Moulton College

Southern Cross Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 130772 Inspection date 06/10/2011 Inspector Alison Weaver

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Setting address 103 Trafalgar Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 1GU Telephone number 07890 322105 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

Southern Cross Pre-School opened in 1982. It operates from two halls in Southern Cross Evangelical Church in Portslade. The setting opens five days a week during school term times. Opening times are from 9.15am to 1.15pm on Mondays to Thursdays, and 9.15am to 12.15pm on Fridays. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are some steps in the premises.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 37 children on roll in the early years age range. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The setting also offers care to children aged over five years to under eight years. Children come from a wide catchment area. The setting currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs seven staff. All of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years 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

Children are happy, settled and all are helped to make good progress towards the early learning goals. They are generally engaged and well occupied although there are a few times when the organisation of the session is less successful in promoting children's learning and managing their behaviour. Children's welfare, safety and emotional needs are met well due to satisfactory partnerships with parents although opportunities for them to be involved in their child's learning are not fully established. Good links with other providers help promote children's individual learning and meet their needs. Leaders and managers show they have the ability and effective systems in place for the continual monitoring and improvement of standards to benefit children.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the organisation of the sessions to meet children's individual needs and to enable more effective management of children's behaviour  improve the partnership with parents to keep them more informed about their child's achievements and to involve them in the learning and assessment process. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate they have a good knowledge of possible signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect. They are very clear about their responsibility to report any concerns they have about a child and the procedures that they need to follow in order to safeguard children's welfare. Robust recruitment procedures are implemented to help ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Overall, safety is given high priority in the setting and effective risk assessments and daily safety checks are carried out to help maintain a safe and supportive environment for the children. All other required documentation to support children's welfare and meet their needs is in place, well maintained and shared with parents. The available resources and equipment are generally used well to support children's learning and development. However, at times staff deployment and organisation of the setting are not always planned effectively to meet children's needs and help promote

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the early years provision

The setting has very good systems in place for identifying a child's need for additional support promptly and for accessing the support they require to help them achieve. Staff work very closely with interagency teams to provide the care the child needs. This includes a regular two-way sharing of relevant information and advice. Parents of these children are kept fully involved and have regular input into the decision making about their child. As a result, these children make good progress in their learning and development. There are also good systems for working in partnership with other providers who share the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage for an individual child to help ensure continuity of care and learning.

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the early years provision

The setting forms satisfactory partnerships with parents. Parents are regularly encouraged to share what they know about their child's interests and backgrounds. Staff respect their family traditions and use the opportunities to help all children learn about, and value, differences. Parents are provided with adequate ongoing information about their child's progress and achievements. However, the setting is not fully exploiting the opportunities for parents to be involved in the assessment process and to continue learning at home.

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the early years provision

The new management team is working well to secure improvement in the setting and the outcomes for children. They are keen and well motivated and taking positive steps to stimulate the enthusiasm and involvement of all staff in the everyday operation and decision making of the setting. The staff team regularly reflects on its practices and implements well focused actions following their reviews. For example, all staff are currently taking on the responsibility of reviewing a specific play area to see how effectively it is used to promote children's learning and to identify areas for improvement. Ongoing training, staff supervision and regular appraisals also help to effectively promote staff development and outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children confidently leave their parents and settle into the warm, welcoming environment. Children quickly settle at activities of their choice and become engrossed in their play. They make good progress in all the areas of learning in relation to their starting points including those children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those learning English as an additional language. Staff generally interact effectively with children to promote and extend their learning. Good systems are in place to observe and assess every child's achievements. Staff make very good use of the information gained from the learning records to plan further relevant learning experiences for each child that continue to promote their learning and development. They also make good use of a child's interests and parental input when planning suitable stimulating learning experiences for them.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good overall progress in developing the skills that will help them in the future. Their independence skills develop well as seen by the way they help themselves to resources from the accessible low storage. They decide when they want to play outside and get their own shoes on. Children develop good physical skills as they use the larger equipment with increasing skill. They show a good level of coordination and balance when using the stilts to move around. They love to splash in the puddles and water paint on the board. Children develop the language skills they need to communicate with adults and peers effectively. They enjoy many opportunities to mark make both indoors and outdoors. Their understanding of numeracy is promoted through everyday play and number songs. They develop good problem solving skills as they play with the different construction sets and have opportunities to explore simple technology. Children

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and outcomes for children

enjoy a wide range of fun and interesting outings and activities that help them develop a good understanding of the wider world and diversity. For example, they visit a garden centre to buy plants and pot them up on their return. They then act out what they have experienced in a garden centre role play activity.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a good awareness of healthy lifestyles and adopt good personal hygiene routines. They develop an understanding of the importance of keeping healthy as they enjoy visits from a dental hygienist. Healthy eating is promoted well with the children at snack times. They experience different foods in tasting sessions and take part in cooking activities where they have fun weighing, measuring and mixing the ingredients. Children eagerly choose to play outside in the fresh air and engage in various outdoor activities that help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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and outcomes for children

Children display a strong sense of belonging and security. They learn how to keep themselves safe as they regularly practise fire evacuation and enjoy visits from fire officers. They use the different play equipment safely and mostly follow the safety rules indoors. In general, children play well on their own and alongside others. They form positive relationships with others and generally behave appropriately. However, there are a few weaknesses in the organisation of the overall sessions that have a slightly negative impact on children's behaviour. This is due to times when children's free play is disrupted to do group activities such as the register This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and getting ready for snack. Children are not always fully engaged at these times and some of them become noisy and restless. Staff do not always implement their positive behaviour management strategies quickly enough and there are not

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and outcomes for children

always sufficient staff with the small group to help defuse the situations that arise. 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 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 3 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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