Victoria Pre School

Victoria Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 251703 Inspection date 20/06/2011 Inspector Sue Rogers

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Setting address Dell Primary School, Winston Avenue, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 9NP Telephone number 07791860444 Email victory.waldro@btconnect.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

Victoria Pre-School reregistered in 1994. It is committee run and operates from a designated room within Dell Primary School, in Oulton Broad near Lowestoft in Suffolk. Children have access to secure, enclosed, outdoor areas. The pre-school serves the local area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open Monday to Friday during the school term. Sessions are from 8.40am until 11.40am and from 12.40pm until 3.40pm. A maximum of 20 children aged between two and five years may attend at any one time. Currently there are 50 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. It is in receipt of funding for early education places.

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Description of the setting

There are nine members of staff who work with the children. Of these, one holds a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 4, six hold NVQs at level 3 and one holds a NVQ at level 2. One member of staff is working towards a NVQ at level 5 and one is working towards a NVQ at level 2. The pre-school 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

Children settle well and form firm friendships with others as they are cared for by attentive and experienced staff. The policies and procedures are accessible to parents and are mostly effective in protecting children's well being. Positive working relationships are in place as staff work effectively in partnership with other agencies and parents ensuring that all children are included fully and their needs are carefully considered. The system for monitoring children's development is developing well and promotes the good progress that children make. An effective means of measuring the effectiveness of the pre-school is in place and parents demonstrating that it has a good capacity to improve in the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 implement an effective policy on administering medicines. (Safeguarding) 21/07/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  use children's observations and assessments more to fully identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child.

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the early years provision

Children are well safeguarded through the comprehensive child protection policy. Staff have attended training that supports their knowledge and consequently, they know how to respond if they have a concern in respect of a child's care. Parents are aware of staff's responsibilities and feel that they can go to them with any concerns. Risk assessments are thorough, regularly updated and well documented. Children are supervised and supported very well throughout their play and learning due the generous availability of staff. The policies and procedures are largely complete and are accessible to parents. There is a system in place that enables staff to record the medication they administer to children with their parents' written permission. There is not, however, a documented policy on administering medicines, which is a requirement. Staff recruitment is effective, ensuring staff are vetted and are suitable for their role.

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the early years provision

Staff are well supported through the effective management system. They have regular appraisals and frequent opportunities to access training to develop their professional skills. Staff are supportive of one another and work effectively as a team, responding collectively to individual children's needs and promoting favourable learning opportunities. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the pre- school is established, allowing staff and management to put in place further improvements. A good range of resources are available that represent different cultures and reflect the wider society. This encourages children to become aware of the needs of others.

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the early years provision

Parents are well supported in their role as staff make sure they take time to share activities that interest their children. Parents are able to settle their children at the beginning of the session, promoting children's strong feelings of safety. Parents feel well informed about the pre-school and their children's activities through the use of the noticeboard, newsletters and conversations. The pre-school has also established strong links with other schools, the local authority and partner agencies, which allows the staff to access a range of advice and training opportunities.

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the early years provision

Carefully managed support for individual children enables staff to offer advice on how they should play safely, which further promotes their feelings of safety. Thorough consideration is given to the organisation of the equipment so that this reflects children's changing needs. The effective organisation of the premises allows children to easily access the outdoor area, contributing positively towards their physical well-being. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language are very well supported. Some children have one-to-one care and there are innovative strategies in place to support children and their families who speak English as an additional language. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in this well resourced and stimulating pre-school. The assessments are developing well with children's progress being well illustrated using annotated photographs and evaluative comments. These are well presented in individual learning journeys. Although some assessments identify children's next steps in their stages of development, this is not always consistent, limiting children from always making the best progress. Staff support children's activities skillfully by making suggestions and offering children explanations they understand. This provokes their curiosity and invites children to further explore their environment. The resources in the pre-school are well managed providing stimulating and intricate outdoor areas where children explore and direct their own play ideas.

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and outcomes for children

Children are increasing in their independence as they pour their own drinks and prepare their own snack of fruit and breakfast cereal. This promotes their understanding of healthy eating as they discuss foods that are good for them. They always have ready access to drinks of water both outdoors and indoors throughout the session. Children take responsibility for the pre-school as they clear away their dishes after they have finished, encouraging their skills for the future. Their awareness of numbers is encouraged as they count the pieces of fruit on their plates and recognise numerals during a guessing game. Team working is at the heart of this pre-school as children enjoy each other's company and actively include each other in their play activities. This promotes their communication skills as they chat to each other when explaining their ideas. They grow in confidence as they develop their story telling skills, using their literary experiences to instigate

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and outcomes for children

Environmental awareness is promoted well as children grow their own plants and vegetables and fundraise through recycling initiatives. They gain an awareness of the world around them when searching for insects under logs and in a local wooded area. Their investigative skills are actively encouraged as they use magnifiers to closely view what they find. Their awareness of the roles that different people take in society is raised as they regularly enjoy visits from the fire, ambulance and refuse services. Creative activities are purposeful as children stick feathers sequins and glitter onto masks in preparation for the fundraising group walk.

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and outcomes for children

Children ride a range of wheeled toys and enjoy giving their friends a lift in the rear seat. They confidently twirl large hoops, dig in sand and make marks in wet cornflour, carefully scooping the mixture using a spoon. They use a range of large and small building materials that include milk crates, tyres and soft play materials to create an assault course. They negotiate this with good skill by balancing and climbing. Staff have formed caring and supportive relationships with the children, promoting their feelings of safety. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 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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