Barn Owl Pre-School

Barn Owl Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY413337 Inspection date 17/01/2011 Inspector Jan Moutter

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Setting address Haydon Wick Primary School, The Brow, SWINDON, SN25 1HT Telephone number tba 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

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

Barn Owl pre-school was registered in 2010. It is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school is privately owned. It is situated in a purpose built facility within Haydon Wick, Primary School, Swindon. There is wheelchair access and ground floor facilities for those with disabilities. There is a secure outside play area available. The setting opens weekdays from 09:00 until 15.10 term time only. A Holiday playscheme is available for 24 children aged three and four years.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered to care for a maximum of 24 children at any one time. Currently there are 46 children on roll, including three and four-years-old who are funded for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs six members of staff. Of these, five have appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 make good progress in their learning and development because staff know the children well and take account of their individual needs in order to plan effectively and ensure that they remain interested and engaged. Most areas both inside and outside fully include all six areas of learning to challenge children's progress. Effective implementation and re-visiting of policies and procedures helps to make sure that children are safe and their health is given excellent focus. Outstanding links with other providers mean that children benefit from a consistent approach. Developing relationships with new parents encourages their participation in their children's learning and continues the excellent work with established parents and the organisation of the setting. Well-promoted strategies for self- evaluation involve parents, children and staff who contribute to the identification of priorities for improvement which positively results in better outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide a better balance between indoor and outdoor learning, ensuring that all six areas are offered outdoors regularly  plan and provide opportunities for children to choose independent activities to support their creative and discovery learning and to encourage progress. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The leadership and management of the setting is strong. Safeguarding is given a high priority and staff are well informed about safeguarding issues so that they are able to recognise a child who may be at risk. Quality policies and procedures are in place to ensure that the correct action is taken to protect children if the need arises. Staff are vigilant at all times and safety aspects are regularly shared with parents to keep children safe. A thorough risk assessment programme is in place with clear arrangements to ensure that reviews are carried out regularly. Robust employment procedures are in place to ensure that those working on the premises are suitable to do so. A well established appraisal system and clear commitment to personal development mean that, overall, staff are well qualified for their roles and ensure that knowledge and skills are kept up to date. Although, this is a new provision the manager and staff have benefitted from their sister group and they

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the early years provision

have established work patterns and routines that they as a team have taken and adapted to this setting. This means that organisational plans are well implemented to make sure that all children are supported by a good ratio of appropriately qualified adults throughout the day. The team of staff work extremely well together and are clear about their delegated roles and responsibilities.

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the early years provision

The management team effectively supports staff to reflect upon practice, to further their enthusiasm and to implement identified areas for improvement. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that the environment effectively meets children's requirements. Mobile children are able to move freely in and out of doors as they wish to explore. However, the balance between the indoor and outdoor activities does not ensure that all six areas of learning are offered. There are however, ample quantities of high quality furniture and equipment clearly labelled and are stored at a low level so that children can help themselves safely. The use of time and resources is well managed which means that children are able to plan, organise and complete their activities, whilst gaining security from the regular routine. The setting is highly committed to working in partnership with others involved in the children's early years education and care. For example, the school,

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the early years provision

which allows the pre-school to share many of the facilities and the speech therapist, uses the setting to make assessments on children at play. There are well established channels of communication that successfully promote children's learning, development and welfare. Parents are offered high-quality information about the provision, and, increasingly, about their child's progress. There are clear systems for them to be well involved in their children's learning and contribute to decision making within the pre-school. The setting is inclusive with a strong emphasis on treating children as individuals. Staff know the children very well and they recognise value and celebrate difference. As a consequence, children's needs are well met and they effectively develop their understanding of the wider world, for example, on outings to the local super store to buy ingredients for cooking activities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

All children progress well in relation to their starting points as staff care for them in small groups, recognising their achievements and planning effectively. They offer activities and experiences that are interesting, stimulating and actively promote children's development. Key persons assess children's ongoing achievements and increasingly use their knowledge of children's interests, their own observation programme and information from parents and other providers to tailor plans to suit each individual. Systems to monitor children's progress are robust to assess the educational programme in terms of children's next steps. Children are eager to attend the pre-school and respond to challenges with enthusiasm. They show growing levels of independence, selecting resources and activities for themselves. They gain self-assuredness to form strong relationships with their peers and adults in the pre-school. They demonstrate caring attitudes towards each other, readily

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and outcomes for children

sharing toys and playing co-operatively with each other. A clear programme of observation and assessment is developing alongside use of information from parents to accurately map children's achievements in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children learning English as an additional language are well supported as staff helpfully communicate through pictures and signs and gather words in their languages to display. The text-rich environment and readily available resources promote children's enjoyment of reading and mark making. For example, they eagerly find objects to tell their 'what they liked best today', as they take turns in small groups to assess their own play day. They are given lots of encouragement to recognise the letters that make up their names and lots of opportunities to make marks and draw pictures. They count confidently and there are many excellent opportunities to demonstrate their use of number especially with the

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and outcomes for children

brightly coloured numbers board. The children are eager to move the numbers around and count to 20; it used at child height in different activities throughout the session. Children's knowledge and understanding of the natural world is enhanced as they discuss their surrounding with their daily walk out around the school playing field to listen for birds and other sounds. There are role play activities that allow children to express themselves in a variety of ways, for example, in the 'hospital', which was a construction site the week before the inspection. The good availability of resources means that children construct and create in groups. However, there are limited opportunities for children to choose independent activities to support creative learning and discovery.

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and outcomes for children

The significant progress made in communication, numeracy and information and communication technology skills ensures children actively gain skills they need for the future. Key relationships are very strong, which means that children feel happy and settled in the setting, even children coming for the first time after an initial cuddle are gently eased into the routine and in no time at all they are exploring the play activities with self confidence. They are reassured by staff who are caring and affectionate towards them. They develop a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe, as staff take time to show children how to recognise risks and to take appropriate action. For example, when the fire evacuation drill took place, younger children safely negotiate their orderly egress from the building and were given feedback on the importance of listening for their names to be called and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

answering clearly to show that they were safe. Each start of session the 'Five Golden Rules', are explained to the children to ensure their understanding, the rules are about listening, not running, not to shout or hurt each other, help each other and be kind with the word respect told in a way they all could follow. Healthy lifestyles are very readily adopted. Children spend ample time enjoying the fresh air, being extremely active and readily making positive food choices as part of their well-balanced diet on their rolling snack time. They learn about the importance of physical exercise and hygiene in discussion and create posters to remind others. Children behave well because they are fully interested and engaged throughout. They are clear about the boundaries and know what is expected of them and are proud to be chosen because of their helpful behaviour. They learn good manners and model the positive behaviour and attitudes displayed by staff. Children gain a

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and outcomes for children

well developed sense of responsibility. They learn where toys are stored to tidy these after use. 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 1 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

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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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