Castle Hill High School

Marldon Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 106172 Inspection date 15/11/2011 Inspector Michelle Tuck

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Setting address Marldon Village Hall, Village Road, Marldon, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 1SJ Telephone number 07769 646 423 Email 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. 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

Marldon Pre-School was registered in 1972 and during opening hours has sole use of various rooms within Marldon Village Hall in Marldon, near Paignton. There is a small enclosed play space outside attached to the hall and the group make use of a local playground. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for 28 children under eight years. There are currently 18 children on roll all in the early years age range.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is open Monday and Tuesday from 9.15am until to 3.15pm and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.15am until 1.15pm. Sessions are offered in the summer holidays when there is a demand. The pre-school are in receipt of funding for the provision of free education for three- and four-year-olds. There are six members of staff, all either hold a relevant qualification in early years or are working towards one. The pre-school has 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 pre-school meets children's individual needs extremely effectively and staff are proactive in maintaining continuous improvement. Children make excellent progress in their learning and development and overall, outcomes for children are outstanding. Children's safety is given the highest priority and most children follow good hygiene practices. Self-evaluation is beginning to develop to help ensure that plans for the future are well targeted to bring about further improvement to the provision and outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further children's understanding of healthy practices, with regard to personal hygiene routines especially when they have a cold  develop further systems for self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development and how they will improve outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded by staff who implement highly effective systems to assure their safety and well-being. Daily checklists, fire practices and risk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 assessments help ensure that excellent standards of safety are maintained. In addition, staff have an extremely secure knowledge and understanding of their child protection responsibilities, and the procedures to follow in the event of any concerns regarding children. The well established team of staff work efficiently to provide children with a warm and welcoming environment with lots of close support. They communicate well to ensure all children are included, and interact with enthusiasm to create exciting sessions with an emphasis on child-led play. The positive atmosphere helps children behave well and they are learning about the needs and feelings of others whom they show care and concern for.

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the early years provision

Staff are beginning to develop systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision, including the beginnings of an Ofsted self-evaluation record. However, this is not sufficiently established yet, to identify and promote improvements within all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Otherwise, staff meetings, links with the local authority and links with the school reception class also promote on-going improvements to the provision.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is promoted exceptionally well in the pre-school. Staff are highly effective in ensuring that all children are well integrated and the development of all children in relation to their starting points is excellent. They also learn about diversity in their environment as well as the wider world. Children take part in interesting activities based on festivals such as Diwali, or listen to a Portuguese folk story called Stone Soup. Staff work hard to close identified gaps in children's achievements through working in partnership with other settings children attend. Staff know children's backgrounds and home situations extremely well in order to meet their individual needs. Staff observe children regularly and identify their next steps, which are shared with parents. The communication between staff and parents is excellent with daily interaction and sharing of learning journals which contain detailed information about activities, photographs and achievements

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the early years provision

at the setting. These encourage parents to share what they know about their child and contribute to their progress record. There, is also an informative notice board and parents have easy access to policies. The premises are extremely well organised and well laid out to enable children to be independent learners and make choices in their play. They use the outside area regularly and the children have access to activities outside which promote all six areas of learning. The room is very welcoming with displays of children's work, informative posters and displays the children can touch and explore, such as pictures of Diwali and photographs of themselves with their families on holiday. Staff deploy themselves very effectively both inside and outside, supporting children's play in an exceptional way.

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and outcomes for children

Children are incredibly happy, fully engaged in activities and are seen laughing and smiling as they have an enjoyable time. They are making significant progress in their learning and development due to the experiences they have at the pre- school and from the support and interaction they receive from the staff. Children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 enjoy the structure of a daily routine but with lots of opportunities for free play and making choices. Children move around the room exploring different activities as they wish, greatly benefitting from the staff support. Children are encouraged to problem solve and be active learners, for example, a child playing with large building blocks is asked by another child, 'what are you building?' The child replies 'a church'. The two children then build together and experiment with balancing bricks to make the tower and discuss where the bells should go. They can be

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and outcomes for children

heard comparing it to a see-saw, as they balance one brick on another. Children develop a love of books as they are well presented and easily accessible for them to self-select and take to staff who spontaneously read stories to them. Children who are playing around them become interested and come to join in with the story. Children are also seen quietly relaxing in the book corner looking through books for themselves. Staff actively seek ways to provide a stimulating environment. For example, they have identified that by extending activities and resources outdoors children will have further opportunities to progress their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are skilled at mark making and write the letters of their name as they have many opportunities to write for different purposes, such as when role playing at being a vet. Children are well equipped with fundamental skills for their learning. Children show a strong sense of belonging in the setting. They are confident, settle well and develop excellent relationships at every level with adults and their peers. Children seek help as required but are happy to work together, for example, in their role play, turn-taking and sharing resources to examine the sick animals. This shows excellent negotiation and co-operation skills. All children are valued, which shows in their exceptionally high levels of self-esteem, their perseverance at activities and communication to achieve their goal and make themselves understood. Their behaviour is exemplary and they follow instructions extremely well. For example, children excitedly line up to wash their hands for

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely polite saying 'excuse me' before speaking to visitors. Children are very proud to be the helper of the day and take their tasks very seriously. They help a member of staff to complete the safety checks on the building and relay messages between staff when required. Children independently wash their hands using liquid soap and paper towels to prevent the risk of cross infection before eating and are beginning to learn about germs. Not all children remember to use a tissue or wash their hands when they sneeze. Children are secure and learn how to keep themselves safe through discussion from adults. They know what is expected from them and follow rules well. Children participate in regular evacuation drills, which help to keep them safe in the event of a fire. 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 1 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 1 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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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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