Winwick Pre-School Nursery

Winwick Pre-School Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 315255 Inspection date 11/05/2011 Inspector Sue Anslow

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Setting address Winwick Leisure Centre, Myddleton Lane,Winwick, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 8LQ Telephone number 01925 241545 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

Winwick Pre-School Nursery opened in 1985. It is privately run and has charitable status. It operates from one room within the local community building in Winwick, north of Warrington. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.15am to 12.15pm during term time only. Additional sessions are offered from time to time.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 32 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part- time places. The setting supports children with special educational needs and also those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are three members of staff , all of whom hold early years qualifications to at least level 3. The owner/manager is a qualified teacher. The setting provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds and receives support from local authority early years advisors.

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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 make good progress in their learning and development through good teaching by staff and free access to a wide range of resources. Welfare requirements are mostly met, with just a few amendments needed to documentation. Children's individual needs are respected and everyone is welcome and included in all games and activities. Partnerships with parents and carers are valued and promoted well and close links with the school next door ensure continuity of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Systems for monitoring and evaluating the service are well established and areas for further development are highlighted.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend and improve children's assessment records to clearly show starting points and next steps in all areas of learning  update the record of risk assessment to include any outings  carry out regular staff appraisals to identify training needs and promote professional development. 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 kept safe from harm or abuse through careful supervision by staff and close attention to the safeguarding policy and procedures. Staff are familiar with requirements and keep relevant contact numbers to hand should they be needed. Recruitment procedures are sound and all adults are checked and vetted. Anyone not vetted is never left on their own with the children. Risk assessments are carried out on most areas children use, although the occasional outings off-site have not been added to the list. Children learn to keep themselves safe through daily routines and reminders from staff and they practise evacuation procedures regularly.

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the early years provision

Children enjoy ample space in the bright and airy room in the community centre, although they cannot at present display any artwork on the walls. They have good access to a small outside play area which has recently been fenced off for their sole use. A wide variety of suitable toys and play equipment are available for children to use and they can help themselves to whatever they want to play with. The small staff team work well together and discuss the day's activities at the end of every session. All the staff hold childcare qualifications and are eager to access further courses to update their knowledge and skills. However, individual appraisals do not currently take place. Two dedicated volunteers also help out at every session and are a valuable asset to the group.

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the early years provision

Effective partnerships with parents promote the continuity of care and support. Children's individual needs are discovered through communication with parents and observations of their behaviour and abilities. Parents receive information about the pre-school before they start and they are aware that staff track the children's progress and keep written records. Some of this information needs to be updated to encourage parents and children to 'own' their files and add to them if they wish. The recent distribution of questionnaires helped to gauge parents' satisfaction with the service and enabled staff to respond to any ideas and suggestions. Responses to questionnaires and any verbal comments are incorporated into the ongoing monitoring of the service as a whole and help to highlight areas for improvement. Close links with teachers in the neighbouring school ease the transition for older children into school and staff benefit from good liaison with early years advisors

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive happy and eager to start playing with the variety of activities set out for them, both inside and outdoors when the weather is fine. They register their arrival by finding their name cards on the notice board and transferring them to another board across the room. They begin to recognise the letters in their names and gradually start to link letters to sounds. Later they learn to form letter shapes themselves using various media, such as sand or paint, and then 'join the dots' to successfully write their names. Communication skills are promoted This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 throughout the session as staff often join in with the activities, talking to children about what they are doing and encouraging them to think, predict and remember. An attractive book corner invites children to look at books and they love listening to their favourite stories. They learn that people from different countries speak

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and outcomes for children

different languages and enjoy counting up to ten in Spanish, with the help of a visiting parent. They watch staff use sign language to communicate with some children and understand how signs or particular noises can tell you things, without any words at all. For example, the noises made by emergency vehicles.

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and outcomes for children

A good balance of quiet and active play, on their own or in small groups with their friends, allows children to explore their environment and use their imaginations. They quickly decide that the playhouse is an ice cream shop and take turns serving each other and asking for the money. They are skilful at rolling small car tyres around the playground and climbing over the study plastic tunnel. They are encouraged to be independent as they help themselves to their snacks and clear away the plates afterwards. They are confident to answer questions during group time and eager to tell the group what they have been doing at home. Staff are skilful at introducing learning through play as children offer to count the number of squares in the construction of a box or work out whether the girls outnumber the boys present in the group. Children spend some time during each session sitting at tables playing board games and other tabletop activities with their friends. In this

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and outcomes for children

way they learn to share, take turns and play cooperatively together. They practise their manual dexterity doing puzzles and a variety of threading activities and they become more and more familiar with colours and shapes through matching games and drawing self portraits with correct hair and eye colours.

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and outcomes for children

Staff plan activities quite spontaneously, following children's interests, requests or things they bring in from home. Activities are often linked to particular themes and themes last as long as children show interest. Each child has a key worker who is responsible for keeping a record of their progress and liaising with parents. Children's individual files contain some records of their activities along with examples of their artwork and some photographs. However, not all files are updated regularly enough to show children's progress in all areas of learning and some starting points and next steps are not evident. Children's health and safety is promoted well. The pre-school follow a healthy eating policy and children enjoy freshly prepared snacks and drinks of milk or water at every session. Fresh fruit and salad items are served most days and children enjoy growing some of the produce themselves. Close relationships are evident between children and staff

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and outcomes for children

and children are warmly praised and congratulated for their achievements, helpfulness and kindness to others. This serves to boost their confidence and self- esteem, resulting in children who are happy and eager to learn. 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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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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