Ashton-on-Mersey School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/09/2003 Inspector Name Eldey Lloyd

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name SOUTHMEAD PRE-SCHOOL Setting Address Wrafton Road Braunton Devon EX33 2BU

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Southmead Pre-School Committee

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Southmead Pre-School Committee Address Wrafton Road Braunton Devon EX33 2BU

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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

Southmead Pre-school is located in the grounds of Southmead Primary School in the village of Braunton and serves the local community. The Portakabin building comprises one main room and is surrounded by playing fields and hard surface playground belonging to the school. It is registered for 17 children aged two to five, the majority of whom move on to the school. Sessions are held on five mornings and five afternoons of each week in term time. Afternoon sessions from Mon - Thurs are designed to meet the needs of 4 year olds with Fri afternoon providing a one and a half hour session for two year olds. A summer play scheme operates on three mornings a week for five weeks of the school summer holiday. There are four members of staff with a minimum of three at each session. Two of them hold level 3 certificates, qualifying them to lead the group and the other two are currently involved in training as assistants. They all hold current first aid certificates.

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Information about the setting

There are 43 children on the register. 42 of them receive government funding. There are no children who speak English as an additional language and none with statemented special needs.

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How good is the Day Care?

Southmead Pre-school provides good quality care for children. The pre-school offers an excellent variety of activities and play opportunities which promote children's development. Space is well organised, enabling children to move around freely, access their toys and make decisions about what they want to do. Careful attention is paid to children's safety indoors, outdoors and on outings, with routines in place for checking the safety of premises and equipment. Good personal hygiene is consistently practised. Behaviour management is based on sound principles of clear boundaries and expectations consistently applied, with plenty 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 praise and encouragement to endorse good behaviour. Children are treated respectfully by staff who are warm and caring towards them. They know the children well, are aware of their individual needs and make plans to meet them. The pre-school works in close co-operation with parents who feel confident about approaching staff with any concerns. Satisfactory systems have been devised for sharing information about children's activities and progress. Most of the necessary documentation is in place but parents would benefit from concise written information about policies and procedures.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Since the last inspection the operational plan and most of the policies have been updated. The register includes a record of the times children arrive and leave and permission from parents to take photographs of the children is now routinely obtained.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are warm and caring towards the childen and interact appropriately with them to support their development and learning. • A wide range of resources is available to the childen. They can easily access toys and equipment which are used effectively to offer a variety of enjoyable and challenging activities. • Staff demonsrate a good awareness of safety issues. Children are closely supervised and premises and equipment routinely monitored to ensure they are safe. • Staff treat children and each other with respect and consistently praise amd encourage good behaviour. • Staff work closely with parents to ensure that chuildren's individual needs are met.

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What needs to be improved?

• ensure that the documentation necessary to support the work of the group is fully in place.

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Outcome of the 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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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 Include a procedure for if a child is lost in written documentation. 12 Ensure that parents have the information they need to make a complaint. 13 Devise a procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer.

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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?

Southmead Pre-school offers good quality nursery education overall, where children enjoy learning through a wide range of interesting activities. Enthusiastic staff ensure that children are making very good progress in personal , social and emotional, mathematical and creative development and also in their knowledge and understanding of the world. They are making generally good progress in communication, language and literacy and physical development. Teaching is generally good. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and plan a very interesting and varied range of activities to support children's progress. Daily activity plans identify clear learning outcomes and ensure that a very good range of interesting resources are available to stimulate the children's learning. The staff enjoy positive relationships with the children and they know them well. They are skilled at encouraging the children to learn and to behave

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How effective is the nursery education?

well. The assessment of the children and the development of long term plans which ensure complete coverage of the areas of learning are still being developed and the staff show a real commitment to completing these. Leadership of the staff team is very strong and there is commitment and enthusiasm from staff and management committee to providing the best for the children . Clear guidance and definition of roles leads to good team work and consistency in both the presenting of the interesting activities and the handling of the children . The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents are well informed about the variety of activities offered and their learning outcomes. They are kept well informed about their child's progress by reports, parents evenings and informal discussion with staff and are encouraged to be involved in their learning .

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is excellent. They are confident and sociable and enjoy very good relationships with the staff and each other. They are very interested in the activities offered to them and eager to learn. • The staff team work very well together under strong and supportive leadership. They are committed to providing the best they can for the children and to putting the needs of the children first • The behaviour management of the children is very good. Familiar routines and staff's clear and consistent expectations and positive approach result in the children being co-operative and well behaved. • The staff plan and provide exciting and stimulating resources within interesting themes

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• long term planning to ensure that all aspects of the areas of learning receive sufficient coverage, for example, in offering older children sufficient opportunity to write for a variety of purposes and for all children to climb, swing and scramble; • the development of the assessment records to enable staff to identify and plan children's next steps for learning

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made generally good improvement since the last inspection. Additional resources, including a computer, have been purchased to increase children's understanding of technology. This has proved to be very popular with the children and they are becoming confident and competent in its use. Balancing equipment was purchased to provide children with the opportunity to practice balancing. The planned use of this, and other large physical equipment , is not always sufficient to ensure the children have regular access to it.

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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 confident and sociable, working together well both in small and large groups. They are interested and enthusiastic about the activities and show developing levels of concentration. They have good relationship with the staff and are clear about expectations of behaviour. Consequently they are co-operative and very well behaved.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are very confident speakers and enthusiastically talk about their activities. They are developing a love of books and enjoy listening to stories. Older children are becoming familiar with the shape and names of letters through the weekly theme and most recognise their name and can write it. However they are not regularly able to select materials to independently experiment with writing for a variety of purposes, for example writing menus or shopping lists in role-play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities to practise counting and to recognise numerals. Themed activities reinforce an understanding of numbers, shapes and the use of language to describe and compare position, size and quantity. The older children are also developing an understanding of simple mathematical concepts such as addition and subtraction.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are regularly investigating a variety of objects and living things to find out more about them. They particularly enjoy growing vegetables and flowers in the pre-school garden. All children are enjoying using information and communication technology effectively to support their learning and talk knowledgably about how they use the computer. They participate in interesting and varied themed activities that introduce them to different cultural experiences and traditions.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move safely and confidently both indoors and outdoors. Planned physical activities help them to develop skills in running, stopping, skipping etc. and using a range of small equipment such as balls, hoops and wheeled toys. However, children are not regularly using large equipment to climb, scramble and swing. Children are using a range of tools, materials and construction toys with increasing control and awareness, for example cutting different materials with scissors.

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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: Very Good Children are regularly enjoying exploring colours, textures and form using a variety of different media, for example weaving with man made and natural materials. They respond with interest and excitement to the resources offered to them and have written poems about the garden, drawn and tasted food they have grown and use props for imaginative role play. They enjoy listening to music, including that from different cultures, and also using musical instruments to explore the sounds they make

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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

• Monitor long term plans to ensure that all aspects of the six areas of learning receive sufficient, regular attention; • Develop the existing assessment model to clearly identify children's progress and use the information to plan children's next steps in learning.

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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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