Thorns Community College

St Williams Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 103853 Inspection date 10/03/2011 Inspector Linda Coccia

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Setting address St Williams Church Hall, Walderslade Village, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9LR Telephone number 01634 669404 and mobile 07967 442 825 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

St Williams Pre-School opened in 1998. It is situated in the town of Walderslade, Kent. It operates from three rooms in a church complex. There are separate kitchen and toilet facilities. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. It serves families from the local community and surrounding area.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 65 children aged from two years to five years on roll, all of whom fall within the Early Years Foundation Stage age range. Children aged three and four years receive funding for nursery education.

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Description of the setting

The group opens five days a week. On Monday and Thursday operating times are from 9.15am until 12 noon. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday operating times are 9.15am until 3pm. It operates for approximately 38 weeks of the year, term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

The setting currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have procedures in place to support children who speak English as an additional language. There are eight members of staff work with the children. They all hold a recognised early years qualification to National Vocational Qualification level two or above.

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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 pre-school is effective in its organisation of partnership working and is outstanding in working together with parents to meet each child's needs. The pre- school has addressed a number of recommendations made at the last inspection, which have improved the outcomes for children. Overall, self-evaluation is effective, which demonstrates that the pre-school is able to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 strengthen the culture of reflective practice, self-evaluation and informed discussion to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The provider has a range of good polices and procedures which are used to safeguard children. She keeps her staff Criminal Record Bureau checklist up-to- date and maintains children's records well and all the regulatory requirements are met. Daily risk assessments are carried out on the premises and toys to ensure children play in a safe environment. Staff undergo regular appraisals to ensure they are suitable to continue working with the children. The provider encourages staff to attend workshops and courses to improve their knowledge in caring for the children. Regular emergency evacuation drills are practiced by the children to ensure they are able to keep themselves safe in an emergency.

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the early years provision

The provider is aided in the organisation of the pre-school by her competent deputy and staff team. The provider has reflected on and evaluated most aspects of the pre-school, taking into consideration both staff and parents' views. With her deputy the provider has formulated numerous plans for improvements. However, these have not been prioritised according to which will improvement which will have the most impact on the children. Nevertheless, some good improvements have been implemented, for example, the rolling snack bar and the use of the small room. These have allowed children more choices as well as creating a quiet area for using books and the computer. The pre-school welcomes all children regardless of race, culture, and disability and has good access for wheelchair users. The pre-school has a qualified Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who is able to assess children's individual needs and help parents to seek

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the early years provision

additional services for them when required. The SENCO works closely with other agencies such as the speech therapist to ensure children receive the best possible care. Staff are reviewing how they engage with the boys in order to improve their communication levels. There are good procedures in place for staff to work closely with other carers such as childminders and preschools to ensure relevant information is exchanged. This ensures that children's individual needs are fully met.

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the early years provision

The setting has a highly positive relationship with parents who are actively involved in all matters regarding their children's care and development. Parents report that they consider the pre-school to be excellent in caring for their children. Parents feel they are listened to and any concerns are immediately acted upon. They are consulted about all areas of their children's care. They consider staff to be proficient in their knowledge of childcare and they trust them implicitly with their children. All parents agree that the communication levels are outstanding and they are able to discuss any issues they want with key persons at any time and most importantly they feel that key persons are dedicated to the children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children and parents are welcomed warmly onto the premises. The majority of children enter eagerly, proceed with self-registration and rush off to play. A few of the newer children still cry when parents leave but within ten minutes are happily playing with staff. Children approach staff for help when they need it. The good settling-in process allow parents to stay for as long as they want and visit as many times as they want until children feel confident enough to separate from them. The relaxed body language of the children during their play shows that they feel safe within the setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children use a range of good quality toys and activities which they can explore and investigate. They can move freely around the play areas selecting activities from the range available. Most of the children know what toys are available and can ask for items which may have remained in the store cupboard. The book area offers children a wide range of fictional and factual books. They enjoy reading their own selections as well as having stories read by members of staff. Some good conversations between staff and children can be heard throughout the sessions especially in the small world and role play areas. The role play hospital has all the equipment needed to allow children to care for sick patients from baby-sized neck braces to stethoscopes and other similar medical equipment. With a staff member in attendance the children act out their own experiences of hospital and doctor visits. This encourages children in their personal social and emotional

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and outcomes for children

development. The high quality small world equipment allow children to extend their learning to different places and different forms of transport. For example, objects include the Eiffel tower and Big Ben. These promote discussion about travelling and holidays as well as how to get from one place to another thereby helping children to extend their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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and outcomes for children

Children engage in all sorts of mathematical games. They match and grade items by shape, size and colour. They weigh items and calculate how many and what shape. They can ably use technical equipment such as the computer for themselves with minimal input from staff. The computer programmes used enhance children's learning in other areas. For example, 'what comes next' to enhance reasoning skills. Children investigate their creative talents through painting and a good variety of other craft mediums. They happily talk about what they are making to staff and visitors. They engage in group singing and love to dance and move to music. There are many opportunities for physical play mainly indoors due to restrictions from the hall owners but also outside, particularly in the summer. The use of good quality toys and a wide variety of activities mean that children are fully engaged in their play and are developing a good range of skills

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and outcomes for children

for the future. Observations and assessments are effectively used to plan children's next steps based on their likes and interests. They show that children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. The activity planning is completed on a daily basis allowing staff to capture the impetuous of the children's current likes and interests from day-to-day.

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and outcomes for children

Children are offered snacks which are healthy and nutritious. There are choices of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 fruit and finger vegetables. Children choose when to eat and are reminded that the snack bar is open if they are engrossed in play. Children select what they want to eat and can pour their own drinks. They understand that some foods are better than others and help them to grow big and strong. They are proficient at using the pre-schools good hygiene and self care procedures. They use a good range of equipment for physical play. They have soft foam blocks which can be used as a construction tool as well as for obstacle courses. The good variety of ride-on toys and visits from an external sports company provide good opportunities for children to develop their physical and social skills.. Children understand about taking frequent rests during physical play and can help themselves to drinking water

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and outcomes for children

which is readily available. Children play well together. They understand they must share toys and take turns. If disputes arise over toys staff use sand timers to show children how long they have to wait. Children cooperate well with staff and help tidy toys away both for safety and at tidy-up time. They are eager to win staff's praise, which is freely given. Children learn about safety through regular discussion of the rules at group time. This means that children are able to manage their own behaviour because they know the pre-school safety rules well. Children have an enjoyable experience at the pre-school. 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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