Churchinford Pre-School

Churchinford Pre-School & Daycare Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY254465 Inspection date 10/02/2011 Inspector Michelle Tuck

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Setting address Churchinford Pre-School & Daycare Nursery, Churchinford, Taunton, Somerset, TA3 7RG Telephone number 07815440757 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.

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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

Churchinford Day Care and Pre-school has operated from its present building since 2003. They are situated in the rural village of Churchinford, near to the town of Taunton. The pre-school is run by a committee of parent volunteers and provides care for up to 18 children from the ages of two years to under five years. The pre- school is open Monday to Thursday from 9.am until 3pm, term time only. They are registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory part and voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 16 children on roll and the group are in receipt of funding for three and four year olds. The pre-school operates from a converted self-contained unit, situated within the grounds of the village hall. There is a playroom and access to kitchen and toilet facilities. There are two outside areas to facilitate physical play, of which one houses a Yurt. The pre-school employs a manager and her deputy , both hold a relevant qualification in early years.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are extremely happy and settled within the safe, secure and welcoming environment. They build strong attachments to the highly skilled and dedicated staff who support them consistently throughout the day. Meeting children's individual needs is a priority for staff and children's preferences and interests are fully accounted for as daily routines and activities are planned. Children thrive within the stimulating environment and make excellent progress in their learning and development. Highly successful procedures to monitor and evaluate practice ensure continuous improvements are made to support all those attending.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 build on links with other settings providing care for the children.

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the early years provision

Excellent procedures are followed to ensure children are safeguarded effectively. Staff have an excellent understanding and awareness of their individual roles and responsibilities with regard to child protection. They are confident in the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child which means that children's welfare is always prioritised. Robust systems are in place to ensure staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are suitable to work with children, and those that are not vetted are not left unsupervised with children at any time. Staff supervise children very well both indoors and out and all areas are safe and secure. Regular risk assessments are carried out on all areas of the pre-school and for outings, to ensure that safety is given full consideration at all times.

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the early years provision

Due to the exceptionally welcoming and stimulating environment, children settle well and quickly get involved in purposeful play. Space is organised well to allow for them to engage in many different activities and also allows quiet areas for them to rest or play by themselves. Children are supported very well by familiar staff, who understand their needs due to the excellent links they build with parents. Children benefit from having opportunities to engage in outside play on a regular basis. They have access to two outside area which offer opportunities for the children to plant and grow, ride on bikes and shelter from the rain in the Yurt where they often go to eat their lunch. Children's creative work is displayed on the walls of the pre-school, creating a stimulating environment and helping children to feel valued and included. Key staff provide a warm welcome to individual children and are always available as they arrive to settle them to an activity of their choice.

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the early years provision

There is an excellent variety of toys, equipment and resources, both indoors and out for children to select from. Staff consider the individual preferences of children when setting out resources to encourage their interest and full involvement.

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the early years provision

Inclusion is given the highest priority within the setting. Children's individual needs are clearly understood and exceptionally well met. All children have equal opportunities in all they do, such as girls and boys having access to the same resources and activities. Children are challenged at a level appropriate to them; equally other children are supported to help them achieve their potential. Comprehensive management systems are in place, which support the effective day to day running of the setting. The Manager and her deputy work extremely well together, supporting each other by sharing their ideas, skills and knowledge. Evaluations of daily activities and the wall displays help to ensure changes are made to constantly improve the provision for children.

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the early years provision

Highly successful partnerships are established with parents and other professionals involved in children's care. Parents are very well informed about their child's time at the nursery as they speak daily with their child's key worker and also have regular opportunities to view their child's personal learning book. Parents have given wonderful feedback regarding the books, many commenting how their 'child has grown in confidence' through attending the pre-school and the 'exceptional knowledge and understanding' the staff have about their child. Regular informative newsletters keep them up to date with events and information ensuring parents and carers play a key role in their child's learning. Links have been made with the local primary schools that the children go onto attend, however systems are not yet developed to share information with other early years settings children also attend. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make excellent progress in their learning due to the consistent support they receive from well known key persons. The manager and her deputy are highly skilled and dedicate their time to supporting children at all times throughout the day, which ensures that all children feel settled and secure at all times. Due to this excellent support and the interesting and challenging activities they are offered, children make rapid progress in their learning and development. Children flourish in the stimulating and fully inclusive environment. They become engrossed in activities of their choice, selecting from the wide range of high quality resources. They enjoy sensitive interaction from skilful staff who knows when to involve children in activities and when to allow them to explore by themselves to ensure children get the most from their time spent at the setting. For example, children have been learning about the emergency services. Through discussion with the

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and outcomes for children

staff, children decide they want to role play a hospital. The staff support the children to make decisions and organise their own play. Children negotiate effectively to decide who will be the patients and who will be the hospital staff. Children take on the different roles and become fully engrossed into developing their play.

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and outcomes for children

Children play a dynamic role in their learning, offering their ideas, making choices and being independent learners. For example, they are regularly involved in discussions about what they want to do and self-select their resources from open shelving. They show high levels of independence, curiosity, imagination and concentration. Each child's individual progress is observed, assessed and recorded in order to meet their individual needs effectively. Their individual, identified next steps are woven into the planning, which is all based around children's interests. Children are very polite and start to learn about boundaries and expectations. The way in which the children care and show tolerance of each others differences is exceptional. Children are building confidence to use language to communicate, sharing ideas and thoughts with others. They are frequently introduced to new words as they are involved in activities, increasing their range of vocabulary.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to an extensive range of books, they sometimes use them by themselves as well as enjoying a shared story time. Children thoroughly enjoy a story about ' pants', they get involved, answer questions about the pictures and the staff extend the activity so the children can decorate cut out shapes of pants to their own personal taste. Children learn that books can carry information as well as stories as they use reference books to find out about the bugs that have made their homes in the habitats they make from straw and other materials. This developed when they were exploring the topic ' a bugs life'. Staff support children to identify the initial sound in their name and those of their friends when looking at their name cards. Children have fun as they throw the dice and pick cards to make a plant, they use words such as longest, shortest and longer as their plant grows. Excellent use is made of text within the environment to promote children's

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and outcomes for children

awareness of print. Children's natural curiosity is harnessed due to the fascinating activities they often engage in. They plant and grow in the garden and help to make jam from the elderberries. Children have many opportunities to engage in creative activities and use their imaginations extremely well. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are taught about safety which helps them become aware of how to minimise hazards and prevent accidents as they play. They participate in practicing the emergency evacuation procedures on a regular basis helping to ensure they are aware of what to do in the event of an incident occurring. Children show an exceptional understanding of the importance of following good personal hygiene routines. They spontaneously wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. They use liquid soap and individual paper towels to prevent the risk of cross

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and outcomes for children

infection. They independently access the drinking water when thirsty. Children benefit from the excellent role modelling of staff, who explain why they are cleaning the tables before snack. 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 1 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

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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