Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery

Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 507915 Inspection date 19/01/2012 Inspector Julie Sackett

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Setting address Willingdon Primary School, Rapsons Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 9RJ Telephone number 07703 716 874 or 01323 489 264 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.

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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

Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery was registered in 1971. It operates from a purpose built unit in the grounds of Willingdon Primary School in Willingdon, Eastbourne. A maximum of 28 children between the ages of two and eight may attend at any one time. Children come from a wide catchment area. The group opens five days a week during school term time. Opening times are from 7.30am until 5.30pm. The setting also operates a breakfast club and an after school club for both pre-school and primary school children. The breakfast club runs from 7.30am to 8.45am and the after school club runs from 3pm to 5.30pm. The children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 76 children from two to under eight years on roll, of which 76 are early years. Of these, 56 children receive funding for nursery education. There were 20 children present at the time of the inspection, all within the early years age range. The

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Description of the setting

group supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The setting employs five members of staff. The supervisor has attained National Vocational Qualification at Level 4 (NVQ at L4) and four members of staff have attained NVQ at L3. The club is on the Early Years register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare register.

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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 overall quality of the provision is good. Adults know and respect the children as individuals so that children feel valued, secure and make good progress. Stimulating and interesting activities are planned with care so that children thoroughly enjoy their time in the pre-school. That said, sometimes opportunities are missed to provide opportunities for children to pursue personal preferences and make independent choices. Adults regularly reflect on the effectiveness of their practice and are committed to ongoing improvements. This, combined with good self evaluation procedures, demonstrates the pre-school's good capacity to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend opportunities for children to develop independence skills by providing more opportunities for them to make active choices and develop personal preferences. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is given a high priority and safeguarding arrangements, including staff vetting and suitability checks, are fully in place so that children are safe. Training is given a high priority so that adults have a good knowledge of how to care for the children and keep them secure. Policies and records meet requirements and are used very effectively to ensure that children are safe and to promote their welfare. For example, children are welcomed individually when they arrive and adults are diligent in ensuring that parents and carers have signed their child in, and out again, at the beginning and end of each session. Adults work well as a team and there is a shared commitment to ensuring that the children enjoy their time in the pre-school. Adults value children's contributions and actively listen to what the children have to say. Relationships between adults and the children are positive and caring and all children are treated with respect, regardless of their

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the early years provision

background or ability. This means that all children are included very well and make good progress in their learning and development. Adults make regular observations of the children which are used to monitor children's progress, identify the next steps in their learning and plan future activities. The pre-school provides a good range of stimulating activities and resources which are enjoyed by the children, including a secure outdoor area. Themes such as 'Chinese New Year' and the weekly Spanish sessions mean that children are successfully encouraged to value and respect different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. The pre-school liaises effectively with parents and carers so that they know how well their children are progressing and how they can help them at home. For example, questionnaires recently distributed by the pre-school, along with comments made by parents and carers during the inspection, indicated that the introduction of the record of

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the early years provision

learning in children's 'Learning Journeys' has been well received and that parents and carers have confidence in the pre-school. Partnerships with the local primary school and other agencies, including other settings attended by the children, are strong and contribute well to the consistency of care and to the good progress children make in their learning and development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those for whom English is a second language. Self-evaluation procedures are effective in securing improvement. A comprehensive self evaluation document has been created which accurately identifies the strengths and development needs of the pre-school. The key issues identified at the time of the last inspection have been addressed in full. For example, procedures for recording staff suitability and vetting checks have been updated so that they are accessible and assessments of the children's progress are

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the early years provision

regularly completed, including the identification of the 'next steps' in their learning, and shared with parents and carers.

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and outcomes for children

Adults have created a secure, welcoming and attractive environment so that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children quickly settle on arrival. Displays are colourful and stimulating and include examples of the children's work, so that they develop confidence and a sense of belonging. Most of the time there is an appropriate balance between those activities which are led by adults and those which arise from the children's own interests, so that children make good progress in the development of independence and confidence. However sometimes opportunities are missed for children to make choices and to develop their own personal preferences.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very successfully encouraged to develop positive attitudes to reading and an enjoyment of books. For instance, during the inspection, children enjoyed looking at the good quality books available and chatting to their friends about the stories and the pictures. Other activities, such as story time, are used well to help the children to make good progress in the development of communication, language and literacy skills. For example, children listened attentively to a lively audio version of 'Handa's Surprise' which was accompanied by an adult helping the children to follow the story in the book, whilst another used finger puppets and toy fruits to enact the story as it unfolded. Activities such as these make a good contribution to the skills the children will need in their future education. The pre-school's commitment to the ongoing professional development of its staff is reflected in their good knowledge of the learning, development and welfare

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and outcomes for children

requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Assessments are regularly carried out by each child's key person and these are used to plan subsequent activities and learning which build on children's knowledge and experience and contribute to the good rates of progress made from their starting points. Adults provide positive role models and expectations are clear, so that children treat each other with respect and behave very well. Children enjoy opportunities to play and learn with their friends and participate enthusiastically in the activities available. For example, children relished the challenge of cutting up fruits, with adult supervision, to make a fruit salad, based on some of the fruits mentioned in 'Handa's Surprise'. They demonstrated good understanding of how to keep themselves safe by being sensible and taking care when using a knife. Effective adult questioning enabled children to make good progress in their learning by

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and outcomes for children

encouraging them to name the fruits and by talking about which they liked to eat. During snack time most of the children enthusiastically ate the fruit salad, with comments such as 'yum, yum, that was scrummy!' demonstrating the success of such experiences in supporting the development of healthy lifestyles. Adults regularly remind children of the importance of hygiene habits, such as washing their hands before helping to prepare the fruit, so that children have a good awareness of what they need to do to keep safe and healthy. Children are keen to help and make a positive contribution to the setting, for example by helping to clear up when it's time for lunch. 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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