Longthorpe Preschool

Longthorpe Preschool Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 256784 Inspection date 26/05/2011 Inspector Emma Bright

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Setting address The Village Hall, 293 Thorpe Road, PETERBOROUGH, PE3 6LU Telephone number 07708 874469 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

Longthorpe Pre-school was registered in 1994 and is managed by a committee of parents of children who attend the group. It operates from Longthorpe Village Hall, in Longthorpe near Peterborough. The pre-school is open four days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9am to 12.30pm on Wednesday and Friday, and 9am to 3pm on Tuesday and Thursday. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 30 children may attend the pre-school at any one time and there are currently 42 children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children come from the local area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs eight staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications and two are working towards a qualification.

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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 make satisfactory progress in their learning and development and staff ensure the individual needs of children are appropriately met through positive relationships with parents. Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment so children enjoy their time at the pre-school and their welfare is promoted. Systems to monitor and evaluate the provision are evolving. Some of the required documentation is not in place which means there is one breach of regulation.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 request written parental consent at the time of admission to the seeking of necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 10/06/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements so that they can confidently support and extend each child's learning in a range of challenging experiences  develop the use of information gathered about children's learning so it can be used effectively to identify learning priorities and plan relevant, motivating experiences and so that parents have opportunities to contribute to these records This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  ensure staffing arrangements are organised so that staff can engage with children and effectively support their learning  maximise the use of the environment to support children's learning so that they confidently explore and truly make choices about their play in challenging indoor and outdoor spaces.

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the early years provision

Adults demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding Children procedures and help children to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they practise the fire drill regularly so that they know what to do in an emergency. Robust recruitment arrangements are in place to ensure staff who work with children are suitable to do so. Risk assessments are carried out on a regular basis to ensure that hazards are identified and minimised to safeguard children. Documentation is in place to promote the welfare of children. However, written consent to seek emergency medical treatment is not requested at the time of admission for all children. This compromises children's welfare in an emergency.

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the early years provision

The management team is motivated to seek further improvement and implements suitable plans aimed at improving areas of weakness. Most of the recommendations from the previous inspection have been appropriately addressed to demonstrate how the setting maintains continuous improvement. Staff are suitably deployed to ensure children are safe and supervised throughout the day. However, staff are often busy carrying out chores which affects their ability to support children's learning effectively. Staff demonstrate a positive attitude to liaising with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage and are developing links with them in order to support children's learning.

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the early years provision

Staff work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure children's individual needs are met. Suitable information is provided to parents about the setting and sound systems are in place for staff to help children settle in. For example, staff carry out home visits in order to find out about children's needs before they start at the playgroup. Staff offer daily verbal updates to ensure parents are informed about their child's care and progress. Parents state they are happy with the provision and speak highly of the staff team. Appropriate systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy opportunities to play outside for most of the session. They crawl through tunnels, climb up the slide using a rope and balance on stepping stones with increasing skill, which helps develop their coordination skills. Children are beginning to learn about the importance of a healthy diet, and they enjoy a range of fresh fruits at snack time. Clear information is gathered about children's dietary requirements and this ensures they can eat safely. Most of the staff hold current first aid certificates, which mean that they can respond appropriately if children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 have an accident whilst in their care.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a sound range of activities and this enables them to make satisfactory progress across the areas of learning and development. Although staff understand about delivering the learning and development requirements in the Early Years Foundation Stage, they are not all confident in their knowledge to enable them to support and extend each child's learning in all areas. A system for planning and assessment is in place, but not fully effective. Some observations on children's learning are not clear enough in order to effectively identify the next steps in children's learning and build on what they know. Parents have fewer opportunities to contribute to their child's records.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to make some choices about what they do and they readily explore their environment. However, the organisation of activities, resources and space means that children are not effectively challenged in all areas of learning and, therefore, access to rich quality learning experiences is some times limited. Staff have warm and caring relationships with children. They generally behave well and staff praise their achievements which helps them to feel good about what they do. Children enjoy playing together and they are beginning to learn about sharing and turn-taking. They take part in fundraising activities, such as the 'Big Toddle', which helps them to learn about helping others. Children have some opportunities to explore their imagination in role play and they enjoy some creative activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about caring for the environment. They recycle cardboard in a special bin, re-use milk bottle caps to make markers for games of bingo and packaging for junk modelling. Children are becoming confident communicators and they confidently initiate conversations with adults and each other. They earnestly discuss what they want to do when they grow up, explaining that they want to be a doctor or a fairy. Children develop their small muscle skills as they use a range of tools such as hole punchers or scissors which they use with increasing control as they cut large pieces of paper. These simple activities satisfactorily lay the foundations to begin to support children's future learning. 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 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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