Bentley High Street First School

St Peters Busy Bee's Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127621 Inspection date 15/03/2011 Inspector Jane Wakelen

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Setting address St. Peters Church, Button Lane, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 8NJ Telephone number 07944 275459 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

St Peter's Pre-School (Busy Bees) opened in 1985. The pre-school is a committee run provision and operates from St Peter's church hall in Bearsted. Children have access to a small enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school serves the local area and children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is open four days a week excluding wednesdays during school term-times from 8.45am to 12.30pm.

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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 33 children aged from two to under five years on roll. The pre-school is able to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The setting receives funding for early education for three and four-year-olds.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs five members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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 arrive happily, eager to meet their friends. They make good progress in their learning and development towards the Early Learning Goals because staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Overall, planning meets the needs of all the children, although occasionally, opportunities to further promote literacy and numeracy skills are not extended into all activities and the environment. All children are treated with respect and the positive relationship with the parents provides a secure, safe environment for children to fulfil their potential. The setting have completed a self-evaluation to monitor the effectiveness of its provision and have identified its strengths and areas to improve to promote good outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the observation, assessment and planning process to ensure children's next steps in their learning are used to fully inform future planning, to provide challenging, learning experiences to meet individual needs  extend opportunities for children to develop their literacy and numeracy skills in all activities and daily routines through an environment rich in signs, symbols, notices, numbers and words. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is given high priority by staff who have all attended training and implement the policy effectively. They demonstrate a good understanding about keeping children safe and review the arrangements regularly to ensure all children's needs are being met. All staff have undergone checks to ensure their suitability to work with children and show firm commitment to supporting their safety. Risk assessments are carried out on a daily basis in all areas of the pre- school setting, both indoors and outdoors with any hazards identified and minimised. Risk assessments for outings are also in place and reviewed to ensure all relevant information is accurate. Children play in a safe environment and demonstrate an understanding of keeping themselves safe, for example, children carry a heavy box together when tidying away. They remind others about not putting fingers near the door on the playhouse in case they trap their fingers.

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the early years provision

The setting places high importance on promoting equality and diversity and ensures all children are made to feel welcome. Children are able to develop an understanding about other cultures and diversity within the community through topic work and celebrating different festivals. Children have opportunities to taste different food, find countries on the globe and partake in art and craft activities to support their understanding. Staff build up strong relationships with both the children and the families and have a good knowledge of each child's background and needs. This knowledge is used to seek additional support if necessary, from colleagues or interagency teams to ensure that each child gets the support they need. Resources are in good condition and suitable for the children's ages and stage of development. Resources are selected on a daily basis by the staff to meet children's interests and to support their learning. Unfortunately, due to restrictions

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the early years provision

on storage space children cannot freely select resources, although staff have made a resources folder containing photos of the toys available for children to make choices from.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents is highly positive. Parents are very happy with the care their children are receiving and have the opportunity to share their views through questionnaires and daily, verbal communication. Parents complete the 'unique child profile' when their child starts at the setting, giving staff information about where their child is with their development. Parental contributions are then obtained on a regular basis, along with key persons comments about how their child is progressing under the six areas of learning. This sharing of information enables children to make good progress in their learning and development. Letters of the week are used to encourage parents and children to bring in items from home beginning with the initial sound, supporting the continuity of care and giving children a sense of belonging. Policies, procedures and documentation, including regular newsletters are shared with the parents enabling them to have a good

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the early years provision

understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the pre-school.

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the early years provision

Partnerships are well established with other settings, providers and local schools making a strong contribution to children's achievements and well-being. The management of the setting are active in seeking support from other agencies and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 share information with other providers to promote continuity of care and children's progress in learning and development.

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the early years provision

The management having completed a self-evaluation of the setting with contributions from the staff to identify the settings strengths and areas to improve. They have identified areas where they would like to develop and have already started implementing some of their actions, such as improving the written record of risk assessments and giving questionnaires to parents. Regular monitoring of activities and the provision as a whole enables staff to make changes and alter activities where necessary to meet children's individual needs. All recommendations have been addressed from the previous inspection, reflecting the continuous improvement to promote good outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive happily and confidently. They find their name to self-register with their parents and hang their coats on named pegs before finding an activity of their choice. They freely move around the hall, making decisions about activities, with many children playing co-operatively with their peers, showing good relationships. Children have free-flow to outside, with the majority of children choosing this option to use the equipment outside in the sunshine, enjoying the fresh air and developing large physical skills. They dig in the sand, or dig the earth to fill up the containers on their tricycles. Children put bread on the bird table and find mini-beasts in the garden such as worms and spiders, learning about their environment through observation and touch. Children develop their knowledge about the manifests they find through art and craft activities, discussion and books thoroughly engaging their attention. Children use a range of construction materials

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and outcomes for children

to build, join and create structures whilst developing their problem solving skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children bring in items from home for the two letters of the week, helping to identify initial sounds and link with the letters. They have easy access to books and see some labels in their environment, although this is not always fully promoted to extend children's skills in sound and letter recognition with familiar words. Children show good concentration at story times and enjoy predicting the next word in the rhyme, participating as a whole group. Staff use praise and encouragement in all activities and give stickers for reward for being kind, helping someone or generally doing something well. This helps to support children's understanding of good behaviour and promotes their self-esteem.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to use mathematical language in their play, such as 'I have the big bag' and this is a little box' when playing in the role play area being used as a shop. Children begin to understand the concept of the till and money when being customers and shop keepers and are able to identify many numbers familiar to them, such as their age. A number line is displayed and children are encouraged to develop their counting skills at snack time, counting how many children have got bananas or apples. However, opportunities to see and use numbers in the environment and daily activities are limited. Jigsaws are used to support number This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 recognition and staff encourage children to begin to look at 3D shapes, such as cubes and cylinders when playing with the bricks or making sandwiches. Children are well equipped with the skills they need in order to secure future learning using

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and outcomes for children

their literacy and numeracy skills with knowledge of communication technology.

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and outcomes for children

Staff make regular observations of the children and record evaluations and next steps for their key children. Each observation is linked to the development matters and the area of learning, which informs the 'unique story' for each child. This is then shared with parents regularly for parents to contribute their comments on their child's development. This is completed in addition to their 'learning' books which record children's pictures, photographs and comments by the staff. These are also shared with parents every term, with a comment sheet for parents to use, reflecting the good two-way flow of information and providing a lovely record of children's achievements for parents to keep, when they leave the setting. However, children's next steps in their development do not always fully inform the planning, resulting in some activities not always providing a challenge or meeting children's individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about living a healthy lifestyle as they have daily opportunities to play in the garden or once every term go for a nature walk to the local pond. Children have access to drinking water at all times during the session and show their independence at snack time pouring their own drinks, either milk, water or juice. All children bring in fruit for snack time and sit in their key worker groups, learning social skills and having small group discussions with their key person. Hygiene routines are promoted with children understanding the importance of washing hands before eating and after using the toilet. They all use soap and paper towels, to prevent cross infection. Staff continue these good hygiene procedures and ensure all the tables are cleaned with antibacterial spray before children have snack and meal times. A sick child policy and health and safety policy are implemented effectively to promote children's well-being.

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and outcomes for children

All children show a feeling of being safe as they move around confidently in the setting. Children are inquisitive and independent learners. They hang up their coats, use the toilet on their own and explore the environment, approaching staff for support when they need it. New children benefit from their key person giving them one to one time and comfort, having a cuddle or having a familiar adult to sit with whilst they watch what is happening. This caring approach enables children to build their confidence in a secure place. Children know about keeping themselves safe as they remind each other to mind fingers in the door, or not to run as they might fall. The environment is safe and secure as staff are vigilant about children's safety.

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and outcomes for children

All children are made to feel welcome in the pre-school, where equality and diversity are given high priority. Children gain a sense of belonging as they bring items in from home and are greeted by the friendly staff who value what children have to say. Staff build excellent relationships with the children and know their key children and their parents well. This supports children's welfare and ensures they make good progress in their development. Children behave very well and take turns sharing the toys with their peers. Many of the older children show good skills in large group play, involving each other in their imagination, acting out super This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 heroes and monsters. Children learn to value each other and have opportunities to learn about each others cultures and festivals from around the world through the use of resources, art and crafts, food tasting and stories. All children are treated as

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and outcomes for children

individuals and with respect, supporting their self-esteem and confidence. 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 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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