William Cowper Preschool

William Cowper Pre School Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 254350 Inspection date 07/12/2011 Inspector Debbie Kerry

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Setting address William Cowper Close, Toftwood, DEREHAM, Norfolk, NR19 1LT Telephone number 07714 614404 Email alison.abbott@williamcowpernursery.co.uk 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

William Cowper Pre School Nursery opened in 1984 and is managed by a voluntary management committee. It operates from mobile premises on a self-contained site within the grounds of Toftwood Infants School and has strong links with the school. The pre-school is situated in the village of Toftwood on the outskirts of East Dereham, Norfolk. Children have access to a fully enclosed outdoor play area. The premises is accessed via several steps.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 16 children may attend the setting at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday morning from 8.50am until 11.50am and have afternoon sessions if there are sufficient children from 1.30pm until 3pm, during term time. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 17 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre- school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. Children attend from the local area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs five members of staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications and the manager is working towards a foundation degree. 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's welfare, learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage is effectively supported by the staff. Children's individual needs are fully understood and through regular observations their interests and the next steps in their learning is clearly identified and included in the plans each week. The setting has good relationships with the majority of parents and seeks support and advice from other professionals to ensure that children's individual needs can be fully understood and supported. The pre-school has undertaken an evaluation of their good practice and has put a clear action plan in place to monitor their improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop partnership working further to provide opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

There are clear procedures in place for staff to follow regarding safeguarding children to ensure that their welfare is effectively promoted. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities as they have all attended training on safeguarding children to ensure that maintaining children's welfare is a high priority. Risk assessments are completed on all areas to ensure that they are safe for children to access. The pre-school has the equipment in place to promote children's safety and protect them from potential dangers. Procedures for emergency evacuation are displayed, practised regularly and recorded ensuring that children's safety is effectively promoted and helps children to develop a good understanding of maintaining their own safety.

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the early years provision

There is a range of policies and procedures in place to support the pre-school's good practice and are shared with parents. Through the website, notice board and regular newsletters, parents are kept fully informed about activities and about their child's early education at the pre-school. Parents are kept fully informed and involved in their child's progress, as they can discuss their child's records with staff at anytime. Each term the pre-school has a coffee afternoon where parent's are invited in to discuss their children's progress with their key person. Some add comments and pictures to their learning story record, however, not all parents take this opportunity to be involved in their child's learning. Children also have a home school diary that is shared with parents to exchange information on their care needs. Children are taken over on a regular basis to the primary school in the term preceding their start in full-time education. This ensures that children are fully

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the early years provision

supported and are familiar with their surroundings when they transfer. Parents are invited to join the committee to help support the pre-school with fundraising and developing practice. Staff have established relationships with staff at other settings delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage that the children attend. Information on children's learning and development is exchanged through the use of a contact book to ensure children's needs are fully supported for the continuity of their care.

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the early years provision

The pre-school have evaluated their practice and have developed an action plan with areas for development clearly set out. They have made improvements to the outside area and there is now a covered area, which enables children to access outside play in all weathers and supports children's learning and development. Staff are fully supported in their ongoing training by the manager to extend their knowledge and ensure outcomes for children remain positive. Staff meet every two weeks to discuss practice and plan for children's learning. There are regular committee meetings to discuss areas for development and demonstrates their commitment in ensuring continuous improvement is maintained. The staff have plans to develop the outside play area further and provide children with more natural resources to help them learn about the environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted as they each bring in a range of fresh fruit at snack time that meets their individual dietary needs. The pre-school encourages parents to provide healthy options for snacks to help develop children's understanding on healthy eating. They are encouraged to pour their own drinks and have developed a good understanding of why they need to wash their hands before eating or after using the toilet. Children have regular access to the outside play area where they can choose from a wide range of additional equipment to promote their physical development well. Their all round learning is supported outside as there are resources and equipment provided. All accidents and medication records are kept up to date and include parent's signatures to ensure they are kept fully informed on any concerns regarding their child's health.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a range of resources and activities to fully promote their learning and development. Resources are set out within their reach and they are confident to ask staff for additional resources that meet their interests. This supports children in making choices on resources to meet their individual learning needs. Staff are fully involved with the children, which ensures that they can get the best from the activities provided and make good progress. Children are encouraged to help at tidy up time. This helps them to learn about being responsible and caring for resources and their environment. Children are learning to share and take turns with resources and activities. They play games together and patiently wait for their turn to throw the dice. Children communicate well with each other and through effective questioning by staff, they are developing their thinking skills. Children enjoy looking at books and staff read stories to them.

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and outcomes for children

Children handle them carefully and know that words are meaningful. Children are provided with resources that show positive images of the wider world. They participate in activities based on the beliefs of others through celebrating different cultural festivals during the year. The garden includes raised beds for the children to dig and plant bulbs, seeds and vegetables. This helps develop children's knowledge on their environment and allows them to care for and taste a variety of different foods to promote their health.

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and outcomes for children

Staff work well together and plan a range of activities around children's interests to support their progress. They undertake regular observations on children to identify their interests and the next step in their learning is identified and included in the weekly plans. The planning includes a mix of adult and child-initiated activities to support children's individual interests and learning. Children's records show what they can do, have achieved and are clearly linked to the six areas of learning and reflect that children are making good progress in their development. Plans also include resources and activities to support their ongoing learning. 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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