Daisy Chain Pre-School (Rectory Farm)

Daisy Chain Pre-School (Rectory Farm) Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 220170 Inspection date 25/03/2011 Inspector Parm Sansoyer

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Setting address Olden Road, Rectory Farm, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 5DD Telephone number 07986 172066 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

Daisy Chain Pre-School Rectory Farm is part of a committee run group on the eastern outskirts of Northampton. The pre-school is situated in the shared community centre. It has the use of the large hall, kitchen, toilets and outdoor play area. The pre-school serves the local community.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 24 children aged from two to five years may attend at any one time. There are currently 46 children, on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education places. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school is open from 9am to 3pm.

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Description of the setting

Eight members of staff work regularly with the children. Of these, one holds a qualification at level 5 in early years and is working towards the Early Years Professional Status, four hold qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2, in early years. One staff member is unqualified and is working towards the Early Years Professional Status. The pre-school receives support from the local authority and 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 are happy, content and comfortable within this welcoming environment. Staff are skilled at promoting positive attitudes to learning, and employ largely effective planning methods to help children make good progress in their learning and development. Safeguarding regulations are met in relation to child protection issues and all of the staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. Risk assessments are generally robust. Relationships with parents, carers, the local schools and agencies are strong. An effective self-evaluation process is in place, resulting in a rigorous monitoring system to help improve outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the risk assessments to ensure they cover everything with which a child may come into contact in the garden area  plan more effectively for the varying learning needs of the individual children during small group work. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

There are clearly-written policies in place to ensure the safeguarding and welfare of children. A designated team member who is knowledgeable about child protection issues takes a lead responsibility for safeguarding issues and all staff are aware of this. All staff know and understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children clearly. There are effective procedures in place to ensure adults caring for children or having unsupervised access to them are suitably vetted, qualified and experienced. All of the required records and policies are in place and are regularly updated. Written risk assessments of the environment and daily checks help secure children's safety in many areas. For example, the indoor environment is safe and children are able to move around confidently because staff carry out daily checks and minimise any potential risks. The risk assessment for the outdoor area does not cover everything with which a

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the early years provision

child may come into contact, such as the large refuse bin. However, staff are deployed effectively and supervise the children very well at all times.

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the early years provision

An interesting and well equipped environment offers effectively-planned experiences to support and extend children's development and learning. Staff plan an organised educational programme, which results in planned, purposeful play and a good balance of adult-led and freely-chosen activities. All children have an assigned key worker, who takes responsibility for giving them reassurance, promoting their well-being and meeting their individual care needs. Staff also undertake small group work with these key children, but do not always plan effectively enough for the varying learning needs of the mixed ages and abilities to further extend all children's learning. Systematic observations and assessment of what the children do and like are used effectively to guide the overall planning and to help extend children's learning. The person in charge is also involved with the care of the children and works collaboratively with the team to test new ideas and

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the early years provision

question practice. Together with the staff team she has a clear overview about the service they provide for children and their families and a vision of how to further improve the pre-school. Staff are motivated and are well supported to further raise their skills and qualifications. They have high aspirations and draw on a full range of quality improvement tools. For example, they have embraced the 'Every Child a Talker' programme to help improve outcomes in children's communication, language and literacy skills, and this has been successful in raising achievement.

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the early years provision

The nursery is committed to working in partnership with parents and carers and has established effective relationships between staff, parents and their children. The positive partnerships with parents and carers means they are kept well informed about the provision and about all aspects of their children's achievements and progress. Parents and carers are enthusiastic about the pre-school and are actively involved in supporting their children's learning. For example, they provide written observations of what their children achieve at home and these are used intelligently by staff to plot the children's development. Parents' evenings are becoming more popular, with increased levels of attendance. Partnerships with the host school, other local schools and agencies are effectively established to help This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 support transition, continuity of care and those children with special educational

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal, social and emotional development is supported very well. Positive relationships with staff help children to gain a real sense of belonging. Their confidence levels develop well as they are encouraged to move around their environment and staff encourage them to become actively involved in everything the pre-school has to offer. They show very good levels of sustained interest in their chosen play. Children are well behaved and learn about sharing and taking turns and respond well to changes in the routine. For example, the shaking of the tambourine alerts children that it is time to tidy up and sand timers are used to help children take turns. The environment, both indoors and outdoors, offers an extensive range of opportunities for both boys and girls to develop a fondness for mark-making. For example, the boys especially enjoy using the chalk to draw on the ground and along the railings. Children develop a keen interest in books

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and outcomes for children

because staff are skilled in encouraging children to appreciate stories. For example, a variety of interesting books are used, which capture the children's interest, and staff use visual aids to make story time more interesting. Children develop their spoken language and listening skills through sharing conversations both one-to-one and in groups.

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and outcomes for children

Children engage in a variety of experiences in which they learn about their natural environment. They relish being outdoors and are keen to dig the soil, look for insects and collect natural items of interest. For example, children have spotted a blackbird nest in a nearby tree and spontaneously decided to collect items so they could make their own nest. Staff support their interests well to further extend children's play and learning. Children learn to plant and care for their own flowers and vegetables. They show a great interest in technology and use a variety of computer programmes to help extend their learning and play. Themed activities on other cultures and equality allow children to gain an understanding of diversity. Children have many fun, practical experiences to problem solve and construct. For example, children use milk crates to construct their ideas and use pieces of guttering to make tracks for their toy cars to speed down. Children explore

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and outcomes for children

numbers, count, sort and match as they play with construction toys, threading laces, puzzles and games. They begin to learn about early calculation as they happily sing number rhymes. Sand and water play is used well and allows children to consider concepts, such as weight, capacity, floating and sinking.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a wide range of planned experiences to express their creativity. A good selection of arts and crafts materials, dough and paint is made available. The role play area and dressing up resources are widely enjoyed by the children, who freely adopt roles and cooperate well in their imaginary games. Staff use this area skilfully to extend the children's interests. For example, it has recently been arranged as a space station, which captured many of the children's imagination. Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management, which helps children learn right from wrong. They have a good understanding of how to stay This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safe and are encouraged to consider risks and how to avoid them. Children benefit from daily access to fresh air and the outdoor environment, which contributes significantly to their health and well-being. They learn about eating healthily, as

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and outcomes for children

children eat a wide range of fruits and nutritious foods at snack time. 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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