Westover Little Stars Pre-School

Westover Little Stars Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY358881 Inspection date 18/02/2011 Inspector Gill Walley

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Setting address Westover Green Community Primary School, Westover Green, BRIDGWATER, Somerset, TA6 7HB Telephone number 07890900336 or 01278 422943 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

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

Westover Little Stars opened in 2007 at Westover Green Primary School, Bridgwater, Somerset. It previously operated for over 18 years from Westfield Church Hall and was known as Westover Playgroup. The group operates from purpose-built premises and is managed by a parents' committee. They have one large playroom with a smaller room adjoining, office, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is a fully enclosed outside play area and the children may also use the school grounds for physical play. The group is registered for a maximum of 24 children aged two to five years. There are currently 48 children on roll, some of whom receive funding. The pre school is open from 8.00am until 5.30pm every day in term time only and children attend a variety of sessions. There is one supervisor, a deputy and five members of staff, two of whom hold a Level 4 in Childcare and four hold a Level 3. One member of staff is working towards a Level

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Description of the setting

2 qualification. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. It works in partnership with the adjoining primary school and the local authority. It is registered on the Early Years Register.

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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

All children who attend Westover Little Stars make good progress because the setting is inclusive and meets the needs of each child, including those who are at the early stages of learning to speak English, and those who have special educational needs. The supervisor and staff team are very experienced and well qualified. They attend training courses frequently so that they can acquire further skills to help them improve the learning opportunities they provide for the children. They evaluate the provision regularly to identify how they can improve it further, for example by improving their partnership with parents and carers. The supervisor drives ambition well and the pre-school has a good capacity to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 support children in their independent learning by labelling more of the toys and resources they choose to play with  help parents and carers to identify the staff who look after their children by displaying their photographs and qualifications

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the early years provision

Rigorous procedures ensure that the children are always safe. Staff are vetted and have been trained in safeguarding children. They check the premises daily so that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 any hazard which could cause an accident is identified. All toys and equipment are checked regularly to ensure that they are safe. Risk assessments are carried out before off-site visits to the church or funfair. The children know what to do if they have to evacuate the building because they practise fire drills regularly. All staff have first-aid qualifications and they understand hygienic food handling and how to respond to children's allergies. There are now effective procedures if children have accidents or need medicine so that parents and carers are always fully informed. The staff have robust links with the adjoining primary school, for example, the children play on the school's field. The older children visit the

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the early years provision

reception class so that they settle more easily when they transfer. The staff meet regularly to review their practice and plan improvements. They have attended many courses to develop more expertise and they work closely together.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has improved since the last inspection. For example, parents and carers now meet their children's' key workers to talk about the progress their children make. This helps parents and carers to understand how they can support their children's development at home. Each child has a record showing how their progress has been assessed in many activities. Parents and carers can always see these when they wish to. The staff now plan activities in more detail and know what skills they expect the children to learn from them. This helps them to assess and track the children's progress accurately. The supervisor has revised the registration forms to be sure she knows as much as possible about each child when they first attend. This helps the staff to plan activities which will interest the children and help them to settle.

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the early years provision

The pre-school works closely with parents and carers, who feel that their children are safe, well cared for and make purposeful progress, particularly in their social skills, gaining confidence and extending their vocabulary. Parents and carers can see useful information about activities and the pre-school's policies and procedures. However, they cannot identify their child's key worker by seeing the names and photographs of the staff. The supervisor values parents' and carers' views so she often conducts surveys and parents and carers can also use a suggestions box. The supervisor works extremely closely with the local authority when she needs additional support or advice about a child's needs. This ensures that all children make equally strong progress and reassures their parents and carers. The pre-school supports children learning English as an additional language well by showing them a visual timetable and by talking to them carefully or by

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the early years provision

signing. They collaborate with parents and carers so that they understand how best to support individual children. Some vocabulary is displayed in the classroom but the children do see many labels which would help them when selecting the toys they want to play with.

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and outcomes for children

The staff encourage the children to develop new skills and praise them for being polite and helpful. They ask the children questions to encourage them to solve problems. Children share toys well and listen carefully to instructions. They are very well behaved because adults have high expectations of them and are good This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 role models. Children enjoy telling visitors about their learning. They are confident and concentrate on one activity for a long time. They choose what they want to do, and have a very wide selection of toys, including dolls, construction and puzzles. They develop their imagination by dressing up and through role play, creating dens and secret places. They enjoy looking at books in their book corner and they make strong progress in learning about numbers, shapes and measures because there are effective resources for them to use. Children learn about

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and outcomes for children

number through the songs they sing. For example, they talk about 'one less than' when singing 'Five little specked frogs'. Outdoors, children learn about plants by growing bulbs, strawberries and potatoes. They develop their physical skills by playing on the slide and climbing equipment, and by riding bicycles and scooters. The classroom and garden are well organised to provide a wide range of activities in all areas of learning and the children choose where they want to play.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to become independent by choosing when to have their snacks, putting toys away and hanging their coats on their pegs. They develop skills such as tying shoe laces. They learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle by talking about their healthy snacks and they understand that they need to take regular exercise. Snack and lunch times are very calm occasions when the children expand their social skills and table manners well. Visitors, such as police officers talk to the children about their roles in the community and bring in pets for the children to learn about. Children know when and why they wash their hands and learn about ways to keep themselves safe, for example, by talking about road safety. Children make very good progress in understanding the diversity of the world around them because they talk about different cultures, celebrations and customs. At Chinese New Year, they made paper lanterns and learned some

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and outcomes for children

traditional stories. Parents and carers sometimes come in to talk to the children about their festivals. Children play with multicultural toys, such as dolls and puzzles and toys which help them to develop their sense of equality.

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and outcomes for children

The staff observe the children closely while they are playing and they keep effective records which help them to know the next steps each child needs to take to expand their learning. Their progress is tracked accurately so that their development in each area of learning can be compared. The supervisor has developed a system for comparing the progress of different groups of children. This helps her to evaluate the provision and ensures that all children are challenged appropriately. 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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