Puffin Pre School

Puffin Pre School Group Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 508848 Inspection date 10/01/2011 Inspector Gyatri Rupal

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Setting address Foakes House, 47 Stortford Road, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1DG Telephone number 07712 858878 Email puffins2009@hotmail.com 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

Puffin Pre-School registered in 1982 and operates from four rooms in the committee premises of Foakes Hall. It is situated centrally in Great Dunmow near to local amenities. All children share access to an outdoor play area. The setting opens each week day in the morning from 8.45am to 11.45 am and then 12.15pm to 3.15pm for afternoon sessions. Between these times the pre-school offer a lunch club for half an hour. The children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre- school is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 22 children many attend the pre-school at any one time and there are currently 47 children on roll. The pre-school offers care to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school provide funded early education for three and four-year-olds. There are seven members of staff. Four hold a Diploma in pre-school Practice and one holds early years qualifications to Level 3. The manager has recently completed a degree in early years. The deputy is studying a degree in Childhood and Youth Studies. The setting receives support from the area special needs coordinator (SENCO), the Pre-School Learning Alliance (PSLA), the Ethnic Minorities Achievement Service (EMAS) and the local authority.

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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

The staff create a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment in which children feel confident to explore the good range of activities provided. Flexible planning and well deployed play resources enable children to make independent choices and become active learners. The staff recognise the uniqueness of each child and work effectively with parents to meet children's individual needs so that children feel secure and valued. The staff implement most polices and procedures effectively to promote the children's welfare and learning.They show a generally good capacity to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain prior written permission from parents before any medication is given(Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 04/02/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop self-evaluation to include clear targets against which This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 improvements to the outcome for the children can be measured.

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the early years provision

The manager and staff are highly committed, enthusiastic and motivated to providing a good quality service for children and their families. Robust systems are in place for the recruitment and vetting of staff to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff are secure in their knowledge of child protection issues and the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Children are able to move confidently around the setting because staff take consistent steps, including daily safety checks of the areas used by the children. The staff carry out thorough risk assessments to minimise accidents, the records of which are well monitored by the manager. All of the staff are first aid qualified, which means children can receive immediate first aid should the need arise. There are systems in place to keep records of accidents and obtain written permission from parents to administer medicine. However, the system for

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the early years provision

informing parents about administration of medicine is not effective as sometimes staff forget to inform parents, to confirm children have had their medicine, which can potentially impact on the child's wellbeing.

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the early years provision

Staff use their invaluable knowledge of each child to ensure that all activities are presented in such a way as to best suit individual needs and abilities. They work hard to support children's growing independence and provide opportunities to freely choose activities and take responsibility for the tidying up of their toys when they are finished. Play resources are well organised to ensure all children have safe and easy access to develop all areas of learning. Although the setting has very limited outdoor play space, staff skilfully organise many outdoor activities to help children develop their physical development and learning from the natural environment. For example, staff take children to walks around the town, play games on the green behind the setting and use the allotment for outdoor learning opportunities.

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the early years provision

Staff have established effective partnerships with parents to ensure children's needs are continually met throughout their time at the setting. Staff welcome parents onto the setting on numerous occasions to help them feel valued as an important part of their child's learning. Parents receive good quality written information about the setting, daily diaries and discussions keep parents and staff fully informed of children's progress and recent experiences. The parents are also encouraged to become involved with their child's learning and to join the committee to support the setting. The setting has established links with local schools, in order to help ensure consistent care and further promote children's learning. Staff show a genuine desire to promote the best care and opportunities for children and are committed to sustainability. Effective evaluation has resulted in a number of improvements being made since last inspection. For example, the

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the early years provision

reorganisation of snacks system allowed children more independent and promote good hygiene practice. The staff have developed a system to identify some strengths and areas for further improvement. However, the self-evaluation system This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 lacks clear targets against which improvement of the outcome for children can be measured.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a wide range of purposeful activities which are structured to meet their individual needs. Because of this, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. The good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities means that children can express themselves, their interests are well represented and they are encouraged to develop their natural inquisitiveness. Observations and assessments about what children can do ensure that the staff have a clear outline of how they will move them forward to the next steps of learning. All of the children are developing high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they are actively encouraged to make their own choices throughout the day. They demonstrate enthusiasm as they talk about 'their dinosaur topic'. Children enjoy acting like dinosaurs by making loud noises and walking like dinosaurs.

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and outcomes for children

Children have very good opportunities within their daily experiences to develop mathematical concepts, communication skills, pre-writing and reading skills. For example, children use their name tag to self-register and they learn to write their name on the paper aeroplanes they have made. Children enjoy reading stories with staff and with their friends. They excitedly join in with the actions as they sing their favourite songs. They calculate and count as they play, work out how to complete shape puzzles and count how many balls are in the line or tell the staff how many legs the dinosaur has. Children are developing a good awareness of others and valuing differences through a variety of resources and activities that raise their awareness of diversity. Children's learning is further enhanced by well- planned visits which link into topics as well as promoting children's interest in the wider world. For example, children enjoy visiting the fire station and post office.

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and outcomes for children

They are provided with meaningful praise and encouragement from staff. They have great respect for one another and demonstrate consideration, kindness and care towards each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children show developing knowledge about which foods are good for them. They select fresh fruit and raw vegetables for snacks and have many opportunities for physical activities both indoors and outside. Children are learning the importance of good hygiene practice and learn to keep themselves safe within their daily play. For example, they wash their hands before eating and take responsibility for clearing their dishes after they finish their snacks. They understand the need to wear oven gloves when touching the hot pan during their imaginative play. Children learn to behave well through staff's good role model. They support each other when playing together and reading books. Staff engage with children individually. For example, when they are invited by name to tidy a specific area, this helps to promote a sense of belonging to the group. Praise is used well to reinforce good behaviour. Active learning is well promoted within the setting

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and outcomes for children

through the diverse range of activities. This helps the children to develop good learning skills which directly contribute to their future learning. 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 2 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 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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