St Ambrose Prep School

Swimbridge Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 106381 Inspection date 03/11/2011 Inspector Julie Neal

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Setting address The Old School Room, Watergate, Swimbridge, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32 0PR Telephone number 01271 830357 Email ian@tdpm.demon.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

Swimbridge Pre-School has been registered since 1993. It is a registered charity and is run by a voluntary committee. The setting is situated in the village of Swimbridge, near Barnstaple, North Devon.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register, and may care for a maximum of 12 children aged from three years to the end of the early years age range, at any one time. There are currently 12 children attending at different times. The setting operates during term time only, and runs from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon Monday to Friday. The setting receives early education funding for three- and four- year-old children. The setting employs three members of staff to work with children, all of whom have appropriate childcare qualifications to at least Level 3 standard.

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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

Overall, children's individual needs are met very well. Children make extremely good progress towards the early learning goals, relative to their starting points. This is because staff make excellent use of their observations of children to plan stimulating and challenging activities that promote individual children's learning. Overall, staff work very well with parents and with other professionals supporting the needs of individual children. The setting's well established systems of self- evaluation enable staff to develop action plans that focus most effectively on promoting good quality outcomes for children. As a result, the setting demonstrates the capacity for ongoing improvement and to achieve and sustain high standards.

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further?

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

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further?

 review how languages used by children are displayed in the setting in order to help children to recognise their home language is fully valued  develop a process to maintain a regular two-way flow of information with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, in respect of children who attend more than one setting. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Strong leadership in the setting has resulted in a knowledgeable staff team who implement the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage well. This is demonstrated in the effective processes in place that support the safeguarding of children. All staff have a thorough understanding of child protection issues and regularly attend training to ensure their knowledge remains up to date. Staff receive good support from the designated committee officer with safeguarding responsibility, where there are concerns regarding children's welfare. Recruitment procedures are robust and ensure that all adults working with children are suitably checked and qualified for their roles, and there is an appropriate process in place to confirm staff's ongoing suitability. Overall, documents that support children's welfare are well maintained. The committee are currently reviewing policies and procedures to clarify how implementing these supports the effective safeguarding

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the early years provision

of children. Children are kept safe and secure because the setting conducts thorough risk assessments, which are supported by very good daily health and safety routines.

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the early years provision

The setting's systems of self evaluation are good, involving staff at all levels and actively seeking the views of parents and children in order to make effective plans for the future. For example, children's opinions are sought before buying new resources, and as a result, children are very keen to explore and use new toys and equipment. Feedback from parents is valued and taken account of. For example, in response to questions raised by parents, the setting has improved the information given about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents have enjoyed special events that provide insight into how children learn through play, and how activities support learning. There is a commitment to staff training, and the self-evaluation process is used most effectively to identify areas of development that have the most impact on children's experiences. For example, staff have attended training on how to explore different cultures with children. They now provide activities that

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the early years provision

have meaning for children and that link to their own experiences. For instance, they have compared their rural community with similar places in other countries, to find out how people live. Staff have created posters of words and pictures in children's home languages to help those children who speak English as an additional language feel welcomed. However, these are not always accessible to children to ensure they recognise their home languages are fully valued.

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the early years provision

Overall, information about individual children's welfare is shared effectively between staff, parents and other professionals. For example, children with specific health or development requirements benefit from good inter-agency communication that enables staff to ensure that learning and development plans continue to support children's needs over time. Some children also attend other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, such as nurseries or childminder's. Any communication with these providers is generally through parents as the setting has not yet established a process to share information regarding children's learning. However, processes to support older children through the transition to school are effective, because the setting has devised good systems of sharing information about each child's stage of development and their progress towards This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare, learning and development is promoted very well overall. Children make extremely good progress towards the early learning goals, relative to their starting points. This is because staff use their excellent observations of children very well to identify each child's current stage of development, and to plan their next steps in learning. Children's learning diaries are maintained very well and contain excellent examples of how children have made progress towards the early learning goals over time. Children enjoy an immensely child centred learning environment, taking an active part in planning activities and confidently making their own choices about what they do. As a result, children are eager participants who are extremely keen to explore and investigate activities and resources. The outdoor space is very limited, and although sufficient to allow children who wish to, to play outside, there is little room for energetic activities. However, excellent

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and outcomes for children

use is made of outdoor spaces within the community to ensure children enjoy daily exercise and physical activity. For example, children use the churchyard adjoining the setting to enjoy active play such as riding bikes and lively games such as 'what's the time Mr. Wolf?' The premises has only one cloakroom for children's use, which means that, if one child is in the toilet, others cannot wash their hands before having their snack. However, when this is the case, children use cleansing gel, without being prompted, to ensure their hands are clean and to guard against the risk of cross infection.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate high levels of self esteem, they are very confident and their behaviour is excellent. Group times are used very well to encourage children to think about different aspects of behaviour, and why some actions are not appropriate. For example, children talk about what they should do if they want to use a toy that is being played with by someone else, and how to involve staff if there are problems in taking turns with equipment. Children are extremely confident communicators, benefiting from the staff's excellent interactions that encourage them to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills in different contexts. For example, children want to have a story read to them and several books are chosen. Staff explain that there is not time to read all the books today, so children conduct a vote to see which stories are most popular, counting the number of hands raised for each and identifying which book has the most votes.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very confident in their use of computers and everyday technology, and they eagerly and clearly explain what they are aiming to achieve. For example, children select different shapes on the computer and explain how they will fit these together to make a house, demonstrating extremely good mouse control as they drag and drop items into place. They identify how many squares, triangles and rectangles they will need, and calculate how many more or less would be needed to make the house bigger or smaller. Children are extremely curious about the world around them, and they link their observations very well to things they have learned. For example, while outside children notice a bush with red berries. They talk about the berries being food for the birds, and that children should not eat This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 them because 'you could get very poorly'. Children also notice that where berries

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and outcomes for children

have fallen on the path it is very slippery, and they tell each other to take care. There is a strong emphasis on promoting children's awareness of how to keep safe. For example, the premises does not have a permanently enclosed outdoor area so staff erect temporary fencing each day to provide children with space for outdoor play. Children know they must wait until this has been secured before playing outside. Children understand the setting's emergency evacuation procedures because they practice these frequently. Children's understanding of road safety and how they should conduct themselves when enjoying walks in the local community is very good. This is because staff review procedures for keeping safe with children prior to each outing to ensure that all are aware of what to do. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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