Parkdale Primary School

St Andrews Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 146010 Inspection date 26/04/2011 Inspector Doreen Forsyth

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Setting address 1-2 St Andrews Road, Tidworth, Wiltshire, SP9 7EP

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Telephone number 01980 602539 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 Andrews Pre-School was registered in 1991 and operates from two converted semi-detached houses in Tidworth, Wiltshire. There are seven rooms used as play spaces and there is a large garden for outside play. A mix of children attend the group from both military and civilian families. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for up to 42 children aged between two and eight years old. Currently there are 49 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Of these 45 three- and four-year-olds are in receipt of government funding for free nursery education. The setting supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.00am until 2.45pm during school term-time, and each weekday from 8.40am until 5.30pm during school holidays. There are ten

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Description of the setting

members of staff working with the children; of these, six have relevant early years qualifications at level 2 and 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

Children at St Andrews pre-school make good progress in their learning and development and systems to promote their welfare are generally good. They are welcomed into a very friendly, inclusive and child-centred environment where each child is valued as an individual. The staff know the children very well and are skilled at helping them to learn and progress, as they understand their different backgrounds, preferences and interests. Most required documentation is appropriately maintained to support children's welfare. Staff at the pre-school have a very accurate understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and are able to take effective steps to maintain continuous improvement

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the record of risk assessments clearly state when it was carried out; by whom, a date for review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation) 20/05/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 review the staff's knowledge and understanding regarding the procedures This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that must be followed if any child protection concerns arise  develop procedures to ensure all staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

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the early years provision

The pre-school is well managed. All of the policies, procedures and records that are necessary for promoting the children's safety and well-being are in place and well kept. Although the pre-school is regularly risk-assessed to identify and minimise any potential hazards to the children, the records of risk assessments are not signed and do not show a date for review which is a breach of a specific welfare requirement. There are very good child protection policies and procedures in place and these are shared with parents who are given very comprehensive information packs. The staff are aware of these child protection policies and the children's safety and well-being is their highest priority, but not all staff are fully confident of the steps that must be followed if any safeguarding issues arise.

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the early years provision

Good adult to child ratios are used to ensure the children are well supported; at least half of the staff team hold relevant early years qualifications and the others are attending appropriate training. The pre-school values training and encourages the staff to develop their skills and expertise. All the staff have been vetted to ensure their suitability and any unvetted adults do not have unsupervised access to the children. The children play in a very stimulating and well-resourced environment. They can freely use the large and well planned outside areas. All the toys and equipment are well stored and accessible so that the children can develop their independence by choosing their own activities and toys. Children have access to a broad range of resources and activities to promote their awareness of diversity. Parents are invited to talk about their cultural backgrounds, language and festivals to promote children's understanding of difference in a relevant way.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has formed secure partnerships with any other early years professionals that work with the children to ensure that there is a continuous approach to their care and education. Parents are welcomed in to the setting; they are kept well informed of their children's progress and they join the children in special events such as a forthcoming party to celebrate the royal wedding. The managers have clear plans for future improvement at the pre-school. Recent accreditation by the Pre-School Learning Alliance and monitoring and self- assessment of the provision through regular quality checks, leads to realistic targets for further improvement. Management and staff use parental questionnaires to seek their views, and value the support of the early years advisors from the local authority. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy a varied and interesting curriculum which is well planned by the staff. They ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities that help them to progress steadily towards the early learning goals. They have created a stimulating learning environment both indoors and outside; for example there are dedicated areas for messy and creative play, a sensory room and a large garden with resources that the children use with confidence to develop their physical skills, and to learn about the natural world. Displays, posters and photos of the children at play are used to make the playrooms welcoming and to provide parents with information. However, some personal information is displayed in some playrooms, rather than maintained confidentially. The children enjoy visitors to the setting; they have a French teacher in each week, and a visiting music teacher. On the day of the inspection 'Zoo lab' visited with animals that the children were able to see

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and outcomes for children

and hold. They discussed where rats and gerbils lived and what snakes like to eat. The children were able to handle the animals if they wished and asked many questions.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for in small key groups with a key person who knows them well and observes and records their progress. Attractive 'learning journey' record books are kept on the children's progress. These are shared with parents who can add their own comments about their children's learning. The key persons use the information they glean from the learning journey books, their observations, and their knowledge of where the children are in their learning, to help promote the children's progression and to plan for the 'next steps' in their learning. There is a very experienced and efficient Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (Senco) in the pre-school who works with staff if they identify that the children may have any special educational needs; she also ensures that the needs of children that speak English as an additional language are met. She liaises with parents and outside professionals such as speech therapists and the area Senco, if necessary, to ensure

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and outcomes for children

all children are helped to progress appropriately in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning well about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They are offered nourishing snacks and can access their own drinking water whenever they wish. They bring lunch boxes if they stay for lunch club, which are correctly stored in the fridge. The children have many good opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. They enjoy climbing and balancing on the large play equipment and tending the two pet rabbits kept in the garden. They are learning good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating and after handling the pets. Children are beginning to learn about keeping themselves safe. When using the bikes and other wheeled toys they use pretend roadways and discuss road safety. A policeman regularly visits the pre-school to talk about keeping safe. Staff allow children to take some risks especially when playing outside but they help the children to be careful and consider the other children's safety as well as their own.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well and staff offer constant attention and support. Children are often reminded of the 'golden rules' that are displayed in a pictorial form in one of the larger playroom. Staff talk about 'listening ears' and 'kind hands' which the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children understand and use. Children are settled and happy, they play well together and have made some firm friendships. They learn well about diversity and the wider world through some of the resources they use and through different planned activities such as celebrating festivals and special events. They recently took part in an Easter bonnet parade and are busily making flags for their royal wedding party. Children are developing skills in communicating and literacy, they enjoy using the pre-school computer to assist in their learning. The staff encourage the children to explore, discover and become active and curious learners; which

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and outcomes for children

are skills they will need for their learning in the future. 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 3 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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