Ormiston Chadwick Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/10/2004 Inspector Name Elizabeth Juon

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Longwick Pre School Setting Address Longwick Village Hall, The Green Longwick Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP27 9QY

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Longwick Pre-School * 1026259

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Longwick Pre-School Address 15 Dovecote Close Monks Risborough Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire HP27 9JU

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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

Longwick Pre-School has been open in its present venue since 1990. It operates from the Village Hall, using the main hall, foyer, toilets, kitchen, store rooms and an enclosed outdoor play area. It is situated in the village of Longwick between Princes Risborough and Thame. A maximum of 24 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The group is open each weekday during school term times, from 09.30 to 12.00 and from 12.30 to 15.00 on Monday and Wednesday. There are currently 27 children from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 23 receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the village and surrounding areas. The setting currently supports children with special educational needs. The pre-school employs five staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications and one member of staff is working towards a qualification.

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How good is the Day Care?

Longwick Pre-School provides good quality care for children. The staff team are well organised and deployment in the group is good; children are well supported. The staff arrange the space to be welcoming to the children, creating a stimulating and fun environment. Staff do not make good use of the toilets available during the pre-snack hygiene routine. There is a good range of toys and equipment available to the children. All the required documentation is in place, but the accident and medication records lack some detail. The staff maintain a safe environment for the children both inside and outside. Children are well supervised. Staff promote good hygiene practices and there is an appropriate, hygienic procedure for occasional nappy changing. The staff have a good understanding of children's individual needs and support children with special needs well. The staff understand the need to protect children and appropriate

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How good is the Day Care?

procedures are in place to follow if concerned about a child. The staff ensure all children have easy access to a selection of interesting activities.

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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 Staff provide a choice of resources which promote positive images of society. Good use is made of the outdoor play area and adjacent field to provide learning opportunities. The children's behaviour is encouraged through the effective use of praise and encouragement. Staff act as good role models. Partnership with parents is good. Staff work closely with parents to provide the care needed for their child. There are appropriate systems in place to share information with parents, covering all aspects of care.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The action raised at the transitional inspection to make the radiators safe has been addressed. All the radiators were fitted with covers in 2003.

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What is being done well?

• Staff support children well at activities and the staff to child ratios are high. Staff and children have a good rapport. Activities are provided which are stimulating and fun. The children pretend to be spiders walking across the large web taped to the floor and pretend that bean bags are trapped flies. • Staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures and have attended recent training to update their knowledge. • Staff have a good understanding of special needs issues. They support the children with special needs by working with parents and other professionals. Staff complete individual learning plans to meet children's specific needs and help them progress. • A healthy snack is provided each day and children are able to help themselves to a drink of water at any time. • The outdoor play area is used to extend play and learning. Children take part in a bug hunt and happily collect worms, slugs and woodlice to look at before

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What needs to be improved?

• documentation, to provide more detail to the accident record and parents signature to the medication record. • the utilisation of sufficient toilets so that children do not have to wait for too long to use the toilet facilities and to maintain children's privacy.

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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 7 Ensure accident record shows date and time of accident and that record of medicine administered is signed by parent. 4 Ensure sufficient toilets are utilised to meet the needs of the children attending and so that children's privacy is respected when using the toilet.

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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?

Longwick Pre-school provides high-quality nursery education, which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a good knowledge of the early learning goals and use the stepping stones well to support children's progress. Teaching methods encourage children to engage in conversation and staff use effective questioning techniques to extend children's thinking. Staff plan an exciting curriculum to challenge children, but do not always fully extend the opportunities to calculate in practical activities. They use space and resources imaginatively; the garden is used well to develop children's physical skills and knowledge and understanding of the world. Staff use the assessment system well to ensure activities provide challenge for children's individual needs. Staff are good role models and management of children's behaviour is very good. Staff use their

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How effective is the nursery education?

observations and assessments of children and evaluation of activities, to extend learning and guide future planning. Leadership and management are very good. There is a supportive staff team and committee. The staff work well together as a team; they are aware of their roles and responsibilities and are deployed well through the setting to support children. Annual appraisals identify staff development needs and staff undertake training to update and improve their knowledge and skills. Staff have a commitment to the continued improvement of the provision for nursery education. The partnership with parents and carers is very good and has a positive impact on children's learning. Good relationships between staff and parents is evident. Parents receive good written information about the setting and the early years curriculum. Systems are in place for sharing information, but there are no opportunities for

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How effective is the nursery education?

parents to contribute in writing about their child's progress at home.

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What is being done well?

• Children gain an increasing understanding of where they live and the wider environment, through role play and a variety of appropriate resources and planned activities. Children are confident in their design and making skills and children access a range of construction materials. Children are able to explore, investigate and observe a variety of materials and living things including stick insects and bugs. • Staff are deployed well and provide good support for children, enabling them to participate fully in all activities. Staff act as good role models and children are well behaved. • Staff plan the curriculum well to ensure children make progress through the stepping stones. Their observation and assessment of children's progress

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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 informs future planning. • Partnership with parents is good. Parents are encouraged to come into the nursery to help and are provided with good written information.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to do simple calculations • the opportunity for parents to make a written contribution to children's progress record.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. The staff have introduced a number of measures to improve planning and teaching, which were raised as key issues at the previous inspection. The staff make use of books with all activities for information and discuss books and illustrations at story time, so that every opportunity is used to draw children's attention to books. The staff provide resources such as calculators, rulers, abacus, dice, beads and pegs in everyday activities to increase children's awareness of number operations and problem solving. To encourage children's questioning of why things happen and how things work, the staff provide opportunity for small group work to encourage discussion and to allow children to investigate and discover for themselves.

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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, have high self-esteem and are eager to take part in the activities on offer. The children are developing independence and have a growing awareness and understanding of traditions other than their own, and of the wider world. Children have good relationships with each other and with adults; they interact well. The children behave well and are able to take turns and play co-operatively.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy books for stories and information. Children are confident communicators and good listeners. They enjoy story time and participate fully. The children are involved in a range of play experiences to encourage conversation, writing, reading and listening skills while having fun.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use number in everyday situations. Most children are confident to count up to and beyond ten and recognise numerals from one to nine. Children use simple mathematical words to describe position and shapes. Children recreate simple patterns. Staff support children's development of mathematical skills through activities and everyday play situations, but do not fully extend opportunities to calculate or consolidate counting skills.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children talk about personal events in their lives and have a growing awareness of other cultures and traditions. The children explore and investigate natural materials and living things. They have confidence in their use of technology, computer, till and telephone. Children are confident in designing and making skills. They use a range of materials, construction activities and malleable materials to extend and develop their skills.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move confidently inside and outside the setting. They use a range of tools and equipment competently and with increasing control. Children have an awareness of their own needs and healthy practices and are capable when undertaking routine tasks. They negotiate space effectively and show an awareness of others.

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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 The children freely express themselves and use their imagination as they pretend in role play situations. Children enjoy singing familiar songs and nursery rhymes and matching music to movement. Paint and art and craft activities are easily accessible to encourage spontaneous creativity. They respond with enthusiasm to new activities and are confident in expressing their thoughts and feelings, for example when playing with the dough.

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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: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: •• the opportunities for children to further extend their development in mathematics • the opportunity for parents to contribute to their children's progress record. 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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