Greenway Kindergarten, Ashton Branch

Greenway Kindergarten Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY430468 Inspection date 09/01/2012 Inspector Natasha Parsons

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Setting address Ashton Playing Fields, 598 Chigwell Road, WOODFORD GREEN, Essex, IG8 8AA Telephone number 0208 505 6987 Email greenway@talktalk.net 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

Greenway Kindergarten was founded in 1951 and taken over by new ownership in 2010, and then changed in 2011 to a limited company. It is one of two centres running under the limited company. It operates from two buildings within Ashton Playing Fields, Woodford Bridge, in the London borough of Redbridge. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. It is open each weekday from 9.15am to 12.45pm, with an additional one and a half hours, from 12.45pm to 2:15pm, for lunchtime club for 38 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 40 children may attend the annexe building at any one time, and a maximum of 75 children can attend the Ashton building. There are currently 88 children aged from two to under five years on roll, and of these, 33 are under three years. 50 children are in receipt of funding. There are 27 members of staff, 19 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least NVQ Level 2. There are also additional teachers for music, French and ballet. The setting receives support from the Local Authority Early Years Partnership and has completed the Quilt Quality Assurance Scheme.

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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 are happy, settled and enjoy their time within the setting. They benefit from the broad variety of play and learning experiences and are making very good progress in their learning. While planning, observation and assessment are firmly established. The topics covered are short-term and prevent in-depth exploration of the themes covered. Outside play experiences continue to be developed, however access to outside play is adult-led, and prevents children from making independent choices about when to engage in this type of play. Inclusive practice is well promoted to meet children's individual needs. Positive and enabling partnerships are established with parents and others to support continuity of care and children's transition into school. All documentation and procedures are well established to promote children's welfare. A strong commitment to ongoing training and self- evaluation promotes a good level of improvement and ongoing development.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the topics used and the length of time offered to enable children to fully explore the themes covered  provide children with opportunities to decide when they participate in outdoor play. 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 robust recruitment procedures in place to check the suitability of all adults including volunteers working with children. Staff members have a good understanding of what to do if they are concerned about the welfare of a child. They are further supported by staff members who take lead roles for safeguarding and the comprehensive safeguarding policy which was updated following safeguarding training.

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the early years provision

Effective partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals, and a friendly enabling environment, help to ensure that children feel safe and able to participate fully in kindergarten life. Effective precautions are in place to prevent children leaving the premises unsupervised and intruders are prevented from entering through robust checking of visitors.

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the early years provision

Staff members have positive relationships with parents which help to ensure each child's needs are well met. There are clear channels of communication, both verbally and in writing. Additionally, individual child development meetings keep parents well informed of their children's well-being, learning and development. Parents are welcomed to help within the setting and to share their individual skills. Parents make positive comments about their reasons for selecting the kindergarten, the effective progress made by children and how this prepares them for the transition into school. The kindergarten demonstrates an understanding of the importance of developing wider partnerships. It has begun to work closely with some of the local primary and prep schools to support children's smooth transition. Currently, none of the children on roll attend other settings delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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the early years provision

This inclusive service values all children as individuals. The kindergarten is improving outcomes for children and is taking effective action through evaluation of observations to identify any gaps in attainment. Staff members are effective in helping children to understand the society they live in. Staff members are representative of the community served and support children with the range of community languages spoken.

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the early years provision

The staff plan and present the kindergarten as an appealing and interesting environment to support all aspects of children's learning. It has a very good range of resources placed at low level to encourage the children to make independent choices. Children are closely supervised and staff deployment is good in the different areas of the setting used, such as the garden and main hall. This keeps children safe.

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the early years provision

The kindergarten has good self-evaluation measures in place for identifying its strengths and areas for improvement. The staff are responsive in monitoring and evaluating responses from parents and children, and have been successful in making and supporting improvements. They are well organised, motivated and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 committed and have a clear understanding of their duties and individual roles.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in all areas of learning and development in relation to their starting points. Staff members are knowledgeable about individual children's learning and provide a balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences. As a result, children clearly enjoy their learning at the kindergarten. The children's next steps are clearly identified and these are used in the planning. Planning is undertaken for each base room, the main hall which is used for free play and the garden. Themes are incorporated into planning and include all areas of learning. However, these are changed frequently during the week and prevent children fully exploring the topic being covered. Effective review of observations ensures these are meaningful and informs future practice and thus, improves outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children's future skills are promoted as they intently listen to stories and learn that print carries meaning. They enthusiastically enjoy deciding what they would like to add to the giants cooking pot and following the text as the story concludes. Children develop numeracy skills when they accurately count the candles on the individual cakes, and develop problem solving skills when they decide what pieces are needed to complete their fuzzy felt pictures.

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and outcomes for children

Generally, children's good health is promoted through regular daily physical exercise. They eagerly use the hockey sticks, and soft foam shapes in the outside play area, and go for nature walks in the local area. However, children can only use the outside area at programmed times during the session and this reduces their individual needs to engage in physical activity and make independent choices. The kindergarten is committed to further develop outdoor play experiences to reflect training undertaken. Children show a good awareness about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. They know they need to wash germs off their hands before they eat. Children are provided with healthy options for snacks including a choice of fruit. Children are generally settled, and are well supported with the transition between base rooms as they progress through the kindergarten. This ensures they feel safe and happy within the setting.

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and outcomes for children

All children are welcomed and valued. Children enjoy using puzzles, dolls, dressing up clothes and musical instruments which promote their understanding of the diverse society in which they live. Children learn about staying safe through ongoing discussion, and are aware of the rules of the setting which further helps to keep them and others safe. Children are well behaved, take initiative, and work well on their own and with their peers. They share toys as they play with the building tools as they repair the metal guard, using both the saw and hammer. They actively help in the packing away of equipment fostering feelings of cooperation and belonging. Staff members actively praise children for their contribution and efforts, resulting in positive verbal responses from children for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 instance, 'you are welcome'. 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 3 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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