Crafty Wizards Pre-School

Crafty Wizards Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY429464 Inspection date 15/12/2011 Inspector Pamela Bailey

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Setting address Forty Foot Way, New Way, New Eltham, Greenwich, SE9 2EX Telephone number 02083553002 Email matthewjamesbyrne@hotmail.com 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

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

Crafty Wizards is run by Crafty Wizards Ltd. It opened in 2011 and operates from a community hall situated in a residential area of Eltham within the London borough of Greenwich. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. It is open each weekday from 8.00am to 4.30pm, during school term time only.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 29 children aged from two years to under eight years may attend at any one time. There are currently 10 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places.

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Description of the setting

There are two members of staff, including the owner who manages the provision. Both hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least NVQ level 4. The pre- school provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds.

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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, well developed knowledge of each child's individual needs ensure that staff promote children's welfare and learning with success. All children are well integrated. Strong links with parents and carers contribute significantly to the effective continuity of care and learning from the start. This enables all children to make good progress. Mostly good arrangements exist to ensure children's safety and health. The owner/manager is very aware of the strengths and strives to improve the experiences of the children and make continual progress based on what has been accomplished so far.

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further?

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

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further?

 encourage children to think about their own personal needs by making fresh drinking water readily available for children to help themselves  improve the frequency of the emergency evacuation drills so that all children become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency situation.

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the early years provision

Effective steps are taken to safeguard children, including vetting procedures which ensure that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. The owner/manager is the designated lead person for safeguarding children. He has This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 attended a child protection training course. He cascades information ensuring that the procedures and systems for liaising with the appropriate child agencies are fully understood by staff. The environment in which children are cared for and educated is safe and supportive. There are clear procedures for outings that ensure children's safety. Staff identify dangers, take good steps to minimise risk and children are taught to be safety conscious without being fearful in most areas. However, there are few opportunities for staff and children to practise the emergency evacuation procedures. Thus, not all children become familiar with the

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the early years provision

routine in the event of an emergency. There are effective procedures in place to prevent the spread of infection and promote children's good health in most areas.

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the early years provision

There is a common sense of purpose between all adults who work well together to ensure that all groups of children have the opportunity to achieve as well as they can. They observe and reflect on children's spontaneous play, building on this by planning and resourcing a challenging environment. This supports and extends specific areas of children's learning and development well. The owner/manager currently takes lead responsibility as the key person for all children. Nevertheless, he is in the process of developing staff roles to ensure that each person has assigned responsibility for a small group of children. The setting strives to provide a service that is inclusive for all. There is a strong focus on supporting the language, communication and social skills to enable all children to achieve and participate. The use of pictorial routines, and the positioning of and labelling of resources with picture and text enriches the children's understanding of

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the early years provision

communication and ensures all children can access activities. Welcome signs and labels reflect the different languages in the wider community. Photographs of children around the pre-school give children and families a sense of belonging and help children to learn about and understand the society in which they live. The settling-in process is seen as a critical period and ensures that staff have good knowledge of each child's background. Although there are currently no children on roll who attend other settings or need support from other agencies, the owner/manager works closely with the Local Authority Early Years Inclusion Team. He attends training and meetings where they are able to share best practice. This ensures good systems are in place to provide support for children and families where appropriate, should the need arise.

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the early years provision

Since registration the setting has been effective in identifying areas for improvement through consultation with staff and parents. This has lead to improved ways to ensure that parents have a better understanding of how their children learn and enable them to become actively involved in their children's learning. For example, implementing a breakdown of the Early Years Foundation Stage, six areas of learning and development matters. The highly inclusive systems of communication such as, the shared website enables parents to follow daily routines, know about the ethos of the setting and upcoming events. For example, 'Winter Wonderland' scheduled on a Saturday enabled staff to get to know the children and parents, and families to socialise. Each day children take home their 'Magical Moments' folder. This contains their art work, emergent writing and photos of them participating in activities, which are used as a discussion point at

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the early years provision

home. They comment that they find this very useful and helps them to contribute to activities and learning. The fortnightly newsletter gives information on learning that has been covered over the past two weeks and activities for next two weeks. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 There is also a breakdown of a specific policy of the month for parents to familiarise themselves with. Parents speak very highly of the setting and good relationships have been fostered with the staff. Management and staff are highly motivated and have a clear sense of purpose about what they want to achieve. For example, working towards the 'I-Can' speech and language accredited status. The setting is developing the self-evaluation process and systems used to gain the views of staff and parents to enable them to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the provision against robust criteria.

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and outcomes for children

An interesting, well-equipped, and welcoming environment promotes and supports a positive attitude to children's learning, social, physical and economic well-being overall. Activities are well planned, based on thorough observations and assessments that are generally well matched to the full range of children's needs. Interactions between adults and children are good. Small group activities are used well to help children to get to know each other, learn to share and take turns. Children show lots of enthusiasm for learning, are engaged and take responsibility for choosing what they do. Children demonstrate a willingness to keep themselves and others safe through good behaviour and are able to share concerns with adults at the setting. Staff are good role models and build on children's confidence and self-esteem. They listen to the children, using polite language, responding well to children's interests, requests and making the children their priority.

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and outcomes for children

Children have enough space to play and opportunities to be outdoors with freedom to explore and be physically active. They collect leaves and twigs from the garden to make a nest for the baby owl that needs to be cared for whilst its parents are away. This is used to help children to settle in their new environment. They go on listening walks focusing on letters and sounds and treasure hunts for numbers. Children enjoy doing the 'Five a day' dance routine indoors. This encourages children to develop a positive attitude to exercise. Parents state that they have noticed their children practising the routine in front of the mirror at home. Children enjoy healthy snacks of fresh fruits, salads and vegetables with milk or water which contributes to a healthy lifestyle. However, fresh drinking water is not readily available for children to help themselves or encourage them to think about their personal needs. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene and

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and outcomes for children

self-care skills through effective routines.

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and outcomes for children

Good systems are in place to extend and develop children's communication, language and literacy skills in their play. Staff use effective explanation and questioning techniques appropriate to the child's level of understanding. They use pictures of common word objects and sound letters. They talk through the motions that children use when playing with small world toys or during role play. This helps children to develop language for communication and thinking skills. Children extend their vocabulary through singing familiar songs. They select and name musical instruments from a treasure pool, matching these to picture silhouettes. They are able to follow simple instructions such as, playing the musical This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 instruments loudly or softly. They have to listen very carefully because they will suddenly stop and then start again. There are plenty of opportunities for children

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and outcomes for children

to practise their pre-writing skills. For example, making marks in foam and sand. Children enjoy using the interactive wipe board to draw pictures and make marks independently or working alongside their friends. They select different colours by pressing the appropriate colour button. Staff are nearby to support those that need help and name the different colours. Children understand that print carries meaning; many are able to recognise their names during the self-registration system. For example, each child has a wizard hat with their name which is placed on their photo. Children use a range of small equipment with increasing control as they select tools for specific tasks such as drawing, writing or cutting. Children participate in a range of activities where they can sort objects into different sizes, make patterns and problem solve. 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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