Tilbury Pioneer Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/09/2004 Inspector Name Patricia Joan Latham

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Chearsley and Haddenham Under Fives Setting Address Chearsley Village Hall Winchendon Road, Chearsley Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP18 0DP

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Chearsley Under Fives 1019818

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Chearsley Under Fives Address C/O Steve Barker Russett, Main Street Ashendon, Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP18 0HB

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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

Chearsley and Haddenham Under Fives (Chearsley) are also known as CHUF's and are one of two settings managed by the same parent voluntary committee. It was first registered in approximately 1966. They hold their sessions in the village hall in Chearsley, Buckinghamshire, a village close to Thame and on the outskirts of Aylesbury. They take children from the local and surrounding area and are registered to receive nursery education funding. The pre-school is open, term time only from 09.15 until 12.00 and 13.15 until 15.30, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 09.15 until 12.00 on Tuesday and Friday. A lunch club operates each day from 12.00 until 13.00. There are currently 53 children on roll between the ages of 2 and 5 years. This includes 29 three-year-olds who are in receipt of nursery education funding. There are presently no 4 year olds attending. The provision supports children with special needs and

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Information about the setting

children who speak English as an additional language. The premises comprise of one large room, a kitchen area partitioned to allow more play space, and separate toilet facilities. There is a large outside area available for outdoor play and activities. The committee employ a manager, who is level 4 qualified and takes overall responsibility for both sites and who is also the special educational needs co-ordinator. There is an assistant supervisor who is level 3 qualified and a team of suitably trained and experienced staff. The group are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and are working towards the Buckinghamshire County Council quality assurance 'Kitemark'.

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How good is the Day Care?

Chearsley and Haddenham Under Fives Pre-School, based at Chearsley, provides good quality day care. Staff work well as a team and the setting is organised to give

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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 good support to children. The premises are made welcoming with children's work displayed and are generally well maintained. However, there are not always sufficient toilet facilities to meet the needs of children who attend. Equipment and resources available are of good quality and cover all areas of play. Staff maintain a hygienic and healthy environment and policies and procedures ensure risk of infection to children is minimised. Children are offered healthy snacks which meet their dietary needs and the lunch club offers an opportunity for healthy eating to be re-inforced. Staff supervise children closely and safety is a high priority within the setting. Children's welfare is safeguarded through clear procedures to

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How good is the Day Care?

record and refer any child protection concerns. Activities planned for children are stimulating and cover all areas of learning. Staff establish a good relationship with the children and meet any individual care needs well. All children are included and encouraged to take part in activities and an equal opportunities environment is promoted. Children are encouraged to respect each other and their behaviour is very good. A close working relationship is formed with parents and children's key workers are always available to discuss issues. All documentation is organised efficiently and kept securely for the required length of time. Policies and procedures are made available to parents and updated regularly.

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What is being done well?

• Activities planned for the children are linked into interesting themes and promote learning in all areas. Children learn about measuring feet, how to match pairs of shoes and write shopping labels whilst role playing in a 'shoe shop'. • Children's behaviour is managed well and staff offer clear direction and explanations to encourage children to set their own limits. Children discuss the way they think they and others should behave and CHUF rules are displayed and re-enforced throughout the sessions. • The pre-school has a wide range of resources to support children's play and learning. They are of good quality and children can access them easily. There is sufficient equipment available to meet the needs of differing abilities and interests and staff ensure it is well maintained and extended as needed. • Staff meet children's care needs well, supporting younger children and working closely with children who have identified individual needs. They have

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What is being done well?

good links with outside agencies to ensure that they, and parents, gain relevant advice and support. Individual needs are met, for example those children who wish to rest quietly, or do a particular activity, are enabled to do so.

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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 • A safe environment is maintained at all times with good procedures in place to ensure the safety of children. Inside and outside areas are assessed frequently to ensure there are no hazards and staff are deployed well to enable the close supervision of children when outdoors.

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What needs to be improved?

• toilet facilities available for children.

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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 4 Ensure there are sufficient toilet facilities to meet the needs of children who attend.

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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?

Chearsley and Haddenham Under Fives at Chearsley provides good quality nursery education overall, which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. There are some weaknesses in mathematics, but in all other areas of learning children make very good progress. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a good understanding of the stepping stones and early learning goals. They plan activities to cover all areas of learning linked into interesting topics, but do not always cover all aspects of mathematics to challenge the more able child. Time and resources are organised well and opportunities are taken to maximise learning. Children's behaviour is managed very well; staff give very clear, consistent guidelines. Children with identified needs or English as an additional language are supported well. Observations of children’s achievement are recorded, but not systematically enough

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How effective is the nursery education?

to enable individual progress to be identified by staff. Leadership and management are generally good. There is a clear operational plan, which designates responsibilities and includes regular staff meetings. Forward planning and a commitment to improve the provision through staff training, plus an evaluation of focused activities, enables standards to be maintained. However, there is no formal evaluation of the overall programme to ensure all aspects of learning are covered or activities completed. Partnership with parents is generally good. They are given full information about the education programme and are able to speak with key workers daily. They are encouraged to take part in children's learning and receive a written report when children leave. The records do not enable parents to identify their child's progress.

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What is being done well?

• The daily routine is organised well with time used efficiently to maximise children's learning. Snack, circle and clearing up time all have clear learning intentions. The home corner is resourced well, when following differing themes, to enable children to practise and reinforce skills, such as reading and writing. • Children with individual needs are supported well by all staff. Children whose language skills are limited are encouraged to speak during circle time and provision is made in the quiet area for those who need to rest. • Children are encouraged to investigate and question. Whilst playing in the shoe shop they discover different ways of measuring feet, they look at differing shapes and realise how heavy ski boots are. • Children's imagination is encouraged in many ways. Creative activities are provided daily and children freely choose from a selection of materials for

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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 collage, experiment with different coloured paints and build with a range of construction toys. They also take part in regular drama activities and enthusiastically join in role play. • Children's behaviour is very good and staff encourage them to negotiate appropriate codes of conduct. They collectively agree the rules for the group and are keen to tell each other to sit quietly or tidy up properly.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for the more able child to practise and extend skills with number and number calculation through practical activities • observations of children's attainment to be systematically recorded to enable progress to be easily identified by staff and parents • evaluation of the nursery education provision to ensure the full programme is delivered.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection, when five key issues were raised. Staff were asked to provide regular opportunities for children to record their observations, have opportunities to associate sounds with patterns in rhymes, and practise phonetics. Planned activities now cover all these aspects and children are developing links between sounds and letters. Attractive wall displays record what children have observed or discussed. Staff were also asked to include clear learning objectives for activities and develop a system to evaluate if objectives had been met. This has been implemented. Staff were asked to develop the assessment profiles to inform parents of children's progress. Present observational recordings are not made systematically enough to inform staff or parents of children's ongoing progress and this key issue has been carried forward.

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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 motivated to learn. They show an ability to work well independently and with others. Children behave well and show an understanding of the need for rules, sharing resources and lining up before going outside. They have an awareness of their own needs and demonstrate a respect for others, for example, making sure that a sleeping child was left undisturbed.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are eager to practise their language and literacy skills. They practise emergent writing in many situations, such as during role play and with chalk on the outside play area. They are developing skills in recognising and writing their own name. Their vocabulary is extensive and they are becoming confident at expressing their ideas and thoughts through show and tell time. Children listen attentively and enjoy looking at and retelling favourite stories.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count during most activities and are developing an understanding of number sequence, but are not confident in repeating or recognising numbers independently. They can recognise and name basic shapes and are gaining an understanding of length and weight. Children are broadening their mathematical language, for example they know which things are longer or heavier. They are beginning to problem solve, but do not have regular opportunities to develop and practise number calculation.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children examine and investigate the environment and things around them, noticing how plants change in autumn. They record their findings such as noting what transport they use on holiday and are gaining a good understanding of their surroundings, discussing where they live. They have an awareness of the wider world and have a growing knowledge of their own and other cultures. Children design and construct with a wide range of materials and use technological equipment to support their learning.

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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 gaining greater control over their bodies and practise climbing, balancing, running and jumping daily. Through planned activities they gain an understanding of how their bodies grow and how to keep healthy. Children practise aiming whilst playing hopscotch and steering bikes to develop their spatial awareness. They are able to use a range of equipment, such as dustpan and brush and the computer mouse, with safety and control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities to develop their imagination through creative activities. They take part in role play and make up stories with the farm and animals. They explore differing textiles whilst doing collage and use their imagination in music and drama. They experiment with paint and draw pictures of their dads for Father's Day. Children are developing their senses, tasting and smelling different things and feeling how soft a live chicken is.

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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

• ensure that observational recordings of children's attainment are made systematically so that ongoing progress, over all areas of learning, can be easily identified by staff and parents • establish a procedure for evaluating the overall nursery provision to ensure that the planned programme is delivered and that all aspects of learning, especially in number and number calculation, are included.

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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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