Chalk Village Preschool

Chalk Village Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY348777 Inspection date 12/12/2011 Inspector Linda du Preez

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Setting address Chalk Parish Hall, Chalk Road, Chalk,Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2ND Telephone number 01474 325166 Email chalkpreschool@aol.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

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

Chalk Village Pre-School is committee run and has been operating for over thirty years. It re-registered in the current premises in 2007 and operates from two rooms in a Parish hall. Children have access to an enclosed area for outdoor play. The pre-school is situated in the village of Chalk, Gravesend, Kent. It is registered on the Early Years Register for a total of 30 children, all of whom may be in the early years age range with none under the age of two years. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 12noon and on Wednesdays from 12.30pm to 3pm for children due to start primary school at the next intake. The pre-school is open for 38 weeks of the year. There are currently 40 children aged from two to five years on roll. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The pre-school is funded to provide free early education to children aged two,

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Description of the setting

three and four years. Children mainly come from a local catchment area. The pre- school employs eight staff, seven of whom are qualified to Level 3. The pre-school also employs an administrator. The pre-school is a member of The Pre-School Learning Alliance and receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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 make good progress within the Early Years Foundation Stage in this well resourced and welcoming pre-school. Staff meet children's learning and welfare needs with some minor areas for improvement. The staff team have strong commitment to driving continuous improvement. Children feel safe due to the good systems in place to safeguard their welfare and promote their health. Supportive partnership with parents ensures continuity in children's care and partnerships with other agencies promote positive 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 systems to ensure next steps are incorporated into planning in order to provide personalised learning, development and support for all children  develop systems to share information more effectively with parents to enable parents to contribute to their child's leaning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Access to the premises is through a locked secure door and visitors are required to sign in a book, consequently, vetted people always supervise children. Robust recruitment and induction procedures help to ensure that all staff are suitable to care for children and have appropriate background checks. Effective safeguarding procedures are understood by staff, who receive regular training to enable them to maintain up-to-date knowledge. Risk assessments enable children to be kept safe inside the building and when they go outside to play. Furthermore, regular practice of evacuation procedure on different days enables staff and children have knowledge of how to keep themselves safe in an emergency. The staff team contributes to the overall evaluation of the pre-school. Recent improvements include the development of the outdoor provision and purchasing of technical equipment to enable children to have further high quality learning

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the early years provision

experiences. The pre-school demonstrates a strong capacity to maintain improvement in the future. Children access high quality, stimulating resources, which promote all areas of development effectively. Children have a wide choice of resources to choose from indoors and outdoors, so are in charge of making their own decisions about what to do. The experienced staff team offer children lots of support when needed, but also encourage children to develop their independence; therefore they offer a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated play. Staff effectively promote equality and diversity by displaying positive images of people from different backgrounds around the pre-school and celebrating cultural festivals. For example, they introduce children to different celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Diwali, Christmas and Easter. Children who are learning English as an additional language receive focused support and make good progress in their

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the early years provision

communication skills as a result. Parents participate in sessions; they comment that they find the pre-school very welcoming and supportive. Parents complete questionnaires, which enable the team to incorporate their point of view into future planning. However, there is not a system in place encourage parents to contribute to developmental profiles, this is a missed opportunity to share learning priorities. Partnerships with other professionals and agencies are securely in place. The pre- school instigates visits from local primary schools which opens channels of communication and supports continuity for children and their families. Staff are fully aware of how to seek additional support from other agencies to ensure that they are doing all they can to meet children's additional learning and development needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children and parents are warmly welcomed at the pre-school. Children confidently leave their parents and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. The effective key person system enables children to feel safe and secure. Children form strong This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 attachments to staff, which fosters positive relationships. Key persons monitor children's progress and identify next steps in their learning through observations and assessments. However, they do not use this information consistently to plan activities. Staff offer children a lot of praise and recognition for their contribution to activities. Consequently children talk with a great deal of enthusiasm about their activities and show pride in their achievements throughout the day. Staff focus on children's interests and ask open ended questions to support their learning. For example,

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and outcomes for children

they ask children to think about how they can make a large piece of paper fit into a small envelope. Children respond by thinking further and explaining that they will cut and fold the paper to make it fit. Consequently, children develop thinking skills and make connections in their learning. Children have active imaginations, which they demonstrate in the well resourced role play and construction areas. For example, a child creates a space ship out of construction blocks and describes how the space man is looking out over the world. Children make marks enthusiastically, producing recognisable symbols and letters. They are proud of their work which staff display around the setting to place value on their contribution. Children use mathematical thinking throughout their play; they compare the sizes and shapes of equipment and resources. Therefore, children are able to use toys and equipment to develop valuable skills for their

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and outcomes for children

future development Children's well-being and good health is encouraged throughout the pre-school. They wash their hands before eating and after toileting. Staff display bright engaging pictures to reinforce good hygiene practices. Children enjoy eating tasty snacks such as fruit, yoghurt and raisins. They make consistent strides in their physical development as they relish playing in the newly developed outdoor area using high quality equipment to foster their skills in climbing jumping and balancing. Children are developing a sense of safety as staff support them through discussions and clear explanations. Children learn how to use the environment safely by taking safe risks using tools and equipment indoors and outdoors. They enjoy learning to use garden implements to plant seeds and grow flowers. Staff are very good role models to the children and manage behaviour well. They demonstrate clear and consistent boundaries. Consequently, children share and

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and outcomes for children

collaborate with each other, showing that positive relationships exist across the pre-school. 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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