Bank Hall Kindergarten

Bank Hall Kindergarten Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 309225 Inspection date 17/04/2012 Inspector Neil Butler

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Setting address Bank Hall Drive, Bretherton, Leyland, Lancashire, PR26 9AT

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Telephone number 01772 601 346 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 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

Bank Hall Kindergarten is privately owned and has been operating since January 1991. The Kindergarten operates from a detached house and a single-storey building directly opposite. The facility is located in the heart of Bank Hall Estate in Bretherton, midway between Southport and Preston.

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Description of the setting

The opening hours are between 7.45am and 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children may attend on a full or part-time basis.

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Description of the setting

The kindergarten operates between four main rooms: Baby Bluebells (aged up to two years) is situated on the first floor, Little Lilies (ages two to three years) is located on the ground floor along with Pre-School Poppies (accommodating children from age three years). Pre-School Daisies also accommodating the over three-year-olds is located in the annexe building opposite the main building. There are two large outdoor areas which are provided for daily outdoor play. The kindergarten is registered for 59 children and currently has 89 children on roll.

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Description of the setting

Bank Hall Kindergarten currently employs 18 staff, of whom one is qualified to level 6 and four qualified to level 4; one of whom is working towards the Early Years Professional Status, and there are 10 staff members who hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 3. There are three support staff; a cook, an assistant cook and a part-time cleaner. The setting currently supports children with additional needs and is registered on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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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 develop a sense of confidence in this warm and caring setting. Excellent partnerships with parents are a key strength in ensuring the needs of all children are met, including those with additional needs. Overall, children are making good progress in almost all areas of their development and most docuementation is in place. Staff have a very good knowledge of each child's individual needs and understand how young children learn and progress enabling children to make the most of an exceptionally well-planned indoor and outdoor environment. A well- established culture of reflective practice enables priorities for development to be identified and the capacity for continuous improvement to be maintained. Overall, children are safe and feel secure in the nursery.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure that permission for administering emergency 27/04/2012 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 medical treatment is requested from all parents (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare).

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further?

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

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further?

 consider ways to promote independence and self-help skills for younger children, particularly at meal and snack times.

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the early years provision

Children are well safeguarded in the setting because the staff are knowledgeable about local safeguarding policies and have effective procedures in place to manage any concerns they may have about children in their care. Staff are also appropriately vetted and checked and safe to work with young children. This means that children feel safe in their environment and can confidently interact and build trusting relationships with their key person and other staff. Permission for emergency medical treatment had not been requested for all children on the day of inspection and this is a breach of the specific legal requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Effective use of both annual risk assessments and daily checklists ensure that both indoor and outdoor environments are safe and well maintained. This means that children can confidently access the rich range of learning opportunities on offer particularly in the large and exceptionally well-

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the early years provision

equipped outdoor area. Here children are free to develop not only physical skills such as running, jumping, balancing and digging but can also find places to read, mark-make and spend time with friends.

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the early years provision

Staff are very knowledgeable about the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this exceptionally well to support children in their learning, knowing when to intervene and when to allow children to make their own decisions, take risks safely and thus extend their own learning. The environment is exceptionally well organised and fully accessible to the children. For example, children under two years have continuous access to sand and water and are encouraged to explore combining the two. This means they are able to learn about concepts such as wet or dry, full or empty and enjoy different textures meaning that they are developing the skills of becoming active learners allowing them to thrive and make good progress in their development.

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the early years provision

The manager is very aware of the strengths and weaknesses in the setting and involves all staff in self-evaluation and continually looks for ways to improve the provision for the children and to this end sets appropriate targets. Previous actions and recommendations have been dealt with promptly and effectively. For example, a safe and effective procedure for crossing the private road between the pre- school annexe and main building is now firmly in place. All staff form close and exceptionally effective working relationships with parents and carers. Useful information about each child's home environment, likes, dislikes and interests are obtained in a variety of ways, such as discussion, home activity packs, and by the use of 'Fun with my Family' sheets. These sheets invite parents to describe and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 provide pictures of activities that the whole family has enjoyed, these are then

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the early years provision

discussed at nursery and used to inform planning. Parents are also invited in to nursery activities such as cooking and sports day. This all means that parents' wishes and children's individual needs are effectively met. The staff and parents share important information about their child's starting points and progress. This means that parents can become involved in their child's learning and each child is well supported in making good progress towards the early learning goals. Effective relationships with other professionals involved with the children, such as local speech and language teams are in place and contribute well to supporting children's welfare and learning. Staff offer sensitive support to children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They readily adapt activities to ensure that all children can access them. An effective equal opportunities policy is regularly reviewed and supports the staff well. This means that the individual

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the early years provision

needs of all children are met and all children are included fully in the life of the setting.

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and outcomes for children

The children feel safe and secure at the setting because they have good relationships with the staff. For example, children are taught how to be safe by staff giving gentle prompts of not to run inside the setting and walk slowly when using the steps. Good quality interactions and well-organised routines help babies and very young children to become secure and confident in the setting. All adults are extremely well deployed to support each child's learning and welfare particularly when accessing the very large outdoor area. They are skilled at promoting highly positive attitudes to learning, instilling a keenness to learn in children. They recognise when to involve themselves in children's play to extend thinking or play ideas or when to leave children playing independently. For example, when outside, children access a path of tree stumps which challenges them to assess whether they can step safely from one to the other. This allows

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and outcomes for children

children to make their own decisions and take risks safely. The children's behaviour is exemplary and they begin to show an awareness of responsibility within the setting. For example, they take turns and cooperate with each other when using the bikes outside or wanting to play on the computer.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a respect for themselves and others and are learning about other cultures and beliefs. This is because the staff provide a wide range of activities and experiences, which help them to value diversity including inviting a parent from an Indian family in to nursery to show the children how to bake a traditional food. Staff know the children well and they have a good understanding of their abilities. This means they effectively challenge and support children's ongoing progression. However, younger children have fewer opportunities to become more independent and make choices for themselves at meal times. Staff make good use of observation, assessment and planning to ensure they provide a good range of activities across all areas of learning to meet individual children's needs. They actively involve parents in this process and invite them to comment on the observations made and what they mean for the child. Children have good

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and outcomes for children

opportunities to develop their language skills, because staff are skilful at engaging This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the children in singing songs and using books and physical games to enhance this experience. Children also have many opportunities for mark making both indoors and out for example, they experiment with different tools in the sand and are encouraged to draw the trees and animals they see outside. Children learn to adopt healthy habits, engage in lots of physical activity and understand why their well-established hygiene routines help to keep them healthy. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

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