Duckpool Pre-School C.I.C

Duckpool Pre-School C.I.C Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY421767 Inspection date 10/10/2011 Inspector Janet Fairhurst

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Setting address St Mary's R C Primary School, Duckpool Lane, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 4HB Telephone number 01914881137 Email duckpoolpreschool@hotmail.co.uk Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

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

Duckpool Pre-school opened in 2011 and is run by a Limited Company as a community interest company. It is situated in the Whickham area of Gateshead and operates from a self-contained building in the grounds of St Mary's RC Primary School. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 8.45am until 11.45am and from 12.15pm until 3.15pm, except for Thursday afternoons during term time.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school are registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 16 children aged from two to five years may attend at any one time. There are currently 28 children on roll. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff, including the manager of whom all hold an early years qualification.

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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 and settled at the warm and friendly pre-school, as effective procedures are in place for staff to get to know the children and their families well. The uniqueness of every child is recognized through effective key person systems and good partnerships with parents and the host school. This helps to ensure that children's learning and welfare needs are successfully promoted. Whilst the majority of the requirements are met, the main area of weakness relates to documentation. Reflective practice ensures that improvements are identified and implemented. This impacts positively on the children and demonstrates a capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 keep a daily record of the actual hours children attend the setting (Documentation). 25/10/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 develop observation and assessment records to show the link to the areas of learning  improve the details collated within the recording of accidents to show the full name of the child. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding children, with policies and procedures clearly understood. Recruitment procedures are secure and all staff have undergone the necessary checks to ensure their suitability. The children play in a safe and secure environment due to the staff's good understanding of assessing risks and implementing effective procedures. Arrangements to ensure the security of the premises are fully in place and collection procedures are robust. Comprehensive policies and procedures underpin the good practice at the setting and these are implemented effectively by staff. However, elements of the documentation lack detail, for instance, the accident records only show the first name of the child. Alongside this, the attendance records do not indicate the actual arrival and departure times of the children. This is a breach of the requirements. The setting is bright and welcoming, with a variety of photographs and children's

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the early years provision

work displayed throughout, which helps to promote children's self-esteem and sense of belonging. Space and resources are organised well to support the children's independent learning.

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the early years provision

The staff work well in partnership with parents and carers to ensure children's individual needs are met. Home visits are carried out by the staff before the placement commences. These visits provide a very good opportunity for parents to share with the staff what their child already knows and can do. This valuable information enables the child's key person to understand their individual interests, welfare needs and developmental starting points, which helps to inform the initial planning. Parents are provided with clear information on the provision through the setting's prospectus, regular discussions, newsletters and the policies and procedures. Parents are actively encouraged to become involved in their child's learning and development through initiatives, such as, library day and providing resources or artefacts for specific themes and topic. They are able to add information about activities they have done outside of the nursery to their child's

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the early years provision

file or add 'wow moments'. As a result, good links have been made with parents who speak positively about the pre-school. Partnerships with the host school are strong. This is reflected in the effective links they have established with the early year's staff as well as participation in school events and sharing resources within the school.

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the early years provision

The setting benefits from a Specialist Educational Needs Coordinator who is confident in her role and positive about working with other providers to meet children's individual needs. Effective procedures, such as gathering key words from parents and the use of picture clue cards, ensures that children with English as an additional language are included at the setting. There are good systems in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of the provision. The management, staff and parents are involved in the self-evaluation process which has given rise to identified targets for improvement. The process is ongoing with new targets being set as targets are achieved. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Caring and nurturing relationships with staff enables children to form close attachments and feel secure. Furthermore, the warm and welcoming atmosphere creates a positive climate for learning. Children receive a good standard of care and education because staff have a clear understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and this is reflected in their practice. Teaching is purposeful, providing questions to challenge children's thinking. Therefore, children become absorbed in learning through play. Individual learning journey files, include examples of the children's work, photographs and observations which are used to identify next steps in their learning. However, the written observations do not make the link to the six areas of learning to help ensure that all areas are covered equally.

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and outcomes for children

Children are eager and enthusiastic learners who confidently explore activities and independently select resources and equipment to develop their play. They spend time problem-solving as they fit shapes together, building train tracks, talk about size, colours, numbers and shapes. They participate enthusiastically in well- planned activities which link learning together. For example, they make faces from play dough and, at the same time, show good knowledge and understanding when they discuss how they could make a happy face and a sad face. Children use their imagination as they enjoy acting out and setting up their hair salon. They listen and respond with enjoyment in both large and small groups, joining in with favorite stories and having opportunities to become familiar with the written word in their surroundings. Children are gaining a sense of belonging as they are involved in the life of the school, sharing the resources and being welcomed into

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and outcomes for children

their school assembly. Although not seen in use during the inspection, children have valuable access to information, communication and technology resources, both within the school and the pre-school. Children are introduced to a range of cultures through books, puzzles, visual aids and a variety of resources as they play. Children's communication and language is progressing well. They are good at listening during group activities and have many opportunities to practice their emergent writing skills, for example, by using chalks, paints and pens both indoors and outdoors.

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and outcomes for children

Children make a positive contribution to the setting. They behave well, play cooperatively with one another and help to tidy up at the end of the session all of which are valued by the staff who offer praise and encouragement and contribute significantly towards helping children develop skills for the future. Children learn well about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy good access to fresh air and outdoor play, riding wheeled toys and access to larger areas where they have the freedom to run around. This enables them to gain confidence and coordination as they move their bodies. Children understand that they need to replenish themselves with water and freely help themselves to the water from the dispenser. All aspects of personal hygiene are promoted so that children develop a good understanding of how to wash their hands independently and why this is important to keep them well. Children learn to conduct themselves safely as they move

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 between different parts of the school premises. Emergency evacuation procedures are practiced with children each term. 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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