Pebbles Pre-School & Day Care

Pebbles Pre-School and Daycare Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY317098 Inspection date 17/09/2010 Inspector Gillian Walley

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Setting address Trunch Road, Mundesley, Norfolk, NR11 8LE

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Telephone number 01263 724600 Email pebblespreschool@btconnect.com 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

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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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

Pebbles Pre-School is a well established group and was registered on the current premises in April 2006. It is run by a voluntary committee and is part of a Sure Start Children's Centre. It operates from purpose built premises on the primary school site in Mundesley. Children over the age of two are cared for in a large room and there is a separate room for babies. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 52 children may attend the nursery at any one time. Currently there are 98 children on roll, some of whom receive funding for nursery education. The nursery is open each weekday from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm for 50 weeks of the year. Out-of-school care is provided for children up to the age of eight. Children come from local villages and the surrounding area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 20 members of staff to work with the children, of these 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications, two are working towards a qualification and there are two lunchtime supervisors. The nursery is part of the Norfolk Quality Assurance Scheme. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The setting works in close partnership with the adjoining school and the Children's Centre.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Pebbles Pre-School meets the needs of all children extremely well because it is inclusive and supports each child as an individual. The pre-school has an outstanding capacity to improve because the manager and her very experienced staff team evaluate the provision frequently and implement changes to improve it. The setting is committed to continuous improvement and is enthusiastic about driving progress through rigorous self-evaluation systems. For example, the staff have identified that current observations and plans of children's progress could be reviewed and improved. The staff develop their skills further by attending a very wide range of training courses.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 reviewing and improving assessment methods and planning so that all children make consistently good progress in all areas of their learning by tracking and comparing the progress of different groups of children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

There are excellent safeguarding procedures in place to ensure that the children are always completely safe and secure. New staff are vetted appropriately and checks are made on a daily basis so that accidents are avoided. There are rigorous procedures established for when children have accidents or need medication. Parents are asked to sign and read detailed records so that they know what has happened after any accident. Visitors sign in and identity checked and doors and gates are kept closed and monitored. The staff are very vigilant about hygiene so that the children avoid infection. The staff are particularly careful to ensure the safety and well-being of the youngest children, and at the end of each day they give parents information about their baby's routine. The younger children play in an area partitioned from the older children to ensure their safety. All policies and procedures are now reviewed annually and the manager invites parents to

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the early years provision

contribute to this process because she values their views. Staff have an excellent knowledge of the safeguarding policies and procedures and are trained in health and safety issues. The manager and her team have made many improvements since the last inspection, for example, the outdoor areas are safe for all children and are now used fully throughout the day. The planning of all activities takes account of the precise needs of children's stages of development, for example, it allows for those who prefer to be in smaller groups. The manager is focussed on driving improvement and adapting procedures to enhance the children's progress.

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the early years provision

The staff work very closely, and have excellent links, with many agencies and the Children's Centre, so that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well and make very good progress, and this also helps their families. The staff adapt their practice to help individual children, for example by using signs with children who are new to learning English. Children who need additional support have individual learning plans which show the specific steps staff will take to ensure that the children succeed. The staff work extremely closely with parents, who are very well informed about daily routines, for example through newsletters and on notice boards. They learn how their children are developing because the staff talk to them informally. They attend a meeting each term and can always look at progress records. They are also invited to stay and play with their children to see how they learn. The staff take great care to find out how parents want their

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the early years provision

children to be cared for and what routines they have at home so that there is always consistency. They visit the families at home before the children start attending. They invite parents to suggest activities their children will enjoy and they help them to judge children's progress at home. Parents complete surveys regularly and tell their child's key worker about special events at home so that the staff can build on those experiences. Parents are extremely happy with the provision and feel that their children make outstanding progress. The pre-school supports the children excellently as they move on to their primary schools. Transition meetings provide reassurance for parents and the children make frequent visits to the school so that they become familiar with being in a different environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

All children make outstanding progress because the setting provides an excellent level of care. When children start attending the staff ask parents for very detailed information so that they can plan activities and experiences which children will enjoy, and this helps them to settle easily and to thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at the setting. The staff observe the children closely as they learn so that they know what opportunities they require in order to make the next steps. They keep thorough records showing the progress each child is making in each area of learning and these records are available to parents at all times so that they can see what their children are learning. Although this assessment is very thorough the staff have no system for using the information to compare the progress of different groups of children and the progress in different areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

The children play with a wide range of resources and toys which help their development, for example in problem solving. Babies and toddlers make good progress in their physical development by climbing, and they learn reasoning by completing puzzles. The children's behaviour is exemplary, and they play extremely well together, taking turns and sharing toys well. They persevere with games and construction toys, and the older children begin to learn their sounds and recognise their names. They develop their imagination through role play, for example pretending to be at the hairdresser's salon. The adults interact very well with the children, extending their vocabulary and encouraging them to investigate and explore. They ask them questions, for example about the books they are looking at, and value their achievements by displaying their paintings and collages on the walls. The adults are good role models for the children and they have very high

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and outcomes for children

expectations of them. Consequently the children are polite, they learn excellent manners and they are confident to talk about their learning to visitors. The learning environment inside and outside is bright, spacious and stimulating, and the atmosphere is calm.

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and outcomes for children

The children learn about healthy lifestyles because they eat nutritious snacks and lunches, and they learn to avoid infection, for example by washing their hands regularly and especially before snack times. Children feel especially safe at the setting because staff reinforce the need to act responsibly and carefully. Children know what to do when they hear the fire bell and understand about road safety because they learn, through play, about crossing the road. They say that they feel safe in the nursery because the adults look after them. The older children learn to become independent by putting their names on the registration board, by choosing when to have their snacks and pouring their own drinks. Resources are accessible and well labelled so that the children can find what they want to play with and put toys away afterwards. There are posters reminding them about routines and good behaviour. Children learn a lot about different customs and special times in the

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and outcomes for children

year, for example at Diwali they tasted food and a parent showed them hand painting. Parents come in to read stories to the children in different languages or to talk about the work they do in the community, for example a dentist, a road safety person and a policeman made visits to the setting to share their knowledge and experiences with the children. At Christmas they made a Santa's Grotto, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 decorated a tree and learned to wrap presents with care. The older children make visits to local places such as the garden centre, and enjoy special themed days such as a day at the beach. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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