Orton Wistow Under Fives

Orton Wistow Under 5's Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 256799 Inspection date 10/03/2011 Inspector Anna Davies

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Setting address Orton Wistow Community Centre, Napier Place, Wistow Way, Orton Wistow, Peterborough, Cambs, PE2 6XN Telephone number 07985 011533 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

Orton Wistow Under 5's Pre-school is a committee run group which opened in 1988. It operates from the Community Hall in Orton Wistow, Peterborough. The pre-school has use of one large room in addition to toilet and kitchen facilities. There is also a second room for small group activities and meetings. There is an enclosed outside play area to the rear of the building. The pre-school is open each week day during school term time from 9am to 11.30am and from 12.30pm to 3pm. A lunch session is also available for children who wish to attend or who stay all day. Tuesday PM sessions are for a parent-led toddler group which operates from 1.15pm to 3pm.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 53 children who are within the early years age range, on roll. The pre-school currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs 10 members of staff who work directly with the children on a full and part-time basis. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications to a National Vocational Qualification level 3 and four at level 2. One member of staff is currently working towards a level 2 qualification. A relief member of staff is also employed. The pre-school provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds and receives support from the local authority. The pre- school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and is a registered charity.

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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 feel safe and secure in this vibrant and welcoming setting. They enjoy participating in a wide range of stimulating activities which allow them to make very good progress in their learning and development. Clear assessment procedures and positive interaction with children are key strengths and mean that children's development is promoted and they are supported in developing their own play, therefore taking an active role in their learning. Good partnership working with parents and carers ensures that the staff know the children well and are able to effectively respect and meet their individual needs. Clear systems of self-evaluation and high levels of commitment from the manager, staff and committee ensure that the setting identifies and actions priorities for improvement thus ensuring the continued development of the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the organisation of large group times to ensure that they continue to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 meet all children's needs  gather more in-depth information about children's starting points on entry into the setting so that the good progress they make can be more clearly demonstrated  improve the procedures for hand washing prior to snack and meal times to ensure that the risk of cross-contamination is effectively minimised.

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the early years provision

All staff demonstrate a very secure understanding of procedures to safeguard children and have attended training in this area. Robust systems such as thorough procedures for outings and good staff deployment during the times of children's arrival and departure ensure children's safety in the setting. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure new staff's suitability and an effective induction ensures that they are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, procedures to ensure staff's on-going suitability are well-established. Good quality risk assessments are conducted and recorded on a daily, weekly and annual basis. These ensure that potential hazards to children are identified and minimised effectively. For example, lagging pipe has been placed on the push bars of the new, replacement doors so that children do not hit their head on them.

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the early years provision

This is a vibrant, happy and welcoming setting with lots of positive interaction between staff and children. Staff work hard to ensure that children are able to make independent choices in their play. They prepare the room before children's arrival so that it is bright and stimulating with a wide range of activities on offer. Free-flow play between the indoor and outdoor areas is offered for part of the session; children enjoy the outdoor area which offers lots of activities to challenge and develop their physical skills as well as other learning opportunities such as a sensory garden. Staff are deployed very well throughout the sessions and children receive high levels of adult attention and interaction. Sessions flow well and children very much enjoy their time at the setting. However, the organisation of some large group times does not always meet all children's needs.

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the early years provision

Staff know the children very well, value their uniqueness and truly respect the diversity of all of the families they provide a service for. Staff value children's input, ideas and individual interests. For example, child planning sessions have just been introduced so that staff gain first-hand information about what children enjoy, want to play with and are currently interested in.

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the early years provision

Staff are highly committed towards working closely with parents. They are encouraged to become actively involved in their children's learning by extending activities at home and sharing information about children's changing interest and special achievements at home. Parents contribute to children's 'Records of Achievement' so that the setting and parents work in close partnership regarding children's learning and development. Parents are kept well informed about the setting through notice boards, newsletters, and information about planned and up and coming activities. Parents speak very highly of the setting and about how well staff know their children and the good levels of communication, especially where This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 there may be concerns about aspects of a child's development. The setting has forged good partnerships with local schools to ensure that the transition into full

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the early years provision

time education is smooth. Staff have a positive attitude towards partnership working where children attend more than one setting. For example, they have identified those children this applies to and have sent out letters to other providers containing information about children's welfare and learning. The manager is following these up to make sure information is returned so that it can be used to promote a consistent care and learning experience for children.

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the early years provision

The manager, staff team and committee all demonstrate a clear vision and together they share a strong sense of what the values, ethos and priorities of the setting are. There is a high level of commitment to providing very good quality care and education for all children. As a result, they have clear systems of self- evaluation which enable them to identify and action aspects for further development such as the further development of the outdoor area. Staff attend regular training initiatives to further develop their professional knowledge and skills and the benefits of this for children, is evident in practice. Parents and children's views are asked for and welcomed as part of the self-evaluation process which means that any changes are well targeted to benefit the settings users.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a very clear understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and effectively put it into practice to help children make very good progress. They use effective questioning skills to challenge children's thinking and to extend their learning. Staff are confident to take the lead from children and this means that valuable learning opportunities are fully explored by staff during spontaneous and routine activities. For example, as children help to set the table for snack time, staff skilfully use the opportunity to promote and extend children's counting and calculation skills, asking how many chairs there are at the table, how many more plates they need and then to make predictions about the numbers needed at the final table. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as those for whom English is an additional language are well supported. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals as well as attending relevant training

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and outcomes for children

so as to meet children's additional needs effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Observation, assessment and planning systems are well established and have been significantly enhanced since the last inspection. As a result, individual children's future learning is well planned for. Planning is flexible and truly reflects children's interests and individual learning needs. As a result, children spend long periods engrossed in a wide range of activities that interest and stimulate them. A wide range of information is gathered in children's 'Records of Achievement' as well as through other working documents to identify and plan for children's next steps. General information is gathered from parents when children start about their interests, likes and dislikes and individual needs. However, this does not include clear information about children's starting points relating to their abilities on entry.

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and outcomes for children

Children and staff share very warm relationships. For example, they enjoy social This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 occasions during snack and meal times which promotes lots of purposeful discussion. When children arrive, they settle readily to the wide range of activities on offer. They enjoy bringing in things from home such as a fir cone so that they can look at it in more detail during group time. Children show a strong sense of identity, for example, when they complete collages of their faces; choosing skin, hair and eye colours to represent their own. Children enjoy helping each other in practical tasks such as helping to set tables or sweeping mud up off the floor; they work together as some sweep the mud whilst others hold and position the dustpan for them. Children freely access the well-resourced mark-making area and learn to write for different purposes, for example, as they make shopping lists, write out

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and outcomes for children

tickets for their bus journey in the role play area and spontaneously label their own work with their name. They are learning to link letters and sounds, for example, as they recognise the letters in their name and enjoy rhymes and phonic books. Children are developing a love of reading as they sit together in the attractive book area looking at books and discuss the pictures with friends and staff. Most children are highly confident communicators and readily initiate conversations. They are able to fully explain their ideas and staff are skilled at giving children lots of opportunities to develop their communication and language skills. For example, snack and meal times are very social occasions with lots of purposeful interaction. Children have a good awareness of shape. For example, they notice that the semi- circle shape they are cutting out is the same as the shape of the window. They ably sort items such as the drinks cups, according to colour.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to solve problems for themselves such as how long to cut the piece of string they want to use for their model and how to go about designing and making a flag. Children's knowledge of number is developing well. For example, they play games where they have to associate the number on the spinner with the number of dots on their picture card. They confidently use size language in their play, for example, explaining that a member of staff looks like a giant because they are big. Children are demonstrating increasing confidence in their ability to make simple calculations as they comment 'I've had two snacks and one lunch today'. They are curious about things they observe such as the difference between 'big' and 'small' when they look through either end of a pair of binoculars. Their early technology skills are developing through activities such as using the digital camera to take photographs, digital cash registers in their role

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and outcomes for children

play and remote controlled toys. Regular visitors from the local community ensure that children gain a wider knowledge of the world around them. Many different traditions and festivals are celebrated which ensures that children begin to respect, understand and appreciate diversity. All of these activities help to lay secure foundations for children's future economic well-being.

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and outcomes for children

Children are actively encouraged to begin to learn about a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and a wealth of activities. For example, they learn about oral hygiene using props and can identify from pictures, when people would need to wash their hands, for example, after blowing their nose or touching dirty rubbish. They take part in physical education sessions which gives them good opportunities to learn a wide range of physical skills as well as understanding the effects that exercise has on their body, for example, the changes to their heart beat. A wide range of play equipment in the outdoor area, effectively challenges their physical skills. For example, children climb confidently on the frame, spin hoops and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 negotiate pathways with sit and ride toys. Their creativity is effectively promoted through a wide range of arts and crafts, cookery, role play and musical activities.

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and outcomes for children

For example, children move chairs to make a car, dress up in different roles and ask each other where they would like to go on their trip before making and purchasing tickets to their destination.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for in a safe and clean environment. They are learning about keeping themselves safe through role play, for example, about road safety as well as gentle reminders from staff, for example, to sit at a table with scissors and to run outside where there is clear space. Children demonstrate a clear understanding of the importance of following good hygiene routines. For example, they know that they must rub their hands with soap to get rid of any germs and they know that they need to cover their mouths when they cough as well as to put used tissues in the bin. However, this knowledge is not always effectively underpinned in practice in relation to minimising the risk of cross-contamination. For example, all children wash their hands before snack and meal times in the same two sinks of water and use a hand towel which they sometimes have to pick up off the floor where people have walked with outdoor shoes, because it falls off the rail. All staff hold valid first

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and outcomes for children

aid qualifications which ensures that minor accidents can be dealt with effectively. Records of accidents and any medication needing to be administered are well maintained. Accidents are monitored and evaluated on a termly basis so that staff are aware of the number of accidents children have had and if any particular pieces of equipment or areas are causing them. Parents and staff work closely together with regards to the provision of snacks. For example, parents bring in healthy, nutritious and balanced options such as crackers, tomatoes, carrots and cheese. Drinks are freely accessible to children at all times which ensures that they can help themselves when they feel thirsty, for example, after running around outside. Children behave well. They have devised and displayed their own rules for behaviour and to promote their own and others safety such as 'no running' and 'no crashing'; this ensures that they know what is expected. Children are encouraged

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and outcomes for children

to use 'talking voices' when inside, reminded to take turns and to use good manners. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of behaviour management and a named member of staff is able to provide support to children, staff and parents if required. 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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