Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy

Great Holm Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 141778 Inspection date 08/07/2011 Inspector Sheena Bankier

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Setting address 87 Kensington Drive, Great Holm, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 9AY Telephone number 01908 566459 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

Great Holm Pre-school has been registered since 1989. It is managed by a voluntary committee of parents and carers. The pre-school operates from the local community hall in Great Holm, Milton Keynes. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12.00 noon and everyday except Thursday during the afternoon from 12.15pm to 2.45pm. Children can attend a variety of sessions, including all day from 9.30am to 2.45pm. Children attend from the local and surrounding area.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 26 children from the age of two years. There are currently 46 children on roll in the early years age group. The pre-school is able to support 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

Six staff work with the children and the pre-school employs an administrator. The manager and three other members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is currently working towards furthering their qualifications.

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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 enjoy their time at the pre-school. They benefit from suitable interaction and activities that appropriately support their learning and development. The pre- school do not always sufficiently consider the environment or the resources to promote children's outcomes effectively. Most paperwork is fit for purpose, although some currently does not meet the requirements. The pre-school recognises areas for improvement and are beginning to initiate positive improvements. Good communication with both parents and outside agencies promotes effective partnerships.

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further?

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

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further?

 implement a procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 22/07/2011

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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  review medication records for children in order that they should only be accessible to those who have a right or professional need to see them  review access to the outside area and when possible link the indoor and outdoor environments so that children can move freely between them  consider how to enable children to select and use activities and resources independently  review the environment and consider further improvements to enable the environment to be rich in signs, symbols, notices, pictures and words that take into account children's different interests, understandings, home backgrounds and cultures. Additionally consider resources that enable and support children in using a range of information and communication technology.

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities to children. They have a sound knowledge of safeguarding issues, including the steps to take in the event of concerns arising. Daily checks in and out of doors promote children's safety at the premises. Currently, there is no missing child procedure in place. This is a breach of requirements. Medication records relating to individual children currently do not promote confidentiality of information. Children regularly practise the evacuation procedure supporting their sound understanding of safety at the premises.

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the early years provision

The new manager provides a positive role model to the other staff and they are beginning to follow her sound example of good practice. She has a wealth of ideas to take the pre-school forward in the future, for example, she has consulted with the council to make a vegetable patch in the outside area. Staff and parents are soundly involved in the pre-school self evaluation process, and their views are positively welcomed. The pre-school has a realistic understanding of the areas to develop and improve. This enables the pre-school to suitably drive improvements and to maintain appropriate continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

Some good partnership working enables the pre-school to provide effective care and learning opportunities to children with special educational needs. They implement the ideas and suggestions from other professionals to support children strongly. However, the pre-school does not always fully reflect or recognise the diverse backgrounds of the children. The use of other languages spoken by children at home is limited within in the pre-school, for example, there is little print on display in other languages. The manager recognises this as an area to improve and plans to initiate the use of greetings in different languages at registration time.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has adequate resources that are clean and maintained appropriately. The pre-school has recently been proactive in contacting the local school to support smooth transitions for children. Through gaining clear information to support children, for example, older children are practising writing their names to prepare them for starting school. The pre-school welcomes parents warmly. Notice boards and regular newsletters keep parents up to date with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 events and information relating to the pre-school.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time at pre-school. They appear happy, settled and secure in the routines. Staff welcome children warmly and promote good relationships. At registration time, children demonstrate they are beginning to have a suitable understanding of the rules and boundaries of the pre-school as they call out their ideas. Staff positively reinforce these using the picture and word cards and discussions. They promote children's understanding of safety suitably, for example, walking indoors. This appropriately underpins children's developing understanding of safety. Children mainly respond suitably to the sound of the tambourine, which staff use to indicate a change in routine or when the room becomes too noisy. Most children stop, put up their hand, and listen to the member of staff. Staff praise and encourage children soundly. This positively promotes children's self- esteem and confidence. Staff manage unacceptable behaviour appropriately, giving

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and outcomes for children

clear explanations and use facial expressions to further support younger children's understanding.

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and outcomes for children

Appropriate activities and resources provide some suitable choices and activities for children. However, there is limited opportunity for children to select resources independently. Staff provide suitable interaction with children. They are beginning to underpin children's learning and development through encouraging children to develop skills, such as writing their names or recognising numbers and shapes. Information and communication technology resources are not always in working order to benefit children's learning and development. Print in the environment is not always effective, for example, words on display at times do not reflect the correct spelling. The pre-school makes suitable use of name cards for children, for example, through a self-registration system and snack time. This supports children in recognising their names. Staff observe children and demonstrate a suitable understanding of children's progress. They understand how to support children's

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and outcomes for children

adequate development of skills for the future, for example, at a threading activity, staff encourage children to count and to name and identify colours. Staff are available to speak to parents at each session. They provide good verbal feedback about children's time at pre-school and their progress. This promotes consistent outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy being outdoors and participate in activities to support them in developing physical skills which aid good health. For example, running, learning to move sideways and using physical climbing equipment, such as climbing frames and slides. The outdoor area is not always utilised to its full potential. Children do not always have choices to play in or out of doors through the session as the pre- school mainly accesses the outdoor area at the same time each day. Staff encourage children to follow appropriate hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before snack time. Children enjoy suitable snacks and drinks that encourage an awareness of healthy eating. Appropriate independent skills are encouraged as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children visit the toilet by themselves, and spread their crackers with toppings. 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 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 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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