The Hollies Pupil Referral Unit

Acorn Pre School Group Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 132997 Inspection date 04/07/2011 Inspector Mary Daniel

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Setting address Paulton Village Hall, Farrington Road, Paulton, Bristol, BS39 7LW Telephone number 01761 416767 or 01761417688 (home) 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

Acorn Pre-School has been registered since 1981. It is a parent committee charitable pre-school and operates from the village hall situated in Paulton, near Bath. Children have use of a main hall, kitchen and toilet facilities. An enclosed outdoor play area at the back of the premises is available for outside play. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered to care for a maximum of 26 children aged from two years to under eight years; of these no more than six children may be aged between two and three years at any one time. There are currently 46 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group, who attend a variety of different sessions. Children aged three and four-years-old receive free early education. The pre-school is open from Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 12.00noon and on Thursday afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, term

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Description of the setting

time only. The parent committee employ six staff, all of whom have relevant qualifications in childcare and early years education or who are currently undertaking training. 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are welcomed and valued by the friendly staff who get to know them well and support their specific needs overall, in liaison with their parents and other involved providers. Staff have a good awareness of children's individual developmental abilities and promote their learning very well through a range of exciting play activities. Recent staff changes within the group are becoming well established. Both the staff and committee are keen to make continual improvements to the provision offered. Some procedures are already implemented to support this aim and help in reviewing some current practice. Overall systems of evaluation are not yet fully established to ensure all welfare requirements, such as those relating to risk assessments and parental permissions, are continually monitored and met.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure written parental permission is requested, at the time of the child's admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 01/08/2011

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further?

 conduct a risk assessment and review is regularly, at 01/08/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 least once a year or more frequently when the need arises (Suitable premises, environment and equipment)  carry out a full risk assessment for each type of outing, which includes an assessment of required adult to child ratios (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 01/08/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the systems of self-evaluation to ensure all aspects of the provision are consistently monitored and improvement  develop further the systems of sharing information on children's developmental starting points with parents, to support the planning of initial play activities

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is supported appropriately as staff have a sound awareness of child protection issues. They have a good understanding of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns regarding the welfare of a child in their care. Clear recruitment procedures are followed and relevant checks taken up to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children. Staff supervise children well and although daily general safety checks are completed, an annual risk assessment of the overall premise and outdoor area has not been updated. Risk assessments of outings, such as to the local church, school or park, are also not in place. These are breaches in legal requirements.

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the early years provision

Positive relationships are formed with parents and their involvement is encouraged. Parents are kept informed of their child's achievements through regular meetings and discussions with keyworker staff, although effective systems to share children's developmental starting points are limited. Clear systems of communication are maintained with other providers or agencies which children attend and this is effective in promoting continuity in children's individual learning and development. Although written parental permissions are obtained for taking children's photos or going on local outings, written parental permission to seek emergency medical treatment has not been requested. This is a breach of a legal requirement and has the potential to compromise children's safety and welfare.

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the early years provision

Children play with a range of interesting and age appropriate toys and resources that support their learning needs well. Children benefit from the development of the outside play area, which enables them to have free flow play and provides them with further good play opportunities to support their learning. For example, they like to snuggle into their Tee Pee den with the comfy cushions and soft drapes. This also develops their understanding of diversity as they learn about differences in homes within other cultures. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff are knowledgeable of children's individual interests and needs, and they meet regularly to discuss the effectiveness of planned activities. They work well as a team and are aware of their particular responsibilities, which helps provide clear routines to the session and so supports children in feeling secure. Staff are

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the early years provision

committed to improving outcomes for all the children and overall have met the recommendations from the previous inspection. This helps to improve the quality of the provision offered for children and consideration is being given to developing further systems of evaluation to cover all aspects of practice.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and show interest in their play. For example, in an exciting water play activity they are eager and curious to see how the water they pour into the drainpipe will reach the bucket they have put at the other end. They talk about concepts such as 'full, empty, slowly and quickly'. They work together very well in helping each other to see how best they can fill up the bucket with their different containers. As a result, they start to gain an interest in solving simple practical problems, which effectively support them in developing their future skills. Children have great fun exploring colour and texture as they push toy cars through the paint, gloop or shaving foam mixture. They look with interest at the tracks and patterns they make, which helps them develop their early mark making skills. They concentrate well on cutting sticky tape, corrugated cardboard and using different junk and collage materials to make their interesting and individual designs and

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and outcomes for children

models. As a result, they begin to develop their fine motor and coordination skills and create their wonderfully imaginative 'works of art'.

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and outcomes for children

Children's creativity and imagination is promoted further as they take part in their royal wedding celebrations and make red, blue and white party hats and crowns or bells. They also develop their imagination, creativity and coordination skills further as they tap small, blunt nails into colourful wooden shapes on cork boards to make their patterns and pictures. This also supports their awareness of size, space and shape. Children have fun using the large, easy to hold magnet to pick up any leftover nails as they help to tidy up together, which also supports their knowledge and understanding of simple technology.

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and outcomes for children

Children like to go on nature walks in a nearby field, where they collect items such as feathers, leaves, conkers and twigs in their buckets. They do some simple bark rubbings and look for 'mini beasts' and listen to a favourite story about a caterpillar. These activities effectively support children in learning about the natural world, and experience simple science ideas first hand. Children's communication skills are very well supported. For example, they eagerly sing rhyming songs together and start to anticipate the rhyming words, which helps them start to naturally link sounds and letters. They laugh as they make the sounds of the different farm animals, for example, they 'oink' like a pig or 'moo' like a cow. Planning and assessment procedures have recently been reviewed and updated. These are now being established to ensure more effective use is made of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

observations of children's play to plan activities, which build on their interests and current abilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their visit to the fire station where they meet some fire-fighters who talk to them about what to do in an emergency situation. They listen to stories about safety, which supports them in learning about keeping themselves safe from harm. They are encouraged to look at safety issues within their play areas at the pre-school.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn good hygiene routines; they understand the importance of washing their hands regularly to prevent germs spreading after toiletting and outside play. They meet the dental hygienist who visits them and talks about keeping their teeth strong and clean. This also encourages their awareness of healthy foods to eat. They enjoy a range of fruits, cheese and dry biscuits at snack times, which help to boost their energy levels appropriately. They make favourite sandwiches filled with cheese, cucumber or carrot to eat at their party, thereby refining their fine motor skills and learning about food choices.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their 'wake and shake' sessions after sleep, for instance as they join in with some favourite action songs or take part in the 'Acorn Olympics' games. They talk about how this exercise affects them as they feel their hearts beating faster. They benefit from free flow play opportunities, which enable them to play in the fresh air on a regular basis, although they do not always wear sun hats during the warmer weather. Children behave well. They receive frequent praise and encouragement from staff who act as good role models and support children well in learning right from wrong through the clear explanations given.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to be kind and helpful to each other and are quick to help a younger friend who feels a bit sad. They join in enthusiastically with their group 'hello and good bye' songs, which help them develop a sense of belonging. 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 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 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) 01/08/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Welfare of children being cared for) 01/08/2011

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