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Triangle Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY406884 Inspection date 16/09/2010 Inspector Susan Heap

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Setting address Triangle Primary School, Triangle, SOWERBY BRIDGE, West Yorkshire, HX6 3NJ Telephone number 07735 363 288 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.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as 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

Triangle Pre-school opened in its current setting in February 2010 and is run by a management committee. It operates from Triangle Primary School in a residential area of Triangle, Sowerby Bridge. It was previously registered in a portacabin within the school grounds and has been operating for 25 years. The pre-school has use of a designated playroom and associated facilities. Bathroom facilities are located adjacent to the playroom. There is an enclosed outdoor area. The pre- school is open Monday to Friday term time only from 7.45am until 6pm. The pre- school also offers out of school care. The building is fully accessible.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 20 children in the early years age group may attend at any one time. There are currently 27 children in the early years age group on roll. This includes a number of three- and four-year-old children who are in receipt of nursery education funding.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff who work with the children. Of these, four including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications to National Vocational Qualification Level 3 or above and two are working towards a qualification.

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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

The staff have a good knowledge of each child's needs which ensures that they successfully promote children's welfare and learning. Children are safe and secure and enjoy their learning, fully participating in the good range of activities provided for them in both the indoor and outdoor environments. Partnership working at all levels, such as, with parents, the local school and other agencies, is very good. This ensures consistency in the care provided and enables all children to enjoy and achieve. The whole staff team are enthusiastic and committed to improvement through self-evaluation, reflective practice and show a strong commitment to ongoing training to develop their skills and knowledge. This means that priorities for development are realistic, successfully identified, acted upon and improve the outcomes for all children.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the organisation of the registration and story time sessions to ensure each child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning experience  review the observation, assessment and planning systems to ensure each child's next steps in their learning and development are identified and met. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Emphasis is placed on ensuring children are cared for in a safe environment through effective procedures and practices, such as, robust recruitment, selection and induction procedures, and comprehensive risk assessments. There is a strong commitment to staff attending training to develop their skills and knowledge in all areas of safety, such as safeguarding, first aid and basic food hygiene. These successfully promote children's safety and ensure that the whole staff team have a very good knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities regarding children's welfare and safeguarding.

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the early years provision

The staff team and manager are fully supported by the committee to develop their skills and knowledge. As a result, they feel valued, become reflective practitioners and are enthusiastic in putting their knowledge into practice to benefit the children in their care. The staff work exceptionally well together as a team. They deploy themselves effectively in the indoor and outdoor environments to fully support children's individual learning, play and their safety. For example, staff have designated areas of responsibility and colour-coded rotas clearly identify staff's daily responsibilities, such as preparing the morning and afternoon snacks. Toys, equipment and resources are organised effectively. This fully supports children's individual learning and development, promotes their safety and enables them to make choices and develop their independence.

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the early years provision

Self-evaluation systems are developing well and demonstrate that the staff team has a very good understanding of the key strengths of the setting and areas for improvement are successfully identified. Recent successes have been the development of the outdoor and woodland areas and the organisation of the staff rotas. In addition, staff now have a planned hour a week to complete their observations and assessments in children's learning journeys. Parents are involved in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-school through the completion of a questionnaire every six months. Their comments are valued and are acted upon. For example, the observations in children's individual learning journeys are now free of jargon and easy to read. Partnership working with parents is very successful, such as the way key information is gathered regarding children's starting points and what they can do before children are admitted into

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the early years provision

the setting. A wealth of information is displayed for parents in the entrance hall, such as themes, activities, menus, and the names and roles of individual committee members and staff. Times of transition are handled sensitively as the staff liaise with the school to share key information about children. Parents comment very positively on the care and learning experiences offered and the way in which they feel valued and supported.

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and outcomes for children

All children have access to fresh air and exercise on a daily basis using a wide variety of equipment which successfully promotes their health and well-being. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 recently refurbished outdoor area enables children to explore and play safely. They demonstrate very good spatial awareness as they move in and out, riding wheeled toys in the outdoor environment. They enjoy fun activities such as parachute play, sports day events or visits to a local park. Here they develop their physical skills on more challenging climbing equipment. Children have a good understanding of healthy eating through their enjoyment of a balanced and varied diet. They are eager to refresh themselves after their activities and enjoy substantial snacks, such as, bagels and cream cheese, and carrot batons. They are developing their independence as they learn to pour their own drinks of water or milk.

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and outcomes for children

Children engage in a wide variety of activities designed to stimulate their interest and challenge their learning. They thoroughly enjoy digging and planting using large wheeled trucks and diggers in the planters in the outdoor area. They play on the large colourful xylophone or watch in fascination as they pour soapy water through channels and follow its descent through the different levels and containers. Planned activities and themes, such as, light and dark, successfully introduce children to technology and new concepts. For example, children talk animatedly as they describe how they use torches 'to see in the dark in the den' or use binoculars as they search for the bear as they go on a bear hunt. The development of dens, using large sheets of material in the indoor area, and bushes in the woodland area, gives children good opportunities to develop their imaginative play and have been a great success. The learning environment is

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and outcomes for children

planned for so that children can choose what they do from a good range of interesting resources. Children follow their interests with persistence and concentration and are actively engaged in their chosen activity as they explore glitter and paint. They learn to link sounds and letters through identifying the initial letter of their name with an object, such as H for house. Children's understanding of the wider world is promoted when they celebrate festivals, such as Eid where they enjoy food tasting activities, make cards and practice Mendhi painting with glitter.

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and outcomes for children

The staff team have a secure knowledge of each child in their care which is fully supported by the effective key worker system. This ensures that there is an individual approach to each child and daily plans are adapted accordingly following children's interests and experiences. For example, children and their families bring in new additions to their home, such as a new puppy, a lamb and rabbit. As a result, all children learn from sharing new experiences and learning about nature and pets. Sometimes the organisation of the daily routine and planned activities, such as discussions about the days of the week, month and weather means that not all children fully benefit from these. Observation, planning and assessment systems have recently been revised and include the observations and comments of parents which mean that children's progress is tracked and shared. However, sometimes the next steps in children's learning, although known by their key

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and outcomes for children

worker, are not always clearly identified and planned for.

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and outcomes for children

On the whole children behave very well and they have formed firm friendships with each other and enjoy good relationships with the staff, such as seeking reassurance or cuddles. Sometimes they lack concentration, for example, during story time the behaviour of younger children disrupts older children's enjoyment of books. Children show that they feel safe and confident in their surroundings. They This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 show a good understanding of the ground rules that are in place to keep them safe. For example, they know where the boundary of the woodland area extends to and change from their outdoor to indoor shoes so that they do not slip on the floor. 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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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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