Watlington Preschool

Watlington Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY433017 Inspection date 02/02/2012 Inspector Emma Bright

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Setting address Watlington Cp School, Rectory Lane, Watlington, KING'S LYNN, Norfolk, PE33 0HU Telephone number 01553 811035 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Watlington Pre-school opened in 2011 as a re-registration of an existing provision and is run by a voluntary management committee made up of parents whose children attend the pre-school. It operates from a purpose-built mobile building in the grounds of Watlington Primary School in Watlington, Norfolk. The pre-school is open from 8.30am to 3pm five days a week in school term times. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 20 children may attend the pre-school at any one time and there are currently 35 children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school supports a small number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs six members of staff; all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 cared for in a safe, welcoming and child-friendly environment where they are encouraged to play an active role in their learning and development. Children enjoy a varied range of activities and experiences which effectively meets their needs and helps them to make good progress. Staff are highly ambitious and work hard to continuously improve in order to enhance outcomes for children. This is supported by very good partnerships, both with parents and in the wider context.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop a rich and varied outdoor environment so that it offers challenging experiences to further support children's learning and development  update the written record for complaints to ensure it is in line with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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the early years provision

Clear records demonstrate the effective systems that are in place for recruitment, and induction procedures for new staff ensure they are suitable to work with children. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children procedures and they attend training to ensure their knowledge is up-to- date. Clear documentation and detailed record keeping promotes the safety and welfare of the children and underpins the good quality care offered. However, the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 complaints record is not completely up-to-date. Clear risk assessments are carried out on a regular basis to ensure that hazards are identified and minimised to safeguard children. Daily checks are carried out and recorded for which all staff are responsible. All these factors contribute to the pre-school staff safeguarding children effectively.

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the early years provision

Systems are in place to effectively monitor and evaluate the provision to identify priorities for improvement; there is a strong emphasis on raising standards and continually improving the provision, and self-evaluation is good. The manager provides strong and effective leadership; staff are enthusiastic and work very well together as a team to drive and secure improvement. This has a positive effect on children's welfare and learning and consequently outcomes for children are good. The early years provision is well organised and staff are effectively deployed so children are safe and supervised at all times. Comprehensive documentation is in place for the safe running of the setting and underpins the good practice; policies and procedures are implemented effectively by all staff and shared with parents.

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the early years provision

Most resources are effectively utilised, however the outdoor area lacks sufficient challenge and interest for children to fully support their learning in a rich environment. Children gain awareness about their own cultures and those of others, and resources are in place that help children learn about the diverse society in which they live. Staff have clear strategies in place to care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents, carers and other agencies to fully support the children's individual needs so that they are included in the life of the setting.

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the early years provision

Staff work well in partnership with other early years providers and share information to promote children's learning, development and welfare. In addition, they have a very good relationship with the primary school and the local children's centre. Staff build good working relationships with parents and carers and clearly understand the benefits of working closely with them. Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress and achievements and they have regular opportunities to share what they know about their child. Parents speak highly of the setting and staff, and the supportive and enjoyable environment their children benefit from. Good settling-in procedures that are based around children's individual needs help to support them in the transition between home and the pre- school.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how young children learn and this enables them to provide activities and practical experiences to support and extend each child's learning and development. Children's interests and stage of development are taken into careful consideration when planning activities to ensure all areas of learning are effectively promoted. Staff record each child's achievements through a balance of photographs, examples of work, information from parents and others and observations. This effective system of record keeping demonstrates that children are making good progress in their learning and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are relaxed and confident in the nurturing care of staff; they are developing good self-esteem because staff are attentive and value their contributions. Children's behaviour is good because staff set clear boundaries and have high expectations for all children. Staff use positive language and actions to reinforce the rules of the pre-school so that children learn to take responsibility for their behaviour. As a result children develop good relationships with one another and work harmoniously together. Children learn about caring for living things as they water the flowers they have planted and feed the pre-school guinea pigs.

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and outcomes for children

Children count with confidence and demonstrate good problem solving skills as they persevere in working out how to open an umbrella and excitedly announce 'Look I made it stay up'. They use colour and shape names in their play and learn about capacity as they pour water from large pots into small pots. All children enjoy looking at books, alone or together, and enthusiastically participate in well- read stories which capture their imagination. Children have opportunities to write for purpose; some write their name on their work and younger children confidently make a mark to indicate own name. They record information as they take down orders on a notepad for food in the Chinese takeaway. Children enjoy using the cameras to take pictures of their work or each other and these photographs are displayed for everyone to enjoy. These simple activities lay firm foundations for children's future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy healthy snacks which are offered on a 'rolling' basis so that they can choose when they want to eat and this allows them to continue their chosen activities. Clear information is gathered about children's dietary requirements and they have independent access to drinks throughout the day. Staff provide opportunities for children to participate in energetic play in the outdoor area where they balance on logs, ride on hobby-horses and enjoy running around in the fresh air. Staff establish a supportive atmosphere where children feel secure and they begin to develop a sense of how to stay safe within the setting. For example, they practise the fire drill so that they know how to evacuate the premises in an emergency. Children also learn to keep themselves safe when away from the setting. For example, they wear high visibility jackets when on outings to ensure they can be clearly seen. 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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