Chipping Warden School Kindergarten

Chipping Warden Kindergarten Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 220288 Inspection date 12/07/2011 Inspector Parm Sansoyer

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Setting address Chipping Warden School, Byfield Road, Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire, OX17 1LD Telephone number 01295 660025 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

Chipping Warden Kindergarten opened in 1992. It operates from one wing of the primary school in Chipping Warden which has a few rooms and a toilet. Children share access to a secure, outdoor, play area. Children attend from the village and the surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education places. There are effective systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered to provide care for 26 children from two years to five years. Currently there are 32 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The setting is open from 09.00 to 12.00 every weekday during the school term time and there is an optional lunch club from 12.00 until 12.45.

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Description of the setting

There are five staff employed to work with the children. Of these, one holds a qualification at level 3 in early years, two hold a qualification at level 2 and are working towards qualification at level 3 in early years and two hold a qualification at level 2 in early years. The setting receives support from the local authority and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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 settle well due to the warm and caring staff approach and the positive relationships fostered with their parents. All children are valued and included and their personal, social and emotional development needs in particular are supported well. Children benefit from a broad range of experiences and resources, which are used well to help children make good progress in their learning and development. Safeguarding regulations are met in relation to child protection issues, although, arrangements for minimising risk in the environment and staff recruitment are not robust enough. Partnerships with parents and carers and other agencies are good. The developing self-evaluation system identifies some of the strengths and areas for improvement of the early years provision and the setting has a satisfactory capacity to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the risk assessment so that it includes all aspects of the environment that need to be checked to ensure all hazards to children are kept to a minimum. (Suitable premises, environment and 31/07/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 equipment)

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further?

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

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further?

 improve recruitment procedures by consistently obtaining references to help make decisions about the suitability of staff  improve the systems in place for continued self-evaluation to further support quality, extend practice and improve outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

There are appropriate written policies and procedures in place in relation to safeguarding children from abuse and neglect and there is a relevant designated member of staff with overall responsibility. All of the staff have a satisfactory understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. Systems to ensure adults involved in the care of children are suitable to do so are mostly effective. For example, all staff involved in the care of children have been vetted in relation to obtaining an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check. However, decisions on suitability are made without consistently obtaining written references, to determine suitably before an individual is employed. Consequently, recruitment and induction systems are not robust enough and this potentially compromises the children's safety and welfare. The outdoor play area is safe and children are able to move safely because staff carry out daily checks and

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the early years provision

minimise any potential risks. Staff are deployed effectively to meet the varying needs of the children attending and supervise the children well at all times. However, indoors reasonable steps have not been consistently taken to keep hazards to a minimum. For example, an electric kettle, which is in use, is stored within the reach of children and cleaning materials are stored in an unlocked cupboard. In addition, the annual written risk assessment of the environment does not sufficiently identify all aspects of the environment that need to be checked and therefore hazards to children are not effectively kept to a minimum. This is a specific legal requirement which has not been met. All of the other required documentation, records and policies are in place.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents, carers, other settings and agencies are good. Parents are warmly welcomed at the beginning of each session and offered the time to discuss their children's progress, achievements and to share information. Parents are kept well informed as they receive detailed information about the provision, framework and its policies. Parents are kept up to date about all aspects of their children's achievements and progress. The effective assigned key worker system means parents are consulted about their children's needs and development at induction and throughout their stay. Links with the host school and other settings that the children attend are strong. These help support transition and mean children's continued care and educational needs are met well.

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the early years provision

The staff's good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and their use of planning systems help children to make good progress in all areas of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their learning. The good use of the environment, resources, activities and teaching methods, help promote children's learning and enjoyment well. Staff recognise the uniqueness of each child and plan well for their individual needs, likes and interests and therefore all children receive an enjoyable and challenging learning experience. Children benefit from a good balance of adult-led, freely chosen and child-initiated activities. Systematic observations and assessments of what the children do and like are used effectively to inform planning and to support and extend children's learning. Staff clearly enjoy being with the children and work well together and this supports the relaxed and caring environment. The person in

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the early years provision

charge is well experienced and is clearly motivated to help improve outcomes for children. Staff are fully involved in the self-evaluation process and identify the strengths and areas for improvement. However, self-evaluation in relation to identifying and implementing all the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, although based on appropriate levels of monitoring and analysis, is uneven in rigour to fully secure the children's safety and welfare.

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal, social and emotional development is supported very well. Children are happy and settled because relationships with staff are warm and positive. Staff offer good support to get all children actively involved and consequently children continue to be interested, excited and motivated to learn throughout the session. Children enjoy the familiar routine and are well behaved. They learn about sharing and taking turns and show consideration for others. Children's communication, language and literacy skills are supported well. Children build good foundations for early literacy through having good opportunities to make marks, make sense of visual signs and symbols and to recognise their own and others' names. Older and more able children have good opportunities to link sounds and letters during their play, to further extend learning. Children develop a keen interest in books because staff are skilled in encouraging children to enjoy

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and outcomes for children

stories and use them well to reinforce learning and their interests. Children benefit from time to develop spoken language and develop their listening skills through sharing conversations in their play and interactions.

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and outcomes for children

Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is supported well. Children engage in a variety of good first hand experiences in which they learn about their natural environment. For example, a recent topic on 'mini beasts' offered good opportunities for children to explore and find out about insects in the natural habitat. Children benefit from meaningful experiences as they get involved in growing flowers, fruits and vegetables and learn how to care for them. Children begin to learn about their own and other cultures and customs through themed activities, such as tasting food from around the world and accessing a varied range of resources depicting positive images of diversity. Children have good opportunities to use information and communication technology and the 'interactive board' is popular with the children and used well to support and extend their learning. Children seek patterns, make connections and recognise

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 relationships through working with numbers, counting, sorting and matching. Children have good opportunities to problem solve as they build with construction toys and complete puzzles. Children enjoy freely playing with the sand and water and have regular opportunities to question why things happen, such as floating and sinking and the effect of heat on ice cubes. Children enjoy a wide range of planned experiences to express their creativity. A good selection of arts and crafts materials, dough and paint is made available. They have good opportunities to use their imagination and adopt roles through a variety of role play resources and small world toys, which children enjoy.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an appropriate understanding of dangers and how to stay safe as they move around freely and respond to gentle reminders from the staff. Outdoors children use the wheeled toys, cones, road signs and pretend traffic lights to learn about road safety. The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles is good. Staff and children follow effective hygiene practices to prevent the spread of infection and children enjoy a nutritious snack. Children benefit from access to the outdoor environment throughout the session where they challenge, test and extend their physical skills. They successfully develop skills that contribute to their future well-being. 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 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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