Thorpe End Preschool (Teddies)

Thorpe End Teddies Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 254317 Inspection date 28/02/2011 Inspector Dawn Pointer

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Setting address St Davids Drive, Plumstead Road, Thorpe End, Norwich, Norfolk, NR13 5HR Telephone number 01603 701994 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

Thorpe End Teddies Pre-school registered in 1993. It is committee run and operates from a modern church hall in Thorpe End on the outskirts of Norwich. There is a secure adjoining outdoor play area which is fully enclosed. The pre- school is at ground level and there are ample car parking facilities available at the back of the building. It serves families from the local and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. It is registered to provide care for 26 children under eight years, all of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently 42 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. It is open each week day from 9.30am to 12.30pm term time only. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

Eight members of staff are employed to work with the children. The majority of these staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 2 or 3, three are working towards a level 3 qualification and one is currently studying for a foundation degree in early years. The setting 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

Thorpe End Teddies Pre-school provides a homely and stimulating environment for children. The pre-school is committed to ensuring every child feels safe and secure, which provides a firm basis for children to make good progress in their learning and development. In general, policies and procedures support the smooth operation of the pre-school. Children's individual needs are well met because staff are proactive in ensuring they have a good knowledge of the individual needs of the children in their care, and strong relationships with parents support this effectively. Systems to evaluate and improve practice are in place but do not currently assess what the pre-school offers against sufficiently challenging criteria.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure all fire exits are free from obstruction and easily opened from the inside and update the emergency evacuation procedure to reflect current practice  improve systems to help adults to respond to and record comments that children may make which may give cause for concern  review policies and procedures with specific regard to updating aspects of the complaints procedure and creating a non smoking policy  improve the use of self-evaluation and use this as a basis for ongoing internal This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 review, assessing what the setting offers against robust and challenging criteria.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a safe and secure setting where staff are deployed effectively and children are well supervised. A bright, well-cared-for play area, along with a good selection of interesting toys and resources and a warm and welcoming staff team, help to create an accessible, stimulating environment where children learn through play. A comprehensive risk assessment, supported by effective daily checking procedures, ensures that potential hazards are identified and minimised. Regular and appropriate fire evacuation drills are carried out but recent changes to security arrangements mean that not enough consideration has been given to the use of a combination lock on one internal fire door and the impact that this may have on the safe evacuation of children and adults.

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the early years provision

Essential documentation which is required for the efficient and effective operation of the pre-school is in place. The policies and procedure, which are written in line with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are appropriate but do not accurately reflect all the pre-school's current good practices, such as the premises being non smoking and that the pre-school responds to complaints from parents within 28 days. The staff team have a sound knowledge of child protection which is supported by relevant safeguarding training. They confidently follow safeguarding procedures but are not so clear on how to effectively record comments that a child may make, which may give cause for concern, having the potential to impact on children's welfare. Clear procedures are in place to monitor the ongoing suitability and the pre-school has solid recruitment, vetting and induction procedures which help ensure the suitability of staff who work with the

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the early years provision

The staff work closely together, supporting each other to ensure consistency of care for individual children. They demonstrate a commitment to promoting positive outcomes for children by developing their own knowledge through a range of short courses and ongoing higher level training. There is a satisfactory system in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision which is further enhanced by the local authority framework for quality improvement. However, this does not accurately reflect or assess what the setting offers against robust and challenging quality criteria.

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the early years provision

Staff have established very positive relationships with parents and carers and other providers. A good level of information is gathered from parents at the outset to support children to settle in and to enable staff to respond well to their care needs. The parents add information and photographs to their child's 'all about me' book and identify what they would like their child to achieve through the pre-school 'wishing well'. As a result, staff know what children can do in relation to their learning and development, which means that clear starting points for learning are swiftly established. Parents are actively encouraged to participate in pre-school activities and have an opportunity to look at their children's progress records at This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 any time. They contribute to their children's information records and view their child's progress. Parents make particular use of this opportunity when they help

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the early years provision

out regularly on the parent rota, which further promotes the link between home and the setting.

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the early years provision

Each child is recognised for their uniqueness and staff encourage all children to learn to value differences and diversity through activities, sharing information and involving parents. Staff are particularly skilled at adapting their practice to accommodate individual children without compromising other children's learning. Effective systems are in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and sensitive and capable staff help the children to make sound progress in their learning. Relationships are being established with other providers, particularly the local school, and other registered settings where the pre-school children attend, which helps promote consistency and continuity of children's care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development because the staff team has a solid understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Key workers know their key children very well. They make regular and useful observations of what children can do and evaluate these against the six areas of learning to identify children's next steps. Staff make good use of their observations to base activities on children's interests, therefore, children are actively engaged. Good organisation of daily routines provides time during morning for children to move freely between indoors and outdoors. The broad range of equipment in both areas means children are supported to make good progress in all areas of their learning regardless of where they prefer to play.

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and outcomes for children

Children's independence is promoted well. They are able to make decisions about their play and know where to find toys and equipment that they want to use because much of the equipment is accessible at their level and the supervisor gives clear guidance about what is on offer to the children. Good use of labels and regular times to look at books and join in with poems, rhymes and stories help children to understand that print carries meaning and promotes their language development. Children learn about information technology when they confidently use laptop computers and have ample opportunities to explore textures and produce their own creations when they paint freely at an easel and stick with glue sticks. They learn how to handle small tools safely, such as scissors when they cut and plastic spades and trowels when they scoop up sand in the sand tray.

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and outcomes for children

Every child's welfare needs are given close attention. Warm and caring relationships with the staff help children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings. They learn about possible dangers and how to keep themselves safe through activities such as fire evacuation drills and road safety projects. This is supported by planned activities, for example, visits from the local community figures, along with clear rules about the safe use of equipment. Good hygiene practices across the provision help to minimise the risk of spreading infection. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene habits and follow routines well, such as washing their hands before they arrive in the setting and before snack and discussing the importance of hand-washing after engaging in messy play.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to think about healthy eating when they bring in their own contribution of fruit or vegetables for snack time to share with their friends. Children behave very well because the staff share their clear expectations of behaviour and use the pre-school's 'golden rules' as a basis for age-appropriate discussion. At the computer table children learn to take turns with the support of a giant egg timer. During group times they are given an opportunity to share their own news and views and encouraged to listen to each other. This helps children to respect the needs of their peers and supports the development of skills they will need for the future. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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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