| Needingworth Community Pre-School | |
| Inspection report for early years provision | |
| Unique reference number | 221822 |
| Inspection date | 04/11/2009 |
| Inspector | Edgar Hastings |
| Setting address | Holywell C of E Primary School, Mill Way, Needingworth, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 4TF |
| Telephone number | 01480 464201 |
| Type of setting | Childcare on non-domestic premises |
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The Office for Standards in Education,
Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)
regulates and inspects to achieve
excellence in the care of children and
young people, and in education and
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| © Crown copyright 2009 |
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.
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).
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.
Description of the setting
Needingworth Community Pre-School opened in 1978 and operates from the community room within the school grounds. There is access for adults and children who may have disabilities. It is situated in the village of Holywell cum Needingworth. The pre-school is on the Early Years Register and a maximum of 20 children may attend at any one time. The group is open each weekday, dependent upon demand, from 09.00am to 11.45am and 12.45pm to 3.20pm term-time only. The group offers a lunch club from 11.45am to 12.45pm each day. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 24 children aged from two to under five years of age on roll who attend for a variety of different sessions, and 21 of these children receive funding for free early education. Children mainly come from the local area. The pre-school currently supports children with learning difficulties and / or disabilities, and those learning English as an additional language. The pre-school employs six members of staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications. There are strong links with the host school.
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.
The overall effectiveness of Needingworth Community Pre-school is outstanding. The leadership team are clearly focused on the provision of a high quality, stimulating and enjoyable learning environment that meets the needs of the children exceptionally well. There is a very strong partnership with parents, and the setting works very effectively with the school and other agencies to ensure all children receive very effective and inclusive support. The leadership team have maintained the high quality of provision reported on at the last inspection and demonstrate that they have an outstanding capacity to maintain further improvement.
What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?
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To further improve the high quality
early years provision the registered
person should consider:
encourage children to take greater responsibility in assisting staff in snack preparation. |
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision
The leadership team have demonstrated a very high standard of leadership and management through careful analysis of the pre-school’s needs and the implementation of improvements. This enables the children to access an exciting range of stimulating and imaginative activities that contribute significantly to their all round excellent progress and development. Detailed planning that takes account of the six areas of learning as well as children’s individual interests ensures that they are well motivated and are developing into confident young learners. The manager has developed a strong team, who along with the committee, and taking account of parents’ views, are closely involved in evaluating in detail the provision’s strengths and areas for development very thoroughly. Over the last year they have incorporated the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, by ensuring all staff have received training in the new framework and through extensive revision of their planning and assessments procedures. Regular staff meetings are held to evaluate practice and for further planning to ensure the individual needs of all children are being met effectively through the provision of challenging and interesting activities. The key person organisation enables staff to monitor progress closely and to communicate regularly with parents how well their children are doing. All staff have access to further training to regularly update their skills, especially in first aid, food hygiene, special educational needs, managing behaviour and child protection matters. Annual appraisals ensure that staff maintain high standards and that any training needs are identified and met. Parents are seen as very important partners and their views are closely canvassed through questionnaires, newsletters and discussions. The optional lunch club was implemented following a suggestion from a parent. Home booklets enable parents to record activities and achievements made by children at home, sometimes using photographic evidence, which is then shared with pre-school and included in their assessment information. Parents describe the provision as ‘brilliant’ because of the good level of care provided and because their children enjoy attending so much. Parents are particularly pleased with the excellent transitional arrangements made with the school which allows many visits for children to get to know the staff and other children through joining in a range of activities like plays, assemblies, and story time. Parents are encouraged to spend time with their children especially during the early induction period, and voluntary parental help is welcomed and encouraged. One parent was supporting the morning session at the time of the inspection. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from the very well established links with local agencies. The manager attends area cluster group meetings with the area special needs co-ordinator, as well as training to support her role in the pre-school. Children learning English as an additional language are fully included and benefit from excellent support, reflecting the high expectations set by the staff and their exceptional commitment to inclusion, equality and diversity. A very safe and secure environment is provided for children with well known procedures that ensure all are kept safe indoors and out. Regular risk assessments ensure resources and equipment are safe for use. There are clear policies and procedures that safeguard the welfare of children, and these are regularly reviewed. Rigorous vetting of staff is carried out to ensure the quality and suitability of all adults having contact with children. Secure child protection procedures are in place and all staff have been appropriately trained. Children’s safety is part of the pre-school’s ethos with daily encouragement about safe play and practices much in evidence during the sessions.
The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children
Children enjoy learning in the warm and welcoming environment where they are provided with an excellent range of interesting and imaginative activities. There is a strong emphasis on children developing independence and on making their own choices. This enables them to follow their own interests, to develop as confident learners through a ‘having a go’ ethos and involvement in active learning such as planting and harvesting vegetables. The very well organised and laid out learning environment ensures there are opportunities to experience all six areas of learning through access to a very well managed free flow of activities that includes the outdoor area. Well resourced adult-led activities enable staff to work closely with children and to observe their development and acquisition of skills. Staff are skilled at engaging children in conversation through careful questioning to extend their learning. Topics, such as Bonfire Night and Diwali offer opportunities to develop a greater cultural awareness through involvement in creative activities. The walls of the room display the excellent range of experiences the children have had recently including planting and growing, and a range of creative artwork. Children make excellent progress in learning. The development of fine motor skills is promoted very well through learning to cut and stick, and to mark make in the ‘office’ role play area where children write letters, put them into envelopes, address, stamp and post them in the pillar box. Mouse skills are developing well through the use of a paint program on the computer in colouring objects with different colours. Their curiosity is aroused in the area where plastic specimens of insects and animals are buried under tree bark shavings. The ‘Dark Den’ allows children to develop confidence and to use their imagination together with others in a specially constructed darkened area in the middle of the room. Regular opportunities to use their counting skills particularly when working with an adult, ensure they are making good progress in this area. Children’s interests are very well catered for through thorough and detailed planning that ensures all six areas are represented. Assessment opportunities are exploited regularly and recorded in individual folders by the key person. The information is shared regularly with parents and used very effectively to plan the next steps in learning for each individual child. Children are developing a sense of how to be safe because of the caring ethos engendered by the staff. The promotion of children’s welfare is outstanding because the safety and well being of each individual is seen as paramount. Road safety training enhances their understanding when outside the pre-school, and this is reinforced in the outdoor area with the use of traffic signs. Daily risk assessments are carried out to ensure the safety of premises and resources. Children are encouraged to develop a healthy life style through regular physical activity plus healthy snacks and drinks. Snack time is a pleasant experience and children sit and enjoy a social chat with staff and friends. Although they are encouraged to pour their own drinks they are not often encouraged to help the staff and participate in the safe preparation of food for the others. Children’s behaviour is good and they are learning to share and to take turns as well work and play together. They willingly help put equipment away during a well organised ‘tidy up time’. They listen carefully during story time and follow instructions well. Personal and social development is well advanced, and they are being very well prepared for the next stage of their education.
Annex A: record of inspection judgements
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The key inspection judgements and what
they mean
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 |
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
| How well does the setting meet the needs of the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? | 1 |
| The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement | 1 |
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision
| How effectively is the Early Years Foundation Stage led and managed? | 1 |
| The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement | 1 |
| The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources | 1 |
| The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity | 1 |
| The effectiveness of safeguarding | 1 |
| The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement | 1 |
| The effectiveness of partnerships | 1 |
| The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers | 1 |
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage
| The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage | 1 |
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
| Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage | 1 |
| The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning | 1 |
| The extent to which children feel safe | 1 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk |