New Ark Play Association

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 30/03/2004 Inspector Name Carly Louise Thrower

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care, Out of School Day Care Setting Name New Ark Play Association Ltd Setting Address New Ark Adventure Playground Hill Close, Reeves Way Peterborough Cambridgeshire PE1 5LZ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of New Ark Play Association Ltd 1026751

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name New Ark Play Association Ltd Address New Ark Adventure Playground Hill Close, Reeves Way Peterborough Cambridgeshire PE1 5LZ

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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

New Ark Play Association first opened in 1975 and has been at it's present premises since 1981. It operates from a large site in Eastfield, Peterborough which includes a small farm, nature area and adventure playground. Along with New Ark playgroup, the association also includes an Out of School Club and an open access scheme. New Ark Play Association serves mainly the local community. There are currently 90 children on roll for the playgroup and 308 children for the Out of School Club / Open Access. This includes 46 funded 3 year olds and 13 funded 4 year olds. The setting currently supports a number of children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The playgroup opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 to 12:00 each weekday morning and 12:30 to 15:00 every weekday afternoon. The Out of School Club / Open Access opens throughout the year, During term

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Information about the setting

times, sessions are on Monday to Thursday from 15:30 to 18:30, and 15.30 to 19.30 Friday, with the session from 18:00 to 19:30 for the over 9 years only. Children can attend the open access scheme on Saturdays from 10:00 to 12:00. During the holidays, the scheme runs 10:00 until 12:00 and 14:00 until 17:30. Twenty one part-time / full-time staff work directly with the children. There are also a number of volunteers. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Five staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from an Early Years Pedagogical worker, an area Senco and a Childcare Advisor from the local EYDCP.

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How good is the Day Care?

New Ark Play Association is providing good care for children. Good use is made of staff, space and other resources which allows children to feel secure and confident in their environment. Staff enable children to make very good progress in all areas of

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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 their development through participating in a range of well planned and meaningful activities. Children demonstrate a warm relationship with staff and enjoy their play. Children of all ages behave very well in the setting. Staff ensure children have a clear understanding of rules and boundaries and make effective use of praise and give clear explanations to help children learn right from wrong. Children in the play group are provided with a variety of snacks which are healthy and nutritious. Staff after school ensure children are offered a balance of food which whilst includes sweets also includes fresh fruit. In the play group children's personal hygiene is encouraged through routine activities and staff are good role models. Management

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How good is the Day Care?

ensure that all staff have a current first aid certificate at all times. Staff provide a very stimulating environment both inside and out and children have access to an excellent range of toys and resources including toys which reflect equal opportunity principles. Children are given individual attention and their needs are met. Positive, friendly relationships are made with all parents. Parents are very well informed of their child's day and developmental progress in the play group through a weekly diary system and daily discussions. Parent's express their satisfaction at the care being offered throughout the setting. Documentation is well maintained, however, play group staff should ensure that arrival and departure times are recorded if a child arrives late or leaves early from a session.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the transitional inspection staff were asked to put in place a process for knowing when children arrive and leave the play scheme. Children attending after school who are picked up from Newark Primary School are collected by staff and entered in a register. These children are not allowed to leave the play scheme and when parents collect they sign and put the time in the register. All other children attending after school are part of the open access scheme and parents sign to say they agree with the settings terms and conditions.

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What is being done well?

• Children in the play group have access to an excellent range of toys and resources which enables them to make very good progress in all areas of their development. Learning is further extended through well planned and meaningful activities. Children in both the playgroup and Open Access sessions display positive, warm relationships with all staff and enjoy their play. • Good use is made of all available play space so that children have opportunities to move about freely and feel secure and confident in their environment. Areas are organised well to meet children's needs. Outdoors is used positively by all staff as an extension of indoors. • The setting provides an excellent range of stimulating toys and play

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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 equipment. Children are given some opportunities for self selection in order to play independently. Resources successfully cater for the vast ages of children attending. • Both the play group and open access have clear behaviour boundaries which children know and respect. Behaviour is good and children appear happy and play well together. Staff use behaviour management techniques appropriate to the child's level of understanding and give clear explanations to help children learn right from wrong.

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What needs to be improved?

• recording of arrival and departure times in the play group sessions.

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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 Ensure arrival and departure times of children attending the playgroup are recorded if they arrive late or leave early from a 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 New Ark Playgroup is very good. It enables children to make very good progress in all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff plan and provide a broad range of meaningful and stimulating activities. They have a very clear understanding of how children learn demonstrated through effective questioning and conversations. Children are given good opportunities to observe, predict and think for themselves. Staff value children's ideas and experiences and often accommodate these into the planned sessions. They ensure they are enthusiastic when carrying out activities to make learning interesting and enjoyable. Staff make regular observations and keep records of learning in all six areas of development to assess children's progress. These assessments are successfully used to influence future planning. However, staff should ensure that all evaluations

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How effective is the nursery education?

of activities are consistent and effective. The leadership and management of the play group is very good. Staff work very well together during their sessions. Session supervisors work closely together to develop clear roles and responsibilities and ensure staff are clear in the learning intentions for the children. All staff are fully involved in weekly planning meetings and contribute their thoughts and ideas. All input is highly valued by the supervisors. An effective appraisal system allows staff to regularly assess their own professional development. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents are very well informed of their child's progress through an effective weekly home diary system and termly open day sessions where parents can view their child's record of achievement. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's play group life through the diary system which details future topics and how they can contribute and by taking

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How effective is the nursery education?

books home to read. A parents evening and policies inform parents of the curriculum.

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What is being done well?

• Staff interact well with children and engage them in meaningful activities. They use effective questioning techniques to extend children's learning. • Staff make very effective use of the outdoor play areas and provide very good opportunities for children to experience a range of challenging physical activities. • Children behave very well and appear confident and secure in their environment. They have formed positive relationships with their peers and adults.

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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 • Children have very good opportunities to explore the natural world around them. They learn about animals, nature etc through a range of meaningful activities. • Parents receive good clear information about their child's week and developmental progress through an effective weekly home diary system.

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What needs to be improved?

• the evaluation of activities in the planning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

New Ark Play Group has made very good progress since the last inspection. The previous key issues were to make the book corner more attractive, comfortable and inviting for children, extend the opportunities for children to use colour by offering greater choices of brushes and paint and provide some labels in the environment so that children have the opportunity to look at and read familiar words regularly. Books are now displayed neatly and attractively in the book corner which also has comfortable seating for children. Children are able to mix paints to create their own colours and children are regularly provided with choices of tools such as different sized brushes and sponges etc to create their pictures. Most pieces of furniture and objects like windows and doors are now clearly labelled in the rooms so that children have opportunity's everyday to see and read them.

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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 very confident in their play and display high level of concentration when completing tasks. They have formed positive relationships with adults and others and behave very well, fully understanding the concepts of sharing and taking turns. Personal independence has developed well by allowing children to carry out activities such as preparing fruit and collecting cups. Staff provide very good opportunities for children to develop a sense of community through show and tell sessions.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are learning to recognise and write their own name whilst being encouraged to link sounds to letters in group activities as well as on an individual basis. Children increasingly use language to recall past experiences, think about the future and connect ideas. A variety of meaningful mark making opportunities are provided on a daily basis in activities such as role play. Children listen very attentively to stories and are confident to join in. They handle books with care.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children confidently count from 1-10 and beyond and use number in every day situations such as circle time. They are introduced to simple calculation through counting songs. Children are provided with very good opportunities to successfully sort and match objects by shape, colour and size. They create patterns with paintbrushes and water and recreate patterns in other activities. Children understand concepts such as big and little and clearly use mathematical language during their play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are highly motivated to explore their environment. They learn how to care for animals on the farm and explore the nature garden through digging and growing vegetables. Learning is further extended by visitors from the local community. Conversations encourage children's sense of time and place and there is a strong commitment for children to learn about different cultures through celebrations of festivals. Children are able to confidently construct and show curiosity in ICT equipment.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are extremely confident and face challenges when using a broad range of equipment to develop their climbing and balancing skills. They move with good control and show an awareness of own personal space and others. Play in the fresh air is well promoted. Children purposefully handle and successfully use a variety of tools such as scissors, and cutlery with increasing control. Children have a clear understanding of health and bodily awareness such as hand washing after handling animals.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy exploring colour and texture through a range of tools and materials and some children are able to represent their thought's on to paper and describe their pictures. They effectively use their imagination in a variety of stimulating role play situations, often acting out experiences based on their own first hand experiences such as visiting the doctor. Children enjoy music and singing and explore different sounds through musical instruments and objects in their environment.

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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 were no areas of significant weakness but consideration should be given to the following: • the evaluation of activities to ensure they are consistent and effective. 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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