St. Brendans Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/03/2004 Inspector Name Jannet Mary Richards

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St. Brendans Pre-School Setting Address St. Brendans RC School Brookfold Lane Bolton Lancashire BL2 4DZ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

St Brendan's Pre School Playgroup operates from St Brendan's R.C. primary School in Harwood. The group has been operating since 1984, and the current manager has been running the pre-school since 2000. The pre-school serves the local area. A large playroom with toilet facilities and access to outdoor play in the school playground is used to provide sessional day care for children. The group operates from Monday to Friday between 09:00 to 11:30 and from 12:30 to 15:00 during school term times. Older children attend for the morning sessions, and younger children attend during the afternoons. There are currently 49 children in total on roll, of these 23 children aged three years, and seven children aged four years are in receipt of nursery education funding. A total of seven staff and two volunteers work with the children, most have, or are working towards relevant child care qualifications. The setting receives support form the Early Years Development and Childcare

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How good is the Day Care?

St Brendan's Pre-School Playgroup provides good care for children. The staff team work well together, they have a good understanding of their roles and the pre-school's policies which enables the provision to run smoothly. They have a good commitment to development of the provision, and regularly attend courses and training events to keep up to date with child care issues. The staff get to know the children very well. They have effective procedures such as key person systems for settling new children and supporting them which allows the children to feel secure and confident in the pre-school environment. The children benefit from a range of interesting and stimulating resources and activities which are appropriate to their ages and interests, the staff put good emphasis on fun 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 enjoyment. The children behave well in the pre-school environment, in response to the frequent praise and encouragement they receive from the staff. Staff observe good practice and high levels of supervision to ensure that children are safe when they attend pre-school, and when they go on outings. Most safety measures and risk assessments are in place. Good attention is given to practices to keep children healthy, such as encouraging children to wash their hands and providing healthy snacks such as fruit and milk. The staff work well in partnership with parents. They provide them with good information about policies, routines and activities. Parents speak highly of the provision, they are made to feel welcome and value the friendly atmosphere and

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection eleven issues were identified for further action, ten of which relate to the documentation maintained by the pre-school. Since the inspection the staff have reviewed the paperwork and made good progress on each action. They have reviewed policies relating to care of children who are ill, no smoking on the premises, procedures to follow if a child is lost, behaviour management, complaints, and child protection policies. In each case they have added additional information to ensure that the documents comply with the national standards. They have also amended registration and medication records to include additional details, and now ensure that evidence of gas and electrical appliance checks is accessible. The pre-school also now ensures that a record of staff clearance checks is maintained. These actions have led to an improvement in the standard of documentation maintained. The final action related to the number of hand wash basins available for the children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Since the inspection an additional hand wash basin has been fitted which has led to an improvement in the accessibility of hand wash facilities for the children.

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What is being done well?

• The staff know and follow procedures in practice. They communicate well with each other and understand their roles and responsibilities which allows the provision to run smoothly. • The calm, friendly environment and staff enable the children to feel confident and secure. The staff use key person systems effectively to get to know the children very well. • Good staff to child ratios ensure that children are well supported and offered individual attention when they need it. • Partnership with parents is very good. The staff ensure that parents are well informed about policies and activities, by talking to them each day about what

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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 the children have been doing, through an information booklet and by providing a notice board with information about activities and events. Parents are made to feel welcome in the setting and value the service provided.

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What needs to be improved?

• the procedures for recording when visitors are present • the safety procedures relating to the making of hot drinks.

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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 6 Put measures in place to ensure that a record of visitors to the premises is maintained. 6 Conduct a risk assessment relating to making hot drinks, ensuring that hot water and drinks are inaccessible to children.

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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?

St Brendan's Pre-School Playgroup offers good quality provision which helps children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children make generally good progress in all six areas of learning. Teaching is generally good. The staff's understanding of the foundation stage and provision of a good range of interesting activities helps the children to make good progress in all areas. The staff get to know the children very well. They are skilled at questioning the children to encourage them to think and solve simple problems during play. They use effective systems to assess children's progress which enables them to set targets for their learning and plan opportunities for these. The setting has suitable systems in place for supporting children with special needs. The pre-school has a good range of resources, though these are not always used effectively to give children opportunities to extend their play ideas, practice new skills

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How effective is the nursery education?

and consolidate what they have learned. There are good systems for planning activities, though some areas lack detail about which resources will be used to promote skills and learning. Leadership and management are generally good. The staff team work very well together and have a strong commitment to development through further training. They are supported well by a manager who works alongside them to ensure the smooth running of the provision. Partnership with parents is very good and contributes well to children's progress. Parents are made very welcome and encouraged to support children's learning by completing activities at home. They are very well informed about the progress children are making and the range of activities provided.

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What is being done well?

• The staff question the children very well during play. They work alongside the children, observing what they are doing, and encouraging them to use their knowledge to think how they can solve simple problems during play. • There are good systems in place to get to know individual children well. The staff observe the children each day and assess what they are learning. They use this information well to plan activities to encourage the next steps in children's learning.

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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 • Children behave well in the pre-school. The staff are calm and positive. They encourage the children and praise their efforts. • Teamwork is very good. The staff are an established team who know and understand their roles. They have good commitment to development of the provision, and often attend short courses to develop their own skills and knowledge. • Parents are actively encouraged to be involved in children's learning by carrying out activities at home which link to the current theme. They are very well informed about what the children learn and the progress they make in the pre-school.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of resources to allow opportunities for children to select resources to extend their play ideas, practice skills and consolidate what they have learned • the opportunities for children to recognise numbers in the pre-school environment • the planning of activities to ensure clarity about how opportunities for children to develop climbing skills, use a range of resources and materials to join and connect, for example will be provided.

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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: Generally Good Children settle well into the pre-school. They receive good support from staff which enables them to feel secure and explore the play activities with confidence. They behave well, responding to praise and encouragement. They develop good levels of personal independence, such as wiping their own noses and going to the toilet without adult help. The children persist well at activities which interest them, though do not often access a wide range of resources to extend their play ideas.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children use talk confidently during play to explain what they are doing, and respond well to questioning by staff. They have good opportunities to practice early writing skills, such as writing lists in the role play and their names on pictures. They practice these skills using different media, for example forming letters in sand. They thoroughly enjoy books and stories, and learn how to use books for reference as well as for enjoyment.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count often during play to ten and beyond, such as counting the number of foods the caterpillar eats in the story, though have fewer opportunities to develop their recognition of numbers. They often use mathematical language, such as 'up' and 'down' when moving a parachute, for example. They frequently learn about shape and have use many resources for exploring shape, patterns and sequences. They use their mathematical knowledge very well to solve simple problems during play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children often find out how things work, why things happen, and observe changes such as planting seeds to grow, using objects which float and sink in water, investigating equipment such as magnets and magnifying glasses. They use toys to construct, though less often using a wide range of materials. They learn about the environment from activities linked to topics, such as going for a walk to collect leaves in autumn. They often learn about different cultures when celebrating festivals.

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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: Generally Good Children use good opportunities such as playing outdoors and weekly dance classes to practice physical skills. They use bean bags which they throw and catch to develop co-ordination, they negotiate space around others and co-ordinate their movements well when working together during a parachute game, for example. They do not often practice climbing skills. They use tools such as pencils, scissors and threading toys to practice and refine their fine motor skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use their imagination well during role play, they use a good range of resources and varied scenarios such as a shop or café, for example. They experiment using a variety of media such as paint, play dough, sand. They enjoy singing each day and have regular opportunities to experiment with percussion instruments. They use good opportunities to explore their senses during play, such as tasting different foods, or comparing the textures of wet and dry pasta.

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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

• review the organisation of resources to allow increased opportunities for children to select resources to extend their play ideas, practice skills and consolidate what they have learned • increase the opportunities for children to recognise numbers in the pre-school environment, through provision of resources such as a number line for example. • provide more detail in the planning of some activities to ensure clarity about how opportunities for children to develop climbing skills, use a range of resources and materials to join and connect, for example will be provided, and ensure that all aspects of the stepping stones are well promoted.

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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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