Gotham Pre-School Playgroup

Gotham Primary School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY412426 Inspection date 21/06/2011 Inspector Jacqueline Nation

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Setting address Gotham Cp School, Kegworth Road, Gotham, NOTTINGHAM, NG11 0JS Telephone number 0115 983 1272 Email sarahhigginsmail@googlemail.com 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

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

Gotham Primary School Pre-school Playgroup originally operated in another premises in Gotham and re-registered in new premises in 2010. It is now situated in Gotham Primary School, near Nottingham and is run by a management committee. The premises are easily accessible at ground level. Children are cared for in the community room, and on occasions have access to the hall, with bathroom facilities available within the school. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area together with access to the school playgrounds and playing fields. The provision serves families and their children in the local and surrounding areas. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 21 children at any one time. There are currently 38 children on roll, all of whom are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The group is open five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9am until 12noon. The pre-school receives funding for nursery education.

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Description of the setting

There are five members of staff employed at the pre-school, three of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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 enjoy their time at this warm and caring group where they make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children are supported by experienced and enthusiastic staff who are skilled at promoting positive attitudes to learning. Inclusive practice lies at the heart of this child-centred environment because staff recognise the uniqueness of every child attending. Extremely effective partnerships between parents, providers and other agencies ensure children's individual needs are met and their protection assured. Self-evaluation is generally well documented and demonstrates a commitment to future improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 update the record of risk assessment to include any assessment of risks for all outings undertaken with the children  develop further systems for evaluating the provision to include all service user views, including children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is given good attention because staff have a secure understanding of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care. They demonstrate a good level of commitment to promoting children's safety and well-being. Policies and procedures have recently been reviewed and staff attend safeguarding training to ensure their knowledge relating to child protection issues is updated. Effective vetting procedures are in place to ensure staff working with the children are suitable to do so; this includes procedures to check staffs ongoing suitability and appraisal systems. Risk assessments are completed to minimise the likelihood of accidents, although they do not include all the outings undertaken with children to further support their safety whilst on outdoors. Staff are vigilant about arrival and collection procedures and good security precautions and supervision contribute towards children's safety. All visitors are required to produce

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the early years provision

identification before entering the building and sign a visitors' book.

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the early years provision

The setting is very welcoming and promotes a child-centred approach which enables children to be self-assured, independent and secure. Children are motivated and interested in the broad range of activities and take responsibility for choosing what they do. Staffing interaction with the children is very good; staff know the children well and plan for their individual needs. Children benefit from being cared for by a committed staff team who treat children with respect and who are genuinely interested in what children say and do. This is an inclusive setting where the environment is conducive to learning and resources are accessible. A very good emphasis is placed on learning in the outdoor environment, it is clearly evident that children benefit from this and enjoy the free-flow system of play. Transition arrangements for children moving on to the host school are excellent with very carefully considered arrangements which support children in the next

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the early years provision

stage of their education. There are well-established channels of communication. Staff liaise very closely with parents, other professionals and outside agencies to ensure each child gets the support they need at an early stage to help them in reaching their full potential. Children are encouraged to embrace diversity and learn about the wider world through resources, discussions and activities set around different festivals and celebrations. Good consideration is given to supporting children who speak English as an additional language and all children benefit as staff use a simple sign language system very effectively to help promote children's language and communication skills.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are exemplary. Staff develop an excellent shared knowledge and understanding of the best way to meet each child's needs right from the outset. Parents receive an extensive range of information, including a welcome pack, access to policies and procedures, newsletters and information about how they can support their child's learning at home. Parents are very well informed about all aspects of their child's achievement, well-being and development. Learning journey and profile information is available to parents and they are provided with 'activities at home' information which details the current topic, songs and stories and suggestions about how they might explore the topic at home. Parents spoken to at the time of inspection expressed highly positive views This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 about the provision and appreciate what this setting achieves for their children.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for by a friendly and dedicated staff team whose ongoing professional development is fostered well through opportunities to complete training. The staff team are reflective and proactive about making any necessary further improvements to benefit the children they care for. Plans for the future are developing well through the use of self-evaluation. However, the setting has yet to involve parents, carers and children in this process to ensure their views are included.

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and outcomes for children

Children achieve well and make good progress in their learning and development because staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Staff understand how children learn and are skilful in knowing when and how to intervene to enhance children's achievement and enjoyment. They have good discussions with children and ask questions that promote thinking and language skills. Staff view assessment through observation as integral to supporting children's progress and achievement. They take cues from children and also use their observations to guide planning based on children's interests and play preferences. Observations are used effectively to plan the next steps in children's learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal, social and emotional development is fostered effectively. Staff ensure that each child receives the support they need to develop the good language, communication and social skills that they need to achieve and participate fully. Good quality interaction and well-organised routines help children to feel safe and secure. Children are encouraged to share their ideas and listen carefully to each other during registration and 'show and tell' time. Snack time provides an opportunity for children to chat and share news with staff and their peers, and this is a very sociable occasion. Children enjoy playing and working in small groups or pairs but are equally happy following their own individual interests. All children develop a love of books and thoroughly enjoy singing songs, including action songs and number rhymes. They learn to recognise their own name and there are good opportunities for them to practise their mark-making skills with

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and outcomes for children

some children attempting to write their name on their art work. Children's creativity is fully supported with a variety of resources for collage, art and craft, music, dance and movement, role play and dressing up. The resources in the role play area change to represent different scenarios, such as a hairdressing salon or bakers shop; this usually reflects the current topic or children's interests. Children use their imagination well and become totally absorbed in their play, for example, while playing with the fire station children shout out 'it's an emergency'. During outdoor play children use tape measures, wooden bricks and a variety of tools to 'build a house and a road because we have lots of wood'. Children enjoy manipulating play dough, sponge printing and playing in sand and water. Their problem solving skills are enhanced through everyday activities and play. They This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

count the number of children and adults at registration time, explore simple calculation and confidently demonstrate their knowledge of numbers as they play. Children's information, communication and technology skills are fostered effectively. They use the computer with growing confidence and a range of appropriate programmes are available to support their learning, for example, in problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. Very effective arrangements exist to encourage children's involvement in the school and wider community. They enjoy joining in with activities and events in the school, and outings in the local community to places such as the local library, park and post office. These experiences help children to develop important skills for their future and help prepare them for the transition to school.

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and outcomes for children

Children are secure and develop a strong sense of belonging at the setting. Caring and nurturing relationships with staff enable children to form close attachments and feel secure. Children are beginning to understand about keeping themselves safe and this is demonstrated through their play. They move around the indoor and outdoor areas safely, understand about keeping safe while on outings and staff are on hand with gentle reminders about how to share and use equipment and space in a safe way. Children's behaviour is good, sensitively managed and reflects the high expectations of staff who provide clear boundaries and explanations. Any incidents are sensitively managed and children are learning to share, take turns and be kind to each other. Very effective systems are in place to support children's welfare needs, including information about individual dietary needs and parents' preferences. Children adopt excellent hygiene routines and

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and outcomes for children

highly positive steps are taken by staff to minimise the risk of cross-infection. Healthy eating is a priority and children show an excellent understanding of healthy eating and make healthy choices at snack time. They grow vegetables in the garden, tend to the plants and eat the produce at snack time. A very strong emphasis is placed on play and learning in the outdoor environment and all children benefit from this with excellent opportunities for fresh air and exercise. Staff provide a wide variety of resources outdoors that fully support children's learning, development and confidence. 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 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 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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