St Gabriels Catholic Pre-school

St Gabriels Catholic Pre-school Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 305319 Inspection date 26/03/2012 Inspector Julie Kelly

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Setting address St. Gabriels RC CP School, Well Lane, Alsager, Stoke-on- Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 2PG Telephone number 01270 875770 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

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

St. Gabriel's Catholic Preschool is owned by St Gabriel's Church and run by a management committee. It was registered in 1979 and operates from a purpose built unit within St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School in Alsager, Cheshire. There is a secure, separate access to the building from the main school. An enclosed area is available for outdoor play. A maximum of 25 children, aged from two to five years, may attend at any one time. The setting currently cares for children aged from three to four years of age. Children attend for various sessions and generally reside in the local area. The setting is open five days a week during term time Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8.45am until 12.45pm and on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8.45am until 2.45pm. There are currently 30 children attending who are within the early years age group and of these 28 are in receipt of funding for early years education. The setting is

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Description of the setting

registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register. There are four members of staff, including the manager and deputy who work directly with the children. The manager holds a Foundation Degree in Early Years and is currently working towards Early Years Professional Status. Another member of staff holds Qualified Teacher Status, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 3 in Childcare Learning and Development and one member of staff is unqualified.

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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 thoroughly enjoy the time that they spend in this warm, friendly and inclusive setting. Staff are well qualified and have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, individual needs are well met. Children have independent access to a broad range of resources and activities which cover most areas of their learning. Partnership working and procedures to safeguard children are outstanding features of this setting. Staff effectively monitor their practice ensuring that the capacity for continuous improvement is good.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further resources for children to gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of other people  involve children in learning which takes them into the local community. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are exceptionally well protected through highly effective safeguarding procedures and staff's excellent understanding of child protection issues. Exemplary recruitment and induction procedures are in place and implemented extremely well to protect children. This ensures that all staff are checked with regard to their experience, qualifications and suitability to care for children. Children's safety and welfare is significantly enhanced through extensive safety measures being implemented and extremely detailed risk assessments taking place to minimise hazards to children. All aspects of documentation are in place and of a very high standard. Children are well supervised and an effective key person system is in place.

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the early years provision

Staff are enthusiastic and motivated to continual improvement, successfully identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. The views of parents, carers, children and other professionals are highly valued and are successfully incorporated into the self-evaluation process. Staff are committed to their continual professional development and consistently access a wide variety of training. The knowledge gained is implemented effectively into their practice. All recommendations from the last inspection have been positively met which has a favourable impact on children's overall well being.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is well promoted. Languages from around the world are used and displayed around the setting, helping children to appreciate linguistic diversity. The differing learning styles of girls and boys are recognised both in the provision of resources and organisation of the environment. Children enjoy celebrating a wide range of cultural festivals such as Chinese New Year and Shrove Tuesday. However, readily available resources to help children gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others are less well developed.

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the early years provision

Excellent relationships with parents and carers help promote security and consistency in children's lives. Parents and carers take an active part in the day- to-day running of the setting and in key decision making. An innovative system of the 'book lending' and 'borrow a game' scheme is very well established and is extremely effective in developing children's learning at home. Parents and carers comment that this has been 'a most invaluable' service. Relationships with the host school and other providers of the EYFS are similarly excellent.

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and outcomes for children

Activities are well planned and reflect the interests of the children. For example, many activities are based around children's natural curiosity, such as investigating the lifecycle of a frog and learning about how seeds grow. Children's progress is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 monitored and clear systems are in place to track children's progress towards the early learning goals. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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and outcomes for children

The learning environment is carefully planned so that children can choose what they do from an interesting and wide range of resources, such as the well-stocked creative area, role play and construction area. Children demonstrate a real joy and enthusiasm and particularly enjoy accessing the areas of well organised continuous provision outdoors. Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend outdoors, laughing with delight as they ride on wheeled toys, participate in large mark making, dig, jump and balance on stilts.

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and outcomes for children

Children are effective communicators. They talk confidently about events that have happened at home. A well stocked book area is available to help promote children's love of reading. Children join in enthusiastically as they recite rhymes and sing number songs. Children's behaviour is good. They are polite and well mannered, and are developing strong, close relationships with children and staff. Mathematical concepts are well incorporated into the daily routine. For example, as they play children count in sequence, problem solve and use mathematical language such as 'full' and 'empty'. Such positive experiences support children in developing skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

A varied range of visitors come to the setting to enhance children's understanding of the world around them. These include fire-fighters, police officers and the naturalist who brings bats for the children to observe. However, opportunities to enhance children's learning which takes them into the local community are less well developed. Using calculators, metal detectors, programmable toys and computers effectively support children's awareness of information and communication technology.

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and outcomes for children

Good regard is given to developing children's awareness of personal hygiene. They clearly understand they must wash their hands before eating and after toileting to prevent the spread of infection. Snacks are delicious, appetising and promote children's good health. Children are developing an exceptional understanding of how to keep themselves safe as they practise the evacuation procedures regularly, participate in related activities and use a wide range of tools and resources safely. 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 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

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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 1 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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