St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School

Shurdington Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 101543 Inspection date 28/01/2011 Inspector Gill Little

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Setting address Bishop Road, Shurdington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 4TB Telephone number 07961 396 613 Email mandyharper@blueyonder.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

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

Shurdington Pre-School has been registered since 1992 and is run by a parent committee. It is located in the community centre in Shurdington, a village to the south of Cheltenham. The pre-school uses the main hall and the enclosed outdoor area. Children attend from the local and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered to care for a maximum of 24 children in the early years age range at any one time. It currently has 22 children on roll and supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open from 9.30am until 12.30pm daily during school term times. A Monday afternoon session until 2.30pm is available for older children during the late spring and summer terms to help prepare them for school.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. Partnership arrangements are in place with other early years settings, including the local school.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs six staff of whom four hold relevant qualifications; four staff are working towards further relevant 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

Equality is at the heart of this inclusive setting where staff are highly effective in ensuring that children are well integrated. Children are able to make good progress towards the early learning goals as the quality of interactions and activities are generally effective. Positive relationships are in place with parents, and staff show a very strong commitment to working in partnership with other professionals. Safeguarding procedures are highly effective. Self-evaluation reflects rigorous monitoring and clearly identifies areas for further development showing a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Good progress has been made since the last inspection.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend opportunities for sustained shared thinking by further developing open questions  review the structure of the sessions to consider allowing more time for children to engage in their freely chosen activities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of safeguarding children procedures and they are highly proactive in reviewing policies in response to the regular training they receive. They contribute very effectively to interagency partnerships to help protect children and support families where necessary. Extensive recruitment and vetting procedures with a successful induction ensure that all staff are suitable to care for children. High adult to child ratios ensure very good levels of supervision.

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the early years provision

Comprehensive risk assessments ensure that the premises are very safe and secure, and staff effectively involve children in this process. The indoor environment provides a good range of easily accessible activities, and children have daily access to the new learning garden which provides a large, interesting and safe play space. Children learn to take care of their environment by helping to tidy up, growing their own vegetables and learning about recycling.

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the early years provision

Staff are highly successful in ensuring that children who speak English as an additional language, those with communication difficulties and younger children are fully integrated in the setting. They use a 'total communication' approach which involves lots of easily accessible picture cards to illustrate routines of the day, such as toileting and snack time. Children are able to refer to these readily to show staff what they want and, together with the use of sign language; this enables all children to communicate effectively. Staff are also very proactive in supporting parents, actively helping them to access English language courses where appropriate. Staff work exceptionally well with outside agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They strive tirelessly to attain the best possible outcomes and to provide a strong support network for families, involving parents at every step.

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the early years provision

Staff have positive relationships in place with parents who are mostly very complimentary about the pre-school. Parents comment that they highly value opportunities to take part in the parent rota during pre-school sessions as this gives them time to look through their children's 'Journey Books' which they help to compile, and to talk to their child's key person. They state that their children are happy and are making good progress. Staff work very closely with other early years settings, such as the local primary school, by providing comprehensive transfer records and exchanging visits.

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the early years provision

Staff have consistently high expectations to secure improvements. Together with the committee and input from parents and children, they maintain a comprehensive self-evaluation system which enables them to build on areas of strength and to tackle any areas of weakness systematically. Since the last inspection they have made many improvements, including the learning garden, extending qualifications and developing closer links with the local community. Equally they have many ideas for further improvements, including exploring the possibility of becoming a Forest School and extending the learning of more able This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children. This is likely to enhance already effective practice.

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and outcomes for children

Most children display a strong sense of belonging, entering the pre-school happily and settling quickly to activities. Those who find this more difficult, such as new children, receive lots of reassurance and comfort from staff. Children have good opportunities to develop skills for independence, such as helping to set out cups and plates for snack time. Behaviour is good and children show that they are able to take turns, share and show respect for others. Staff celebrate children's achievements by issuing 'Magic Moment' cards which effectively promote their self- esteem and confidence.

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and outcomes for children

Children keenly explore a good range of activities and resources. They develop mathematical and problem-solving skills by helping to make a friendship cake, measuring out the ingredients with support from staff, and they work out how many bikes are needed from the shed for the number of children present. They develop their imaginations through creative activities, such as dressing up and singing songs, and by using the 'creation station' which offers easily accessible paper, crayons and scissors. They learn about the world around them through regular outings in the local community, such as visits to the church, shop and working farm, and they enjoy looking for minibeasts in the garden. They develop positive attitudes towards different cultural backgrounds as they celebrate a range of festivals and listen to stories in different languages. This has a particularly positive impact on children who speak English as an additional language as it gives

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and outcomes for children

them the confidence to use their home language in the pre-school alongside their rapid development of English. Staff support children well, following their interests and promoting positive attitudes to learning. However, they do not always use open questions to fully maximise the learning potential of activities through shared thinking.

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and outcomes for children

Children have opportunities to develop a healthy lifestyle as they play outdoors daily in the new learning garden. Waterproof clothing is available for wet and muddy days enabling children to play outdoors in all weathers and year-round. They also have opportunities to develop their physical skills indoors, such as taking part in parachute games and marching enthusiastically to the 'Grand Old Duke of York'. Children adopt good hygiene procedures, such as washing their hands thoroughly with good support from staff, and they learn about healthy eating.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe as they regularly practise fire drills and enjoy visits from the local fire service and road safety officers. They help staff to carry out daily risk assessments, dressing up in safety clothing, and checking equipment against a picture chart. They eagerly explain why they do this and know that it is to make sure that the pre-school is safe.

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and outcomes for children

Staff ensure that a good variety of activities are available each day. However, they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 tidy away free play activities halfway through the session with the remaining time spent on snack time and mostly adult-initiated activities, such as songs and parachute games. While these activities in themselves are very valuable, this does limit opportunities for children to pursue their freely chosen activities for extended periods.

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and outcomes for children

Staff make thorough and accurate observations of children's progress and record these, together with children's Magic Moments, photographs and examples of work, in their Journey Books. Staff use this information together with their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure that children are making good progress and to plan their next steps in learning. The staff team plan activities on a fortnightly basis, taking into account children's interests and ensuring that activities meet the needs of individual children. 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 1 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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