Malcolm Primary School

The Kindergarten Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 101629 Inspection date 29/06/2011 Inspector Jennifer Cutler

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Setting address The British School, Wortley Road, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7JU Telephone number 01453 843371 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

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

The Kindergarten opened in 1993 and is a committee run group. It operates from three rooms and an adjacent enclosed outside play area in The British School in Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire. Children have accompanied access to toilets and other areas of the school. The Kindergarten serves the local area. The Kindergarten is registered on the Early Years register and offers childcare for 24 children aged from two years nine months to five years. There are currently 36 children on roll. This includes 35 funded children. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with English as an additional language. The group opens for five days a week during school term times. Sessions are Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 3pm, Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 1pm and Friday 9am to midday. Children have the option to attend a lunch club after the morning session. Five

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Description of the setting

staff work with the children. Two are trained teachers and three have early years qualifications equivalent to National Vocational Qualification at Level 3 and above. The setting 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

The Kindergarten is a welcoming and caring setting which allows children to feel exceptionally safe and secure. Transition from home to school is seamless because the children start their pre-school experience in the same building in which they can attend school. The very good relationships with the primary school, and the excellent partnership with parents and carers ensure that children are successfully developing many of the skills they need for the next stage of their education. The staff work very well as a team and know what needs to be done to improve showing a good capacity for continuous improvement. However, there is not enough variety of activities in the outside area. The staff work very well as a team and know what needs to be done to improve, particularly in developing assessments and observations of children.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve further the observations and assessments of children's achievements so that they more rigorously support planning and the next steps for learning develop further the outside area to provide more investigative, experimental and challenging activities for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The safety and security of the children are high priorities for the staff. There are excellent arrangements in place for safeguarding and protecting children. For example, the very experienced staff know parents and carers very well, and procedures for handing children over to adults at the end of the session are carried out with utmost care. Excellent procedures are in place for vetting staff and ensuring that all adults who have contact with the children are appropriate. Regular and rigorous risk assessments are carried out and great care is taken over the care and the cleanliness of the rooms and play area, which are shared with other providers. This ensures that children are exceptionally safe and well cared for.

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the early years provision

The accommodation is bright and cheerful, and resources are well deployed. The classroom enables children to enjoy using computers and other technology equipment, to play board games, engage in role play or sit and read books quietly in the well-stocked book corner. The kitchen area enables children to experiment and play with dried foods and enjoy tactile experiences. The outer classroom and adjoining playground enable them to take part in vigorous physical activities. A variety of good quality toys and books capture children's imagination and interest, and are a significant factor in their personal, social and academic achievements. However, there is not enough variety in the outside activities. This does not give children enough opportunity to experiment and investigate, or staff the chance to use their observations of children's progress to challenge them, particularly the more able. Although the delightful and informative children's profiles are good

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the early years provision

evidence of the way staff track the children's achievements, the information is sometimes not used to plan the next steps for learning to help children make even better progress.

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the early years provision

The staff promote equality and diversity well by caring for the individual needs of all the children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included. Good partnerships with the school and positive relationships with the other childcare providers on the school site, and outside agencies, enable productive communications, with the result that any child's particular needs are catered for in a sensitive way. Staff raise children's confidence and self-esteem by celebrating special achievements at home and at school. Consequently, children are encouraged to value one another's differences, gifts, talents and special skills.

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the early years provision

There are excellent links with parents and carers, and all information is easily available. The excellent procedures to secure the well-being, learning and development of all the children are the core of this successful relationship. Parents and carers are given very many opportunities to find out about how their children are getting on. The manager listens to parents' and carers' concerns and/or suggestions and, as a result, there is an outstanding partnership between home and the setting. The manager and her staff work well as a team and, through their thorough self-evaluation, know what needs to be done to improve, including the importance of effective planning of children's next steps. Their analysis shows that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 they have the ambition and drive to achieve the targets they have set themselves and to sustain improvements in the future.

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and outcomes for children

The setting provides well for all children in its care. They thrive in an exceptionally safe and secure environment and, as a result, make good progress in all areas of learning. For example, a picture timetable helps the children keep track of the day and makes them feel secure because they know what will happen next. The children are particularly articulate and enjoy listening to traditional fairy stories. They listen carefully, talk about the story and can ask questions. They learn about the days of the week and months of the year, can discuss the weather and make jokes. Children's mathematical learning is enhanced at register time when they count the number of children and adults present. They take turns in placing the numbers on the wall chart and happily share in group time at the start of the day. Through these well-established daily routines, staff prepare children exceptionally well for the transition to the reception class.

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and outcomes for children

Children successfully develop their physical skills. They have a safe and secure area, and easy access to the school grounds, in which to play and have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves and each other safe. The colourful and soft all-weather surface allows them to join in vigorous activities and to run and play together, sometimes with children from the adjoining reception class. Staff provide some opportunities for the children to develop creativity by giving them large cardboard boxes for imaginative play. However, there is more scope to provide a wider range of outside activities which invite and challenge the children to explore and investigate, and also for staff to help them develop and pursue their ideas sparked off by imaginative play.

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and outcomes for children

Children are helped to develop independence and responsibility at snack time. They know about simple hygiene routines and are able to take care of their personal needs. They can discuss in an extremely informed way the importance of eating healthy foods and how vital it is to visit the dentist. They are very good at taking turns and passing around the toast, and can carefully pour out drinks. The children show that they care about each other and are willing to give up their turn of passing around their toast to let another child have a go. No one is left out and those with any kind of special educational needs and/or disability are included. All the children show confidence and high self-esteem because adults listen to them and value them as individuals having many different gifts and talents. Staff take every opportunity to praise the children and encourage them. Consequently they are not afraid to 'have a go' and try something new.

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and outcomes for children

The staff, parents and carers enthusiastically support fund-raising events and take part in initiatives. This is strong evidence to show how the staff, children and parents work together and enjoy activities with their children whilst helping them learn about making a positive contribution. As a result the children are helped and prepared for adult life. 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 1 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 1 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 1

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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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