Claycots Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 03/11/2004 Inspector Name Deborah Jaqueline Newbury

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Christ Church Play Group Setting Address Christ Church Playgroup Gally Hill Road, Church Crookham Fleet Hampshire GU52 6LH

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Crookham Parochial Church Council Address Gally Hill Road Church Crookham Fleet Hampshire GU52 6LH

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

Information about the setting

Christ Church pre-school playgroup is a committee run group, led by Crookham Parochial church council. It opened in 1977 and operates from the church hall adjacent to Christ Church in Church Crookham, Fleet, Hampshire. Children have access to a semi-secure outdoor play area within the church grounds. Children come from the surrounding areas of Fleet, Aldershot, Farnborough and Cove. A maximum of 26 children may attend at any one time. The playgroup is open from 09.00 to 11.45 Monday to Friday and from 12.15 - 14.45 on Wednesdays and Fridays term time only. Tuesday afternoon sessions are for four year olds who, in their last half-term, are able to bring lunch at 12.00 and stay until 14.45. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 37 children, aged from 2 to 3 years, on roll, of these 29 children receive funding for nursery education. The setting welcomes children with special needs and/or who speak English as an additional language.

p.2

Information about the setting

The playgroup employs nine staff. Six of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards a qualification. Eight members of staff hold a current first aid certificate. The setting receives support from the Early Years and Childcare Unit and is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA).

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

Christ Church pre-school playgroup offers good quality care to children. Sessions are well organised with effective deployment of staff, use of time, space and resources. Staff have to set up and clear away on a daily basis but work hard to create an inviting environment. Children choose from the range of activities and play materials provided each day. These are age appropriate, interesting and include items reflecting different aspects of diversity. Staff meet minimum qualification requirements. The deputy supervisor has attended many relevant courses and workshops but does not yet have a Level three qualification. The need for this has

p.2

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 been recognised and measures to address are in place. Required documentation is well organised and complete. Premises are secure. Staff talk to children about potential dangers and take many positive steps to keep them safe. However, the radiator in the toilet is very hot to the touch and arrangements for restricting access to some outside areas are not fully suitable. Staff promote most aspects of health and hygiene well although there is a lack of consistency with regard to children washing their hands before snacktime. Staff provide children with a biscuit, fruit and a choice of drinks. They seek information about any dietary needs and work with parents to meet these. Staff are secure in their knowledge of issues relating to child protection.

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

Children are happy and well occupied. They enjoy the activities presented to them, which support their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development. They relate positively to staff who provide good support and encouragement. Staff treat children with equal concern. They adopt a consistent approach to behaviour management, encouraging children's good behaviour by means of positive reinforcement and praise. Staff and parents enjoy friendly relationships. They receive detailed information about the provision and are well informed of their children's progress.

p.3

What is being done well?

• Staff take positive steps to provide a warm and welcoming environment for children and parents. Children's work is named, mounted and displayed around the hall which helps them appreciate that their efforts are valued. Parents have access to a range of information about the playgroup and other childcare related subjects which may be of interest. • Behaviour management is good. Staff act as positive role models and have a calm, gentle approach. They use praise effectively and encourage turn taking and sharing. Children do this well. • Effective procedures are in place to support children and ensure that all are valued, included and their individual needs met. • Staff work together well as a team. They are enthusiastic and fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. The benefit of ongoing training is recognised and staff have taken part in a variety of different courses and workshops. • There is a warm, happy atmosphere at the playgroup. Staff and children

p.3

What is being done well?

enjoy good relationships and children are settled and at ease, both within their environment and with the staff caring for them. Children are involved, interested and enjoy themselves. Staff are kind and caring. • A high percentage of staff have appropriate first aid qualifications.

p.3

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 • Staff and parents enjoy friendly relationships. Parents are welcomed into the group and encouraged to settle their children. Staff allow time for parents to share information and adopt an unhurried approach, both at the start and end of sessions.

p.3

What needs to be improved?

• arrangements for monitoring the temperature of the radiator in the toilets used by children and for restricting children's access to some areas of the churchyard during outside play • arrangements for ensuring greater consistency with regard to hand washing.

p.4

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.

p.4

by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 6 ensure the radiator in the toilets used by children does not get too hot and improve existing arrangements to restrict children's access to some areas of the churchyard during outside play 7 ensure consistent good hygiene practices are in place regarding hand washing

p.4

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

p.4

How effective is the nursery education?

The quality of nursery education offered by Christ Church pre-school playgroup is acceptable and of good quality. Children make very good progress towards the early learning goals of knowledge and understanding of the world, creativity and physical development. Their progress in all other areas is generally good. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff relate to children in positive ways and act as good role models. As a result, children are settled, secure and enjoy their time at the playgroup. Staff offer a range of activities and resources that cover all areas of the curriculum and they provide a stimulating environment to encourage learning. There is a strong focus on learning through play with a lengthy free play session, which allows children sufficient time to develop their play and freely explore the resources accessible to them. Staff work alongside individuals or with small groups

p.5

How effective is the nursery education?

of children. They spend time talking with them and use effective questioning techniques to make children think and to check their understanding. However, they do miss opportunities to build on this further, especially in large group situations. Staff are in the process of revising assessment records. Leadership and management are generally good. The staff team work together closely and are valued and supported appropriately. There is a positive attitude towards further development. There is a commitment to the continued improvement of care and education for all children. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents have access to good quality information about the setting and its provision, including the foundation stage curriculum and early learning goals. Staff share information about children's achievements and progress through general discussion and meetings with their child's keyworker throughout the year. Staff develop positive relationships with

p.5

How effective is the nursery education?

parents who feel welcomed into the setting and fully involved in their child's care and development.

p.5

What is being done well?

• Staff foster children's personal, social and emotional development well. Children have a strong sense of fairness and are keen that everyone should take turns and share, for example with favourite toys such as "the microwave oven" in the home corner, the remote controlled car and when taking turns on the computer. Staff support and encourage them in this and place value on their efforts to do this. • Knowledge and understanding of the world is a strength of the playgroup. The regular inclusion of countries of the world encourages children's interest and develops their knowledge. They look at maps, photographs and information books and find out about the different foods eaten, often cooking or tasting these. They learn how to say hello in different languages such as

p.5

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 Spanish, French or Italian. Staff put together, with children's help, a book about each of the countries they cover. This is placed in the book corner so children can revisit topics independently. They spend time investigating the interesting variety of objects on the nature table. • Staff regularly invite visitors into the playgroup to talk to the children and thus enhance the quality of the experiences it is able to offer. • Children learn about and use everyday technology. They operate remote controlled toys competently and with confidence and skilfully use the computer manipulating the mouse and cursor controls on keyboard to complete games.

p.5

What needs to be improved?

• greater use of opportunities which arise during the course of the session to extend children's independence and self-help skills • greater use of opportunities which arise to encourage children to develop calculating skills, particularly in large group situations and a more consistent approach from staff to encourage those children who show interest in writing to do so, for example their names on their work.

p.6

What has improved since the last inspection?

One area for improvement was identified at the last inspection which took place in 2001. This related to developing the policies relating to equal opportunities and special educational needs and ensuring that parents and carers are fully informed of the good practice that exists and relevant procedures. Generally good progress has been made in addressing this issue. Both policies have been further developed and reviewed. The group's special needs policy in particular is very detailed with information about the way in which the group supports children with special needs and the agencies it works in partnership with and seeks support from. Parents receive their own copy of all policies and are thus well informed of the group's practices. There are good procedures in place to support children with special needs.

p.6

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

p.6

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are actively involved in their learning. They concentrate well and make decisions about what they do. They are confident and form good relationships with others and learn to negotiate, share and take turns. Behaviour is generally very good. They follow the daily routine well and are keen to help, for example by tidying-up. They develop good self-help and independence skills but staff do not fully exploit all opportunities to build on these further, for example at snacktime.

p.7

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children chat freely with each other and the adults caring for them and are keen to express their views and ideas. They enjoy stories and spend time in the book corner. They handle books with care. Some children recognise their names and show interest in those letter shapes and sounds that are important to them. They explore emergent writing for example during role play and some write their names using recognisable letters although some staff do not encourage this. They learn new vocabulary.

p.7

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children recognise and name numerals. They use number in their play, for example as they talk about their ages, as they count how many trains they have or help count out spoonfuls of flour. They are beginning to develop problem solving skills and consolidate their understanding but staff miss some opportunities to build on this and thus help them to extend their skills. They identify and name shapes. They confidently use descriptive and comparative language as they talk about size and position.

p.7

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about other countries, cultures and beliefs through well-planned topic work. They enjoy using magnifying glasses and microscopes, and observe closely what happens as they use these. They learn about and use everyday technology competently. They regularly cook and taste different foods. They develop design and making skills. They gain a sense of time and place as they talk about home, their families, the weather, find out about their environment and recall past events.

p.7

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

p.7

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move confidently and safely indoors and outside. They change direction, adjust speed and show good awareness of others. Children have regular opportunities to practice and develop their gross motor and fine motor skills as they use a wide range of large and small equipment. They are confident in using a variety of tools and materials, such as scissors, cutters, glue sticks and putting on dressing up clothes. They learn about keeping healthy and mostly follow good hygiene procedures.

p.8

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children name a range of colours with some describing these in terms of shade. They enjoy singing and join in enthusiastically with familiar songs and rhymes. They have opportunities to listen to different types of music. They experiment with different media and materials and explore different painting techniques. Children use their imaginations as they cook meals for each other or pretend to be doctors or when playing with the trains. They make good use of the resources available to them.

p.8

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

p.8

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.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• make greater use of opportunities which arise during the course of the session to extend children's independence and self-help skills; • make greater use of opportunities which arise to encourage children to develop calculating skills, particularly in large group situations and consider ways of ensuring a more consistent approach from staff to encourage those children who show interest in writing to do so, for example their names on their work.

p.9

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.

p.9

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

p.9

STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

p.10

NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.11

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.

p.11

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.

p.11

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.

p.11

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

p.11