Great Gransden Pre-School Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 03/02/2004 Inspector Name Susan Marriott

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Great Gransden Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address The Sports Field Caxton Road, Great Gransden Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 3BG

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Great Gransden Pre School Playgroup

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Great Gransden Pre School Playgroup Address The Sports Field Caxton Road, Great Gransden Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 3BG

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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

Great Gransden Pre-School Playgroup opened in 1985 and relocated to new purpose built premises during the Summer of 2003. The dedicated building is sited to one side of the Sports Field and there is an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school playgroup serves the local rural area. There are currently 59 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 18 funded 3 year olds and 12 funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports a number of children with special needs and there are currently no children who speak English an additional language. The group opens from 09:15 to 15:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and from 09:15 to 12:45 on Thursdays and Fridays. Sessions run during term time only. A full time manager and seven part time assistants work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives

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Information about the setting

support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and further advisors and development workers.

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How good is the Day Care?

Great Gransden Pre-School Playgroup provides good quality care for children. The established staff team are suitably qualified and experienced and work very well together. A professionally organised committee of dedicated parents supports the staff who use the policies and procedures to underpin the smooth management of the pre-school. However, some minor amendments are required to the policies for behaviour management and child protection. The pre-school makes good use of the purpose built accommodation to provide a worthwhile range of activities for the children. The staff are proactive in health and safety issues, conduct risk assessments and take actions to ensure a safe environment for children, although there is no record of daily checks. The group has clear procedures to promote children's health and

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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 ensure that drinking water is always available during sessions. The pre-school supports equal opportunity for all children and is making good efforts to ensure that learning about other cultures is regularly included in the programme of learning. Children's particular needs are met well and there is appropriately marked differentiation in the provision for different age groups. The staff plan a good range of indoor and outdoor activities and play opportunities which effectively promote children's learning and development. The staff interact well with the children and develop good relationships with them. The children behave well and respond positively to the expectations of staff. The pre-school has good relationships with parents who have many opportunities to

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How good is the Day Care?

become involved with and support the work of the group. Information is shared appropriately within the keyworker system, to support the needs of the children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

No actions were required following the previous inspection. However, the group have successfully secured Lottery funding to build their own premises. This has substantially increased the range of opportunities which the staff can provide to support children's learning and development.

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What is being done well?

• Trustees, parents and staff have worked together effectively to secure new premises for the pre-school. The bright and stimulating environment provides first class facilities to support children's learning and development. • The experienced staff team are well organised and plan a wide range of activities which the children enjoy. There are good relationships between the staff and children and children's behaviour is very good. • The pre-school benefits from a high level of parental interest and involvement which ensures that children's individual needs are met well. • The staff have a good understanding of health and safety issues which ensures that children are well cared for. • The committee give effective support to the staff and they work together to ensure that professional documentation underpins the efficient running of the pre-school.

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What needs to be improved?

• recording of daily risk assessments • the behaviour management policy • the child protection policy.

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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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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 14 update written policies and procedures in relation to recording of daily risk assessments, the behaviour management and child protection policies.

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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 Great Gransden Pre-School is very good. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. This is an extremely well organised educational environment where the emphasis is placed upon learning through play. The pre-school is very child centred and their individual needs are met well. The quality of teaching is very good. The staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of how children learn. Staff achieve high standards of interaction with children. In this language rich environment, children learn good skills for speaking, listening, reading and writing. Staff ask questions to make children think. They give positive emphasis to developing personal independence and to teaching children to use their imaginations. Comprehensive planning ensures a wide range of traditional play based activities which provide an appropriate level of challenge for children,

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How effective is the nursery education?

although these presently lack innovation and excitement. The planning cycle is completed by the competent use of observations and assessments which effectively track children's progress against the stepping stones. The pre-school has a wide range of quality equipment to cover all areas of learning and the professional documentation supports a friendly, learning environment of exceptional quality. Leadership and management of the setting is very good. Much of the success of the setting is due to the care and commitment of everyone involved and the positive working relationships at all levels. The staff team are committed to improvement through on-going training and have developed effective strategies to continually monitor, evaluate and review their practice. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. A wealth of good quality information is made available and parents are very much valued as partners in their

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What is being done well?

• Excellent priority is given to the development of children's personal and social skills. Children are self sufficient, make informed choices and become independent learners. • The staff to child ratio is excellent, ensuring that staff have time to listen to children and to develop their literacy and numeracy through the daily routines of the pre-school. Children sit quietly and listen with interest and purpose during a wide range of story, rhyme and musical activities. • Children are keen communicators and language for thinking is developed through planned role play. For example, children co-operated to build a car with large wooden blocks and then turned it into an aeroplane and then into a

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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 boat. The children decided they "need a seat for the driver" and counted how many children would be able to sit in the vehicle. Staff skilfully introduced mathematical language during play, using positional vocabulary such as 'behind' and 'at the back' to support children's learning. • The staff team work very well together and demonstrate a real committment to training and personal development. • Confident planning ensures that all aspects of the six areas of learning are covered in the educational programme. Good account is taken of children who learn more quickly or more slowly. Increasingly skilled evaluation of children's attainments ensures that plans for future learning are likely to build on what children know and can do.

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What needs to be improved?

• the quality of activities provided for the children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made very good progress against the issues raised for consideration at the last inspection. The group was asked to consider placing more emphasis upon encouraging children to learn sounds and shapes of the alphabet and the sounds in words and syllables. Rhyming and letter books are kept in the graphics area and are used regularly. The children are encouraged to write their name in meaningful situations around the playgroup and to identify sounds in their names and other familiar words. In music time, the children use instruments to tap out syllables of names. The pre-school was also asked to develop a system to review teaching and staff training. The manager encourages staff to attend update training whenever available but the group are currently finding availability of courses a problem. The manager welcomes support and advice from outside agencies and has developed her own self evaluation schedule which has proved effective in monitoring and evaluating the

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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 confidently express their needs and ideas. They relate well to each other and adults. They become interested and involved in their play, which underpins their learning in many areas. Children develop good concentration skills and sit quietly when appropriate. Children respond positively to the consistent expectations of staff and behaviour is very good. They become independent learners, care for their goldfish, and develop respect for other cultures.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident speakers and engage easily in conversation with other children and adults. Children make marks and practice writing for a variety of purposes and there are plentiful opportunities to handle books and to develop language for thinking. Staff deployment ensures very good support for children through discussion activities and interaction in role play. Staff develop children's learning about the links between sounds and letters, as opportunities arise naturally through play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Practical problem solving activities within play are used by staff to develop early mathematical experience, such as comparing weights of differing numbers of plastic bears. Many children count to ten and use their skills in practical ways during snack time and musical rhymes. Children calculate 'one more square' in board games. Children learn to identify and recreate pattern to two and three repeats. Learning about two and three dimensional shape regularly features within the programme.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about the natural world and features of their environment using exploratory skills, direct observation and investigation. The children build and construct using a wide range of objects, materials and tools. They grow food in the garden and explore past and present events in their own lives and those of others. Children use technological toys and the computer is used to support learning in other areas. Children learn about a wide variety of other cultures and beliefs.

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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 Free access to the new outdoor area presents a wealth of opportunities for movement, climbing and balancing and staff ensure that the tasks are age appropriate for children of differing abilities. Keyworker activities ensure that skills are developed in a systematic way using small and large equipment. Children develop an awareness of space and enjoy using a wide range of resources, tools and equipment. Children are aware of their own needs and learn the importance of staying healthy.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Staff encourage children to explore materials on a daily basis, developing an awareness of colour, texture and dimension. Children develop their own ideas. Past experiences are captured through painting and collage. Music time is on a weekly basis alternating with movement, so children have an opportunity to express themselves regularly. They experiment with rhythms and sing familiar songs. There is an appropriate balance between free role play and adult guided scenarios.

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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: • Point for consideration:- • Show how the pre-school will further enhance the quality of activities to maintain enthusiasm for learning.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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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