Marland School

Loxwood Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 113592 Inspection date 22/11/2011 Inspector Fiona Robinson

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Setting address School Field, Badgers Way, Nicholsfield, Loxwood, West Sussex, RH14 0TJ Telephone number 01403 753284 or 01403 823824 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.

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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

Loxwood Pre-School was registered in 1980 and is run by a voluntary committee of parents. It operates from a self-contained building set in the grounds of Loxwood Primary School, in Nicholsfield, Loxwood in West Sussex. There is ramped disability access to the building. All children have access to a fully enclosed outdoor play area and have the use of the outdoor environment of the school. The pre-school has provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 17 children aged between two and under five years may attend at any one time. There are currently 26 children on roll in the early years age range. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-olds. It is open each weekday from 9am to 1pm, during term time.

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Description of the setting

Children come from the surrounding rural area and attend for a variety of the sessions on offer. There are five members of staff who work with the children. Of these one holds a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 3 and is working towards an Early Years Foundation degree; two hold NVQs at level 3; one holds a NVQ at level 2 and is working towards level 3; and one is working towards a NVQ at level 2. The pre-school receives 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

Children enjoy the calm and friendly atmosphere created by staff and most make good progress in their learning and development. Staff are knowledgeable about the children in their care and are skilled at increasing their understanding of keeping healthy and safe. There are excellent partnerships with parents and carers, and strong links with the host school and community. Children behave extremely well and are fully included in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. The manager and staff clearly identify where their strengths and areas for development lie, such as developing resources, and have the capacity to improve well in the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop more frequent use of technology in activities to support children's learning and development  sharpen the procedures for assessing children's knowledge and skills on entry to the pre-school in order to give a clear overview of the progress they make over time. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding measures are good because comprehensive policies and procedures are implemented to ensure children are kept safe. Risk assessments are carried out daily and reviewed to keep the indoor and outdoor environments safe and secure. Parents and staff are familiar with the rigorous procedures for the collection of children. Robust staff recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to check the suitability of adults working with or having contact with the children. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure children's safety in the indoor and outdoor environments. Children use well-maintained resources that are safe and suitable for their age. Fire drills are practised regularly so that staff and children are familiar with the routine. The pre-school is well-led and managed and good self-evaluation systems ensure that improvements have a positive impact on the children's experiences. The manager, committee and staff work purposefully together and there is a good,

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the early years provision

shared commitment to develop the pre-school. The views of parents and carers and children are taken into consideration when identifying areas for development. Staff are committed to improving children's learning and development and the layout and organisation of the indoor and outdoor areas. They regularly monitor children's progress and use this information to plan the next steps in learning. However, existing methods for tracking and monitoring children's learning and development over time are not fully effective because staff do not have a clear overview of children's knowledge and skills when they join the pre-school. Planning indicates that opportunities are sometimes missed to make full use of technology, such as the digital camera and computer, in the children's activities, which impacts on the development of these skills. Staff actively promote equality and diversity to a very high level by ensuring that children are included equally in exciting activities

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the early years provision

and the celebration of a wide range of festivals, such as Harvest, Diwali, Shrove Tuesday, Easter and the Chinese New Year. Effective use is made of a good range of resources to meet most of the needs of the children. Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. They really value the comprehensive information they receive about topics, fundraising activities and special events, such as the Christmas Nativity, the Easter egg hunt and village fête. Parents consider that staff are extremely caring and helpful and their children have fun in a bright, stimulating environment. Key staff regularly share the children's learning journeys with parents and hold termly meetings for them to become familiar with their experiences at pre-school. Parents are very supportive of children's trips and visits to the village and farm. The relationship with the host school is good because information is shared effectively to ensure the children

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the early years provision

experience a smooth transition into full-time education. The pre-school also benefits from the use of the outdoor area. There are effective links with outside agencies that help to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Good links with other local pre-schools ensure the sharing of good practice. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from well-organised, purposeful play and achieve well. Staff value the children's ideas and include these in their planning and organisation of activities. Themes such as Ourselves, Pirates and The Village enhance their experiences. Children behave very well because staff have high expectations and a consistent approach to managing behaviour. The children show great respect for others and share their toys and resources very sensibly as they play. Children respond very well to staff's constant attention and cooperate maturely with one another. Children are independent in their choice of activity and respect the rules and boundaries. They gain an excellent appreciation of the wider world through activities and festivals, for example by learning about the importance of Christmas and the Chinese New Year. Children made a wonderful head for their dragon and enjoyed dancing and food tasting as part of their Chinese New Year

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and outcomes for children

celebrations. Staff also told children about lifestyles and customs in Australia as they celebrated Australia Day. Children develop a good understanding of keeping themselves healthy and safe. They learn about healthy eating and the importance of taking exercise through talks and topics such as Keeping Healthy Week. Their physical skills are developed well as they balance on the climbing frame, ride their pedalled vehicles and dance to music. Children make healthy choices at snack time and eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables. They use equipment safely as they make sandwiches, fruit kebabs and pizzas. Children benefit from talks from the police and fire services. They are keen to practise their road safety skills in the outdoor area and feel very safe and secure at the pre-school because of the care and guidance offered by staff. Children are keen to come to pre-school and achieve well. Their communication,

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and outcomes for children

language and literacy skills are developed well, for example as they re-told the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' through role play. They enjoyed making porridge for the bears to eat and carefully completed pictures for their story book. Children enjoy mark-making in shaving foam and sand and most can write their own names by the time they leave pre-school. They enjoy mixing colours and creating collages out of materials. Creative skills are developed well as they print patterns using fruit and vegetables. Children enjoy searching for mini-beasts in their garden and build dens to play in. Most can count to 20 and beyond and identify two-dimensional shapes in their indoor and outdoor environments. They cooperate very well as they play games and tunefully sing songs such as 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'. Children enjoy growing sunflowers, potatoes, runner beans and sweetcorn in their garden and develop a good understanding

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and outcomes for children

of the natural world. Overall, children are prepared well for future learning experiences. 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 1 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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