St Clare's Catholic Primary School

Greenslade Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 115259 Inspection date 13/07/2011 Inspector Timothy Butcher

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Setting address Pound Lane, Nailsea, North Somerset, BS48 2NN

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Telephone number 01275 858359 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

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

Greenslade Pre-school Playgroup was registered in 1972. The pre-school operates from purpose built premises on the site of Kingshill C of E Primary School and North Somerset Inclusion Service, in Nailsea, North Somerset. Children have access to an enclosed outside play space. The pre-school opens from 9.00am until 3.00pm Monday to Friday during term time and for designated weeks during the summer holidays. The pre-school is registered to provide care for a maximum of 24 children under eight at any one time of these eight may be under three years. There are currently 62 children within the early years age range on roll. The setting receives funding for early education. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities; and children who learn English is an additional language. The pre-school employs nine members of staff, of these seven hold level 3 early years qualifications, two staff hold level 2 qualifications and two staff hold degree

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Description of the setting

qualifications. The playgroup is managed by a parent committee.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The pre-school provides outstanding care and provision for its children. The exceptional organisation of the learning environment provide rich, varied and imaginative experiences that meet the needs of all children very well. The whole staff team share high standards which are embedded across all areas of practice and effective evaluation processes and drive continuous improvement. Partnerships with parents are highly effective in meeting the needs of children. Planning and monitoring processes ensure that resources are used extremely well. Comprehensive policies and procedures ensure that children's welfare is securely safeguarded.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 extending further the sharing of information about children's next steps between staff in order to further promote children's outstanding progress.

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the early years provision

Overall the staff team have a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues and know how to protect children as there are secure procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. Partnerships with other professionals are well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 established so that emerging concerns are able to be dealt with effectively and at an early stage. All staff have their suitability checked and policies and procedures are meticulously updated and shared. Children's safety is given the highest priority at all times. Risk assessments of the premises and for outings are thorough and comprehensive. Children recognise how to keep themselves safe and the staff describe children's mature understanding of safety issues such as road safety when they go out with the adults. Children's welfare is very successfully promoted. A particular strength is the highly positive relationships that are established with

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the early years provision

parents and carers right from the very start and include for some home visits that aid children's smooth introduction to the setting. Parents report very positively indeed about all aspects of the pre-school. The key person system ensures that parents are kept very well informed about all aspects of their own children's day, achievement, well-being and development; and this ensures an excellent continuity of care and learning for all children. Parent's views are canvassed and they are heavily involved in making decisions about the pre-school such as through their involvement on the committee. Parents have regular discussions with key workers and many make use of ''wow'' statements or comment in the learning diary. The setting places the promotion of equality and inclusion at the heart of all that is done and very high aspirations are shared and acted upon at all levels. The highly inclusive systems of communication ensure highly productive partnerships with

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the early years provision

parents and other agencies involved in the support of children, such as health professionals. Adults are highly effective at ensuring that all children are very well integrated and are able to fully participate, including those with more complex needs. As a result children's experiences are very positive. The accommodation, resources, furniture, and equipment are of a consistently high quality and very well-managed and organised. Outcomes for children are clearly attributable to the excellent use of resources and to the highly effective deployment of staff. The staff team work hard to ensure a consistently welcoming and stimulating learning environment both indoors and outside. The continuous provision of high quality resources is closely monitored and is well planned around a loose topic to meet the individual developmental needs of children and to follow their interests. Comprehensive planning and high levels of communication between

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the early years provision

staff mean that they are well deployed to support children both in structured adult- led activities and during the child-initiated, free flow activities. The pre-school is taking suitable steps to ensure resources and the environment is sustainable. The leadership and whole staff team are highly committed to driving improvement and providing best practice. All fully share the ethos of the setting. Reflective practice is consistent at all levels with rigorous and extensive monitoring, searching analysis and evaluation. High standards are embedded across all areas of practice and endorsed by highly motivated practitioners, who regularly feedback their ideas for improvement and the information from the training that they undertake. Future plans clearly identify the areas for further development and the pre-school are keen to try out ideas and evaluate the impact to further improve the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

For most children the outcomes are at least good and for the majority of outcomes are outstanding. Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school. They are greeted warmly on arrival and carefully thought through processes help children to settle extremely quickly and into small groups. The highly skilled and experienced staff team have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Assessment is rigorous; observations are of a high quality. Each child's learning is accurately monitored and the information gained about their abilities and interests is used very effectively to guide and influence planning. As a result the exceptional organisation of the learning environment meets their individual needs extremely well. Resources are numerous, well set out and creatively presented and so provide rich experiences for all children. The quality of the planning is consistent both indoors and outside. All children make significant gains in their learning

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and outcomes for children

across each area of learning and quickly grow in confidence. Children show high levels of independence, curiosity, imagination and concentration and often demonstrate outstanding progress in developing the skills they will need for future learning, given their starting points. For example, children spontaneously choose the large fabric shapes when outside. They line these up and make patterns, matching colour and shape as they do so. They talk about what they are doing together, without adult support; and spontaneously count and use language about size, shape, number and colour. They are active as they crawl, straddle and jump forming the patterns. Children explore gravity and learn about speed and weight as they roll cars and balls down a gutter chute. They count, take turns, experiment with different angles and have fun trying to catch the balls in a bucket. There is a very good balance of adult-led and child-initiated play. Children have

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and outcomes for children

excellent levels of achievement and show very positive attitudes to learning. Key workers plan small group activities that are specifically targeted at consolidating individual skill development. In one such activity children learn to play musical instruments. They learn to listen and respond and to stop when asked. They practice playing loud and soft, fast and slow. The member of staff provides a very good role model and skilfully supports children to take turns, count, make choices and keep a beat. All children in the group are fully engaged and thoroughly enjoy the rich learning experience. The staff team are adept at giving children space to explore at their own pace and in making positive interventions at the right time that extend children's learning. They skilfully support children to think and to explore by offering encouragement, clarifying ideas and asking open questions. Children make excellent progress in

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and outcomes for children

their communication, numeracy, literacy and technology skills. They have excellent opportunities to practice mark making such as outside while drawing a whole town in chalk; and indoors in the role-play area, set up as a garage, where they book in the car to be repaired making marks in a diary. All children, including those with specific needs, show an extremely strong sense of security and belonging within the setting. All children show through their excellent relationships with the staff and with other children that each child's uniqueness is highly valued and all are able to make a positive contribution. Additional support from other professionals is well integrated into the provision, maximising their input to children. The key worker system supports individual children very well as adults have a good This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 knowledge of each child's background. Written information about children's next

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and outcomes for children

steps is not always comprehensively shared between staff weakening their ability to support children. Children's behaviour is excellent and they show a very good awareness of responsibility within the setting such as at tidy up time. All children have their health, physical and dietary needs met to an exceptional standard. Children thoroughly enjoy the wide range of physical activities outside and gain a secure understanding of the importance of regular exercise. Very good use is made of the whole outside area that has permanent play equipment, grassy slopes and trees and excellent resources that cover each area of learning. Children have great fun outside in the square tent actively engaging their imaginations as they crawl in and out together. They race around and find sticks. They explore who has the longest stick and how high they can reach up the tree with them. Children show an excellent understanding of healthy eating through various topics

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and outcomes for children

but also through their easy access to drinks and snacks. They make choices about what they eat and drink and become independent through serving themselves. Children feel very secure and have an extremely safe environment in which to play because potential risks to children have been effectively minimised. Children are extremely competent at communicating their thoughts and feelings. They are well supported by staff that provide simple explanations about issues of safety and are very vigilant. Children are enthusiastic helpers at tidy up time. 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 1 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 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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