Blackmoor Badgers

Blackmoor Badgers Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY412514 Inspection date 23/11/2010 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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Setting address Blackmoor Village Hall, Honey Lane, Blackmoor, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 6BU Telephone number 01420 538160 Email carole@rudd2413.fsnet.co.uk 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

Blackmoor Badgers originally opened in 2002 and re-registered in 2010. It is a privately owned group, which is located within the village of Blackmoor, near Liss in Hampshire. The provision includes a pre-school and a holiday playscheme, both of which operate from two rooms in the village hall. Blackmoor Badgers serve the local community and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children under the age of eight may attend at any one time. There are currently 12 children in the early years age group on roll. This includes eight children who are in receipt of nursery education funding. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The pre- school opens five days a week during term time. Sessions are from 9:00 am to 3.00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 9:00 am to 12.30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This includes a lunch club which is held between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm. The holiday playscheme operates on various days during school holidays, with sessions held Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. The holiday playscheme has not been inspected on this occasion. Blackmoor Badgers welcomes children with special educational needs, learning difficulties and/or

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Description of the setting

disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are three members of staff who work with the children, and of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority children's services and Children's Link. Children go for walks in the woods and surrounding areas and visit the nearby play park.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children enjoy their time at Blackmoor Badgers. They make suitable progress in their learning and development and have their welfare needs met appropriately. Staff have a kind and caring manner which is conducive to welcoming all children and their families. Most required documentation and other records relating to the organisation of the pre-school are in place. The registered person is fully committed to the continuous improvement of the pre-school although use of self- evaluation is not yet fully developed.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 maintain a record of the risk assessment clearly 14/12/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 stating when it was carried out, by whom, and the date of review (Documentation)

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further use of observation and assessment to inform planning so that children receive a challenging range of activities and experiences that take account of their current interests and reflect individual needs  develop further use of self-evaluation and quality improvement processes as the basis of ongoing internal review - assessing what the setting offers against robust and challenging quality criteria, identifying strengths and priorities for development  update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for outings.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded because staff have a secure understanding of issues relating to child protection and the procedures they must follow in the event of any concerns. They have undertaken relevant training and information relating to safeguarding is displayed prominently. This ensures parents are fully aware of the pre-school's responsibility. Suitable systems are in place to ensure the suitability of staff working with children and there is always at least one fully qualified member of staff present at each session. Risk assessment works in practice as staff undertake a daily check of the premises and take measures to overcome any identified hazards. For instance, the garden is not currently being used because a fence has come down and is awaiting repair. However, no record of risk assessment could be produced at the time of inspection. This is a specific legal requirement. Staff speak of how they ensure children's safety when they go off-

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the early years provision

site, but again there are no records of the risk assessments undertaken for such outings. Written policies and procedures underpin the management of the pre- school. These are quite detailed although several still refer to the National Standards rather than the Early Years Foundation Stage, which may be misleading. Overall, other records relating to the welfare of children are maintained appropriately although accident records do not include the full name of the child involved. Paperwork is stored securely.

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the early years provision

Staff work together as a team and sessions flow well. Resources have to be set up and packed away on a daily basis and the room used as the main play area does pose some constraints. For example, such items as sand, water and paint are not offered at the same time. However, it has a warm, inviting feel and the provision of new accessible storage unit's means children can access some resources independently and has allowed the pre-school to develop its capacity for continuous provision. Some areas for improvement have been identified with the support of external advisors, such as Early Years and a librarian. For instance, funding has been obtained to enable the development of the garden area and there are plans to re-organise the book area and the range of books provided. This This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 demonstrates a clear commitment to build upon existing practice and thus improve

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the early years provision

outcomes for children. However, the registered person has not yet devised any systematic system of self-evaluation or quality improvement processes as a basis of ongoing internal review.

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the early years provision

Children are valued as individuals and everyone is treated fairly and with equal concern. They are all able to make their own decisions about what they do from the activities and resources on offer. These include some items that depict different aspects of social diversity and children are introduced to different festivals and celebrations. Staff are aware of those children who have English as an additional language although there is no use of labelling in languages other than English. There are appropriate systems in place to support children with special educational needs, learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These include working with parents and other agencies as necessary.

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the early years provision

Parents enjoy warm, friendly relationships with the staff caring for their children and handovers are relaxed and unhurried. They receive a welcome pack when their child first starts at the pre-school and regular newsletters, which keep them informed about what their children will be doing and any other important matters, such as reminders about illness. The pre-school has recently begun to send children's "special books" home so that parents can contribute their observations to these. Plans are in place to do this on a regular basis, which is a positive step towards promoting a shared approach to supporting children's learning. Links are also being developed with other providers, such as childminders, to ensure continuity of care and an exchange of information about children's learning. Parents speak positively about their children's enjoyment of the pre-school and how much they look forward to coming.

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and outcomes for children

There is happy and relaxed atmosphere at this small, friendly group. Children get on well with one another and with the adults caring for them. This helps them to feel secure and aids the development of trusting relationships. Children organise their time and make choices from the different resources on offer. They remain involved in those that capture their interest. For instance, they enjoy exploring the contents of the well-resourced craft boxes and make their own selections from these to create pictures and cards. They are helped to measure pieces of ribbon and learn how to easily pour back excess glitter into a tub. They build train tracks and play with the balls, quoits and bean bags. Children engage readily in conversation with staff, who show interest in what they have to say and encourage conversation. This promotes children's spoken language skills. Children enjoy listening to stories and are encouraged to express their thoughts and opinions, so

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and outcomes for children

it becomes an interactive session. Some children show awareness of the letters that make up their names and sound these out phonetically as they write them on their pictures. Each child is supported by a named key person. Staff have recently introduced a new system of tracking children's achievements and progress and are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 beginning to use the information gathered to plan for the next steps in their learning. This is at an early stage of implementation. However, children are not always sufficiently challenged, in particular in respect of building upon their independence and self-help skills. They cannot independently access drinking water and staff do not allow them to pour out their own drinks at snack time. Children display sound numeracy skills as they confidently work out how many more chairs they need so that everyone can sit down at the table together for

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and outcomes for children

snack time and identify that there are five of them present during the session. However, they are not challenged further, for example, by seeing if they can identify the corresponding written numeral. They are just shown a card depicting this number. Children learn about their local community and the world around them as they go out for walks and visit the nearby apple farm and play park. They also visit the library van that comes to the village each fortnight and choose books to take home to share with their families.

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and outcomes for children

The premises are secure, clean and well-maintained. Children follow simple personal hygiene routines, such as washing their hands and using anti-bacterial gel after visiting the bathroom and before eating. They understand that the reason they need to do this is because of germs. Children are offered toast shortly after their arrival at the pre-school and they all sit together for a shared snack time later on in the morning. They often have fruit, although this is not offered alongside other options such as biscuits to encourage children to make choices. Pre-school sessions include a lunch-time club where children eat the packed lunch they have brought from home. This is a lovely sociable time, with children and staff sitting together and engaging in conversation. Children relax in the book area if they so wish. The garden is generally available for outside play so that children can benefit from fresh air and exercise, although this was not in use on the day of the

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and outcomes for children

Children are supervised carefully and are helped to understand how to keep themselves safe. For instance, staff intervene to stop children from running indoors and explain possible consequences if they fall. Children have some opportunities to learn about fire safety although they have not yet undertaken a fire drill this term

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and outcomes for children

Staff treat children with kindness. Children behave well and are helped to understand the need to share and take turns and respect the wishes of others. Thus, they develop skills that will be useful to them in later life. Children benefit from praise and encouragement, which fosters their self-esteem and helps them to feel proud of themselves. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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