Danbury Pre-School at St John's

Danbury Pre-School at St John's Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY418953 Inspection date 14/09/2011 Inspector Lynne Hughes

p.1

Setting address St. Johns C of E Primary School, Little Baddow Road, Danbury, CHELMSFORD, CM3 4NS Telephone number 08456 430 076 Email charlotte@danburypreschool.org.uk 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.

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Danbury Pre-School was registered in 2010 and is committee owned and run. It operates from a purpose built building within a local primary school grounds in Danbury, Essex. A fully enclosed area is available for outdoor activities. The pre- school is open from 9am to 3pm five days per week, term time only. A before and after school provision opens from 7.30am to 6pm, five days per week during school holidays.

p.4

Description of the setting

A maximum of 26 children under eight years may attend the pre-school at any one time, all of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently 66 children on roll within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register, and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

p.4

Description of the setting

The pre-school employs 16 members of staff. All staff, including the manager, hold appropriate qualifications to at least level 2.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

This provision meets the welfare, learning and development needs of children to a good standard. Staff demonstrate secure knowledge of the children in their care and work effectively with their parents to accommodate and follow their individual requirements. Children are actively encouraged to become strong and independent young people as staff encourage them to make choices as well as to participate in the exciting range of well-planned activities. The setting strives for improvement by continuously reviewing and evaluating the provision for children. Systems are in place for the setting to work in partnership with other early years provisions, however, these are currently being further developed to provide more opportunities for direct contact.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 develop partnership working to provide further opportunities for parents to share in their children's learning and consider ways of liaising with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage, to ensure progression and continuity of care. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.4

the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded within this early years setting, as staff demonstrate clear and accurate knowledge of their responsibilities with regards to protecting children. Staff regularly update their safeguarding training and cascade any new advice or information obtained to the rest of the staff team. All adults who have regular contact with children are vetted and proof of their clearance is held on file. New staff that are awaiting clearance are always supervised by vetted staff. The premises indoors and outdoors is checked for safety on a daily basis to ensure that children play and learn in a secure, clean and safe environment.

p.5

the early years provision

The setting has recently undergone a huge change, as it was previously two separate pre-schools operating under one joint management committee. The provision of a new building within a local primary school grounds has enabled both groups to come together and to work as one pre-school. The setting currently has a very strong and effective committee supporting the large staff team. The committee provides good opportunities for staff to further develop their childcare knowledge through training. They also enable staff to have a period of non-contact time in the pre-school office to complete children's learning journeys and assess their next steps in learning. Staff find this support invaluable and helps them to feel valued and motivated. The setting encourages all staff and parents to be actively involved in the self-evaluation process, all comments and suggestions are discussed and reviewed on a regular basis.

p.5

the early years provision

The new building provides staff with opportunities to present the resources and equipment effectively. This provides children with greater opportunities to make choices over their play as the well-labelled storage drawers and units are within their safe reach. Staff are effectively deployed to ensure that children are well supervised at all times. A high adult to child ratio provides children with good support and enables staff to take small groups of children into the quiet room for more focussed activities. Staff are committed to further developing their skills and expertise and regularly share good practice issues during their morning meeting or more fully during staff meetings. Staff promote equality and diversity effectively through well-planned activities, through the celebration of festivals and special occasions and through resources and books, which reflect our multi-cultural society.

p.5

the early years provision

Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection were very complimentary of the setting. They find staff approachable and helpful and feel able to go into the setting to talk to their child's key worker at any time. Parents feel that their children are making very good progress and developing skills across all six areas of learning. Partnerships with other agencies is good, staff liaise with the area SENCO and speech and language professionals on a regular basis. They have some systems in place to enable them to work with other early years settings and are further developing these to be more effective. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.5

and outcomes for children

Children are very busy, active and excited in their pre-school provision. Effective systems and practices ensure that their welfare and learning and development needs are well met. Children participate in a wide range of experiences, some of which are freely chosen and initiated by them and others which are planned by staff. Staff use the children's interests to extend and enhance their learning. For example, the children's interest in 'den building' has been facilitated through the provision of some large pieces of material and tools to secure them to chairs, tables and the decking area. Torches are used in the black-out tent to create exciting patterns and shapes on the walls. Children are able to explore nature in a number of ways. This includes the nurturing of some eggs in an incubator and children watched attentively as the chicks hatched from the eggs one by one. They demonstrated their understanding of this experience by drawing pictures of the

p.6

and outcomes for children

chicks and talking about the way in which they had been cared for. They learn about growing and planting as they tend to their garden. Tomatoes, a range of flowers and sunflowers remain in the Danbury Pre-School garden trough and the seeds from the sunflowers are to be used to grow more sunflowers next year. Staff demonstrate good knowledge of the individual children's learning styles and interests. They plan effectively for their individual learning by observing them constantly and inputting ideas for children's next steps onto the large planning sheet for the following week.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children behave in ways which demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They wander confidently around the provision, guiding their own play and forming friendships with their peers. They approach staff with ease and even children attending for the first day become actively engrossed in play, showing little or no distress in their new environment. Children's knowledge of keeping safe is enhanced by staff talking to them at circle time about safe play and how to be considerate of their friends. They are gently reminded to walk indoors. Children's health and well-being is very well promoted through the staff's clear policies and procedures. They understand that exercise is good for them and are asked to feel their fast heartbeat, after they have participated in an active action song. Children are provided with healthy snacks, such as, cheese and salad wraps with cucumber slices. They have some opportunities to participate in the preparation of snacks

p.6

and outcomes for children

and learn about foods which are good for them through discussions with staff.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children are well behaved and clearly understand the setting's simple safety rules. They know that there are specific hats to wear when they play with the sand in the sand tray and that during the summer months they have to wear a sun hat in the garden. Children are confident and express themselves well. Their self-esteem is actively promoted by staff praising and encouraging them to be kind and caring towards their friends. The well-planned and freely-chosen activities, on offer to children, enable them to develop good skills for the future. For example, they learn to write recognisable letters by tracing their name cards and by writing their names on drawings and paintings. They count proficiently and enjoy accessing toys and games which help them to identify colours, shapes and numbers. They develop independence as they make choices over the activities offered and freely This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

and outcomes for children

access the toilets and hand wash basins. A range of interesting visitors to the setting enhances the children's knowledge of the wider community and people who help us. They have some opportunities to go for walks in the local area and are provided with opportunities to explore nature within the large school grounds. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.7

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

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

p.8

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

p.8

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

p.8

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

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

p.9

Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

p.9