Ellingham Hospital School

Olney Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 141861 Inspection date 20/09/2011 Inspector Lynne Lewington

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Setting address The Olney Centre & Library, High Street, OLNEY, Buckinghamshire, MK46 4EF Telephone number 01234 240042 Email H Newbold: 01234 717077 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

Olney Pre-School opened in 1968 and operates from two rooms in an old school building that has been converted for community use. The pre-school runs two separate sessions each day with different teams of staff. A maximum of 30 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.15am to 11.45am and 12.30pm to 3pm during school term times. Lunch club is held on Tuesday and Wednesdays from 11.45am to 12.30pm. Children may attend for a full day on Tuesday and Wednesday. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 70 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 50 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the town and surrounding villages. The pre-school employs 11 staff. The two managers and all members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

Children attending the pre-school are safe and secure and are offered an excellent standard of care and education. A rich learning environment is provided overall. Staff competently ensure each child's individual needs are understood and met through excellent communication with the parents, carers and children. It is a highly inclusive setting where all children are acknowledged and supported to enable them to achieve to the best of their abilities. The enthusiastic staff and management team meet regularly to discuss and evaluate the provision and show an excellent capacity to maintain improvement; they identify areas for improvement, create action plans and make changes for the benefit of the children and their families.

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further?

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

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further?

 improving daily opportunities to share and enjoy a wide range of fact and fiction books throughout the indoor and outdoor learning environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff clearly understand the rigorous policies and procedures for safeguarding children and are diligent and clear regarding their roles and responsibilities should they have concerns regarding a child in their care. The safety and well-being of everyone is promoted through the robust procedures for vetting and assessing the suitability of staff and the in-depth induction for new staff. Comprehensive thorough risk assessments enable children to move freely around the setting, both indoors and out. A full range of clear policies and procedures and in-depth documentation enhance the excellent practice and promote safe, efficient and effective management of the setting. Excellent use is made of the available space. Low level clearly labelled storage enables children to self select easily and low level display boards enable children's work to be displayed attractively at a height that children can see.

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the early years provision

Staff are all highly motivated and passionate about the service they provide, sharing a clear vision of what they want to achieve and consistently driving for improvement. They work highly efficiently as a team, are well qualified and regularly attend training in order to develop their knowledge and expertise further. High quality resources, effective staff deployment and a key-worker system ensure children are well supervised and supported at all times. Management and staff provide an exciting and inspiring environment. They constantly and effectively reflect on their practice, seek the views of parents and children, and use self- evaluation to promote constant improvement.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is promoted very effectively. Parents build strong confident relationships with the setting enabling easy exchanges of information. This provides staff with exceptional knowledge of each child's background and needs. Parents are kept well informed, such as through daily conversations, notices, questionnaires, children's journals and meetings. The expertise and views of parents are highly valued and sought by staff. An exceptional range of child- centred local and educational information is easily accessible to parents in the entrance to the setting, enabling them to feel well informed. Parents highly value the face to face information sharing and the improvements the staff have made to the setting.

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the early years provision

Parents feel that the setting is warm and homely, and that staff are exceptionally enthusiastic. Strong links with local schools and most other preschool settings help to aid transitions and good use is made of the local library. The staff are further developing ways to build more links with their local community and all other early years provision children attend to aid the children's learning and opportunities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make exceptionally good progress in all areas of learning and development supported by dedicated and enthusiastic staff who provide a fun, exciting, happy and interesting learning environment. The free-flow environment and effective deployment of staff ensures children are able to participate freely in all areas at their own level of understanding and development. Staff manage outdoor play effectively, ensuring all children have opportunities to benefit from a full range of activities in the fresh air. The setting promotes extremely happy, confident and independent children who demonstrate their interest and curiosity even though many are relatively new to the setting. Staff confidently interact with the children, extending learning and play through sensitive comments and open questions. Children thoroughly enjoy all aspects of their time at the setting, making very close bonds with the adults who know them extremely well. Staff ensure they

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and outcomes for children

learn as much as they can about the children in their care, creating continuity between home and the setting. Highly effective planning and ongoing observations, informative development records and regular reviews ensure children move forward at a pace appropriate to their individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in a wide range of activities that help them value diversity and learn about the wider world. They talk about their experiences and families as they play imaginative games. For example, a child starts to make a bridge with large wooden blocks and planks demonstrating increasing coordination and balance, as she walks across the bridge she tells the adult she is going to Italy where it is hot. A simple conversation develops between the child and the adult about Italy. Children grow vegetables and fruit in the garden and take the produce home. Children competently use the computer, moving the mouse skilfully to participate in a variety of games which increase matching abilities and hand and eye coordination. They sort and match a variety of resources and complete puzzles developing their awareness of quantity, shape, position and size. Children love the role play area and use their imagination and experiences in their play. A small

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and outcomes for children

child tenderly nurses a baby doll gently patting the doll's bottom and rocks, just as an adult would with a small baby. Children demonstrate increasing awareness of the written word due to the clear labelling around the setting and the many opportunities they have to listen to a story informally with an adult. Easy access to pencils, crayons and pens enables them to develop mark-making skills well. They use dough, paint and collage materials to make their own creations which staff admire and praise them for. Children are excited, absorbed and highly motivated to learn in this happy environment where the continuous provision of resources means they can go back to activities on their next visit and develop their skills and interests further. However, whilst good quality fact and fiction books are available they are not used throughout the setting and outdoor environment to support activities and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel totally safe around the setting. They behave well and learn to care for each other through gentle reminders and excellent role modelling the staff provide. Large photographs of the children at play help to reinforce awareness of safe behaviours. Independence and an understanding of healthy lifestyles is enhanced This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 as they independently wash and dry their hands before they visit the snack bar. They help prepare and select their own healthy snack and pour their own drinks. Attractive posters at child height reinforce the idea of healthy snacks and children identify the items they like. High quality information on healthy children's nutrition is easily available to parents and staff in the setting helping to promote the provision of healthy lunch boxes and snacks. 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 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 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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