St Cedd's Church of England Primary School

Cheddington Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number 140844 Inspection date 26/11/2010 Inspector Gillian Walley

p.1

Setting address C/o Cheddington School, High Street, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 0RG Telephone number 01296 662292 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.

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

Cheddington Pre-School is run by a voluntary management committee. It has been running for over 20 years and operates from one self-contained room within Cheddington Combined School, Buckinghamshire. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. It is open each weekday during term time from 8.50am to 11.50am and from 1pm to 3pm. A lunch box club runs from 11.55am to 12.55pm to prepare children for full time schooling. Children attend for a variety of sessions. All children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 65 children aged from two and a half to under five years on roll, some of whom receive funding for nursery education. Children come from both the local area and a wider catchment area. The pre-school currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs eight staff. Four

p.4

Description of the setting

of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications and four are working towards, or furthering, their qualifications. The pre-school works very closely with the adjoining primary school and the local authority. The pre-school was registered on the Early Years Childcare register in October 2008.

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

Cheddington Pre-school is a good setting. All children make good progress because it is inclusive and meets the needs of each child, including those at the early stages of learning to speak English and those who have special educational needs. The new manager and her team are very experienced, and they are acquiring new skills to help them improve the learning opportunities they provide for the children. They evaluate the provision regularly to identify ways to improve it further, and they have made many recent changes. These include building excellent partnerships with parents and carers and the primary school. They have identified the need to develop the outdoor learning area; as a result, the pre-school has an outstanding capacity to improve.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 provide the children with more resources for independent learning in the outdoor area, such as letters and numbers, which can reinforce their learning in the classroom.

p.4

the early years provision

All policies are reviewed frequently and there are rigorous procedures to ensure that children are always safe. Staff are vetted and have been well trained in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safeguarding children. There are daily checks of the premises so that any potential hazard is identified. More detailed risk assessments are carried out regularly, for example, for the trips children make to the village. Staff have first aid qualifications, and they understand relevant health conditions. They understand children's individual needs. There are very good procedures if children have accidents, need medication or have allergies. Parents are always fully informed of incidents and are assured that their children are completely safe.

p.4

the early years provision

The pre-school has outstanding links with the primary school, for example, they use the hall and the information and communication technology (ICT) suite so that children become familiar with the building. The staff now plan activities with the Reception teacher and they deploy and share resources well. This helps school staff know the children extremely well so that they settle very easily. The pre- school has strong links with the community, for example, the vicar visits the children and they visit shops and the church. Self-evaluation is very effective. The staff review their practice rigorously, using information about the progress children make in each area of their learning. Staff promote equality and diversity effectively and have developed more expertise, for example in learning to sign to help children with hearing impairments and children learning to speak English. They have identified the need to develop the outdoor learning area to give

p.5

the early years provision

children, especially boys, more varied opportunities to learn. The pre-school has improved since the last inspection, for example the children can now play outdoors whenever they wish. The classroom is now better organised and children can reach the equipment they want to use. The new manager drives ambition well and has swiftly improved many aspects of the provision.

p.5

the early years provision

The staff work harmoniously with parents, who feel that their children are safe, very well cared for, and make extremely good progress, particularly in recognising numbers, letters and sounds, and also in gaining independence. Parents have a notice board where they can see useful information about what is going on and pre-school routines. They can always see their children's files, so that they understand how they develop and they can take the files home to add their own observations. This means that they are very involved in planning their child's learning. They meet their child's key worker regularly and can talk informally to staff whenever they wish to. They can stay for sessions to work with their children or talk to the children about their roles in the community. The manager values parents' views and often conducts surveys, making decisions based on parents' preferences. Parents feel very well informed. The manager also works extremely

p.5

the early years provision

closely with the local authority when she needs additional support or advice about a child's needs.

p.5

and outcomes for children

The staff know and challenge children well by asking questions and helping them solve problems. When children first attend the staff assess them and ask parents for detailed information about their children's interests. They respond to their individual needs well and observe them closely and identify any barriers to learning. They track the children's development, noting what steps they need to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 take next to move on. They compare progress in each area of learning so that they can be sure the children make consistently good progress.

p.5

and outcomes for children

The children share equipment well and listen carefully to instructions. They are very well behaved because adults have high expectations of them and are good role models. They enjoy telling visitors about their learning. Children are confident and concentrate on one activity for a long time. They choose what they want to do from a very wide selection of toys, including dolls, construction resources and puzzles. The children develop their imagination by dressing up and through role play. They enjoy looking at books in the book corner and they make good progress in learning about numbers when they play board games and count. They talk about measuring and weighing when they make soup, fruit kebabs and sandwiches. They listen well to stories and they enjoy activities which relate to the stories, for example making hedgehog bread rolls.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The children develop good creative skills through painting, printing and making models. They develop skills for the future by learning to use a computer and remote controlled toys. Outdoors children learn about plants by growing fruit and vegetables and explore how water flows. They ride bikes and climb to develop their physical skills. The outdoor area is well used but does not provide the children with a wide range of learning and does not help the children to recognise letters, numbers, shapes and colours. They develop a keen interest in music and drama because they have a weekly session led by a musician, and they play many instruments.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The children learn to become independent by choosing when to have their snacks and putting on coats and boots. They learn about healthy lifestyles extremely well by talking about their snacks, growing and tasting fruit and vegetables and cooking nutritious snacks. They understand that they need to take regular exercise and why they wash their hands. They feel very safe and learn many ways of keeping themselves safe, such as talking about road safety and through visitors such as police officers, the ambulance service and fire officers. Children know what to do in an emergency because they often practise fire drills. Children make very good progress in understanding the diversity of the world around them because they talk about countries and people of different cultures and they learn about celebrations and customs. They play with multicultural toys, such as dolls and puzzles, and also toys which help them to develop their sense of equality. As a

p.6

and outcomes for children

result, when children leave the pre-school they are well prepared for the next stage of their education. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.7

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.7

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.7

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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

p.7

Stage

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

p.7

Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 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 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

p.7

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.7