Waverton Pre School

Waverton Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 304995 Inspection date 21/06/2012 Inspector Ron Goldsmith

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Setting address Waverton Primary School, Common Lane, Waverton, Chester, CH3 7QT Telephone number 01244 332579 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

Waverton Pre-School is run by a voluntary management committee. It was registered in 1999 and operates from the scout hut within the grounds of Waverton Primary School. It is situated in the residential area of Waverton in Cheshire. Children access an enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 26 children in the early years age group may attend the setting at any one time, of whom, none may be under two years. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm with the exception of Wednesday, where the setting is open from 9am until 12noon. The setting only operates during term time.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 41 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Of these, 28 are in receipt of funding for early education. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register.

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Description of the setting

There are 11 members of staff, including the manager, who work directly with the children. Of these, one holds a qualification at level 6 in early years, nine hold level 3 and one is currently working towards level 3. The setting is a member of the Pre- School Learning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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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 happily play and learn in a safe and secure environment. They share warm positive relationships with staff and one another and make good progress in their learning and development. Overall, their individual preferences and needs are well-known, respected and fostered effectively by staff. Partnership working with parents, the school, the management committee and external agencies is strong. The manager and staff have a positive attitude towards regularly monitoring their practice through self-evaluation to ensure effective and on-going improvement. All the required records are in place and are monitored. They are effective in practice to ensure the setting responds well to the needs of children.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve access to, resources and activities in the outdoor play area  ensure the first language of children is appropriately valued. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Attention to children's safety is given high priority. The premises are secure and staff are vigilant about monitoring access to the provision. Careful arrangements exist for registering children and handing them over to parents and carers at the end of the sessions. Strong recruitment and vetting procedures for all staff ensure their suitability to work with children. Staff are knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities towards safeguarding children and they update their training in this area. Risk assessments are thorough and they are used well to detect potential hazards to children. Positive steps are taken to ensure identified risks are minimised. Recommendations and actions from the previous inspection have been acted upon positively to improve outcomes for children significantly. Strong and positive relationships between the committee, manager and school, means that the setting are able to drive and secure targets for improvement.

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the early years provision

Children learn effective ways to keep themselves and others safe, for example, they are taught to walk, rather than run indoors and to use climbing equipment safely. Staff work effectively together as a strong team and they contribute their thoughts and ideas towards the process of self-evaluation. The manager is aware of the group's strengths and areas that require further development. There is an effective improvement plan in place to target and monitor areas for development and the progress the group make. There is a wide range of resources, which are easily accessible to children, so that they have lots of choice and can initiate their own play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit greatly from the strong arrangements to support their individual and specific needs. Staff attend relevant training and share what they have learnt with the rest of the team to provide consistent support to all children.

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the early years provision

The key person system is used effectively to ensure that children receive reassurance and support from familiar adults, so that there is good support for all children. Strong links are forged with parents and external agencies, who are welcomed into the setting. Staff exchange information with, for example, speech and language therapists, to ensure firm collaborative working supports the individual needs of the children attending. There are strong transitional arrangements with the local school to ensure that children are well prepared for starting their school life. Parents are highly complementary about the setting, saying that it is 'warm and loving', identifying the progress their children have made, particularly in language skills. Also they say how ready the setting has made their child for school. Parents receive good quality information about the group's operational procedures. They are also given opportunities in questionnaires to

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the early years provision

have input into the setting, which is then acted upon by changes, which staff make in the setting. In addition, newsletters are regularly sent out and valuable information is displayed to update parents about the group's latest news. Before children begin attending the group, parents are asked to provide detailed information, so that staff already have some ideas about the children's interests, abilities and their favourite things. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in a welcoming environment, which enables them to learn through play. Activities are well planned and a variety of developmentally appropriate activities ensure that children participate with enthusiasm and they are purposefully engaged. Staff make good observations of the children's interests and note what they enjoy and the knowledge and skills they have. Staff use this information to identify the children's next steps in learning and provide opportunities to help children progress well. Children learn to make decisions, develop confidence and become independent as staff are effectively deployed to support them. Firm friendships are established as children learn to share, take turns and work co-operatively.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a good understanding of the individual needs of the children and use activities to extend their ability to use language to negotiate and solve problems. Staff are skilled at carefully framing questions to help children consider the resources they want, asking them what they might need to complete a task. At circle time, children are given choices about activities that are available and staff ask if there are other things they would like. This contributes to children's self- esteem because they feel that they are making decisions and planning the activity. Children build their concentration as they persevere with their self-chosen tasks and receive lots of praise and encouragement from staff as they successfully calculate how to build a model from junk materials. Children proudly show their model to staff, asking them to keep it safe because they have further ideas for construction, which they will add later.

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and outcomes for children

Children come into setting excitedly with large smiles on their faces. They use a range of materials, to cut, stick and paint, which helps them to communicate their thoughts ideas and feelings creatively. Children engage in much imaginative play to mimic their observations of the world around them, speaking into mobile telephones and operating programmable toys. They receive good staff support as they happily and independently choose, which play area to utilise, for example, hiding in the tented area of the room.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn the names of colours as they form and happily scribe marks and shapes. They become familiar with numbers and patterns. Children listen well and they speak confidently as they engage both adults and their friends in conversations. Staff support language by linking sounds to letters and naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet. Children participate in singing nursery songs with enthusiasm and gestures. They learn about similarities and differences in society through events and the celebration of different cultures, such as when they enjoy cooking provided by a parent. However, children whose first language is not English do not always have their own language sufficiently valued and presentations about culture and diversity are displayed too highly in the room for children to enjoy. Snack times are used well to promote a good awareness of how to keep safe and healthy. Children happily talk about important events in their

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and outcomes for children

lives, such as recent holidays. They access water from a water fountain during the session and learn about healthy hygiene habits through the routines that they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 follow. Children know when and why they need to wash their hands and do so with little or no prompting. They enjoy energetic exercise in the outdoor environment. However, children's opportunities to do this, is limited by staff and the developmental possibilities of the outdoors is not exploited fully. Children receive good support to value themselves and respect differences and successfully make friends with others. They are cooperative and readily join in with tidying up. They understand concepts of time as they sound a rattle, signifying there is five minutes left for an activity. Staff manage children's behaviour consistently and in a kind and supportive way. If children are distressed, staff comfort them appropriately.

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and outcomes for children

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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