Durnford High School

Southborough Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127449 Inspection date 27/04/2011 Inspector Claire Parnell

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Setting address The Community Centre, Crundwell Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0LL Telephone number 07980 332992 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.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as 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

Southborough Pre-School is committee run and opened over thirty years ago. It operates from the community centre in Southborough near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre- school is open Mondays to Friday from 09:00am to 03:00pm during term time only. Children have access to the main hall and designated boys and girls toilets. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare register. There are currently 65 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 45 children receive funding for early education. Children come from the local area. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs seven members of staff with relevant qualifications and one administrator.

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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 play, learn and develop well in a child friendly environment where their individual needs are highlighted and met. They make good progress towards the early learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage although more effective use can be made of the outside environment and the planning systems to benefit children further. All staff have a clear vision for the development of the future of the setting to enhance positive outcomes for all children. Staff deployment and interaction with the children is good which highly promotes children's safety and welfare at all times. The setting fosters excellent relationships with other professionals and positively engages parents in the setting to promote consistent approaches to their care and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide resources and play experiences in the outside area to support children's understanding of writing for various purposes  provide planning that promotes personalised learning intentions for the individual child taking into consideration their starting points for their learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are extremely well protected whilst at the setting because high priority is given to safeguarding children. All staff have a thorough understanding of procedures regarding any concerns about the children in their care. Some staff have attended up to date training and effectively share new information with the remaining staff and committee members, inspiring them to implement good practices, therefore ensuring children's safety is paramount. Very robust recruitment procedures and suitability checks are in place to ensure only suitable staff have access to the children. Both staff and committee members have an active role in the recruitment of staff to enable children to be looked after by qualified and experienced staff. All visitors are recorded and monitored during their time in the setting. Consistently effective risk assessments and daily checks are carried out to ensure children play in a safe and secure environment without

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the early years provision

impacting on their independence. All required documentation is in place to promote children's well-being and good health; such as accident and medication records. Very safe arrival and departure procedures provides reassurance for parents that their child is safe whilst in the setting.

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the early years provision

All staff, including the manager and the committee members are excellent motivators, who demonstrate their dedication through effective and comprehensive development systems. The setting has actively shown their thirst to continuously improve by evaluating the effectiveness of the whole setting, including staff, practices, policies and procedures. All staff have a positive input into a regular action plan to identify areas to be improved, gain information on how to improve practices and implement this immediately. The setting uses their self evaluation form to assess what has improved, the strengths and positive changes to the outcomes for children as well as identifying further improvements for the future. The numerous recommendations from the previous inspection have all been met with a consistent pro-active approach and attitude toward ongoing training and work with other settings to drive forward their ambition to develop.

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the early years provision

Children access a good range of resources in both the inside and outside environments. Some activities and equipment are pre-selected by adults but children access a good range of additional equipment, resources and activities to extend their play and learning as well as making independent choices for themselves. Staff have consistently attended additional training to keep their knowledge and practices up to date, therefore enhancing children's learning and care experiences. For example, some staff have recently attended training towards the learning environment and have arranged for the trainer to come to the setting to motivate and encourage the same exciting opportunities that grasped the two original attendees. Resources and equipment are used imaginatively to commit to sustainability by adapting large resources for role play; such as an old wooden rowing boat in the outside area and a tree for climbing.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is promoted throughout the session through the use of books, posters and role play materials, providing positive images of today's society. Children are all equally included in the activities and their particular interests are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 identified and promoted through the successful Keyperson system. Staff get to know children very well and endeavour to meet their individual needs at source. Staff are used effectively as a resource to promote an understanding of different cultures, reflecting children's home languages and celebrations such as Eid, therefore helping children to feel valued and respected. Children with additional needs are supported well through knowledgeable staff who work along side other professionals and children's parents to promote their communication and social needs.

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the early years provision

The whole staff team have a strong understanding for the importance of working in partnerships with other professionals, especially other settings. They have actively sourced training along side other early years settings to share good practices and implement positive changes to their setting. They have very good relationships with the local schools to enable calm and successful transitions for children. The reception teacher regularly visits and liaises with both parents and keypeople to discuss individual children's progress and to plan for their ongoing development when at school. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator within the setting liaises closely with other professionals such as speech therapists to provide a consistent approach to the welfare and development of children in the setting, enabling continuous practices and exercises for the children in an environment where they feel comfortable and relaxed.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is good. The setting actively engages parents in the setting by welcoming them at the beginning and end of the day, talking to them about their children and finding out important information about their child's life out of the setting. Information is shared verbally on a daily basis. Parents receive information about their child's development every three months through a unique story of their progress in all areas of learning. Parents have opportunities to share in this journey by commenting on their child's interest and development at home and to discuss areas to target for the future. Parents feel very confident about the care and development their children receive and are reassured when their child initially settles in the setting that they will be well cared for and kept busy with interesting and stimulating activities. Parents have access to a wealth of information displayed in the entrance hall and within the policies and procedures

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the early years provision

folder which relates to all aspects of their child's care. Regular newsletters keep parents up to date with any changes or progress within the setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children clearly enjoy good relationships with the staff who promote their learning and development a well. They use effective questioning and engage them in prolonged shared conversation, which encourages them to think and respond accordingly. They develop a good sense of belonging as they find their name card to register themselves on arrival and quickly settle into their choice of activity alongside their peers and the staff. They talk openly and confidently about heir experiences outside the setting, telling the staff about taking their siblings to school and what they have been doing at home. Staff respond quickly to the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's conversations, extending their thinking and use these experiences to stretch their abilities to relate to the themed activities and equipment. For example, children talk about the recent weddings that they have been to and

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and outcomes for children

relate these experiences to the theme of the royal wedding. They are creative in the roles that they act out, following on from recently experienced themes such as pirates, using the rowing boat and outside play houses to act out their imaginations. Children enthusiastically participate in physical activities, exploring movement and establishing new skills to accomplish tasks such as climbing trees and balancing a rocker with the correct amount of people so that children do not fall backwards.

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and outcomes for children

The availability of construction, sensory and creative materials encourages children to investigate and explore. They spend long periods of time, sometimes in solitary play, concentrating on the texture and sensory experiences in shaving foam and cornflour. Children are intrigued by technology, quickly demonstrating their skills at understanding how to make changes on the computer using the mouse and making a remote control car work using the correct levers. This demonstrates their development and understanding of cause and effect. Children investigate magnets, working out how many disks can be moved when a magnet is held under the table, adding more and more, counting as they go using mathematical terminology throughout the session. For example, "this magnet is heavier than that one" and " its a circle but bigger than that one". Children confidently converse with each other, using good communication skills either verbally, by gestures and expression.

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and outcomes for children

Some children attempt to make marks using shaving foam and cornflour, using both their fingers and whole hand to leave trails in the substances. Other children attempt to write their names on pieces of art and creative work, clearly understanding that in adult led activities writing is used for a purpose to label their work. However, mark making and writing for a purpose is not always actively promoted in the outside environment, particularly in the role play areas. Activities such as this helps to extend children's skills and promote their abilities for future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff make effective and evaluative observation regarding children's achievements and successfully link these to the areas and stages of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's next steps of development are flexibly planned for by all the staff. The themed plans are adaptable and regularly changed as observation are made of the children in their play. Individual children are identified within the planning but other staff are not made aware of the learning intentions for these children during these identified activities. Children's starting points within their development are not always effectively used to plan for their initial settling in time at the setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a very good understanding about healthy lifestyles. They follow photographic instructions in the bathroom to enable them to wash and dry their hands correctly. They can explain to staff the importance of washing their hands before eating and after outdoors play and toileting. They take part in the daily routine of preparing snacks for the rest of the group, talking about the healthy foods available to them. They make choices of whether to play indoors or outdoors, with the majority of children opting to play in the fresh air at some point during the session. Children understand the effect that the weather and exercise This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 has on their bodies, asking staff to hold their jumpers when they are getting too hot as well as asking for and helping themselves to water throughout the session. They are confident to confide in staff when they have hurt themselves, showing

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and outcomes for children

staff the area that hurts and explaining how they did it.

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and outcomes for children

All the children demonstrate very good social skills, negotiating in their play, inviting others to join them and asking permission to use other children's toys that they have brought to the setting. They listen intently to others during circle time, waiting for their turn to respond and talk. They show affection towards each other and the staff, concerned when another has hurt themselves and happy for other children's successes. Children have a very good understanding towards keeping themselves safe. They learn about using sharp tools safely when preparing the snack by listening to the staff's instructions and remind each other at circle time not to tread on each others toes and fingers. Children relate their understanding of safety in real life situation within their play. For example, two boys wearing hard hats explain that they wear them in case they get hit on the head. The children show exemplary behaviour towards each other, willing to help and co-operate in

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and outcomes for children

their play and in the roles that they are given. For example, two girls offer to help each other prepare the snack table and find the snack mats for the children attending, working together to finish the task. The staff act as very positive role models for the children, showing a respect for the children and each other along with a caring, positive attitude towards team work throughout the whole session. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 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 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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