St John's Church of England Primary School Sandown

Splash and Dash Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 118187 Inspection date 30/09/2010 Inspector Christine Bonnett

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Setting address Kingsdown Avenue, Ealing, London, W13 9PR

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Telephone number 020 8566 2182 07786837637 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

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

Splash and Dash Pre-School Playgroup is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children attending the group. It opened in 1996, and operates from Kingsdown church hall in Ealing, in the London borough of Ealing. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. It is open each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:30am to 12 noon during term time. A lunch club is available until 1pm. Children have access to a secure, covered outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 30 children aged from two years to under five years on roll, some in part time places. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register, compulsory part of the Childcare Register and voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs five staff, of whom four hold appropriate childcare qualifications, and one is 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

Children are valued and respected as unique individuals, and consequently make good progress in their learning and development. Staff have good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and how to implement them effectively to benefit all children. Effective partnerships with parents and carers also help to ensure children receive the care and support they need. The manager and her staff understand the benefit to the children of continuously developing the work of the pre-school to enhance the existing good practice.

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further?

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

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further?

 establish effective links with children's schools to share relevant information for continuity and coherence in their learning.  develop the use of the garden by providing opportunities for children to explore, use their senses and be physically active and exuberant This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The manager and her staff are aware of their responsibility to safeguard the well- being of all the children in the pre-school. They know the indicators of child abuse, and understand the procedure for reporting concerns. The management committee and the manager use robust procedures to check the suitability of applicants when recruiting staff to work with the children. Security measures are in place to prevent intruders gaining access to the children and to prevent children leaving the building unsupervised. In addition, because the use of the hall is shared with other organisations throughout the week, the designated health and safety staff member is vigilant about identifying and managing potential hazards to children on a daily basis. Detailed annual risk assessments are also effective in keeping children safe.

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the early years provision

The manager is fully committed to the continuous improvement of the pre-school. She shares her enthusiasm with her staff team, and together they develop and change their practice to deliver better outcomes for children. Parents also have the opportunity to influence change by completing detailed questionnaire forms. The Ofsted self-evaluation form is used by the manager to reflect on practice. This produced an accurate overview of the work of the group by identifying areas of strength and those requiring improvement. The manager has identified that the outdoor area lacks resources to stimulate and interest the children. She consequently plans to develop it by introducing a growing area to support children's knowledge of sowing and tending plants, and by using a variety of resources to create a richer learning environment for children. Many positive changes have happened since the last inspection. These include developing the

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the early years provision

educational programme in several areas, and improving and updating policies and procedures. Consequently, children are now better safeguarded and making good progress in their learning.

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the early years provision

The strong partnerships with parents and carers ensure that the individual needs of all the children are met. Parents share a wealth of relevant information with their child's key person when they join the group. An effective two-way flow of information between parents and key persons develops, and ensures both parties work effectively together to support the child in order to promote learning and development successfully. As part of the inspection process, parents made many positive comments, including that the pre-school had been recommended to them, and that they were pleased with the level of communication between them and the staff. The pre-school has yet to establish effective links with other Early Years Foundation Stage settings that the children attend to ensure there is continuity and coherence in their learning.

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the early years provision

Children have ample space to enjoy the activities in comfort and safety. The bright hall is a welcoming environment and conducive to children's learning. Resources are clean and valued by the staff and children. This keeps them in good condition and contributes towards the sustainability of the pre-school. Staff are appropriately deployed around the hall and outdoor area to monitor the children's safety effectively and support their learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children have fun as they enjoy their time at the pre-school. All staff have a good understanding of how children learn and provide a good balance of adult-led and free play activities accordingly. Observations are carried out as the children play. These are assessed to indentify each child's stage of development within the six areas of learning. The findings are then used to devise the play plans in order to ensure that each child?s learning priority is included. Photographs of the children playing and examples of their work are gathered together and shared with parents to ensure they are aware of the progress their child makes. Staff are particularly skilled at identifying the needs of particular groups of children when planning activities. For example, they observed that some of the boys showed no interest in using mark-making materials, and so were not developing pre-writing skills sufficiently. However, they also observed that they did enjoy playing imaginative

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and outcomes for children

games in the tent. As a result, staff moved some of the mark-making materials into the tent, and found that the boys starting using them effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Children access books for pleasure. They sit in the well-equipped and cosy book corner and welcome staff joining them to read and talk about the book, and generally extend their language and understanding. Reasoning and numeracy is incorporated into the daily routine, as well as having specific resources available to help children count and recognise shapes and colours. The group has a laptop and a range of programmable items to enable children to learn the skills they will need to operate information and communication technology in the future.

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and outcomes for children

Adopting healthy lifestyles is well promoted by the pre-school. The free-flow system between indoors and outdoors enables children to benefit from physical exercise as they run around and pedal cars and tricycles as they choose. Staff talk to the children about the changes in their body after physical exertion. A variety of fresh fruit, raw carrots and cucumber is offered at snack time, with water or milk to drink. Older children are supported to help prepare the fruit, thereby promoting their independence. Children also learn the importance of washing their hands at appropriate times to prevent the risk of cross infection between them.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn how to keep themselves safe as kerb drill is taught as part of the transport theme, and they participate in regular emergency evacuation drills. Children quickly learn the routine of the session. This helps them develop a sense of security as they know what is expected of them. It also creates a calm atmosphere within the hall. Children are encouraged to help tidy up the resources, and learn how to be kind to each other by sharing and taking turns. Children move purposefully around and become active learners as they engage well with the activities. Staff offer kind and caring support to all the children, and the children demonstrate that they feel safe as they readily approach them to express their needs, and smile and laugh with them. 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 3 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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