Moss Lane Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 25/06/2004 Inspector Name Harpal Thandi

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Moss Lane Pre-School Setting Address Scout HQ Moss Lane Lostock Hall Preston PR5

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Moss Lane Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Moss Lane Pre-School Address St James Scout Headquarters Moss Lane Lostock Hall Preston PR5 5BT

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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

Moss Lane Pre school nursery was registered in 2003 but has been operating for approximately 10 years. Since 2003 it has been operating from the Scout hut in Lostock Hall. There are 42 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 12 funded 3 year olds and 4 funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting does not currently support any children with special needs or for whom English is an additional language. The group opens 5 days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:15 to 11:45 hours. 5 full and part time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher based with the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

Moss Lane Pre school provides satisfactory care for children. Staff work as a team and are positively committed to their ongoing training and development. A good selection of toys are available to promote development in all areas with good use being made of the available play space to maximise children's play opportunities. Records are stored confidentially but there are weaknesses in aspects of documentation and written parental permissions. Staff have a good understanding of the need to keep children safe and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimise hazards. Good hygiene practices are promoted with the children to reduce the risk of infection but there is a weakness in relation to first aid training. Staff ensure children's special dietary needs are met and they are aware of the child protection procedures to be followed in order to safeguard a child's welfare.

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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 Children enjoy good relationships with staff, are interested in their play and freely choose from the activities on offer. Staff plan activities in advance for the 3 to 5 year olds but there is currently no planning in place for the 2 year olds. Staff try to meet children's individual needs but children's understanding of equal opportunities is not sufficiently encouraged. Staff would work with parents to ensure any special needs were met but they are not always consistent in their management of children's behaviour. Staff enjoy good relationships with parents and there is an ongoing verbal exchange of information to ensure continuity of care between the pre school and the home setting.

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What is being done well?

• Good use is being made of the available space to maximise children's play opportunities. The hall is divided into different areas, e.g, role play, reading area, painting area. As there is no outdoor play area, space is also created indoors for physical play. • The pre school is well resourced. There is a good selection of toys and play materials arranged so that they make an accessible and stimulating environment for the children. • Staff have a clear understanding of maintaining a safe environment with daily checks and ongoing risk assessments being carried out. Hazards are quickly identified and action taken to rectify any safety issues. • Parents are kept informed about their children through the daily verbal exchange of information and they are positive about their relationships with the staff. Termly newsletters keep them informed about forthcoming projects.

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What needs to be improved?

• the planning of activities for children under 3 years of age • renewal of first aid training • the promotion of equal opportunities • the consistent implementation of the behaviour management procedures • aspects of documentation and the obtaining of written parental permissions.

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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 3 Plan a range of suitable activities for children under 3 years of age. 7 Make sure that at least one member of staff has current first aid training. 9 Ensure that equal opportunities are promoted with the children. 11 Make sure the behaviour management policy is consistently applied by all staff. 14 Make sure the relevant documentation and parental permissions are in place.

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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?

Moss Lane pre-school provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas. The quality of teaching is generally good and staff demonstrate an understanding of the early learning goals. The effectiveness of the curriculum planning is generally good and covers the aspects of learning, however it is unclear how the six areas of learning are given appropriate emphasis and that all aspects of learning are covered regularly and frequently. Assessments are used, however there is not an effective link to inform future planning. There is available an environment with resources that enable children to have choice and to enhance their activities with further equipment. The staff manage the children's behaviour and the children respond to their instructions however they are not consistent with the giving of explanations for children to learn about the

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How effective is the nursery education?

consequences of behaviour. The staff foster self-esteem and have good relationships with the children. Some staff are not consistent in their approach to the asking of open-ended questions to extend the children's learning and promote their thinking. Leadership and management is generally good with staff encouraged to attend training on the foundation stage. Most staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities for children's well being and learning. They work well together as a team. They support each other in their roles with staff being committed to the care of the children. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Parents are provided with generally good information relating to the early learning goals. Parents feel informed and involved in the setting. There is no formal procedure for inviting and recording parents comments regarding their child's learning to inform the assessment

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What is being done well?

• The children are confident, interested and motivated to learn. They sit quietly during focussed activities and are eager to participate in adult led activities. • The children are developing control over their bodies and move with skill. They negotiate pathways when acting out roles in the music and movement session. They climb up and over when playing on the equipment and push their prams, with control, around the setting, showing an awareness of space, of themselves and others. • The children enjoy exploring a variety of malleable materials in the play

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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 dough, sand and baking activities. They experiment and explore the texture and poke, push, pull and tease the materials to represent shapes of animals, people and food. • They use language for discussion and engage in meaningful conversation with peers and adults. They use language for negotiation, to discuss their ideas, when making play dough families, and to ask questions about their play. • The children enjoy mark making and choose clip boards, paper pads and pencils to write lists and to record information they request from their peers and staff. They take pride in their writing and have a sense of importance when asking questions to record.

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What needs to be improved?

• the staff interaction to promote and encourage children to think and talk about the consequences of their behaviour and to promote and extend children's learning. • the procedure to ensure assessments inform future planning and that all six areas of learning are given equal emphasis. • the system to improve arrangements for inviting and recording parent's comments on their children's records.

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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 sit and concentrate during focussed activities. They select resources with confidence and move around the setting enjoying a range of both adult led and child led activities. They form good relationships with staff and peers and initiate interactions with adults. Children are confident and state their viewpoint to others during their play. Due to inconsistencies of staff not all children are learning to understand the consequences of their behaviour on others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's communication and language skills are good. They use language for discussion engaging in meaningful conversation. They practice writing with skill and attempt writing for a variety of purposes. They form letters generally correct and are linking sounds to letters. They understand that text has meaning and is read from left to right recognising their name at snack time. Children have limited opportunities to write their name on their work due to staff intervention.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count confidently to 10 and recognize numerals 1 to 5. The more able children attempt numbers greater than 10. They compare size, i.e, 'this is bigger' and 'this is smaller' when comparing shapes in the play dough and pebbles from the beach. The setting uses numbers as labels effectively assisting children to attach meanings to numbers. Staff miss opportunities to promote the use of calculation to assist children in learning to use numbers to solve problems.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy building with a purpose, creating 3 dimensional images out of creative materials and construction materials. They talk about home and where they live, discussing events from their home life with pride and enjoyment. They differentiate between past and present, discussing having been on holiday and going on holiday. There is limited access to ICT which restricts children's learning in this area.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move safely and with confidence, they show an awareness of their space and others. They weave their own pathways, negotiating around the other children. They use a range of small tools competently and with delight in the play dough, sand and water activity. They interpret the movements of the 'sticky kids' tape and move their bodies to match the music with skill and confidence. There are few opportunities for children to access outdoor play thus limiting children's experiences.

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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: Generally Good Children use their imagination in the role play and creative activities. They explore malleable materials with delight in the play dough and baking activity. They explore the texture and learn how shape changes. They express their feelings of excitement when using their imagination, they giggle and move their bodies to signify their feelings of happiness. There are few resources to assist children to explore natural 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

• improve staff interaction to promote and encourage children to think and talk about the consequences of their behaviour and to promote and extend children's learning. • develop the procedure to ensure assessments inform future planning and that all six areas of learning are given appropriate emphasis. • improve the system for inviting and recording parent's comments regarding their child's assessment records.

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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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