Christchurch Pre-School (Dartford) Ltd

Christchurch Pre-School (Dartford) Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY222929 Inspection date 09/05/2011 Inspector Linda Coccia

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Setting address Christchurch Hall, Christchurch Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2DH Telephone number 07523 414 516 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

Christ Church Pre-School opened in 2002 and operates from two rooms in a church hall. The pre-school is privately owned by four of the senior staff. It is situated in Dartford, Kent. The children play in a large hall and have access to a smaller side room. There is an enclosed outdoor space. There are separate toilet and kitchen facilities. A maximum of 40 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.15am to 11.45am Monday to Friday and 12.30pm to 3.00pm Monday, Thursday and Friday, term time only. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. Children attend for a variety of sessions. It serves families from the local community and surrounding area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 88 children aged from two years to under five years on roll. All of the children are within the Early Years age range. Children aged three and four years receive funding for nursery education. The setting currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also has procedures in place to support children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs 12 staff, of whom 10, including the managers, hold appropriate early years qualifications to National Vocation Qualification level two or above.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The providers are outstanding in meeting children's needs because they have excellent procedures in place to help the dedicated staff team know each child extremely well. The providers have addressed recommendations from their last inspection. They have also made some additional improvements which benefit the children but some areas in partnership working could be improved. Overall, the providers are able to maintain the continuous improvement of their setting in an exemplary manner.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 strengthen the processes involved for sharing information about children's learning and development and any other relevant information with other setting practitioners' when children attend several settings. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The providers' main aim is to provide the best possible care for children. They operate the setting using well thought out policies and procedures which are regularly updated and upgraded. They take into account information from training courses and what works well for the children and their families. The providers meet all regulatory requirements regarding the safeguarding of children. For example, the list of staffs' Criminal Record Bureau checks is well maintained and the necessary risk assessments of the toys and premises are exemplary. Through the use of excellent safeguarding procedures children's well being is thoroughly promoted. The providers regularly evaluate their provision enabling them to drive improvement. They exchange information with and receive suggestions from staff during regular staff meetings. This has resulted in a close knit dedicated staff team who share the same aims. The excellent management and training processes in

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the early years provision

place have also allowed staff to develop their own initiatives in a variety of areas especially within the areas of learning. For example, the staff member responsible for Knowledge and Understanding of the world considers all the play areas and the resources required such as magnifying glasses and binoculars to aid the children's learning. With all staff concentrating on the areas of learning in this way it means that most activities complement and support each child's learning whatever the child chooses to play with. The views of children, their parents and other interested parties are also taken into account in the evaluation processes. Ultimately, the children have benefitted from the continual improvement of their environment and resources.

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the early years provision

The providers' excellent attitude towards equality and diversity means that all children are supported exceptionally well. The fully trained Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator works closely with parents and other agencies to ensure children progress in their development and learning. She is able to attend inter- agency meetings to support parents. She liaises with key persons to ensure the Individual Education Plans correspond and complement the child's learning journey records. The key person also ensures all staff knows about each child's needs. This means that each child receives excellent support from all staff. There are good processes in place for partnership working with other care settings and local schools. However, these could be strengthened by investigating different ways to elicit more positive responses from some of the other care providers. Overall, children benefit from the settings partnership working with other settings because

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the early years provision

their needs are discussed and catered for. Parents receive a wealth of written information about the running of the setting. Their views are canvassed. For example, they have been consulted about the group opening times which were then changed in the light of the parents' wishes. Parents' report that they are always made to feel welcome, that they have plenty of time to discuss their child with their key person and receive excellent support from the group during times of stress. Therefore, children receive excellent consistent care because regular discussions of their needs take place. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are welcomed warmly onto the premises. They are keen to discuss their home lives with staff. The children have excellent relationships with all staff and will approach any staff member for help. A key factor to helping children feel secure and safe is they way in which they are gently encouraged to get to know everyone, staff and children alike. Children show they feel safe as they confidently use equipment and are busy with activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children move freely and confidently around the premises selecting their own toys and activities. During each session they are able to free flow into the outdoor play space. The large role play area allows children to experience different scenarios such as, being a vet or running a post office. They use real utensils such as rolling pins and the provision of equipment such as weighing scales help children to understand mathematical concepts such as heavier and lighter. Many types of push button equipment are used in the different play areas. For example, pretend mobile phones and play tills help children ably identify numbers as well as increasing their IT skills. Children practise their excellent mark making skills in the communication area where they also select books to look at. They remind themselves of previous activities in the photo books they have helped the staff to create. These books show visits from the Fire Brigade and their engine, the

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and outcomes for children

librarian and men from the RNLI lifeboat service. Other books remind them of the world cup competition they took part in and the countries they pretended to be. The can also relive how they grew some butterflies from caterpillars and what happened when they went orienteering around the play areas with home made maps and camps. The garden area provides choices for children. For example, whether to dig in the sand or find bugs in the specially designed bug area. They know what tools to use in each area and replace them when they have finished. Children share paints at the painting easels and use a wide variety of craft mediums as the craft tables. The group are unable to use the walls to display children's work but use other methods to make the hall colourful and cheery. During their play children are developing an excellent range of skills for future use. Comprehensive information is gathered from parents to help the key person create

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and outcomes for children

each child's starting points. From these, regular observations and assessments are carried out in order to compile regular progress reports for parents. It is very clear to see from the records that children are making excellent progress towards the Early Learning Goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children have an excellent understanding of how to stay healthy. They select hats to wear in the garden and can explain why they need to wear them. They also talk about the effects of physical exercise on their bodies with staff and are happy to sit and rest until their hearts stop beating fast. They practise the group's excellent hygiene procedures before having their snack or taking part in cooking activities. Again they understand why. Children are involved in growing vegetables and fruit in the garden. After harvesting, children are happy to sample the different tastes and textures of their home grown food. Some children go on to advise their own parents they want those foods at home for dinner. Therefore, children are adopting healthy lifestyles as they use excellent procedures which promote healthy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 eating and active play. Children are encouraged to respect each other and consider

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and outcomes for children

each other's feelings. They happily swap equipment, always saying please and thank you to each other. Older children are key to helping the youngest children settle in by becoming mentors and buddies. Some of them attend the rising three's session to show the new children the ropes. Children take excellent care of their toys and equipment and respond immediately to staff requests for help at tidy up time. Children are able to manage their own behaviour in an exemplary manner because they know the procedures so well. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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