children's progress is well developed and staff observe the children throughout the session to inform next stages of planning. A specified activity is planned each week to develop children's understanding which is linked to the stepping stones. • Children use their senses and have opportunities to taste, smell, touch 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 feel during cookery sessions, food tasting activities and when playing with different medias, for example, jelly, sand, pasta, gloop and water. • Children recognise and explore how sounds can be changed when singing songs and nursery rhymes, playing musical instruments and dancing to music. • Good relationships are formed between the staff and children; staff take time to fully explain situations and value what the children say and do which has a positive impact on children's confidence.

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What needs to be improved?

• increase opportunities for children to practice emergent writing skills

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school have made very good progress since the last inspection. There were no significant weaknesses to report, buy they were asked to continue to monitor and review practice, including planning and assessment, in order to maintain the good standard of teaching. The pre-school is very active in monitoring and reviewing practice, including the planning and assessments and they continue to offer high quality provision.

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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 developing a positive attitude to learning, they are confident and use their imagination well in role-play for example when playing in the home corner café. They show good levels of independence, make their own decisions and self-select what resources they need. Children concentrate well during circle time and story telling, they are learning what is acceptable and behave well. Children have a developing awareness of their own needs and those of others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's spoken language is developing well, they are beginning to link sounds and letters during registration and when re-telling stories.They communicate well with each other in role-play and when making things. Children recognise their names on self-registration cards and coat hooks, they are beginning to write recognisable letters and names, although, not encouraged to practice emergent writing. They listen well to stories and staff actively involve children in the characters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident in their use of mathematical language such as larger, smaller, big or little. Most children can recognise and count to numbers 1-9 some children are competent in recognition and use much higher numbers. Children develop an understanding of measurement through practical activities for example when using funnels in the water play and scales to weigh ingredients. Planned activities and nursery rhymes secure children's learning of addition and subtraction.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children gain knowledge and understanding of the world through practical activities for example, they talk in detail about themselves, they grow seeds, look for mini beasts in the garden and watch the cloud formations. Children use everyday technology, telephones, keyboards, calculators, tills and scales are available in the role-play area. Children go for walks around the local environment, see visitors in the group and celebrate a range of religious festivals.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move confidently and safely when using the climbing frame and when playing with sit on toys. They demonstrate good spatial awareness of themselves and others when playing hopscotch and dancing. Children are gaining good manipulative skills when using scissors, spatula's and brushes for painting, making designs and collages. They recognise the importance of staying healthy by following good hygiene procedures.

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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: Very Good Children enjoy participating in art and craft activities and use their senses to explore a range of textures, materials and media such as jelly, play-dough, mud, pasta, sand and water. They create well formed designs and use a range of objects to explore paint for example, sponges, straws and leaves. They recognise and explore how sounds can be changed when singing songs and using musical instruments. Children's imagination is well developed through role-play and practical activities.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • increase opportunities for children to practice emergent writing skills 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

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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