Elvington Under Fives

Elvington Under Fives Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 321546 Inspection date 08/09/2010 Inspector Jim Bostock

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Setting address Dauby Lane, Elvington, York, North Yorkshire, YO41 4HP

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Telephone number 01904 607515 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Elvington Under Fives has been registered since 1992 as a parent committee run setting. It operates from a self-contained portable building that has an enclosed outdoor area. Children staying for lunch also use the school hall and conservatory. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. It is sited at Elvington village Primary School which is about seven miles from the city of York. A maximum of 26 children aged under eight years may attend the setting at any one time. The setting currently takes children from two to five years of age. The group operates Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3.10pm during term time only.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 31 children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Of these, 24 are in receipt of funding for early education. Children come from the village and surrounding local area. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff who work with the children overall, all but one have a recognised Level 3 early years qualification and one is currently working towards an early years degree. The setting is a member of the Pre-School Leaning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are progressing very well at this friendly setting where all are welcomed and treated with equal respect. Activities are well organised and children thoroughly enjoy the mix of indoor and outdoor play. Staff use the resources well to create an interesting and exciting programme of activities. They are knowledgeable about the development and care of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Whilst systems for self-evaluation are still in the early stages of development, overall the setting shows a good commitment to continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure the record of regular risk assessment checks includes all the necessary information in regards to the school hall and conservatory  extend systems for effectively monitoring the provision and outcomes through regular quality checks and self-assessment, leading to clear identification of targets for further improvement  develop further the observation and assessment system so that it gives This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parents a clear picture of their child's progress in the six areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Children are safely cared for in this setting which has good procedures for safeguarding children from potential abuse and ensuring day to day activities are safe. Clear risk assessments are in place and staff ensure all hazards to children are minimised. However, the record of regular risk assessment checks does not include all the necessary information in regards to the school hall and conservatory which is used during lunch time. Staff closely supervise children at all times and have a good understanding of safety issues. All other required records are in place to protect children. There are good policies and procedures in place. Staff have a good understanding of meeting diverse needs to ensure all children attending, no matter what their background may be, will receive a service that meets their individual needs. Children celebrate a range of festivals and cultures within activities. For instance, they celebrate St George's Day, Diwali, Chinese New Year

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the early years provision

and Mother's Day. Children also have a range of books, dolls, dressing up and other positive images of difference and diversity to help them develop positive attitudes to others.

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the early years provision

Relationships with parents and carers are very good. They say that children are progressing very well, particularly with their relationships and their communication skills. Parents knowledge about their children is used well in the assessment process and there is good communication about children on a daily basis. Although files are available to parents, it is not widely known and there are plans in place to encourage greater access. Parents said they would appreciate this as it helps them understand and add to their children's experiences and progress. The setting works well with other early years services to ensure all viewpoints and information is used to help children.

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the early years provision

The staff team and committee are keen to continue to improve and there is good support to ensure staff are both qualified and kept up-to-date with current thinking. The development of the outdoor area and the plans to engage boys more through active play are the result of good evaluations. However, methods for identifying weaknesses in order to implement improvement are not consistently effective because structured quality checks and self-assessment are not fully in place.

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and outcomes for children

A clear strength of this setting is the programme of activities on offer. These effectively engage, excite, challenge and involve children in fun and interesting ways which promote their progress and development. Children are very motivated as staff use their interests to guide activity plans. For instance, children enjoyed working with play dough and staff extended this by adding different shapes and tools to cut around the dough. Staff use observations very well to document This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's achievements. For example, children count back from 10 and staff praise this, note it and use it well to encourage other children to join in as they learned to count and use numbers in a fun way. An overall assessment is made by parents at the start of the placement but this is not followed up and continuously updated. This limits parent's ability to have a clear understanding of their child's progress in

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and outcomes for children

Children develop and progress very well in personal social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. For instance, children show care for each other by comforting children who are upset, they use a good range of words and sentences to speak with purpose and can count very well. Children are developing their understanding of a healthy lifestyle and particularly enjoy planting, harvesting and cooking a range of vegetables. They eagerly play in the adjacent outdoor area which gives them the opportunity to exercise and learn while playing in the open air. Their sense of enjoyment and achievement is evident from their happy and excited faces. Children know about safe play as they hold hands when going across to the school hall for lunch and have regular fire drills so that they are used to moving out of the premises quickly if necessary. Their sense

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and outcomes for children

of responsibility, care for others and good communication skills, which are very well promoted at this setting, are essential aspects for their future wellbeing. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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