St Mary's CofE Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 04/03/2004 Inspector Name Sheila Harrison

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Wigginton Pre-School Setting Address The Village Hall Chesham Road, Wigginton Tring Herts HP23 6EH

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Wigginton Pre-School and Toddlers Committee 1040298

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Wigginton Pre-School and Toddlers Committee Address The Village Hall Chesham Road, Wigginton Tring Hertfordshire HP23 6EH

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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

Wigginton Pre-School opened in 1974. It operates from 2 rooms within a village hall in Wigginton near Tring. It serves the village and surrounding areas. There are currently 28 children from two to five years on roll. This includes nine funded 3 year olds and four funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports no children with special needs or who speak English as an additional language. The group opens four days a week, Tuesdays to Fridays during school term times. Sessions are from 09:30 until 12:00. The committee runs a parent and toddler group within the premises on a Wednesday 10:00 until 11:30. Five part-time staff work with the children. Two staff have a NVQ3. One staff member is currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Wigginton Pre-School provides good quality care for children. The pre-school provides an orderly and stimulating environment where the children move freely around the defined activities. The provision is suitably organised, and effective use is made of the space. The premises are safe, well maintained with adequate risk assessment procedures. There is access to a suitable outside area and staff expand the curriculum outside in the better weather. Staff create a supportive atmosphere with the carefully planned routine supporting the children's learning. They are conscientious, use their time to the benefit of the children, and are suitably deployed. The occasional lunch club for the older children is appreciated by the parents and helps the children prepare for school. Staff know the children well with a range of appropriate settling-in procedures. They build warm

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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 meaningful relationships and the children appear happy and well behaved. The pre-school has a good range of resources with children interested and fully involved in activities. The children are suitably challenged and keen to find out things for themselves. Staff are appropriately qualified. They have an action plan in place to ensure sufficient qualified staff are on duty. They wish to increase their knowledge of child care and education issues and to continue to develop good practice. The recording system usually informs the evaluation of the session. All staff have different areas of responsibility to help the smooth running of the session. However, increased attention may be paid to infection control measures.

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How good is the Day Care?

Staff ensure children are included and their family situations are respected. There are strong partnerships and trusting relationships with the parents. Contributions of time and resources are valued. Parents are generally well informed about the pre-school's practices and procedures.

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What is being done well?

• Staff manage the children's behaviour well and have high expectations of the children's achievements. Children have many opportunities to share, take turns and negotiate differences. The staff are skilful role models using appropriate praise and encouraging good manners. This ensures the children are well supported, confident and secure. • Staff have an effective working relationship with the parents and are aware of the importance of good two way communication on a daily basis. Parents are provided with clear information on the current theme. Staff are sensitive to the needs of parents when working with other professionals. • There are strong links with the local school. There is a book of photographs of the teachers and main parts the school including the classrooms hall, playground and toilets. Children are prepared with regular visits, taking examples of their work. They are excited and eager to move onto the school.

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What needs to be improved?

• current hand washing measures • the procedure for the uncollected child and information to parents on the complaints and the child protection policy • evaluation of fire drills

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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

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 6 evaluate the fire drills 7 review current hand washing measures 14 extend the procedure for the uncollected child and information to parents on the complaints and the child protection policy

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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?

The provision of nursery education at Wigginton Pre-School is good. Children are making very good progress in personal social and emotional development and generally good progress in the other five areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff are developing a clear understanding of the Foundation Stage and use this knowledge to plan a broad, balanced and purposeful curriculum with a wide range of interesting activities. They use time to good effect whilst working directly with the children. Staff provide an inviting, well presented environment with a broad range of resources which is pre-determined by the adults. They are effectively supporting the children giving them prompts to extend their explorations. Staff regularly observe the children and record their progress and this information generally informs the future planning of activities. Children are given sufficient opportunities to revisit their learning. Staff have yet to fully develop useful strategies

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How effective is the nursery education?

to extend the activities for the older more able children. Planning is undertaken by the team and consists of long, medium and short term plans which include the layout of the room. There are no funded children with special educational needs or English as an additional language but there are suitable strategies to support any future children. Leadership and management are generally good. The committee and managers are committed to staff training and professional development. The information from informal discussions and staff meetings are used to monitor and improve the quality of care and education. There are strong links with the local school. The partnership with parents is generally good. An effective partnership has been developed with the parents with verbal information on the children's achievements. Written information on the Foundation Stage is given in the welcome brochure and displayed in the hallway. It includes requests for resources on the current theme.

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What is being done well?

• Staff interact well with the children. They extend the children's conversations,and encourage children to discuss their ideas. This develops the childen's confidence and motivation to learn. • Snack time is used to extend the children's understanding of position, number and colours. Children enjoyed Kim's game developing their aptitude at naming various insects and their quick thinking skills. • There are strong links with the local school . Children are confident and excited to move on which is suitably supported by the staff.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• the information from planning, assessment and evaluation to build on the children's learning • information for parents on their child's development • learning opportunities to extend the challenge for the older or more able children

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made generally good progress since the last inspection. Staff have extended the observational skills of the children and offer magnifying glasses and a range of non-fiction books. Children discuss letter sounds during circle time and on an individual basis. Examples of the alphabet are displayed

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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 The children respond positively to staff and have formed good relationships with their peers. Children behave well. They have an understanding of right and wrong, a confident approach to new experiences and are motivated to learn. They cooperate with each other, share and take turns when working in a group and persist for an extended time in carrying out activities. Children talk about their families developing a sense of belonging.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children talk confidently to each other, adults and in groups. They listen well enjoying a game to recognise sounds. They handle carefully fiction and non fiction books in a well stocked, comfortable library area. Children enjoyed matching the plastic bugs with the pictures in the large wild life book. They know that print carries meaning with chances to recognise their names. They were encouraged to trace the spider's web with their fingers and to hold a pencil correctly.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count confidently in their play; they count groups of children and on their fingers. They recognise various shapes and follow patterns with the dough. Children have some chances to see number but do not see their full use as labels. They are beginning to do simple calculations, positional language and sequencing activities during circle time. Children are experimenting with weight and capacity whilst trying to fill the socks with dry sand.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy the purposeful use of construction sets building towers and sorting by colour. They discovered pathways whilst making spiders web with pins and wool and examined plastic bugs with a magnifying glass. They explore the world in which they live with a visit to the local fire station and can relate to the living world whilst discussing the local wildlife. Children explore various festivals and became involved in a staff member's trip to Cambodia by sponsoring her silence.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move freely with pleasure and confidence and develop control over their bodies with sufficient exercise. They have chances to practise running, jumping, throwing and catching during periods in the garden or in the hall. This is well supported with effective interaction from the staff. They use small -scale equipment safely and with increasing control although the staff missed chances for children to use various tools to make their own envelopes.

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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 show curiosity and observe changes through manipulating a range of materials including dough, paint and glue. Craft activities are usually adult directed. Children discuss various shades during snack time. They build a repertoire of number and rhyming songs and move to music during a music and movement session. Children have interesting and varied small world play allowing them to communicate their ideas. Children were fascinated by some of the furniture within the doll's house.

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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

• Link the planning, assessment and evaluation to the children's learning. • Extend the information given to parents on their children's development and progression through the stepping stones. • Extend the challenge for the older or more able children. 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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