Barton-le-Clay Pre-School

Barton-le-Clay Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY406810 Inspection date 09/09/2010 Inspector Susan Ennis

p.1

Setting address Barton-le-Clay Pre-School, Manor Road, Barton-le-Clay, BEDFORD, MK45 4NS Telephone number 07969 744 771 Email mandimandi@btinternet.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.

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Barton-le-Clay Pre-school registered in 2010 and operates from a purpose built building within the grounds of Ramsey Manor School in Barton-Le-Clay, Bedfordshire. Children have access to a large open plan room and a secure, enclosed outside play area. The pre-school has five fish.

p.4

Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 32 children may attend the setting at anyone time and there are currently 52 children on roll. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 3pm term time only and children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school offers care to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to those who speak English as an additional language.

p.4

Description of the setting

The pre-school employs 10 members of staff including two administrators. Six of the staff, including the managers, hold early year's qualifications and of these four are working towards further qualifications.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff create a very welcoming and safe environment in which all children thrive. Planning is flexible, taking into account children's likes and dislikes, enabling them to enjoy their time at the pre-school and make good progress in their learning and development. The staff build trusting relationships with parents and carers and keep them well informed about their children's development and the day-to-day running of the pre-school. Senior staff lead a culture of reflective practice where all staff work together and are committed to continuous improvement for all children and their families.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 develop further the systematic use of starting points, observations and assessments to plan the next steps in a child's developmental progress and regularly review this approach  develop further the use of reflective practice to more easily identify the setting's strengths and areas for improvement. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.4

the early years provision

The knowledge and enthusiasm of the senior staff ensures that all aspects of the provision are well led. The effective implementation of the setting's comprehensive policies and procedures support the daily running of the setting and ensure that children are offered a safe and secure environment. For example, there are robust procedures for checking that staff are suitable to work with the children and a rolling program of training to further increase their childcare knowledge. They also have an appropriate understanding of the procedures to follow relating to safeguarding children, ensuring that their welfare is promoted and that they are fully protected at all times. Staff further protect children's safety by taking effective steps to minimise the hazards. They carry out comprehensive risk assessments and daily safety checks of the areas used by the children, removing any items that may be hazardous, such as a plastic box that has split and in which children may catch

p.5

the early years provision

their fingers. Practical procedures also protect the children when on outings. For example, they all wear high visibility jackets and staff carry a first aid kit, the children's emergency contact numbers and a mobile phone with them.

p.5

the early years provision

The pre-school effectively promotes equality and diversity, enabling them to offer a service that is inclusive for all children and their families. Staff work closely with the parents to ensure that they understand each child's background, needs and beliefs. For example, they translate letters and policies into the child's home language enabling the parents to feel involved in their child's care and join in with cultural greetings to help the children feel secure and settled. The pre-school helps children learn and understand about the society in which they live by, for example, celebrating festivals such as Chinese New Year and Diwali and providing resources such as puzzles and play figures reflecting other cultures and those with disabilities.

p.5

the early years provision

Children's individual development is effectively promoted because the pre-school has good procedures in place to support, monitor and evaluate their progress. The interesting range of available resources is actively used and the all-inclusive child- friendly environment is positively conducive to children's learning. For example, low-level, labelled storage encourages the children to freely choose what to play with and child-sized furniture ensures that they can all sit comfortably while they play or eat. Following a recent move to the building, the staff ensured that they used familiar items such as the same tablecloths and the role play equipment to help the children settle more quickly into their new surroundings. They also make good use of the outdoor play area enabling the children to move freely from inside to outside and enjoy activities such as digging, sand play and mark-making on the white board pinned to the fence.

p.5

the early years provision

Staff show a genuine desire to promote the best care and opportunities for children and are committed to sustainability. Since registration, getting to know a new building and a mostly new staff team has been actively and positively taken on board enabling the staff to work very well as a team and seamlessly together. During the inspection when the leader was busy talking to the inspector, the staff deployed themselves effectively to meet the needs of the children and to ensure This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that the routine for the day was followed. All staff work, together with the committee and parents, to monitor the pre-school and contribute their thoughts and ideas for improvement. However, this is an area for further development as the pre-school's strengths and areas for improvement are not currently clearly identified.

p.5

the early years provision

Effective links with parents, carers and other settings positively promotes continuity of care and education for all the children. Parents are kept well informed about their child's development and the day-to-day running of the pre-school through, for example, invitations to parents' evenings, use of the parents' notice board and regular newsletters. They are also invited to organised events such as the pre-school's sports day and nativity play. They are welcome to join the parent helper rota and the pre-school's open door policy ensures that they are able to visit at any time. The pre-school works closely with other settings attended by the children and the school that they move onto. Regular visits to the local school for play time and assembly enables the transition between pre-school and school to smoothly take place and the leader regularly meets with the school staff to ensure that they know the children before they start. The pre-school works with the

p.6

the early years provision

parents to ease the transition for them also. For example, staff take photographs of the school buildings and child's teacher to give to parents so that they can discuss them with their child during the summer holidays and in their home language.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children are offered interesting and stimulating opportunities to help them effectively progress and develop across all areas of learning. Information is gained about the children by the parents completing an 'All About Me' sheet asking about the children's home lives, personalities, likes and dislikes. Staff also observe and assess the children during their first couple of weeks at the pre-school.They record children's attainments through use of observation, assessment and planning for their next steps and they know the children very well. Each child has a learning profile highlighting their progress through examples of their work and photographs. However, as the system in place is not used consistently children's development is not optimally promoted.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children's learning is effectively encouraged through a range of adult-led and child- initiated activities. For example, when children show an interest in using the role play doctor's kit, staff develop the idea by setting up a doctor's surgery outside and support the children in their imaginary play by encouraging them to phone up for appointments and care for their patients. Staff also make good use of spontaneous activities and opportunities. Whilst numbers are low due to the start of term, the staff decide to make use of the autumn weather by taking the children for a walk around the village. Before leaving they develop the children's language skills by discussing with them what they might see on their walk and the reason why they may not see an owl when it was suggested, also therefore developing their knowledge and understanding of the natural world. On the walk children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

and outcomes for children

notice the smell of lavender and the sound of the birds singing, extending their creative and sensory skills as they do so. They then enjoy collecting the fallen leaves to start their autumn display back at pre-school.

p.7

and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school, forging friendships with the staff and each other as they, for example, express their pleasure at sitting next to their friend at lunch time and caringly rub their friend's head after they accidentally bumped together. Their behaviour is good as they follow the positive role modelling practised by the staff and learn the consequences of their actions by sometimes having their name moved from the smiling face on the wall to the sad one. Consistent ground rules also help them to learn what is expected, for example, they know that when the rattle is shaken they need to stand still and use their 'listening ears' to hear the instructions. Staff make good use of positive praise to build children's confidence and self-esteem. When children sit properly at the table they are praised with 'Well done. You've sat really nicely' and when they have achieved something special they receive a sticker for their efforts.

p.7

and outcomes for children

Children's health and welfare are actively promoted as staff take effective steps to minimise the spread of infection and develop children's understanding of healthy living as they, for example, learn to wash their hands before eating and discuss why it is important to eat healthily. They are also learning where food comes from as they grow cherry tomatoes in the pre-school vegetable patch and then eat them for snack. Their independence is encouraged as they pour out their own drinks at snack time and know to place their plate and cup at the kitchen hatch for washing up. They are becoming aware of their own bodies at they participate in activities such as measuring their pulse before and after exercise and discussing how the exercise makes them feel. Children are also learning about their own safety. They are reminded by staff not to play under the table in case they bump their head and not to put their fingers near the door. They also enjoy participating in activities

p.7

and outcomes for children

such as practising their road safety as they drive their bikes and scooters around a drawn track and then stop when the toy traffic lights turn red. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.7

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

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

p.8

Stage

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

p.8

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

p.8

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

p.8