Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery School

St. James' Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 140458 Inspection date 30/09/2011 Inspector Lynn Palumbo

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Setting address 171 Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill, London, N10 3BG

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Telephone number 0208 444 4033 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

St James pre-school has been operating since 1967 and was registered by Ofsted in 1998. The pre-school operates from Birchwood hall and is situated in Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. All children share access to a large open plan playroom, hall and secure enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open each morning from 9am to 12pm and three afternoon sessions from 1pm to 4pm, term time only.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 24 children at any one time. There are currently 43 children on roll in the early years age range and they attend different times of the week. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four. The pre-school is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting currently supports children with English as an additional language. There are six members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years professional qualifications.

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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

The management and staff team successfully promote most aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework requirements within the suitable and inclusive environment. The quality of the pre-school is good and children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle is excellent. The management team demonstrate an accurate awareness of their strengths but have not identified the weakness in their documentation of children's attendance. Plans for other aspects for improvement are well targeted and likely to continue to improve outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the record of the children's hours of attendance is maintained at all times for all children looked after on the premises (Documentation)(also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 14/10/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 re-organise the role play area to ensure all children can access creative This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 resources

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the early years provision

The provider ensures that competent recruitment and vetting procedures are followed so that all staff working within the pre-school has completed necessary suitability checks. The manager and staff team are well informed about child protection procedures and know where to make referrals. Overall, documentation relating to children's individual needs and care routines is well maintained. Parental permissions are in place for outings and for children to seek emergency medical treatment and advice. Although attendance records are in place within the setting the hours of arrival and departure are not consistently recorded. This has an impact on safeguarding and is not in line with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's safety is given due emphasis as robust risk assessments are completed to ensure that the playrooms, outdoor play area and activities are safe and secure for them.

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the early years provision

Staff are caring, motivated and clearly enjoy their role, which is evidenced by their positive interactions with children. In addition, they are deployed throughout the pre-school to ensure ratios are in place to meet the children's needs. The environment is effectively organised to promote an accessible and stimulating range of experiences for children. Although children have wide-range opportunities to make choices about their play, and they access good quality activities, toys and equipment, the role play area is less accessible. The management team have a good understanding of the pre-school's strengths and weaknesses. During the inspection they demonstrated the use of rigorous monitoring to consistently drive and sustain improvements. This means that outcomes for children are continuously improving. In addition the recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been addressed.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is highly promoted at the pre-school. The children and staff represent a wide range of cultures and everyone is treated with respect. Children are provided with a wide-range of resources that fosters an awareness of diversity in society, for example, they learn about different cultures and celebrate festivals. Staff demonstrate they have valuable knowledge about children's welfare, linguistic and family background. for example, they use words in the children home language to fully extend their learning.

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the early years provision

Parents are efficiently engaged with the routine of the pre-school. They are also fully informed about their children's learning and development through daily discussions, contributing to assessments and participating in children's play. Parents are consulted on their views as parent questionnaires are utilised to engage them in sharing their ideas about what they think the pre-school do well and could improve upon. It is evident through both positive discussions with parents and their comments within questionnaires that they are very pleased with the service provided. The management team have good strategies to ensure that partnerships with other early years providers creates a supportive transition for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children when they leave the pre-school. This helps to ensure there is a continuum of learning and care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled, confident and have a high level of involvement at the pre- school. The successful key person system means that all children feel secure and have their individual needs met. The manager and key persons effectively plan an exciting and challenging range of experiences for all children both inside and in the garden. Children enthusiastically access their environment where it is evident that they are very confident, independent and active learners.

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and outcomes for children

During activities, key persons stimulate children's thinking effectively by asking a good range of questions to support their learning. For example, whilst making honey cake, children count ingredients and talk about the changing texture. This helps children to develop their numeric, exploration and investigation skills . Key persons are developing competent assessment systems which support them in planning activities and experiences that focus on all children's individual interests. As a result children are busy and engaged, concentrating for extended periods during play. Children develop their emergent writing through a variety of resources, such as sand. They understand that their symbols carry meaning and pre-school children write the letters of their name in preparation for primary school.

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and outcomes for children

Children show an interest in books and enjoy sharing the story with key persons. Children enjoy exploring their imagination through creativity, such as drawing, modeling and paintings. Children develop their understanding of the world through a wide range of activities, for example, they visit the local museum to learn about transport and this us further extended when they build airplanes and cars with recyclable materials. Children have wide range of resources to support them to develop numeric and problem solving skills. For example, they count in sequence throughout their play and create imaginative themes with a variety of blocks. Children understand the reproductive system through examining plants. Children's diverse cultural backgrounds are successfully celebrated through festivals exploring creativity, food and dance. This ensures children are learning about a diverse society.

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and outcomes for children

Children understand how to keep themselves safe from harm by participating in a regular fire evacuation practise and learning about road safety when out in the community. The local police also visit the pre-school to talks about stranger danger. Children are learning to adapt to a healthy lifestyle excellently. For example, they enjoy very healthy nutritious snacks and meals according to their individual needs. Children know about the benefits of healthy eating, understanding that fruit and the vegetables they grow and eat are part of a healthy diet. In addition, the dental nurse has visited and children know that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 sweets are harmful to the health of their teeth.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing independence as they routinely wash their hands and know the benefits. Children participate in a wide range of physical activities, for example, riding wheeled resources, climbing activity frames doing daily exercises and dance. Children are developing a positive contribution to society as they contribute effectively towards the welfare of others, for example, when tidying toys away, respecting the needs of each other as they play along side each other and making friends. In addition, children manage their behaviour well. Children are developing good skills that will positively contribute to their future economic well- being as they use a range of information and communication technology, and are inquisitive learners able to solve problems. This means that they are efficiently equipped with skills for future learning. 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 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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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) 14/10/2011

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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) 14/10/2011

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