Wise Owls Pre-School

Wise Owls Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 199483 Inspection date 12/05/2011 Inspector Charlotte Jenkin

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Setting address The Village Hall, East Street, Lacock, CHIPPENHAM, Wiltshire, SN15 2LF Telephone number 07984 386948 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

Wise Owls Pre-School has been operating for over 30 years from the village hall in Lacock, Wiltshire. It is a committee run pre-school, run as a charity. The pre- school has use of the manor room, associated toilet and kitchen facilities and an enclosed outdoor area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered for 18 children from the age of two years to under five years and currently has 29 children on roll. Children aged three and four years are funded for free early education. There are four part-time members of staff who are employed; all have Early Years qualifications. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who learn English as an additional language.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children have their individual needs met appropriately in the setting and their health and safety is mostly well promoted by the adults caring for them. They have access to a suitable range of adult-led activities that help them make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals, although planning does not fully reflect the individual learning needs of the children. Insufficient toys are freely available to encourage children's independence in initiating their own play and learning. Adults evaluate the provision and identify some areas for improvement: however, the systems are not sufficiently robust to identify key priorities. Adults have acted upon some recommendations from the last inspection, so overall demonstrate a suitable capacity to maintain improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further observations and assessments to better identify children's next steps in their learning and development and provide appropriate challenge  further improve children's safety by ensuring fire exits are not obstructed and that the fire evacuation drill is practised when the need arises  develop children's independence further through offering them more opportunities to select toys and initiate their own play and learning  extend self-evaluation systems by involving all in the pre-school including committee members, parents and children, to identify more accurately where improvements need to be made and training provided in order to better meet the individual needs of the children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is appropriately protected in the pre-school as staff have a suitable knowledge of child protection issues and the procedures to follow in the event of concerns about a child in their care. They are aware of their roles and responsibilities in the pre-school and this enables them to safeguard the children appropriately. Recruitment procedures are robust and this ensures all adults working with the children are suitable to do so. Risk assessments are mainly suitable and identify most possible hazards in the indoor and outdoor environment. However, one of the fire exits is obstructed by a book shelf and this compromises children's safety. Also the fire evacuation plan has not been practised to make all children aware of the procedures to follow in the event of a fire. Arrangements for taking children on outings are carefully planned and risk assessed and this promotes children's safety when out in the locality.

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the early years provision

Adults take time to find out about individual children's backgrounds and implement systems to integrate children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as children who learn English as an additional language, into the pre-school. Visual aids help all children learn the routines of the pre-school and, they therefore, settle and develop a sense of belonging. Adults create a suitable learning environment daily for the children which is organised into some of the six areas of learning, such as a book corner, craft area and small world area. The store cupboard contains a wide range of interesting and stimulating resources that cover all areas of development. However, despite trolleys being available, these are not regularly used to offer children a wider choice at their own level. This limits their independence in selecting those they wish, to initiate their own play and learning.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the sound partnership with parents as they have their care needs respected and catered for. Parents have regular discussions with parents regarding the activities their children participate in and any achievements gained outside of the pre-school. However, these are not effectively used to contribute to children's records in order to plan collaboratively for their future learning and development. Adults have established a secure relationship with the local school with regular two-way visits to the reception class and from the teacher to the pre- school. This aids children's transition into the reception class. However, secure links with other early years providers that children attend have not been established and this limits consistent support for children's future developmental needs.

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the early years provision

Staff have begun to reflect on their practice and have identified some areas for improvement accurately. They are sufficiently motivated to have some clear ideas for the pre-school's future, such as improvements to the outside area. However, evaluation systems do not involve others, such as the management committee or other parents. Additionally, staff are keen to develop new skills and implement fresh ideas into their practice, but lack of management committee support has This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 meant they have been unable to attend training opportunities in order to do so.

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and outcomes for children

Children generally enter the pre-school with confidence and are warmly greeted by staff. They readily engage in activities of their choosing and spend appropriate periods engaged in these. They are aware of the routines of the pre-school, going to the appropriate table to find their name and post it in the letter box. Thus they demonstrate a sense of belonging in the group. Children enjoy making marks with the paint and pens, and talk to staff about what they are creating. However, there are no facilities at their level in order for them to display their own work to help them feel proud of their achievements. Older and more able children are beginning to form recognisable letters, when attempting to write their own names. Children talk with confidence as they explain to adults the perfume they have made with flowers. They describe how it 'Smelt nice before but now it smells horrible'.

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and outcomes for children

Children are keen to participate in music activities, exploring the sounds the instruments make and choosing songs to sing along to. Adults support the children well introducing new language to them, showing them how the conductor moves his hands for the orchestra to play in time too. Children build with construction blocks and work out how to make them balance. They count the spots on the blocks and talk about how many are on them. They have some planned opportunities to operate computer programmes, although the computer is not always feely available for them. These opportunities help children develop appropriate skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to a well-resourced outdoor area where they climb, build on a large scale and move around freely and with confidence. They have some opportunities for planting seeds, although there are plans to develop this further to ensure all six areas of learning are covered. Additionally, whilst observational assessment helps staff plan activities, it is not used to full effect in planning children's next steps so all have sufficient challenge in their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to a suitable range of adult-led activities that help them make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. They are able to choose from a limited selection of toys, however, these are not varied enough to enable them to fully develop independence in initiating their own play and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about the importance of healthy eating through the nutritious snacks they enjoy in the pre-school. They demonstrate a positive attitude towards fresh air and exercise as they are keen to go outside and play. Some children explain to adults that their preferred activity whilst at pre-school is going out for nature walks in the local environment. Children demonstrate an understanding of the need to practice good hygiene routines, as they wash their hands prior to eating. Children behave in ways that are safe for themselves and their others. They demonstrate an understanding of the rules they need to adhere to in order to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 keep free from harm. When out on a walk in the locality, children know to hold onto the 'walking rope', wait to be told when it is safe to cross the road and stop when asked. Children's behaviour is good and they show respect for their friends.

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and outcomes for children

They play together collaboratively and are learning how to express themselves, for example, when a child knocks down another's tower, they are confident in asking them not to. 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 3 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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 3

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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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