South Bank Utc

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 29/01/2004 Inspector Name Rachael Williams

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Sunshine Pre-school Setting Address Village Hall Puriton Bridgwater Somerset TA7 8BP

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Sunshine Pre-school

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Sunshine Pre-school Address Village Hall Puriton Bridgewater Somerset TA7 8BP

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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

Sunshine Playgroup was established in 1992 and operates from the Village Hall in Puriton, Somerset. It serves the local community. It currently has 25 children aged between two and five years on roll. This includes 18 funded three year olds and 3 funded four year olds. The setting supports children with special needs. The group operate Tuesday to Friday 9.30 am to 12 noon term time only and offers an additional pre - school session on a Monday during the Summer Term from 9:30 am to 12 noon. The supervisor has a level 3 qualification and is supported by three part time staff with appropriate level two and three qualifications. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

Sunshine Playgroup offers satisfactory care for the children. Staff at the group are well qualified and most have appropriate enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks. The arrangements to protect children from those who are not vetted has not been addressed. Induction training for new staff and information for the volunteers and committee members are not in place. Staff have established a good registration system for children, staff and visitors on the premises. The hall is well organised with, mostly, a good range of resources easily accessible to the children but there is limited provision for physical activities. Although staff are aware of safety when using the car park for physical activities children may have the opportunity to access the village road. Staff are friendly and are excellent at praising children for their contributions. Staff

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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 have good knowledge of the children's needs and most show respect for the child's preferences and support their language development. Arrangements for special needs are good as staff are excellent at adapting activities to include all and providing appropriate resources. Most staff use appropriate strategies to manage behaviour well. Although staff show good knowledge of the signs of child abuse they are unsure of the procedure to take if an allegation is made against themselves and this is not included in the Child Protection policy. Staff are aware of hazards and a relevant check list is completed daily to ensure risks to the children are reduced. A fire drill is carried out regularly but the log omits information about the fire exit used.

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How good is the Day Care?

Policies are available to parents but a sick children's policy has been omitted. Most policies have not been updated and do not relate to the setting including the Complaint Procedure which does not make reference to OFSTED's contact details.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Since the last inspection most of the actions have been addressed. Although a student placement policy and induction programme have been devised an induction plan for new staff has not been completed. An operational plan has been established and includes a named deputy who is suitably qualified. A comprehensive registration system has been devised to include staff and children to ensure ratios are maintained. The hall is adequately heated although the toilet facilities a quite cold. The wooden floor is covered will large rugs so that children can play comfortably on the floor. The carpet area in the book corner is cleaned regularly. A Fire Safety Officer has visited the premises and security of the premises has been addressed with a portable buzzer being used. A risk assessment has been devised by the supervisor including the outside area although records do not show who conducts the assessment, how often and what actions were taken.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

A first aid box is correctly stocked and easily accessible. Drinking water is readily available and children access this independently from the provided jug and cups. Policies have not been reviewed or updated and many of them are not relevant to the setting.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have established good methods to reduce risks to the children through an effective registration system and a daily checklist. • The hall is well organised to meet children's needs and play preferences. Activities are well resourced and adapted to meet individual requirements.

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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 • Staff have good knowledge of the children, including those with special needs. On the whole, good relationships have been established and staff are friendly and approachable. They regularly praise the children for their efforts and are genuinely interested in what the children say.

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What needs to be improved?

• arrangements to protect children from persons who have not been vetted • arrangements for induction and information for parent helpers and committee members of their roles and responsibilities • staff understanding of the procedures to take if an allegation of child abuse is made against a member of staff • policy to protect children from infectious diseases • update policies to reflect the practice of the group • ensure parents have information on who to contact if they have a complaint

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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 1 ensure suitable arrangements are in place to protect children from staff who have not been vetted. 2 develop an induction plan 12 ensure policies are relevant to the setting and are regularly updated especially the complant procedure to include contact details of the regulatory body. 12 ensure information is provided to parent helpers and committee members of their roles and responsibilities.

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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?

Sunshine Pre-school provides a generally good standard of nursery education. Children are making generally good progress towards the Early Learning goals in all areas of learning except Personal, social and emotional development which is very good. Teaching is generally good. The sessions are well organised with a clear timetable of routines. There is a variety of activities and resources available to the children with all staff having some knowledge of the Early Learning Goals. Planning does not cover all areas of learning linked to the stepping stones or have clear evaluations to influence future planning to meet the needs of individual children. Most staff manage children's behaviour positively with praise and encouragement. Leadership and management is generally good. There is a strong team of child care workers that work well together with three out of four staff qualified to level 3 and supported by a committee. There are no staff appraisals or induction programme but

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How effective is the nursery education?

staff meetings are held regularly. Evaluations are brief and tend to be global rather than specifics as to ways of developing the learning. The partnership with parents is generally good. Policies and prospectus are available to parents but out of date and the notice board is poorly positioned to be valuable as parents are unable to access the range of information to be shared. There are summative, termly written assessments on each child linked to the areas of learning but only reflect the positives and parents are unaware of the stepping stones or planning. A keyworker system is in operation but play plans written by keyworkers are not agreed with parents and the system not fully effective.

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What is being done well?

• Children are happy and can relate well to each other and staff. They are confident to make relationships and independent in their play. • Children learn about their own cultures and beliefs and those of others through a wide variety of celebrations and festivals. • Staff organise sessions well with good use of time, home made resources and clear routines.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to begin linking sounds and letters through everyday activities • sharing of information with parents to improve the partnership

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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 • planning to be covering all areas of learning offering a broad range of activities to link with the stepping stones and meet individual needs • evaluation and assessment to be meaningful to show children's progress with the stepping stones and identify their next stage of learning

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There has been generally good progress since the last inspection. Key issue one was to develop language and literacy through sounds and rhymes. This is still a very weak aspect of communication, language and literacy area of learning with no evidence being observed or recorded. However, they also agreed to improving children's individual use of the book corner and this has been promoted by a more inviting corner and a member of staff supporting children to visit and enjoy books with a view to them being more independent as the term evolves. Key issue two was to develop assessment. This has been introduced but still in its infancy with limited observations being transferred to a summative termly report. It only records the positives and achievements for each area of learning and is not linked fully to the stepping stones or early learning goals. Key issue three was to ensure plans identify the six areas of learning and meet

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What has improved since the last inspection?

individual needs. There are short term plans in place but these do not ensure a broad range of activities to cover all areas of learning throughout the year and are not linked to stepping stones. Evaluations of the activities are global and do not influence future planning to meet individual children's needs fully.

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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 happy and confident in playing together in small groups. They can take turns and share well, showing concern for each others needs. They learn about their own cultures and beliefs with meaningful discussions and card making to celebrate Easter, Christmas, Halloween and explore festivals of other cultures such as Divali and Chinese New Year. Children are generally well behaved and respond positively to the rules and boundaries of the group.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children interact with each other really well, with good expression, imagination and confidence. They use a wide vocabulary and enjoy stories. The mark making table is not always appropriately supported yet worksheets are out daily. Children are not yet beginning to link sounds and letters. Children enjoyed playing with telephones especially when staff introduced pen and paper to make their play more exciting.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are learning about numbers in meaningful situations such as having '999' pointed out on the telephones and then the number written down, linking it with their role play as fireman and policeman. They enjoy comparing shape and pattern with a matching butterfly wings game. Children are not routinely counting and calculating in everyday routines but thoroughly enjoy playing with large numbers introduced at circle time, 10,20,30 and a child shouted " I want to count to 40".

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children know about their own cultures and those of others, they celebrated Kodomono - hi with exciting Japanese ribbon dancing to music, Divali and Chinese New Year alongside Easter, Christmas and Halloween. They explore different technology and use a magnifying glass to find plastic bugs in the peat, although this activity is not explored with real life bugs and taken outside, children do have good resources to further their learning including posters.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children show a good spacial awareness moving around indoors. They enjoy physical play but it is not yet a regular part of the session with meaningful opportunities. Outdoor play tends to be mainly in the summer. Children can balance but became bored with the structured activity which had no challenge for the older or more able child. A road safety session with bicycles and props such as traffic lights and zebra crossing is introduced in their physical play. Children enjoy using real tools.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children learn how to paint and glue with mainly adult led activities, with limited free access to sand, water and creative art. Adult made games are well used. Children enjoy the role play area and are very imaginative with the props especially the dressing up clothes with very definite gender roles with boys being fireman, policeman and girls being princesses, mummy's. Musical instruments and listening to music is often linked with themes.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

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

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• improve information sharing with parents • ensure planning covers all the areas of learning through a broad range of activities that are linked to the stepping stones and meet individual needs • develop evaluations and assessments to so they identify individual children's next stage of learning and progress through the stepping stones

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

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

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

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

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

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

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

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

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