Royal College of Art

Tiddlywinks Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133889 Inspection date 08/12/2011 Inspector Jan Leo

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Setting address The Playgroup Building, Alder Drive, Ambrosden, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX25 2RD Telephone number 01869 256555 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

Tiddlywinks Playgroup, was established in the early 1960's and moved to the current location in February 1997. It is a committee run group based in a purpose built building in the heart of Ambrosden, a village with a large Ministry of Defence (MOD) presence just outside Bicester. The group is open to children from civilian and MOD families.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup is open from 8.30am until 2.50pm, Monday to Friday for 39 weeks each year. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The group may accept up to 48 children under the age of eight years, with a limited number of children under two years. All may be in the early years age group. There are currently 56 children on roll who are all in the early years age group.

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Description of the setting

The playgroup offers support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and currently supports a small number who speak English as an additional language. The setting gets funding for the provision of free early education although there are currently none in receipt of funding.

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Description of the setting

There are nine members of staff employed to work with the children and of these, seven have a recognised qualification at level 2 or above and two are working towards increasing their level of qualification. The playgroup is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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 children are well served by the setting which successfully relies on a strong key person system to promote equality and diversity and help children reach their full potential. The staff provide a high level of support and robust health and safety procedures result in children developing good habits for later life and behaving impeccably. There are well defined systems in place to protect children from harm and links with other agencies are firmly established to enable all parties to make a strong contribution to children's achievements. Communication with parents is highly effective with both children and parents being involved in the decision making processes. Significant changes over recent months demonstrate a firm desire and capacity to maintain improvement but some of the monitoring systems are not yet used to maximum effect.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve reflective practice and self-evaluation further by making sure paperwork is routinely kept up to date and includes full details to help track progress regarding organisational development.

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the early years provision

The staff demonstrate a high level of commitment to promoting safety and they help children develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe from an early age. They manage child protection issues well, linking with other agencies as necessary to protect children from harm. All staff take responsibility for keeping the setting safe and they complete effective risk assessments and supervise closely to minimise hazards. The staff form close bonds with the children to help them feel safe and secure and, as a result, the children are very happy to attend and play sensibly. Some enjoy passing their knowledge of safety on to others by, for example, telling an adult 'you don't touch these if they're showing' when he noticed an exposed wire coming out of the play phone. He proceeded to push the wire back in to make it safe for others demonstrating a safety conscious attitude.

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the early years provision

The environment is conducive to learning because the resources are at low level to promote independent access and the space is well used to stimulate play. A variety of activities is always available, enabling the children to move freely from one to another when exploring their surroundings. The staff tirelessly support the children wherever they are needed and they interact extremely well to extend children's skills and interests. The key workers get to know about children's individual needs and abilities, feeding information into the planning in order to tailor care and development plans for each child and help narrow any achievement gaps. Recent improvements to the admissions process have addressed unfair discrimination and help the setting actively promote equality and diversity.

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the early years provision

The links with parents and children's other carers are strong with well established systems for sharing information and decision making. This helps to build effective partnerships that improve the outcomes for children. Staff have an open door policy to help parents feel welcome, information is generally easy to access, and the setting has good support services which work closely together to support the children and their families through transition.

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the early years provision

Staff and management work closely together to identify and address areas for development and all have a real commitment to raising standards. The staff work well as a team and they have effectively addressed most of the previous shortfalls to make a positive impact on the overall quality of the service. They have clear aims to work towards, continue their own personal development to increase their knowledge, and work with other childcare professionals to help stay up to date. Systems for monitoring progress regarding changes in operation are evolving well but they are not currently maintained as a matter of routine to help track the speed and effectiveness of changes. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children of all ages play very well both alone and with friends to stay productively occupied throughout the day. Some are obvious leaders and chat confidently to their peers about what they do as they are followed, by friends, from one activity to another. Most of the children are very talkative and express themselves clearly. Even those with limited language skills show confidence by linking with others to watch what they do before joining in the game. The children are all very sociable and show kindness and consideration for their peers by, for example, stroking them affectionately or kissing them on the head when they play together. The staff act as good role models for children to follow, being calm and attentive at all times and offering age appropriate explanations as a matter of routine. This helps children make sense of things and know what to expect. As a result, the children behave exceptionally well, laughing and having fun as they play, learning

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and outcomes for children

The staff balance the day by providing a mix of adult led and child initiated activities. The children consistently receive an appropriate level of support to suit their needs regardless of what they choose to do. For example, staff help young children don aprons in order to play in the water tray. They ask some specifically to put one on to encourage independence and offer a gentle reminder to the more advanced children to help them make sensible decisions themselves. The children benefit from a healthy lifestyle, learning about foods that are good for them, taking part in active play and having opportunities for fresh air both morning and afternoon. The children learn to take control of their personal care from an early age, wiping their noses and using the bathroom with increasing independence. They understand the need to wash their hands after messy play and confidently ask for help if unable to manage alone.

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and outcomes for children

The children use a variety of tools and equipment to develop their physical skills, using plastic tools for example to spread the glue when making cards and Christmas decorations and scooting round the outdoor areas without collision. They show increasing control over their movements and play alongside each other safely.

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and outcomes for children

Older and more able children show a high level of self-esteem by demonstrating their counting and number recognition skills to any that show interest. They successfully name the numbers they use when making a telephone call during role play and tell others what they need to do if they should make a call. The children show great interest in everything around them, developing understanding of the wider world and their local environment. The staff record notes on children's progress, such as one child knowing about blood travelling in veins, and they suggest obtaining additional resources to extend the interests in future planning. The activity programme is designed completely around the children's skills and aims in order for gaps in learning to be targeted effectively. With help from parents and the staff the children complete questionnaires about what they like to do giving them some control over their day and contributing considerably to their

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 self-esteem and achievements. 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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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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