St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 30/09/2004 Inspector Name Susan Victoria May

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Happy Hours Pre-School Setting Address The Medway Building, Polehampton Infants School Twyford Berkshire RG10 9HS

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Happy Hours Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Happy Hours Pre-School Address Medway Building, Polehampton Infants School Twyford RG10 9HS

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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

Happy Hours Pre-School was established in 1968 and has been at its present location since 1983. It operates from a single storey building in the grounds of Polehampton Infant School. The pre-school has its own enclosed outdoor area and access to the school's facilities. It serves the village of Twyford and surrounding area. The pre-school is registered for 24 children, with 48 children currently on roll. There are 41 children in receipt of funding for nursery education of whom 27 children are 3 years of age and 14 children are aged 4 years. The pre-school is open from 09.00 to 11.30 and 12.45 to 15.15 from Monday to Friday. Children attend for a variety of sessions. It opens for slightly shorter terms than those of the school. The setting is able to support children with special needs and for whom English is an additional language. There are currently ten staff employed of whom a minimum of five work directly with

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Information about the setting

the children at any one time. Five of the staff either hold or are working towards relevant childcare qualifications. A parents rota system is in operation. The pre-school receive support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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How good is the Day Care?

Happy Hours Pre-School offers good care for children. Staff provide a rich child centred environment for the children where they feel happy and settled. Good planned use is made of the space and resources, providing a stimulating and exciting setting in which children can learn. Consideration is not always given to grouping the children appropriately for their age and stage of development. The staff work well as a team and all contribute to planning and implementing the activities providing opportunities for children to progress in all areas of learning. All documentation, policies and procedures are in place and are clear and informative, they are reviewed and updated regularly.

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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 ensure the children are kept safe within the building and outdoors. Registration arrangements are adequate. Evacuation procedures are practiced and reinforced regularly. Staff encourage the children to be aware of good health and hygiene issues. The children are independent, helping themselves to drinks throughout the session and serving themselves competently at snack time. There are good child protection procedures in place. Staff are good role models. They provide a relaxed environment and respond well to the children's interests. Children respond well to requests from staff. The staff have a clear understanding of the individual needs of the children. A system is in place to support the welfare and development of children for whom English is an additional

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How good is the Day Care?

language. Good practices are followed to effectively meet the needs of children with special needs in partnership with parents. The staff have a good relationship with parents. There is an effective system in place for sharing information about the provision through a variety of media including newsletters, parents' notice board and daily verbal exchanges. Parental opportunities to access children's records are regularly provided.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have very good relationships with children and know them well. They spend time talking and playing with them and helping them to learn. The children are very happy and settled. • The good relationships between staff and parents helps promote the children's learning and ensure their needs are met in an atmosphere, which is friendly and positive. • Effective procedures are in place to ensure staff are aware of children's dietary requirements and the importance of ensuring they are followed. They make sure parents have prior knowledge of the snack and drinks provided; snack times are social occasions. Children are encouraged to be independent and show competence in pouring their own drinks and selecting snacks. • Arrangements are made by staff to provide appropriate adult support and accessibility of the resources to ensure children with special needs are included in the pre-school setting. Staff have a positive approach are discreet

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What is being done well?

in their dealings with parents and have regard for privacy issues. • Staff make excellent use of the available space both inside and outdoors to enable children to explore, investigate and enjoy play every day.

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What needs to be improved?

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 • procedures to record all visitors on the premises • grouping of children taking into account their age and stage of development.

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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 Ensure procedures in place to record all visitors present are effectively implemented. 2 Ensure children's age and stage of development is considered when planning group activities.

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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?

Happy Hours Pre-school provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children make generally good progress in communication, language and literacy and very good progress in all other areas of learning.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The quality of teaching is generally good. Children eagerly participate in a range of learning opportunities provided for them. Daily activities promote children's personal independence and staff build children's self esteem by giving them responsibilities. Children are polite and respond positively to the expectations and sensitive support of staff. They show respect for cultures outside experiences. Staff are effective in their use of questioning to encourage and extend children's thinking. Children have very good opportunities to consolidate mathematical skills. There are missed opportunities to extend older and more able children's writing skills. Children's physical and creative development is progressing very well. Imagination is fostered through art, design and stories. Realistic planning and evaluation promotes children's learning towards the early learning goals and staff have a system for

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How effective is the nursery education?

recording children's achievements effectively. Very good systems are in place to support children with special educational needs. Procedures are in place to support children for whom English is an additional language.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management are very good. A strong staff team is in place, who are committed to providing a rich, caring, stimulating environment where children learn through a wide range of activities.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Partnership with parents and carers is very good. This contributes well to the children's learning. Parents are informed about activities and routines through daily verbal exchanges and written correspondence. They share their observations about their child and the staff help parents understand how they can support children's learning at home.

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What is being done well?

• Staff give high regard to promoting children's independence, providing opportunities for them to make choices by self selecting from a range of activities and expressing personal preferences, they attend to personal hygiene and help tidy away activities. • Children are confident with numbers and counting. The older/more able children are able to count to 20. Children are developing an understanding of addition and subtraction through songs and every day activities, for example, counting children at registration, numbers are then recorded on a blackboard

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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 to enhance children's number recognition. • Children enjoy collage, free painting and model making on a daily basis, giving them the opportunity to explore colour and materials. They try new techniques and practise new skills. Their work is valued and wherever possible displayed. • Parents are encouraged to share the learning from home with the setting; they have access to their child's records at all times. A communications book is sent home daily and is used well by parents and staff. A 'Helping at Home' booklet is also being introduced to provide parents with knowledge to support their child's learning.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for the older, more able children to extend their knowledge of the written word though the use of simple captions and phonics for spelling.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. Opportunities have been provided for children to have access to resources and materials to attempt writing that is relevant to their play. Effective planning ensures children are provided with and have access to a wide range of physical activities on a daily basis. This provides enjoyable activities to help children consolidate and improve their skills.

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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 Relationships between staff and children are very good and children show consideration, sensitivity and support for others. The children are happy, secure and curious, eager to participate in activities. Daily activities provide opportunities for personal independence for example children self-select resources. Children are confident in their interaction with staff and express themselves well. Children respond appropriately to the clear expectations for acceptable behaviour.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident and articulate speakers who engage easily in conversation. Role play enables children to mark make for a variety of purposes, however, there are missed opportunities to extend older, more able children's writing skills and phonic sounds. Staff's good use of dialogue and questioning encourages children's thinking. Many children are able to identify their names. A broad range of books available for the children to choose from are enjoyed and treated with respect.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident with numbers and counting and many can recognise numerals to five or beyond. Opportunities are provided to reinforce and develop counting skills during everyday activities, for example, at registration. Children are developing an understanding of addition and subtraction and staff use rhymes to reinforce learning. Children use comparative and positional language and recognise simple shapes. Practical activities enable children to develop their problem solving skills.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Through planned topics, simple experiments such as experimenting with 'magnets' and daily activities staff develop children's confidence in exploring and investigating. Children have good opportunities to question why things happen and how things work through interest tables and individual and group work. Opportunities are made for children to talk about past and present events in their own lives. Children can talk knowledgeably about their environment and the wider world.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about the importance of hygiene and know why they wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Activities planned give children the opportunity to develop their physical skills. Children are given the opportunity to handle tools and malleable materials. The planned use of resources both indoors and outdoors ensures children use the space effectively.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children participate enthusiastically in imaginative play and stories; they enjoy adult-led songs. They are encouraged to express their imagination through a range of everyday and planned activities including role play, design and music sessions. Children are confident and capable with tools, learning new techniques and reinforcing skills on a daily basis. Opportunities to experience different materials are seen in displays, which show children use a wide range of materials.

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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

• provide opportunities for the older, more able children to extend their knowledge of the written word, writing simple captions and using phonic knowledge for spelling.

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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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