Hundon Hedgehogs Preschool

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/03/2004 Inspector Name Susan Christine McGuire

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Hundon Tiddlywinks Pre-School Setting Address North Street Hundon Sudbury Suffolk CO10 8EE

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Hundon Tiddlywinks Pre School 1038958

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Hundon Tiddlywinks Pre School Address North Street Hundon Sudbury Suffolk CO10 8EE

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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

Tiddlywinks Pre-school opened during the 1960's. It operates from the village hall in the centre of Hundon. Tiddlywinks serves the local area. There are currently 24 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 10 funded 3 year olds and 5 funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports a small number of children with special needs. There are no children currently attending who speak English as an additional language. The group opens three days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 12:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Three full-time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Child Care partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Tiddlywinks Pre-school provides unsatisfactory care for children. Staff hold relevant qualifications but do not demonstrate the necessary skills and knowledge to organise the space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively. Staff and volunteers are not always deployed appropriately, as staff perform routine cleaning tasks while the rota-parent manages the children. Most aspects of documentation are in order but arrival and departure times of staff, children and visitors is not recorded and a regulation has not been met for the second time. Children's safety is being severely compromised. There is no system in place for managing access to the premises during sessions. Children are not adequately supervised when using physical equipment and the layout of the room allows children to play unobserved. Their overall safety is being further compromised by the

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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's lack of understanding of child protection issues and procedures. The practice of using shared water and one towel for hand washing could potentially cause the spread of infection and gives children a poor example for managing their personal hygiene. Children cannot access drinking water throughout the session but they enjoy a healthy and nutritious snack. There are good written procedures in place for children with special needs and the SENCO shows enthusiasm for her role. The range of activities provided is very limited and does not take enough account of the developmental needs of the children present. Older and more able children are not set sufficient challenge. Equal opportunity issues are not taken into account

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How good is the Day Care?

when providing resources so children are unable to learn about equality in their play. Learning is hampered by poor behaviour management which does not give clear boundaries or encourage positive behaviour. The informal partnership with parents is good. They receive information about the group through newsletters, and daily informal discussions with staff.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group agreed to improve documentation by revising their policies on sick children, behaviour management and complaint-recording and by keeping a record of visitors, by displaying their public liability insurance document and by ensuring parents have access to a list of the current management-committee members. The policies have been revised appropriately but the sick child policy has not been updated in the parents handbook. A record of visitors is now kept and the insurance document is displayed on the notice-board, but once again a regulation has been breached by there being no list of committee-members available. The group also agreed to improve safety by ensuring children are never left alone with people who have not been vetted and that all staff submit to vetting procedures, by ensuring that children do not climb on the stage and by supervising children when in the foyer area. All staff have been cleared by the CRB, and volunteers are not left

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What has improved since the last inspection?

alone with children. A member of staff always accompanies children to the toilet in the foyer, and staff are currently using screens to see if this will prevent children from accessing the stairs which lead to the stage. Lastly, they agreed to use observations of children to plan the next steps in their learning and this has yet to be done effectively.

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What is being done well?

• Children are offered a healthy snack during the session and they take this all together in social groups. • The informal relationship with parents is good. • There are sound written procedures in place for children with special needs.

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What needs to be improved?

• organisation, so that contact details of management committee members is

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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 always available to parents, and that staff and volunteers are deployed effectively to meet the needs of all children within the session • the planning, so that children are able to participate in a suitable range of activities which support their play and learning, and includes opportunities for them to learn about equality through play • the preparation of the premises, so that it provides a welcoming and stimulating environment in which children can play and learn safely • staff's awareness of safety issues, with particular reference to supervision of the children during physical activities, and management of access to the premises during sessions • hand washing procedures, so that the method used prevents the spread of

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What needs to be improved?

infection and teaches children about good hygiene practice • behaviour management, so that it keeps children safe and does not limit their opportunities to learn • staff's understanding of child protection issues and procedures, so that they are confident to act appropriately in the event of concerns about a child in their care

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 2 Ensure that registration arrangements show arrival and departure times of children, staff and visitors. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

2 Ensure that contact details of the registered provider (committee) are available on the premises. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

2 Deploy staff and volunteers to effectively meet the needs of the children present. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

3 Plan and provide a range of activities which support children’s play and learning, and which are 26/02/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

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 appropriate to their stage of development. 4 Arrange the premises to provide a welcoming environment where children can safely access appropriate resources and activities. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

6 Improve children’s safety by devising an effective system of monitoring access to the premises during sessions, and by ensuring that they are closely supervised at all times. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

7 Ensure good hygiene practices are in place regarding hand washing. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

9 Improve staff’s awareness of equal opportunities issues and ensure that plans and resources provide opportunities for children to learn about equality through play. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

11 Review strategies to encourage positive behaviour in children; ensure that all staff understand and use a consistent approach to managing unwanted behaviour, particularly that which is potentially harmful to other children. 26/03/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

13 Make arrangements to ensure that a designated person attends a child protection training course, and develop all staff’s knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and procedures. 26/03/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 8 Ensure that children are aware of the availability of drinking water throughout the session.

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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 Tiddlywinks Pre-school is unacceptable. There are significant weaknesses in all areas of learning and children are making poor progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is poor. Staff are unable to talk about how they develop children's progress and are unsure of how different activities contribute to areas of learning or where they feature on the stepping stones. The planning demonstrates the staff's lack of understanding of the Foundation Stage and the early learning goals. Behaviour management severely limits children's opportunities to learn, as does insufficient questioning to extend activities. Staff's expectations of the children are low e.g. name-writing, and so they do not set appropriate challenge for more able children. Assessment is not being used effectively to plan the next steps of learning for individuals. Leadership and management is poor. There is no system for staff appraisals and no

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How effective is the nursery education?

evident commitment to their professional development. The supervisor has a limited understanding of the Foundation Stage and deployment of staff during sessions is inefficient and ineffective. Staff and management are unclear in their roles and responsibilities which undermines their confidence in implementing changes. Staff are generally committed to the children, however. There are significant weaknesses in the partnership with parents. The informal relationship with parents is good and some speak well of the setting. They have insufficient involvement in their child's learning however, and little opportunity to share their knowledge of their children in any formal way. They are given no information about the Foundation Stage and the areas of learning and so have little understanding of what makes a setting eligible to receive government funding.

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What is being done well?

• Children are learning to count forwards with confidence and can recognise shape and colour.

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What needs to be improved?

• the quality of teaching • staff's understanding and delivery of the Foundation Stage • the linking of assessment to the early learning goals and its use to effectively inform short-term planning • opportunities for parents to be informed about the Foundation Stage to enable them to be partners in their child's learning.

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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

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What has improved since the last inspection?

No progress has been made in addressing the key issues identified at the last inspection. Small group work shows no evidence of extending learning during structured activities and children's concentration and perseverance skills in these activities are not being encouraged. Children are not being given sufficient encouragement to recognise letter sounds and shapes or to become aware of patterns in rhymes. Staff do not give children enough opportunity to begin to write their own names. Children are not regularly using simple technology to support other areas of learning and are not confident to question why things happen and how they work.

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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: Poor Unacceptable behaviour hinders learning opportunities for all children. Children display poor relationships with each other, and they receive insufficient encouragement to share or take turns. Their independence skills in self-care and selecting resources are not being sufficiently developed which also effects their confidence and self-esteem.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children enjoy group-stories and are given opportunities to predict. Staff provide a range of mark-making methods e.g. tracing patterns in salt, and there are some opportunities to write in role-play. Use of books for pleasure or information is limited as they are poorly presented and not easily accessible. There is an inconsistent approach to linking letters to sounds and insufficient encouragement for children to recognise and write their names. Rhymes and syllables are not explored.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children recognise shape and colour and can count forwards to 10 and beyond. Staff do not take opportunities to problem-solve or explore the concept of more and less in everyday situations e.g. at registration-time. There are insufficient planned activities to enable children to recognise and recreate simple patterns or to measure, compare or understand positional language.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Poor Children are given some experience of the local environment through visits from people who work in the community, but knowledge of the wider world is not being sufficiently introduced. Growing cress-seeds gives children some sense of time and how things change. Children have few opportunities to explore and investigate how things work, or to develop design and construction skills and discover different methods of joining as free-play activities. Limited experiences of I.T. are provided.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor No outside play area is provided and the indoor area is not being used adequately to compensate for that. Staff do not recognise children's need to 'let off steam' during the session, and the limited physical play equipment used is inadequately supervised, often due to poor management of behaviour during this activity. Children are provided with a limited range of tools to develop their manipulative skills. There are missed opportunities to discuss health and bodily awareness.

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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: Poor Children enjoy singing and have a small repertoire of remembered songs, but they have few opportunities to experience musical instruments. Craft activities are prescriptive and adult-led, giving children little choice about the end result. Painting is available as free-play but staff have not devised a method of valuing the completed work through display. Children's imagination is not being sufficiently encouraged through role-play due to limited resources and an uninviting role-play area.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is not 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 unacceptable. Children are making poor progress towards the early learning goals.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Key Issues • improve the quality of teaching by: • taking steps to improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and how the environment and other children's behaviour effects how children learn; • developing a system of planning which covers all six areas of learning and identifies the learning intentions of key activities. Include in this a system of assessment which is used effectively to inform short-term planning for individual children • develop partnership with parents by providing them with relevant information about the Foundation Stage and by giving them opportunities to participate in their children'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 20 working days showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. A copy of the action plan must be sent to the local education authority. The Department for Education and Skills will write to the provider asking for a copy of the action plan. The Secretary for Education and Skills will then decide whether to withdraw the provider's entitlement to receive funding for 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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