Good Shepherd Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 28 Feb 2011

Good Shepherd Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 110538 Inspection date 28/02/2011 Inspector Michele Beasley

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Setting address Good Shepherd Church Hall, Bramble Close, Holbury, Southampton, Hampshire, SO45 2JP Telephone number 07759177746 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

The Good Shepherd Pre-School opened in the 1970's. It operates from a church hall in Holbury, Southampton and it serves the local area. The setting has an enclosed rear area for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 22 children from two to four years on the roll. This includes 15 children who are in receipt of government funding for nursery education. It is the group's policy to accept children once they reach the age of two years The pre- school currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The group opens five days a week during school term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions which are from 9.00 am until 12.00 pm on Monday and Tuesday, a lunch club is available before afternoon sessions on Wednesday 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, Thursday 9.00 am - 3.00 pm and Friday 9.00 am - 1.00 pm. .

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Description of the setting

There are three staff employed to work with the children. All hold early years qualifications to National Vocational Qualification level 2 or 3. Volunteers are also encouraged to work in the setting. The pre-school receives support from the local authority. The pre-school is registered under the Early Years Register and the compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The experienced staff team and volunteers know the children well. However, the children's learning is sporadic and the systems in place to track and monitor their progress are not yet fully developed. The pre-school shows a level of progress since the last inspection as most recommendations raised have been completed. The pre-school has started to self evaluate and is aware of some strengths and weaknesses. However, not all documentation to cover the Early years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements is in place and was not available for inspection.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure all records relating to individual children and the running of the setting are easily accessible and available for inspection 10/03/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure evacuation drills are recorded in a fire log of any problems This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 encountered and how they were resolved  create an environment rich in print where children can learn about words such as names and labels on equipment and play areas  ensure all areas of learning are delivered through planned, purposeful play, with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities to extend their learning and sufficiently challenge the children.  records on children should be accessible and avaiable for inspection at all times  ensure assessment records are completed regularly for all children, that they clearly identify progress towards the early learning goals and are used to inform planning for the next steps.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has routines to maintain children's security and to ensure their safety during daily sessions. There is a stair gate securely positioned to prevent children's access to a staircase in the setting and the main entrance is kept locked. Children have freedom of movement between the main hall and an adjoining play room. There are written risk assessments for the setting. Children are fully supervised when playing inside and in the garden area, this is used regularly and checked beforehand. There are records to show how risks are assessed for local outings. Fire evacuation procedures are displayed and fire safety equipment is in place. Children know the routines for practising a fire drill, however these are not recorded and evaluated in a fire log book. The pre-school has all regulatory requirements in place for managing accidents and medication needs. There are satisfactory procedures in place for protecting children, the staff and supervisor

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the early years provision

has knowledge of safeguarding and knows how to refer any concerns; she is the named responsible person and fully understands the need to maintain confidentiality. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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the early years provision

The key workers meet regularly with the parents to share information regarding children's development and progress. However, information about the children's individual next steps is not shared consistently with parents as some records show this area has not been evaluated yet. Parents state in feedback from questionnaires that they can talk to any member of staff about their children. Parents also feel that their children are doing well, particularly with their social skills. They are invited to be part of the management committee and included in many fundraising activities. Staff carry out home visits to homes of children starting and parents receive regular newsletters. Staff liaise with local schools and other professionals, to help ease transition.

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the early years provision

The pre-school team have made some improvements since the last inspection such as children participating in regular activities to promote their understanding of diverse cultures and religions. However, children's assessment records still remain incomplete and next steps not identified. On inspection day the majority of children's assessment records were not available on the premises. Staff attend training courses to develop their knowledge and skills. Regular appraisals are carried out for all staff, this is an improvement since the last inspection. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Resources are available throughout the session. Children help themselves to toys and equipment from the activities available. A range of suitable resources is available. The setting is considering labelling designated play areas and has identified that nursery equipment should be consistently labelled for children to see

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the early years provision

print displayed around the provision. All children experience times outside, getting fresh air and exercise in open fields. They go on walks and participate in Harvest festival, a sports day and make cakes to raise money for charity days. They grow flowers and vegetables in their garden and visit a fire station. The police officer for the area visits the pre-school to talk about safety issues.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time at the setting as they are kept occupied and are supported by a consistent and experienced staff team which includes volunteers. Children show levels of confidence and talk about what they are making in the sand tray. They are encouraged to be independent and show good perseverance, for example, when climbing up steps one by one to go down the slide. Children benefit from levels of interaction from staff who act as positive role models to promote good behaviour. Children work well together, sharing and taking turns as well as working as a team during routines such as tidy-up time.

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and outcomes for children

Children's speech is developing as they have opportunities to talk about what they are doing. They learn their phonics and numbers through opportunities during play, such as lining up and counting cars. They show an interest in stories during large group activities. Children express themselves creatively during art and craft activities and create their own characters during role play. However, the high levels of child-initiated play are not always balanced with adult-led activities, and the free choice of activities are not consistently extended by staff through interaction and support to sufficiently challenge the children. This often leads to missed learning opportunities and children wandering between activities with little focus during the sessions. At other times, the children are supported well and staff engage them in purposeful play, organising interesting activities and making the most of incidental learning opportunities. As a result, the children's progress is

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a good understanding of their own health through regular routines of hand washing and healthy eating. They understand that germs can get into their tummies and make them unwell if they do not wash their hands before eating and appreciate that regular activity keeps their bodies fit. Safety routines such as no running inside are adopted and understood by all children to reduce the risk of accidents. Children's physical skills are developing well due to the range of activities both indoors and outside. Photographs show that construction toys, making patterns in shaving foam and using play dough equipment are used to develop their fine motor skills and they have opportunities to develop gross motor skills through the range of outdoor equipment. Children show good spatial awareness as they manoeuvre around each other. 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 learning skills for the future as they learn to play alongside their peers. They have access to resources which gives them an understanding of technology and have free access to a range of books. Staff know the children well, however, the majority of the children's assessment records were not available for inspection on inspection day. Regular observations are carried out about what children can already do, however these are not cross referenced to the areas of learning and not used to identify the next steps in their learning. Some activities are evaluated to assess if learning objectives have been met and if they have not, they are adapted to use again. However, it is hard to determine the progress the children are making as this is inconsistent in the records sampled. 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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