Eye Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 20 Jan 2011

Eye Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 256762 Inspection date 20/01/2011 Inspector Janet Keeling

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Setting address Eyebury Road, Eye, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE6 7TD Telephone number 01733 703238 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

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

Eye Pre-School opened in 1968 and moved to its current location in 2010. The pre- school is run by a voluntary management committee and operates from facilities at the East Rural Children's Centre. It is located in the grounds of the Eye Primary School in Peterborough. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school serves children and families from the local and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 26 children from two to five years may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 60 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. It receives funding for early years education. Children attend for a variety of the sessions on offer. The pre-school opens Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3pm and Friday 9am to 12pm during school term time only. The pre-school is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, five hold an appropriate level 3 qualification in early years. The pre-school receives support from 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

Children are happy, confident and eager to learn at this very welcoming and child- friendly pre-school. Staff are motivated, work well as a team and have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework; consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. Successful partnerships with parents and other agencies ensure that children's individual needs are supported. Practice is inclusive, supporting all children to actively participate in activities which meet their individual interests and developmental needs. Most policies and procedures are thorough and are implemented effectively to promote children's safety and welfare. The pre-school is led and managed by a motivated and committed manager who demonstrates a very positive attitude towards sustained and continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 enhance the two-way flow of information with parents by maximising opportunities to fully engage them in their child's ongoing learning, with particular reference to how they contribute to their child's record of achievement  improve procedures for the safe storage of children's lunch boxes. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Good priority is given to safeguarding and protecting children. Effective procedures for the recruitment and vetting of staff are in place, together with effective procedures for the induction of new staff. All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding issues and are fully aware of the procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child in their care. Staff routinely verify the identity of all visitors to the pre-school and have a visitors' book in place. There are also effective procedures in place for the safe arrival and collection of children. Staff are very competent and caring. Managers and staff have a good understanding of health and safety issues. Detailed risk assessments are completed and cover most aspects of the indoor environment and the outdoor area. However, they do not cover the safe storage of children's lunch boxes to ensure children's health and well-being. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure

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the early years provision

children are supervised safely at all times. The good use of time, space and resources result in positive outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Managers and staff are very motivated and passionate about their work. They strive to improve practice at all times. For example, through their effective self- evaluation system, they monitor and evaluate the quality and standards of the pre- school. Staff have access to ongoing training to ensure that their knowledge and skills are updated regularly. All staff have completed paediatric first aid and safeguarding training. Weekly meetings provide time for staff to discuss children's next steps and to plan for the following week's programme of activities. A positive equality and diversity policy outlines a commitment to promoting inclusive practice, and staff ensure all children are fully included and integrated into pre-school life. All staff demonstrate a strong commitment to working with external agencies to support the inclusion of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Links with other early years professionals at the host school ensure children's

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Children benefit from the warm and relaxed relationships that have been established between their parents and the pre-school staff. The staff dedicate time getting to know children and their families, fostering positive relationships and helping to ensure that children settle quickly and feel secure. The effective key person system further supports links between home and pre-school. The daily exchange of information ensures that children's changing needs are consistently met, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. Parents are kept up to date with information about the group through the use of a parents' notice board and newsletters. Parents' comments during the inspection were very positive. They commented on the caring and supportive staff and said that they are kept well informed about their children's learning and achievements.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and eager to learn in this welcoming pre-school. They have good opportunities to make choices about their own learning as they freely access a wide range of activities and resources both indoors and outdoors. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities that result in children being creative and active learners. Staff skilfully interact with the children and support them as they play. Staff have a very good understanding of children's individual learning needs as they observe and record information on a daily basis. All children have a record of achievement folder, which contains both photographic and written information of their learning, achievements and examples of their own work. These folders are regularly shared with parents and are available for them to see at any time. However, opportunities to enhance the two-way flow of information by engaging parents in contributing to their child's record of achievement are not fully

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals because they are happy, have fun and access a wide range of first hand learning experiences. For example, they plant vegetables, such as carrots, cabbages and leeks, and watch with delight as they grow. They explore their natural environment and collect leaves around the school field to make collage pictures and use binoculars to watch birds. They are developing a love for books and enjoy looking at titles in the comfortable book corner. There is enormous excitement as the children listen carefully to the story about a bear hunt. They are beginning to learn that print carries meaning as they self-register on arrival and are encouraged to write their names on their own work. Their creativity is fully supported through a range of role play equipment, construction toys and access to a wide range of paints and pens. Outside, there is great excitement as a small group of children play at the

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and outcomes for children

water tray. They carefully fill a container from the tray, pour its contents into the top of the toy and then watch in amazement as the water cascades down and spins the wheel. Their physical development is supported very well as they freely access an exciting and very well resourced outdoor area, where they confidently bounce on the trampoline, skilfully pedal bikes and dig vigorously in the soil. Children's personal, social and emotional development is successfully supported. At the start of sessions they separate happily from their parents and carers and relate well to adults and their peers. They enjoy music and enthusiastically join in with a range of songs, such as 'Twinkle twinkle chocolate bar' and the bubble song. The pre-school also welcomes visitors from the local community to support the children's learning, for example, the school crossing person, paramedics and the local farmer who brought his tractor for the children to explore.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to develop an understanding of healthy eating as they engage in a range of activities and through discussion with staff. They enjoy a wide variety of healthy snacks each day, such as grapes, raisins, bananas, pears and yoghurts. They also independently access their drinking bottles throughout the session, ensuring they remain hydrated. They learn about how to stay safe as staff use everyday opportunities to reinforce their knowledge and understanding. For example, children regularly engage in emergency evacuation procedures and are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 gently reminded how to use equipment safely. They learn about effective hygiene routines; for example, younger children are supported to wash and dry their hands before snacks, while the older children manage their personal care needs very well. They are beginning to develop an understanding of the wider world through

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and outcomes for children

planned activities, discussion with staff and through access to resources that are representative of diversity. They learn to negotiate, share toys, take turns with equipment and show consideration for others as they play together and as a result, children's behaviour is very good. Children demonstrate that they are acquiring skills that will help them in the future and prepare them for school. 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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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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