Bloxham Pre-School

Bloxham Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number 133607 Inspection date 09/02/2012 Inspector Fiona Robinson

p.1

Setting address Bloxham C of E School, Tadmarton Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX15 4HP Telephone number 01295 722959 ask for Debbie Davies 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.

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Bloxham Pre-school was registered in 1992. It operates from a purpose built building within the grounds of Bloxham CofE Primary School, Bloxham, Banbury, in Oxfordshire. There is ramped disability access to the building. Children have access to a large activity room, toilets and a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. They also have use of the school hall and outdoor environment. The pre-school provides support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school may care for no more than 40 children from two years to under eight years of age at any one time. There are currently 59 children on roll, of whom 58 receive funding and all are under five years of age. It is open each weekday from 08:50am to 11.50am and from 12pm to 3pm, during term

p.4

Description of the setting

time. There is a lunch club which runs from 11.50am to 12.45pm. Children come from Bloxham, Banbury and surrounding villages and attend for a variety of the sessions on offer. There are nine members of staff who work with the children. Of these, four hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 3; one holds a NVQ at level 2 and one is working towards a NVQ at level 3. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are very well behaved and achieve well, because they are fully included in a wide range of activities. Staff take into account their individual needs and interests and children respond well to the care and support they are given. There are excellent partnerships with parents and carers, the host school and outside agencies and information is shared very effectively. As a result of good self- evaluation, the manager and staff have an accurate awareness of the pre-school's strengths and areas for improvement, for example the need to develop the range and use of information and communication technology. This demonstrates the setting's good capacity to improve in the future.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 develop the range and use of information and communication technology to support children's learning and development  develop problem solving and investigatory skills in the outdoor environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.4

the early years provision

Staff keep children safe and promote their welfare extremely well, because they have an excellent knowledge of safeguarding and child protection procedures. Comprehensive policies and procedures are fully implemented to ensure children's safety. Risk assessments are very thorough and carried out regularly to minimise danger. Fire evacuation procedures are practised regularly to familiarise staff and children with the routine. There are robust staff recruitment and vetting procedures in place to ensure the suitability of adults working with or having contact with the children. Staff are deployed very effectively in the indoor and outdoor environments. There are rigorous systems for parents and carers to follow when collecting their children. Children have access to good resources and well- maintained equipment, which are used effectively to promote learning. The pre- school is well-led and managed. The manager and staff have good ambition and

p.5

the early years provision

drive, and take the views of parents and carers and children into consideration when identifying priorities for improvement. Good progress has been made in addressing the recommendations of the previous inspection. Staff rigorously monitor the children's progress and realistic and challenging targets are set for future learning experiences. They meet together regularly to discuss planning and assessment and good self-evaluation systems ensure that improvements have a positive impact on the children's experiences. Staff make imaginative and effective use of a good range of resources to meet most of the needs of the children. They clearly identify what works well and outline areas for improvement, such as continuing to refine the systems for analysing the children's progress. The layout and organisation of the outdoor area has been developed, however, planning shows that opportunities for children to explore and investigate their wider outdoor

p.5

the early years provision

environment are not fully developed. Resources such as the digital camera are more limited, which impacts on the development of children's skills to use technology to record and share their experiences. Staff promote equality and diversity to an outstanding level. They ensure all children are fully integrated into activities, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. Children develop an excellent understanding of other lifestyles, customs and food, such as India and the Diwali celebrations. Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. They say that staff are very caring and keep them well-informed of their children's achievement and progress. Parents and carers receive comprehensive information through informal discussions, newsletters, the parents' notice board and website. They value opportunities to view the children's individual 'learning journeys', both

p.5

the early years provision

informally and at parent and carer consultation meetings. Parents and carers are very supportive of fundraising activities and special events, such as the Easter Egg Hunt, Christmas Nativity, Sports Day and the Teddy Bears' Picnic. The relationship with the host school is outstanding because information is shared extremely effectively and staff ensure that all children transfer very smoothly into full-time education. There are excellent links with outside agencies and the community and children are supported well in their learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.5

and outcomes for children

Children benefit from well-planned activities and achieve well. Staff value their interests and ideas and include these in topics and activities. Themes such as Ourselves, Journeys and Stories and Celebrations enhance the children's experiences. Staff make effective use of assessment to plan the children's next steps in learning; as a result children achieve well. Children make an extremely positive contribution to the smooth running of the setting. They behave extremely well because staff are excellent role models with a consistent approach to managing behaviour. Children are kind, thoughtful and considerate of one another and share their resources sensibly. Children learn to care for their environment and are made aware of issues, such as recycling. Staff praise their individual achievements and efforts and children respect the rules and boundaries which they helped to compile. Coverage of festivals such as Diwali, Christmas, Australia Day

p.6

and outcomes for children

and the Chinese New Year enrich children's experiences and give them an excellent appreciation of other cultures, religions and backgrounds. For example, staff talk to the children about customs, dress and food as part of their Chinese New Year celebrations and they enjoy role play in their Chinese restaurant. Children develop a good understanding of keeping themselves healthy. They learn to make healthy choices at snack time and eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables. Their physical skills develop well as they walk along balance trails, climb apparatus and ride pedalled vehicles. These activities develop the children's self-esteem, motivation and confidence. Children have an excellent understanding of keeping themselves and others safe and feel very secure in their environment. They use equipment extremely safely as they make fruit salads, fruit kebabs and pizzas with healthy toppings. Children benefit from talks on safety from the police

p.6

and outcomes for children

and fire services and know they must consider their own safety when crossing the road. Children are keen to participate in a wide range of interesting activities and achieve well. Their creative skills are developed well as they design and make boomerangs and colourful collages of rainbow fish as part of their Australia Day celebrations. They listen attentively to the story of 'The Gingerbread Man' and enjoy re-telling it through role play. Most can count up to twenty and beyond and they enjoy practising their counting through singing songs, such as 'Five Little Ducks'. They are keen to build dens and go for walks around the village. Their communication, language and literacy skills are developed well through their work on sounds and letters and they are skilful at completing simple programs on the computer. Children enjoy dressing up for role play in the travel agents and planning their journeys. Most can write their own names and they carefully

p.6

and outcomes for children

complete their self-portraits in their passports. They benefit from talks from visitors on the role of the pilot and cabin staff and special trips to a dinosaur museum and country park. Children enjoy coming to the pre-school, achieve well in all areas of learning, and therefore are prepared well for future learning experiences. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.7

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

p.7

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.7

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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

p.7

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

p.7

Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

p.7

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

p.7

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.8