Badgers Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 01/04/2004 Inspector Name Gill Moore

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Badgers Preschool Setting Address Wych Lane Gosport Hampshire PO13 0JN

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Badgers Preschool Address Holbrook Primary School Wych Lane, Bridgemary Gosport Hampshire PO13 0YN

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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

Badgers Pre-School is a committee run group and opened in 1996. It is situated in Holbrook primary school, which is set in the established residential area of Bridgemary on the outskirts of Gosport. Accommodation includes 2 large classrooms connected with a sliding door; toilet facilities, welcome and reception area and an enclosed outside play area. The pre-school have use of the school hall on a regular basis. There are currently 50 children from 2 years to 5 years on roll. This includes 28 funded 3-year-olds and 11 funded 4-year-olds. The setting supports children with special educational needs. The group offers sessions from 09:00-12:00 Monday to Friday, and 12:30 to 15:00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday during school term time. In addition to the manager, 1 full-time and 3 part-time staff work with the children. Three hold a variety of childcare qualifications, and the other is currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. She is experienced and has attended

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Information about the setting

a wide variety of training courses and workshops. The setting receives support from the Early Years and Childcare Partnership and liaises very closely with the primary school in which it is based. The group is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and have successfully completed the pre-school learning alliance accreditation scheme.

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How good is the Day Care?

Badgers Pre-School provides good quality care for children. Dedicated staff, with appropriate qualifications and experience, provide a welcoming and stimulating environment. They make good use of space to ensure children are free to move around both inside and in the enclosed outside area. A wide range of equipment and resources are available for children to develop in all areas of learning. Play provision is stimulating and staff effectively use their expertise to question children. Resources are labelled using words and pictures and children are actively involved in their learning gaining high levels of independence, for example through self-selection of materials and resources. All the relevant documentation is in place and well

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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 maintained, with one minor amendment to be added. Staff are deployed appropriately and are vigilant about children's safety. Children learn about the importance of keeping themselves safe and healthy through topic work. Staff actively promote children's hygiene and they follow good procedures, for example washing hands before making cakes. They learn about healthy eating and staff promote this by offering a range of healthy snacks. Snack times are organised effectively to encourage independence and to discuss family and social events. All children are valued and included into the setting and staff know how to implement child protection procedures. Staff provide a stimulating range of activities that help children make progress in all

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How good is the Day Care?

areas of learning. Children work in large and small groups as well as having many opportunities to be involved in independent learning. Staff praise and encourage all children which impacts on the relationships they build with their peers. Children are confident, show good self-esteem and their individual needs are met. The pre-school have developed excellent working relationships with parents and they are actively encouraged to be involved in their child's learning

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What is being done well?

• The pre-school room is bright and attractive and provides many learning opportunities for children. For example, numbers, shapes, colours and vocabulary are displayed throughout. Posters, photographs and children's work is displayed illustrating some of the activities and experiences children enjoy participating in. • The pre-school have adopted a healthy eating policy and teach children about the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet. Children are offered a range of healthy snacks, such as chopped vegetables, dips, fruit and toast and show high levels of independence during snack-time. Staff provide parents with suggestions about healthy eating and how to promote this in the home. • Excellent systems are in place to support parents when settling their child into pre-school. Information is shared and discussed both verbally and in written form, to ensure that children's individual needs can be fully met.

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What is being done well?

Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress and are actively encouraged to be involved in their learning. For example, a parent rota system is in place, joining the children on outings and becoming part of the committee. • The interaction between staff and children is excellent. Staff question children effectively encouraging them to think and contribute their own ideas to discussions and activities. They praise children continually and encourage them to be independent throughout the session. As a result, children are

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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 happy, show high levels of confidence and have a positive approach to learning. • Staff are well supported by the pre-school leader. Effective systems are in place for the recruitment and induction of new staff. Teaching is observed and monitored and staff attend many training courses to update their skills and knowledge in specific areas. The committee play an active role in supporting staff, for example they implement the staff appraisal system.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

Staff support children's role-play very well. Children enjoy expressing their imagination and acting out different roles. Staff interact well and involve themselves in children's play when invited. For example, a staff member dresses up and then arrives at the surgery to see the doctor. Children enjoy checking her blood pressure, heart beat, temperature and giving her an injection. Much learning takes place through this experience, initiated by the children.

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What needs to be improved?

• the procedure for uncollected 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 2 Develop the existing procedure for uncollected children, to include details of steps to be taken should a parent, or other named contact, fail to collect a child from pre-school.

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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?

Badgers Pre-School offers high quality nursery education where children make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have an excellent understanding of how children learn and provide a well-balanced programme enabling children to make very good progress in all areas of learning. They show a good knowledge and understanding of the stepping-stones and use children's assessments to inform the planning of activities, ensuring that all children are sufficiently supported, challenged and extended through play. Very good systems are in place to support children who have special educational needs. Accommodation, time and resources are used effectively to maximise children's opportunities to be independent and fully express their imagination. Staff develop excellent relationships with children and behaviour is very good. Leadership and management are very good. Management have clear objectives and

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How effective is the nursery education?

roles and responsibilities are defined. Dedicated staff work well as a team and clear communication allows them to provide a stimulating and challenging programme for all children. Staff are encouraged to play an active role in their own personal development and updating training is a high priority. Management show an excellent understanding of early years practice and effective systems are in place to support, monitor and evaluate both staff and practice. The partnership with parents is very good. They are well informed about their child's achievements and progress through daily communication with staff and written reports on a termly basis. Parents are provided with detailed information about the pre-school through a variety of ways, such as newsletters and parents notice boards. Excellent links are in place between the pre-school and home and staff provide suggestions of ideas to try with their child at home, although these tend to

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What is being done well?

• Children play an active role in their own development. They make their own choices and decisions about their play and develop high levels of independence. They take initiative and enjoy exploring new experiences, for example some children experienced corn flour dough for the first time during the inspection. They are confident, show good self-esteem and develop excellent relationships with both staff and their peers. • The quality of teaching is excellent. Staff make maximum use of every opportunity, through routines, activities and self-chosen play, to question, challenge and extend all children. They listen and respond to what children have to say and question effectively, using open-ended questioning encouraging them to think and contribute their own ideas. They introduce 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 rich vocabulary to children across all areas of learning. • The assessment system to monitor and evaluate children's progress is very detailed and reflects children's individual needs. Assessments are used to plan the next stage for individual learning and all activities are adapted to suit the needs of individual children, ensuring that they have opportunities to develop their full potential. • Parents are actively involved in their child's learning and opportunities are provided for them to share information and observations of their child and extend learning in the home. For example, parents have opportunities to contribute to written reports highlighting children's achievements and progress each term. • Staff create a well-planned stimulating environment where children learn

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What is being done well?

through a wide range of practical activities. They make excellent use of space, inside and out, and the organisation and availability of resources enables children to independently access the full range of equipment.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for parents to extend children's learning in the home through practical activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school have made very good progress since the last inspection. There were no key issues to address, however they were asked to consider ways of making assessment records more manageable for staff, and to consider ways of extending opportunities for children to experience a wider variety of technological equipment. The system for recording children's observations has been developed to ensure staff make use of each other's observations when updating children's records of achievements and progress. Staff use written observations to set and review learning targets for individual children and share these with parents, both verbally and in written reports, on a termly basis. In addition to the computer, children have opportunities to use a wide range of information technology equipment to support learning, such as tape recorder, remote controlled toys, magnets and magnifying glasses.

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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 actively involved in their learning. They demonstrate high levels of independence and concentration, for example when building a house for their dinosaurs. They work well independently and learn to co-operate and negotiate when working as part of a group, listening to suggestions and valuing one another. They have a good understanding of what is right and wrong and behaviour is very good. Children are confident, have good self-esteem and show a positive approach to learning.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children interact and communicate well using a very good range of descriptive vocabulary to express their imagined ideas and experiences. They have many opportunities to recognise their name and simple words and are confident in linking sounds to letters. Children practice emergent writing in many situations, for example in the role-play area and have independent access to a wide range of tools and materials. They enjoy exploring books, making predictions and re-telling stories to their peers.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children engage in a wide range of practical activities and, through routines, show recognition of numbers and develop an understanding of basic mathematical skills, for example measuring each other and comparing height. They show a good understanding of shape, size and number and have many opportunities to develop the concept of addition and subtraction, for example through number rhymes. Children use a good range of mathematical vocabulary and are confident to count beyond ten.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy using their senses to explore objects in practical situations, for example growing seeds, cookery and looking at tadpoles. They confidently use a range of information technology equipment, such as the computer and magnifying glasses, and have independent access to explore a wide range of natural and man-made resources such as sand, water, soil and dough. Children learn about their local environment and the world around them and recall past and present events in detail.

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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 highly skilled in using a variety of construction equipment and have free access to use a wide range of resources and tools to develop skills in cutting, joining and building. They have many opportunities to develop co-ordination and control and show an awareness of space during physical activities. They learn basis gymnastic movements and develop very good skills in balancing, throwing and catching. Children learn about the need to exercise and the importance of keeping healthy.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children show excellent imagination through a variety of different ways, such as role-play, story telling, music and movement, art and craft activities. They have independent access to explore a wide range of materials, colours and textures in different forms. They enjoy singing and use musical instruments to explore sound patterns and learn about the different sounds they make. They enjoy using their senses to explore materials, for example food tasting, mixing paints and corn flour 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: • provide suggestions of practical activities for parents to share with their child at home, increasing their understanding of how these promote development of 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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