Welford and Wickham C.E. Primary School

Badger Farm Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 109984 Inspection date 24/05/2011 Inspector Louise Bonney

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Setting address Badger Farm Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 4QB

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Telephone number 01962 842385 or 07771798474 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

Badger Farm Pre-school opened in 1986. It is a registered charity and is run by a voluntary parent committee. It is based in one room with an adjoining secure outdoor area, and has the hall and another room available in Badger Farm Community Centre. Staff set up and clear away on a daily basis. The pre-school mainly serves the local area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 48 children on roll, aged from two years and six months to four years. The pre-school provides free early years education for children aged three and four. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9:15am until 3.00pm on Monday to Wednesday, and 9.15am until 12.15pm on Thursday and Friday.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff who work with the children. Of these, five have recognised early years qualifications at Level 3. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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

Staff provide an inclusive, exciting and stimulating environment that promotes excellent outcomes in children's learning and development. They develop strong partnerships overall with parents, carers and other professionals in order to identify and meet children's individual needs, including special education needs and/or disabilities. Staff and the committee are highly committed to safeguarding the children through rigorously implementing regularly updated policies and procedures and by attending safeguarding training, when available. Staff and the committee show great ambition as they drive forward the continual development of the pre-school by implementing their well-targeted development plan.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide all staff with regular opportunities to update their understanding of safeguarding children issues  value linguistic diversity and provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in their play and learning  develop partnerships with parents further through regularly seeking their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 views on the care and education you provide.

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the early years provision

The committee and staff work closely together to ensure children are safeguarded effectively. They review the policies and procedures annually and have just added a mobile phone and camera policy, which is rigorously implemented. The committee show rigour when recruiting new staff and quickly instigate vetting procedures for new staff and committee members in order to check their suitability. New staff undergo a thorough induction which includes safeguarding, but not all have received training in this area and online courses are being looked into. Staff thoroughly risk assess the children's environment and regularly practise the fire drill. All required documentation and records are maintained. Staff agree the administration of medication with parents and ensure instructions are followed closely. This supports the children's health and safety well.

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the early years provision

The parent committee, manager and staff show great drive as they continually develop the pre-school and thoroughly review their provision. They use feedback from their local authority advisors as they draw up their development plan, which contains clearly identified areas for development. Although some parents are on the committee, feedback is not routinely sought from all parents to help evaluate the provision. Recent improvements in provision include the development of the outdoor area, which now supports all areas of learning very well. New planning systems have been successfully introduced that are much more responsive to children's interests and clearly focus on their individual learning. Staff carefully monitor the implementation of changes and assess their effectiveness. This led to their abandoning the idea of a caf-style snack time in favour of a group snack time, while keeping a trolley of snacks and water available for those children who

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the early years provision

need something a little earlier. Monitoring systems have been introduced to maintain a high-quality provision. These help staff identify the progress of individual and different groups of children so that any gaps in their development or in provision are quickly dealt with, ensuring all have equal opportunities.

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the early years provision

Resources are used well. The committee and staff have clearly identified roles to support the management of the provision. They work closely together and ensure a good range of resources are available to the children, clearly labelled and accessibly stored. Some resources are recycled and children have an area where they grow plants and learn about sustainability. Staff set up the hall each day in activity areas to support children's independent choices. Each area has an allocated member of staff who is responsible for ensuring it is resourced imaginatively and stimulates children's interest and learning. Staff act as key workers for a named group of children and plan activities to deliver their individual identified learning aims. The committee have increased allocated time for staff to meet and to update children's achievement records.

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the early years provision

The committee and staff are highly committed to providing an inclusive provision. Staff seek information from parents about children's individual needs and backgrounds and reflect these in resources such as dressing-up clothes and books. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Parents sometimes visit to share their culture and traditions with the children. All children speak English but other languages children are familiar with are not reflected in the pre-school to further value and include their family backgrounds. Staff identify delays in children's learning and development and ensure support and advice is sought from external agencies. They attend training to support any identified needs, such as speech and language development. They work closely with other professionals supporting the children with special education needs and/or disabilities and attend meetings with the parents and others. This helps the

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the early years provision

children make good progress whilst at pre-school and also helps ensure they receive appropriate support when they start school.

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the early years provision

Staff are friendly and approachable and establish good partnerships with parents. Parents receive clear information about the pre-school and the Early Years Foundation Stage through the information booklet, newsletters and notice boards. Parents know who their child's key worker is and have opportunities to talk to them daily at handover. Each term parents take home and contribute to their child's records and are invited to attend meetings to discuss these with their key worker. They have opportunities to attend stay and play sessions and social events, such as sports day. This involves parents in their children's learning well. Parents are also encouraged to be part of the voluntary committee to support the management of the pre-school.

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and outcomes for children

Staff show excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and promote outstanding outcomes in children's learning and development. Key workers record their observational assessments of children's development carefully, and use these records to identify and plan for their next steps. Children with speech and language difficulties participate in language-based small-group activities in a quiet corner of the hall, carefully planned by staff to achieve the aims set out in their individual educational plans. Children benefit from a range of highly stimulating activities and show exceptional motivation to participate and learn, creating an atmosphere full of excitement, fun and purposeful play. They enthusiastically join in small-group activities led up by staff, while also showing great independence in selecting and organising their own play and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff use sustained interaction to develop children's thinking and communication skills. While playing a memory game they explore children's understanding of different animals, how they live and what they eat. They introduce new words such as carnivorous and camouflage, which children repeat carefully and later recall with staff. Children show excellent imagination. They create castles on the climbing frame with sheets and cushions. They find pegs to do magic tricks with and use as instruments as they develop a show outside, which other children choose to sit down and watch. Staff extend this further by questioning and modelling new ideas and responding enthusiastically to their actions. This generates much laughter and fun as well as increasing children's participation and sense of achievement. Children often count and compare numbers and quickly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

know how many more plates they need for their table at snack time. They recognise their names and some are beginning to write them legibly. Children show great curiosity as they experiment with different materials, such as shaving foam which they enthusiastically mix with sand and then water. Staff identify any new interests children have and build on these to introduce learning across all areas. On a windy day they decide to make kites and are supported by staff as they problem solve, design and decorate them. Staff know when a child has a grandma visiting and organise an activity to reflect their trip to the library and interest in rivers. Children dress up in traditional clothes and look at books that reflect their own and other cultures. Staff know some children are familiar with other languages spoken at home although English is their main language, but do not reflect these in any way to help children value their similarities and differences.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to learn about safety. Staff set up roadways and crossings in the outdoor area and take children to the local supermarket to teach them how to behave safely when out. Children manage risk as they climb and balance on larger apparatus in the outdoor area and staff give them clear explanations about safety as they play. Children talk about healthy foods at snack time and how these give them energy and make them 'big and strong'. Staff plan to phase out the provision of squash and are introducing a food policy to reinforce healthy provision from home. Children have free access to outside where they are able to play energetically, developing their enjoyment of exercise and fresh air. Children behave very well and establish friendships as they welcome new children and help them settle. They cooperate, such as when holding a large book up with a friend and turning pages as an adult reads the story. They show they are able to

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and outcomes for children

resolve minor issues quickly for themselves as they clearly communicate to others what they are trying to achieve or politely ask if they can share a toy. 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 1 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 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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