North East Wolverhampton Partnership

Harpsden Pre School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133683 Inspection date 09/03/2011 Inspector Margaret Moffat

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Setting address Harpsden Village Hall, Harpsden, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 4HJ Telephone number 01491 598280 or07810 392401 07990 945405 Email harpsdenpreschool@gmail.com 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

Harpsden Pre-School Playgroup registered in 1993. It is operates from Harpsden Village Hall near Henley-on-Thames. The pre-school have access to the main hall, storage room, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is an outside play area for the children to use. The pre-school is open Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 12pm, with the older children attending a lunch club on Tuesdays until 1pm. The pre- school is open term time only. A maximum of 20 children may attend the pre- school at any one time.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 22 children on roll aged from two to four years. The pre-school is in receipt of nursery funding. The pre-school mainly serves children from the local community. The setting supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs four staff; of whom, one holds qualified teaching status and two other members of staff have relevant childcare qualifications. The pre- school also employs an administrator. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register.

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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

Children make very good progress in their learning and development and they are happy and very confident in their environment. Staff understand the uniqueness of all the children in their care and provide a range of stimulating and enjoyable experiences to help them achieve their full potential in all areas of learning. Children's independent skills are developing well in most activities they participate in. The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Staff and parents share valuable information that supports all aspects of children's care and learning. However, links with other providers are not yet fully established. Everyone associated with the pre-school are involved in evaluating the service provided. This approach leads to continuous improvement in the outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further children's independence skills by allowing them to pour their own drinks at snack time  develop links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage so that children benefit from a collaborative approach to their learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The pre-school is well organised. All required documentation, policies and procedures to safeguard and support children's welfare are in place. Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and fully understand their responsibility to report any concerns they may have. Staff have received recent training in this area to ensure their knowledge is up to date. Regular risk assessments and daily checks ensure all areas, both indoors and out, are safe. There are effective procedures in place for the recruitment and induction of staff, which ensure they are qualified and suitable. Staff work well together as a team and are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Staff appraisals ensure the ongoing suitability of adults and help identify training needs. Staff are encouraged to enrol on courses that lead to higher qualifications as well as courses on specific topics.

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the early years provision

The systems for monitoring and evaluating the pre-school are effective and contribute to the good practices within the setting and meeting the outcomes for children. Observations help staff identify areas of the pre-school where improvements are needed, such as the book corner and outside area. Priority has been given to developing the use of the outdoor area and purchasing new equipment to support children in all areas of learning when outside and increasing their opportunities to be outdoors. Staff promote equality and diversity within the pre-school and work together to ensure all children's individual needs and interest are successfully promoted. Children are encouraged to begin to think about others and to recognise diversity through discussion and the use of books and appropriate resources. Children have opportunities to learn about the world around them; for example through topics about people who help us and learning about other

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the early years provision

There are good systems in place for developing links with outside agencies and schools the children will go to when they leave the pre-school. However, staff have not yet established links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage to promote a consistent approach to children's care and learning. Partnership with parents and carers is excellent. They receive a good deal of information from the pre-school and staff work hard to maintain excellent communication with them. All relevant documentation is in place and information about each child's welfare, learning and development needs are known from the outset. Staff regularly discuss children's achievements and next steps in learning to ensure parents are fully aware of how their children are progressing. Staff encourage parental involvement in their children's learning through weekly outline sheets containing information about the topic or theme. This contains ideas on

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the early years provision

relevant items for children to bring in as well as ideas for activities to support learning at home. Parents comment that they find the weekly sheet extremely useful, that it is an excellent way of preparing children for the session and a good record of what their children have been doing in the pre-school. Parents highly praise the staff team and are extremely happy with the service provided. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children play in a stimulating environment where they are very happy and content. They have access to a very good range of resources and activities that offer exciting learning experiences for all, helping them develop skills for the future; for example, they thoroughly enjoy playing in the home corner that is set up as an explorer's camp. They play in the tent, crawl through a tunnel and shine torches on specific areas following the beam. They draw their own maps, talking about pirates and drawing recognisable figures on the map saying 'this is the pirate'. They look through binoculars they have made from recycled materials to spot things on their adventure. Children have good fun and enjoy themselves. They have opportunities to plant and grow their own flowers and vegetables in the outside area and learn about recycling water, as a water-butt has recently been installed. Children confidently make choices about what they want to do. The use

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and outcomes for children

of photo cards helps children become aware of other activities and toys available, which are not necessary laid out. Photo cards are also used to help children learn the routines of the pre-school and follow the timetable. Children are very well behaved and staff use appropriate strategies to promote good behaviour. Staff reinforce the golden rules of the nursery at circle time. Children confidently inform visitors of how they 'have good listening and good walking and do not run indoors only outside'.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn how to keep themselves healthy through discussion, physical activities both indoors and out and the healthy snacks of fruit and vegetables they are offered at snack time. They also learn the importance of good personal hygiene as part of the daily routine of the setting and they talk to staff about why they need to wash their hands. There are effective systems in place to prevent the risk of cross infection such as appropriate nappy changing routines and the use of liquid soap and paper towels. Children's independence skills are developing well, as they become aware of their own care needs and find their own coats and shoes for going outside; however, they are not encouraged to pour their own drinks at snack time as staff do this for them. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn how to handle equipment such as knives and scissors correctly and are involved in regular fire drills so they are aware how to leave the premises quickly

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and outcomes for children

Staff use observation and assessment to identify children's achievements and their next steps in learning. They use this information to plan activities that cater for individuals. The use of open-ended questions and staff's ability to model thinking ensures children make excellent progress and develop a positive attitude to learning. Staff ensure all children have enough time to complete tasks at their own pace; for example, at tidy up time children ask if they can finish off the puzzles they are completing and at snack time they are not hurried. Good trusting relationships are evident and children approach staff confidently for help or a chat. Staff value conversation and encourage children to express their views, helping them develop their language skills. Children are beginning to recognise their own names as they self-register at the beginning of the day and older This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

children are beginning to link letters and the sounds they make. There are many opportunities for children to mark make and develop their early writing skills. Children love listening to well read stories and staff encourage them to join in repetitive phrases and parts of the story. Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their counting and calculation skills throughout the session; for example, counting how many children there are at circle time, how many pieces of pasta the dinosaur has in his mouth and singing counting songs. Children enjoy playing with dough and use a range of tools such as scissors, knives, cutters and rolling pins confidently which helps develop their fine motor skills. Children play outdoors each day and enjoy walks around the grounds. They run around in the field, play on a selection of wheeled toys and enjoy participating in ball games with staff. They look at the flowers and herbs they are growing and

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and outcomes for children

collect mini-beasts to look at through a magnifying glass. Children have opportunities to be involved in fund raising events, which fosters their understanding of the needs of others and those less fortunate than themselves. 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 2 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 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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 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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