Bishop Ian Ramsey Pre-School

Bishop Ian Ramsey Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 314061 Inspection date 29/09/2011 Inspector Pauline Pinnegar

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Setting address Bishop Ian Ramsey C of E School, Manor Road, Consett, County Durham, DH8 6QN Telephone number 01207 566 947 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.

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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

Bishop Ian Ramsey pre-school is a committee run group which was registered in 1999. It operates from a classroom within Bishop Ian Ramsey Primary School. The pre-school is approximately three miles from Consett town centre and serves the local and surrounding areas. The pre-school is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term time. Sessions are from 8.30am until 11.30am and 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 15 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 24 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds. There are systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs three members of childcare staff. All of these hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The unique needs of each child are clearly recognised, with staff striving to meet them through ongoing contact with parents and close liaison with other professionals when necessary. Systems for observations and assessments are developing. Overall, children make good progress in their learning and development and their welfare needs are met well. They benefit from strong leadership and management who use effective systems of evaluation to ensure outcomes for children are promoted with success. The manager and staff are aware of strengths and areas for improvement and have identified the need to develop the outdoor provision further.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the use of the outdoor area to further enhance children's play and learning opportunities  use observations and assessments consistently to identify learning priorities and inform planning for individual children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children who attend this setting are well safeguarded. Clear safeguarding procedures ensure children are fully protected from harm or neglect. The designated member of staff with responsibility for ensuring safeguarding procedures are implemented in line with local authority guidelines, keeps up-to- date with any changes through training and shares information with other staff members during meetings. This ensures children are fully protected during their time in the pre-school. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure children are cared for by a suitable and well-qualified staff team. All staff are checked through the criminal records bureau. Proof of qualifications and identity are obtained prior to starting work in the pre-school. Rigorous risk assessments ensure potential hazards both indoors and outdoors are minimised. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure children are properly supervised at all times and good

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the early years provision

contingency arrangements are in place to cover staff absences in an emergency. A range of fully inclusive policies and procedures are shared with parents and are reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain effective and reflect current practice.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the effective leadership and management who have high aspirations and a clear vision to provide good quality care and education to all children who attend. All of the recommendations and actions raised at the previous inspection have been addressed effectively, which supports good outcomes for children. Detailed systems for self-evaluation assist staff in identifying improvements they can make. Reflective practice is ongoing at all levels and parents and all staff are invited to express their views, both formally and informally, for example, through questionnaires and daily chats. Good awareness of the needs of the children and a shared vision for development of the setting enables continuous improvement in the quality of the provision.

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the early years provision

A positive equality and diversity policy outlines a commitment to promoting inclusive practice. All staff demonstrate a commitment to working with external agencies to support the inclusion of children with additional needs and specific needs. The pre-school provides a good range of age-appropriate quality resources, which children can access independently to help them to begin to make choices about their learning and play. Colourful displays of their work, along with photographs, help children to develop a sense of belonging and promote self- esteem. The setting is committed to working in partnership with parents and other professionals. Parents actively contribute to children's learning journeys, which fully involves them in their children's learning and development. The effective key worker system enables staff to establish close working relationships with parents from the onset in order to secure continuity of children's care. Parents and carers

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the early years provision

are well informed about the provision and are able to share quality information about their children's care needs. Discussions with parents suggest that they highly value the care their children receive and are impressed with the progress that their children make. 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 good progress in their learning and development and thoroughly enjoy their time in the setting. They form secure relationships, with consistent, well-motivated staff who support their learning well. Sensitive observations are carried out on all children regularly and show their progress towards the early learning goals. The next steps in learning are, however, not consistently identified in order to securely inform planning for individual children. Children are starting to form friendships with each other and are confident and self assured. They behave well, share, take turns appropriately and play cooperatively. They understand what is expected of them and respond well to the simple explanation, frequent praise, encouragement and support given by staff. They love to help tidy up, with gentle reminders from staff using the sand timer and the 'tidy-up song'. Children become active, inquisitive learners who are developing skills for the future. They actively

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and outcomes for children

participate in activities that promote communication, language and literacy skills very well. They love to explore vocabulary and language using rhyming words. They have free access to mark-making activities and their early reading skills are incorporated into daily routines. For example, children find their name cards as they self-register each session. They observe the text displayed attractively around the pre-school and children regularly look at books for enjoyment in the cosy book corner in the room. Children develop early problem-solving skills as they build and construct with purpose. They love to count when singing their favourite songs.

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and outcomes for children

Children are gaining a good understanding of the wider world. They have regular access to a range of toys that show positive images of diversity. They celebrate various cultural festivals, which includes various food-tasting experiences. Children love to explore and investigate. They have fun using magnifying glasses and bug boxes to investigate mini beasts outdoors. Children use computers to operate simple programmes and have opportunities to explore a range of programmable toys. Subsequently, they start to understand how things work. Children engage in range of stimulating activities and play experiences. Sand and water play is popular and children adore messy play, such as painting and dough. Children's creative development is given very good attention as they express their own ideas, use a variety of art equipment and take part in role-play which is imaginative and rich in learning opportunities. For example, they love to pretend to be at the

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and outcomes for children

seaside, using props, such as blue fabric material, to represent the sea, and white net curtains to represent the sand. Children explore outdoors looking for 'buried treasure', making their own treasure maps. Space, furniture and equipment are well organised overall and create a welcoming and fully enabling environment that supports children to become independent. However, the outside area is not yet used fully to extend children's learning and development during outdoor play.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about keeping themselves safe during activities, such as the recent topic on 'people who help us' which is currently being reinforced during outdoor play and by taking part in regular fire drills. All aspects of children's health are well promoted. They are provided with healthy snacks, with consideration given to dietary requirements, and drinks are easily accessed. Physical activities and outdoor play are available each session, with free flow encouraged. Children enjoy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 weekly physical education sessions in the school hall as they develop balance and coordination and the pre-school has recently been awarded 'Excellence in Early Years Movement' for this programme. 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 2 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: 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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