Scalliwags Pre-School

Scalliwags Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY290562 Inspection date 14/12/2010 Inspector Anne Daly

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Setting address South Ockendon Village Hall, 65 North Road, South Ockendon, Essex, RM15 6QH Telephone number 07941653463 Email julieecarter@aol.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

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

Scalliwags Pre-School opened in 1996 and has been registered under the current owner since 2004. It is a privately owned provision operating from the South Ockendon Village Hall in Essex. The premises have level access entry and all children share access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor play area. A maximum of 32 children may attend the setting at any one time, which opens five days a week from 9.30am until 12.30pm during school term times.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 36 children in the Early Year Register age range on roll. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged three and four-years-old. Children from the local catchment area attend for a variety of sessions. The setting can support a small number of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs seven staff, of whom six hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

A number of specific legal requirements are not being met as insufficient regard is given to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's safety and well-being are compromised through some of the setting's established systems being ineffective. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the provision is not rigorous enough; resulting in ineffective self-evaluation and insufficient action to improve documentation. However, staff do recognise the uniqueness of each child, who participate in a variety of activities to help them to learn through play and to make satisfactory progress towards their Early Years Foundation Stage goals. Staff are beginning to develop partnerships with other Early Years Foundation Stage providers to ensure appropriate support for children's learning and care.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 keep records that demonstrate to Ofsted that adults having unsupervised access to children are suitable to do so. Such records must include the unique reference 04/01/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 numbers of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosures and the date on which they were obtained (Suitable people) (also applies both parts of the Childcare Register)  review and update the safeguarding children policy and procedure to include the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 04/01/2011

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further?

 review and update the complaints procedures to ensure that it reflects the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 04/01/2011

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further?

 obtain written parental permission for seeking any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 04/01/2011

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further?

 maintain the required records for the safe and effective management of the setting and to meet children's needs; in this instance an accurate record of children's hours of attendance (Documentation) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register). 04/01/2011

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve further the two-way flow of information with other providers to support children's learning and development  implement an effective system of self-evaluation to promote future development and improvement.

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the early years provision

Children are not adequately safeguarded because procedures and record keeping are insufficiently rigorous. All staff are routinely checked to ensure that they are suitable to work with young children, but confirmation of such checks for all staff was not available at the time of the inspection. The designated safeguarding officer has attended relevant child protection training and she has a sound knowledge of child protection issues and procedures to protect children from possible harm. However, the safeguarding policy and procedures do not include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a staff member. Children's safety is further compromised because parents have not given their written permission to staff for seeking emergency medical advice, although they have provided written permission for treatment to be given.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment through a written detailed annual risk assessment being conducted to identify hazards. Further daily checks ensure that the environment is safe for children by identifying actions to eliminate any hazards. Following the last inspection, the Operational Plan has been regularly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 reviewed, although some policies have not been updated to reflect the specific legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, for example, the safeguarding policy and the complaints procedure. Some important records are not being maintained for the safe and effective management of the setting, for example, the daily record of children's attendance does not show their hours of attendance, especially those arriving late or leaving early.

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the early years provision

The effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate. The manager and her staff team have begun to evaluate their provision for children by using the Ofsted self-evaluation form. However, they have failed to effectively identify weaknesses, particulary those regarding record keeping and documentation. Staff show some commitment to making a number of improvements and have worked through an action plan to tackle the majority of the previous inspection's recommendations to improve the outcomes for children, for example, the daily provision of healthy and nutritious snacks. However, this is not yet sufficient to maintain improvements in provision for children.

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the early years provision

The majority of staff hold recognised early years qualifications and all remain fully committed to further developing their knowledge by attending additional training to ensure improvements to the children's learning environment. They have completed paediatric first aid training to enable them to appropriately care for children in the event of accidents or illnesses. When necessary, they have attended specialist training regarding administering medication and have individual procedures for children suffering allergic reactions. Children's welfare needs are met through the setting meeting required staffing ratios and effectively deploying staff to support children's play and care, for example, when changing nappies.

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the early years provision

The setting provides an inclusive service and a warm welcome for all children and their families, including employing a special educational needs coordinator. Systems ensure that each child with special educational needs and/or disabilities receives the required support. Children's developing awareness and understanding of people's differences is being promoted by the provision of play people to explore and the celebration of their own and other cultures, beliefs and festivals.

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the early years provision

Staff have established positive relationships with parents and carers. This satisfactory partnership with parents and carers ensures that are aware of policies and procedures, while also receiving a bi-annual report of their child's progress. However, links with other providers are not fully developed to support children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into an inclusive environment where they feel settled, happy and secure. They are making satisfactory progress towards their early learning goals through staff's continuous routine approach to observations and assessments informing the weekly planning of individual children's next steps of learning. The planned focus activities differentiate how individual children's needs are to be met. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are happy and display confidence and take initiatives when working well independently as well as co-operating with each other. Activities are divided into specific areas, where children have a varied range of age and stage appropriate toys from which to choose in easily accessible boxes. They are given ample time and encouragement to develop their language, literacy, writing skills and

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and outcomes for children

mathematical concepts, while the outdoor area enables them to undertake activities in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. The environment offers a variety of activities encouraging children's interest and curiosity, for example, a large outdoor wormery. Children have ample time to explore and to develop and finish ideas through having free play for the majority of sessions.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with opportunities to develop the necessary skills for their future. They are encouraged to behave well, with consistent clear boundaries for behaviour within the setting helping their confidence by knowing what is expected of them. They are beginning to show an understanding about healthy lifestyles through personal hygiene routines. Children in nappies are encouraged to wash their hands after being changed and older children can confidently describe the different stages of hand washing. Sociable snack times provide children with opportunities to choose and enjoy freshly prepared fruit and vegetables. Children's sense of security is enhanced by friendly staff talking and playing with them. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3 The extent to which children feel safe 4 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept, Suitability of persons to care for, or be in regular contact with, children). 04/01/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept, Suitability of persons to care for, or be in regular contact with, children). 04/01/2011

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