Honeypot Under 5's Centre

Honeypot Under 5's Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 309593 Inspection date 15/11/2011 Inspector Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones

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Setting address Weeton Army Camp, Minden Road, Weeton, Preston, PR4 3JQ Telephone number 01772 260 793 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

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

Honeypots Under 5s centre is registered to provide care for 33 children, including registration for a maximum of six children under two years of age. The centre is located within Weeton Army Barracks and is located in Minden Road, in close proximity to Weeton Primary School. Care is offered on a sessional basis from 9.15am until 1.15pm, Monday to Friday. There are currently 39 children on roll, 19 of whom receive funding for nursery education. The centre supports children with special education needs and for whom English is an additional language. The Management Committee has overall responsibility for the centre and all staff are qualified or are working towards qualifications in early years. The centre has support from the local authority and it is a member of the pre-school learning alliance. The centre is registered on the Early Years Register.

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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 centre provides a secure and inclusive environment for children in which they make good progress. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They liaise closely with other professionals, enabling them to improve their practice and meet the individual needs of all of children that attend. A range of stimulating activities that are planned by staff and used as an assessment tool to monitor children's progress are generally effective. Parents, carers and committee members have a good relationship with the centre and they are very supportive and complimentary of the service provided. All staff have a clear vision and key priorities for improvement, subsequently the capacity to maintain continuous improvement is good.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop children's concentration skills through their successful completion of activities  increase the regularity of assessment and tracking of children's development to effectively review children's learning and progress

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the early years provision

Safeguarding arrangements in the centre are rigorous. The safeguarding officer has good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding protocols and procedures and is aware of the actions she would take if concerned about a child's safety or their well-being. Risk assessments are robust and are regularly reviewed and updated. Individual rooms are risk assessed on a daily basis, with a major risk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 assessment of the whole provision being carried out at least annually. The management committee and staff team ensure that all adults working with children are suitable and appropriate checks for this are in place. There are rigorous recruitment and selection procedures in place, including vetting and high levels of support for new staff. This is particularly important as the centre is located on a Ministry of Defence Army Camp. Clear policies and procedures that cover all

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the early years provision

regulatory requirements are in place and are reviewed annually.

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the early years provision

The centre's self-evaluation process is effective because the staff regularly assess the quality of provision. Prioritisation of actions to improve the centre are regularly reviewed and the centre has completed the Lancashire 'Step into Quality' Award to review quality standards within the setting. All six recommendations from the previous inspection have been thoroughly addressed and this has had a positive impact on the quality of provision. All staff hold early years qualifications to at least Level 2 apart from one staff member who is currently working towards an early years qualification. Two members of staff have level 4 early years qualifications and the childcare practice manager has a Higher National Diploma (HND). They have secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage because they attend a wide range of training courses to support children's learning and development. These includes courses such as how boys

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the early years provision

learn, planning and assessment and specific Early Years Foundation Stage Framework courses.

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the early years provision

The vast majority of children are new to the centre as the previous battalion has now moved from the army camp and have been replaced by new families. Children enjoy attending the centre. They display high levels of independence and self- esteem because equality and diversity is promoted well. All children including those with special education needs and English as an additional language receive the support they need because staff work closely with colleagues and other professionals. Parents and carers have a good relationship with the centre and are supportive and complimentary of the service provided. Communication is effective with regular newsletters and letters being sent to parents. Staff work closely with parents to provide continuity for the children, particularly when family members are to be deployed overseas. A number of parents also sit on the management committee of the centre and contribute to the running of the centre.

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and outcomes for children

Staff plan a range of stimulating activities for the children based on their individual learning needs, interests and their next steps of learning. Children have equal access to all resources and activities because the centre is fully inclusive. Staff ensure that all children are able to contribute and effectively support those with special educational needs and for whom English is an additional language. Children make good progress through the early learning goals because staff have an in- depth knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children progress to their next steps for learning as their development is clearly linked to observation and assessment, which fully informs planning of future activities. However, there is a lack of regularity to observations and assessments This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 being undertaken to inform children's progress and learning. Children's learning

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and outcomes for children

journals include sporadic observations, photographs and examples of the children's work. They show their progress and highlight their next steps for learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing good independence skills as they independently use the bathroom and self-select at snack time. They take turns and share resources, actively participating in tidy up time. They enjoy mark making using a range of tools to develop their literacy skills and enjoy using patterned hole punches to make their work look prettier. However, there are missed opportunities for staff to support children in developing concentration skills through the completion of activities. For example, children spend very short periods of time at an activity, often not completing what they have started before they move on to the next activity. Children are beginning to recognise their names because they try to self- register at the beginning at the session, and select their names at snack-time. Children self-select resources and activities and particularly enjoy free-flow play between the two indoor rooms and the outdoor play area. Staff support language

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and outcomes for children

development as they are involved in activities with children, they ask relevant questions and support children very well in developing numeracy skills. For example, counting the number of balls that they make from the glitter play dough. The vibrant, stimulating and well-utilised outdoor area encourages children to develop physical skills by using the range of climbing and balancing equipment that is available. They enjoy using the tepee and construction shed as they develop their imaginative skills. They learn about the weather and the wider world as they play outside and explore the grounds of the setting. They learn about sustainability through planting and growing a range of plants in the outdoor area and develop an awareness of wildlife through the erection of butterfly and bird boxes. The computer with child-friendly keyboard and mouse supports children in their skills and knowledge of information and communication technology. Equality

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and outcomes for children

and diversity is well supported and is integral to the work of the centre.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel and are kept safe within the setting. Equipment, such as, scissors are handled safely and children use them for a variety of reasons, for example to cut up the play dough. Children's health is effectively promoted. They wash their hands after independent toileting and before snack and are developing good hygiene practices. Children are generally well behaved because staff model good behaviour. They help to clean tables and put tablecloths on, for the healthy and nutritious snack that is supplied. Children self-serve at the continuous snack time, putting their names on to the apple tree to show when they have had their snack. They wait patiently for seats to become available, counting if the maximum of eight children are at the table. After snack, they clear their own plates into the waste bin and put dirty cutlery and crockery into the washing bowls. 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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