The Mrs. Williams Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 4 May 2011

The Mrs. Williams Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 507886 Inspection date 04/05/2011 Inspector Susan May

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Setting address Pinchcut, Clayhill Road,, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3HP Telephone number 01189 833412 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

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

Mrs Williams' Pre-school was first established in 1963 and moved to its present site in 1972. It is housed in a pre fabricated building within its own grounds, in the village of Burghfield Common, Berkshire. The pre-school is open to families from all sections of the community with most children coming from the village itself and surrounding areas. The premises consist of a playroom, a kitchen area, entrance hall, children's cloakroom and a secure outside play area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and is registered to provide care for 26 children aged from two years to the end of the early years age range. Currently there are 59 children on roll, of whom 41 receive funding for early years education. The setting is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open between 9:05 to 11:35 and 12:25 to 14:55 every week day during term times. Children can attend morning and afternoon sessions. A lunch club from 11:35 to 12:25 is offered in between the sessions.

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Description of the setting

An annually elected committee is responsible for running the pre-school and they employ a supervisor and six other staff members to work with the children. Five staff members hold childcare qualifications. .

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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 progress well as staff value all children, providing an inclusive service as they recognise each child and their families' individuality. Relationships are established that help children feel a sense of security and trust, so they develop a sense of belonging within the setting. Children play and learn in the child friendly environment with good access to a range of toys and resources indoors, with most areas of learning supported outdoors. The pre-school has good links with other childcare practitioners and continues to build on the good relationship with parents, with most written and verbal information about children's development recorded and shared on a regular basis. The supervisor demonstrates commitment to improving practice, as she leads a strong staff team forward to ensure standards of care and learning are maintained and enhanced through reflective self-evaluation, which identifies future development and the aims of the setting.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve the systems for recording information received from parents for children who need extra support or have additional needs  include the outdoor area in planning to provide learning opportunities in all areas particularly for children who prefer to play outdoors

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the early years provision

Children play in a warm and welcoming environment, developing a sense of belonging as they and their families are valued and respected, and the uniqueness of each child is recognised. Children make good use of a range of well presented play resources that provide opportunities for all children to learn through their play. Staff's understanding of safeguarding children is clearly understood, with all procedures and contact details in place. All staff have the appropriate clearances, visitor procedures are in place, and any person not suitably vetted is never left unsupervised with the children. Children's documentation and parental concerns are recorded and confidentiality is observed at all times. All required policies and procedures are in place, reviewed regularly and shared with parents. To keep children safe, risk assessments are followed and staff complete ongoing visual checks throughout the day. Staff are aware of their individual roles and

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the early years provision

responsibilities and deploy themselves effectively to ensure children receive good levels of individual care and attention.

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the early years provision

The supervisor has evaluated the provision after consulting with staff, and demonstrates commitment to driving improvement through clearly outlining future progress and aims. For example, all recommendations from the last inspection have been completed, and a visit from the local authority early years adviser sought to monitor and offer advice to the pre-school. Further training through the local authority and in-house training is ongoing in order to raise standards to support children's welfare and learning. Staff appraisals helps ensure that the needs of the pre-school and staff's training needs are met. Parents express confidence in staff, with comments such as 'children are very happy in this fantastic place, they learn such a lot', and would happily recommend the pre- school to other parents. They feel well informed about pre-school practice as they have access to a notice board, and receive information about the setting from a

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the early years provision

variety of sources such as newsletters and daily verbal exchanges.

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the early years provision

Systems to share relevant information with other early year's settings are robust, and provide good links in helping to provide a smooth transition as children progress to the next stage in their education. Staff know the children extremely well and provide good support for children with additional needs. However, while staff are fully aware of, and implement information and advice received from parents and health professionals to effectively meet children's needs, systems for recording informal discussions with parents on occasion lack sufficient detail. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of improving outcomes for children to help them make good progress in their learning, as they plan for children's individual needs. The children's key persons know their children well, and plan in advance to accommodate children's interests. There are good systems in place for observation and assessment that form the basis for identifying children's next steps, ensuring children are provided with activities and opportunities that will enable them to successfully move their learning forward. Children develop secure relationships with staff and each other, as they invite adults into their games and play alongside each other well. Staff are proactive in providing parents with opportunities to be involved in all aspects of their children's development through regular verbal discussions, parents' weeks (when they are invited to discuss their child's progress) and letters

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and outcomes for children

requesting information about what children do at home regularly circulated. Staff actively seek ways to provide a stimulating environment. For example, they have identified that by extending activities and resources outdoors children will have further opportunities to progress their learning. However, while they offer a wide range of activities indoors that promote learning effectively, this has not been fully implemented outdoors to ensure that children who prefer to play outside have access to learning opportunities across all of the areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are lively and excited by the resources on offer, as they initiate their own learning and select what they wish to play with. They sit attentively when required - such as at circle time - are sociable and chatty with each other at mealtimes, and show consideration as they put on coats in the cloakroom, taking care not to push each other. Children's independence is encouraged as they select their drinks and snack when they wish, and use the bathroom independently following good hygiene practices. Children have opportunities to mark make as they use pens, paper, chalks and paints to practice their emerging writing skills in their play. For example, a child 'takes' the register, making marks in a notebook to indicate names of who is present. Children's enjoyment of books is fostered as they choose from a wide range of books and sit in the quiet area to look at them. Children begin to recognise that the written word has meaning, as there is clear labelling

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and outcomes for children

that is both handwritten and in print around the pre-school in English and other languages. Staff help develop children's language skills as they ask open-ended questions to help them develop their vocabulary and thought processes. Staff are attentive in promoting children's problem solving, and learning about numbers and size is featured in everyday events. Children's creative development is well promoted, as displays demonstrate they have access to a variety of materials with which to paint, glue and stick, enabling them to explore their imagination and creativity. Children are given frequent opportunities to be expressive as they take part in role-play activities, singing and action rhymes. Children have access to a computer and have opportunities to use everyday technology in their play, as they take photographs and print out their pictures. Children play with malleable materials, puzzles and use tools such as knives to cut and shape the play dough to

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and outcomes for children

promote control and coordination. A further range of equipment outdoors allows them to ride, scoot and climb to develop their physical skills. Children begin to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learn to keep themselves safe and recognise the consequences of their actions as they take calculated risks, for example, taking care to ride their scooters along a raised plank so they do not fall off.

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and outcomes for children

Inclusion is threaded through all of the setting's practices as toys and resources promote positive images, and posters are displayed in several languages. A range of festivals and events that are important to the children and their families are celebrated. Children for whom English is an additional language are helped to communicate as staff find out some key words in the home language, use photographs and gesture to help children participate in the pre-school day. Children find out about the natural world and themselves as they have the opportunity to grow plants in the garden and discuss the weather, deciding whether it is cold enough to need coats on outdoors. Staff are knowledgeable about the Early Learning Goals and steps towards them, demonstrating that they have a clear understanding that children learn through play, and of the importance in providing a positive environment to help children progress.

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and outcomes for children

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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