Newsham County Infant School

Hunton & Linton Underfives Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127270 Inspection date 09/03/2011 Inspector Susan Scott

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Setting address The Village Hall, West Street, Hunton, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 0RS Telephone number 01622 820309 Email Huntonpreschool@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

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

Hunton and Linton Underfives Pre-School opened in 1985. It operates from the village hall in Hunton, Kent. The provider is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children from two to eight years may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday, term time only, from 9.15am - 12 noon. There is also a lunch club on Mondays and Tuesdays until 1.00pm. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 39 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 32 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area. The pre-school currently supports some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs eleven members of staff; of these, seven hold an appropriate early years qualification and one is working towards a qualification.

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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 uniqueness of each child is recognised by staff who provide good support for children and their families, ensuring that all children make progress in their learning and development. Children feel safe because there are good systems in place to safeguard their welfare. They benefit from the secure and welcoming environment and experience good challenges in their indoor play and vigorous physical activities in the outdoor environment. All the staff contribute to the self evaluation process by identifying strengths and improvements and children and parents ideas are welcomed; these are sometimes sought through the management committee. The children's welfare and learning is well supported through the effective partnership with parents which ensures children's experiences enable their progress and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure records are easily accessible and available for inspection by Ofsted (Documentation) 31/03/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 use systematic observations and assessments of children's achievements, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 interests and learning styles in all areas of learning to plan challenging, relevant and motivating play experiences for each child indoors and out, across all areas of learning and development

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the early years provision

The Playgroup has clear and helpful policies and procedures in place to safeguard children and ensure their welfare. The staff form a very stable and welcoming team who are keen to build upon the positive experiences children have at the setting. They are vigilant and have a good understanding of their duty to safeguard children from harm. Staff keep good records of children's injuries and record the adults who collect children. However, the inspector was not asked to sign the visitor's book, and staff explain this is because she arrived early and followed a staff member through the rear entrance, which is later locked. The staff did ensure the inspector's identity and ensure children's welfare by ensuring all adults who come into the building do not have unsupervised access to children. There are risk assessments to enable children to be kept safe, both inside the building and when they go outside. The fire fighting equipment, such as the

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the early years provision

extinguishers, has recently been checked and children regularly practise evacuation practices. The certificates of registration and insurance are displayed and the policies and procedures, including one for complaints, are available to visitors and parents. Not all the children's records were available on the day of inspection and this is a breach of a specific legal requirement; although staff take these home to make their notes of learning and development, not all the staff work here everyday. The manager, staff and committee evaluate practice to ensure children have good experiences here. They have taken positive action to address all previous recommendations and to keep improving the provision. The staff use the feedback from children and parents to identify improvements they can make. Staff attend training courses and use their knowledge and experience to bring about improvements. For example, staff attend training on various aspects of special

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the early years provision

educational needs and on particular areas of learning, such as letters and sounds. This enables them to deliver activities suited to the ages and stages of children attending, and they provide a selection of toys and resources that are suitable and helpful in enabling children to make good progress. The environment is attractive and spacious but there are limited opportunities to display children's work, although staff use screen to display examples of work and some appealing posters reflecting diversity. The resources provided are sometimes supplemented by requests children make, though this is not yet extended to include the outside environment and activities. Children celebrate various festivals which support their understanding of different cultures, and staff use a good variety of resources reflecting diversity to ensure they develop a balanced view of society.

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the early years provision

The staff are happy to work with other organisations and providers of care who are involved with children who attend, in order to provide effective support. They support parents in seeking advice from specialists so that children's needs can be identified and supported effectively. Information from childminders and grandparents is shared and staff pass on relevant information about children's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 experiences here. Good relationships with local feeder schools are fostered and children visit events like school nativities to support their transitions.

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the early years provision

There are clear procedures in place to support the individual needs of all children and families who attend the setting. Children enjoy taking home books from the group which provides very good opportunities for discussions. Parents are e-mailed details of each weeks programme which enables them to support children in selecting items which they can take to the group. This encourages good sharing of information and develops the communication between home and the group. Parents express their positive feelings about the service their children receive and have confidence in the staff who deliver an enjoyable experience for their children. They complete questionnaires to provide feedback for staff and the committee which is analysed and acted upon. Parents are welcomed onto the management committee and their contributions are valued. Information is gathered when children first begin at the group using the unique story, and this is updated

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the early years provision

regularly so that changing individual requirements and development are understood. This enables staff to support and include all children successfully.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle quickly and happily into this safe environment when they first attend. They are happy in the setting because staff create a positive and harmonious atmosphere that promotes their feelings of trust. Staff frequently record what children achieve, noting their observational assessments against each area of learning, so that they can easily detect if children need more support and encouragement to access different learning experiences. The staff meet together to offer suggestions for activities that can be incorporated into weekly plans to support children's development. There are some inconsistencies in how staff use their observations to plan activities that can be used to support individual children's progress. This means plans are not consistently based upon the most appropriate next steps for children's development. However, all staff know their key group children well and are aware of children's additional needs.

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and outcomes for children

Plans are flexible and take account of children's interests and include celebrations of some special events in the calendar, such as Chinese New Year, when they participate in a variety of activities like playing with noodles, opening lucky envelopes and making a large model dragon. Staff skilfully acknowledge children's achievements and this promotes their self-esteem. Positive reinforcement and sensitive reminders encourage children to build upon their social skills and learn how to behave correctly. For example, children have a well developed sense of 'fairness' and appeal to staff to enable them to share the bikes when outside. Children enjoy good access to outdoor play every session. For instance, they enjoy the opportunity to engage in imaginative play in the large and attractively furnished playhouse. However, children do not frequently experience a full range of play experiences outside as staff tend to concentrate on providing physical

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and outcomes for children

challenges, although the play house is also a fixture and therefore available. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children feel safe because there are well planned emergency evacuations that help them to understand safety issues. They learn about fire safety from the local fire brigade who visit, and they benefit from learning how to keep themselves safe. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and they develop their physical skills through preparing food, such as fruit salads and smoothies, which they sometimes consume at snack-times. Children with particular dietary needs are well catered for as staff keep good records to refer to. They follow good personal hygiene practices by washing their hands independently before they eat, and this also develops their independence.

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and outcomes for children

Indoors, children are all happily engaged in a variety of play and learning experiences that interest them, such as the computer. They often choose to use this without assistance and develop their understanding of the technical skills required to access some of the software. They select programmes they like and enjoy working in small groups or pairs, even though they keep an eye on the egg timer to ensure they have their allocated turn. Children have opportunities to explore and investigate using interesting and varied natural and made resources such as, pine cones and sand, and they also enjoy opportunities to use magnets, as well as a large tray of green-coloured gloop. They are keen to use the garden area, which is being prepared with parental help so that they can grow vegetables again.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a whole group snack time when they sit at the table with staff members and eat the healthy snacks they bring from home. Staff enable them to feel secure in this large group by joining in and supporting the lively social interactions that occur. For example, staff ask good questions about the food children have brought, what their favourites foods are and when they enjoy these at home. Children sometimes go out for walks locally and learn about their community from events like yesterday's pancake day, when the local public house organized a fund raising event for the group and invited the children and their parents to attend.

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and outcomes for children

Children experiment using sequins, various paper and glue to make rockets in accord with the space theme; staff support this well, and children refine their fine physical skills by gluing and constructing these with competence and skill. Children enjoy good opportunities to participate in the music and singing times when they sing songs and learn how to keep time using musical instruments. They enjoy sharing books with staff who develop the children's confidence by skilfully encouraging them to show items they have brought from home, and talk about these in large group times. They enjoy taking books home and discussing what they enjoy in these, and older children are building upon their skills by developing their writing skills well. For, example, several children make good attempts at spontaneously writing on lists of names that staff use to indicate turn-taking and some can write their name well. Children enjoy completing puzzles, particularly

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and outcomes for children

with the staff members who encourage them to recognize numbers as they piece together a puzzle of a clock. 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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