Ofsted Report, June 2007
Inspection report for early years provision
Unique Reference Number 136025
Inspection date 12 June 2007
Inspector Deborah Jane Starr
Setting Address 172 Rodway Road, Patchway, Bristol, Avon, BS34 5ED
Telephone number 0117 9409693
Registered person Little Rainbows at Wesley Pre School
Type of inspection Integrated
Type of care Full day care
About this inspection
The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage.
The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.
The key inspection judgements and what they mean
Outstanding:
this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality
Good:
this aspect of the provision is strong
Satisfactory:
this aspect of the provision is sound
Inadequate:
this aspect of the provision is not good enough
For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.
THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION
On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:
The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.
The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.
WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?
Little Rainbows at Wesley Pre-School has been established for over 40 years. It operates from the Wesley Room of St Chad's Church, close to the main shopping area in Patchway, South Gloucestershire. Children have access to outside play space.
The pre-school opens from 09.00 to 15.00 hours, four days a week and from 09.00 to 12.15 on Tuesdays. Children bring a packed lunch to stay for extended sessions or the full day, within these hours. There are currently 42 children from two years to under five years on roll. Of these, 28 receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities and for whom English is an additional language.
The pre-school employs four members of staff who work directly with the children. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school receives teacher support from the local authority. The pre-school is run by a parent committee.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROVISION
Helping children to be healthy
The provision is outstanding. Children thrive in a friendly atmosphere where their health and well-being are exceedingly well met by caring and knowledgeable staff. There are excellent procedures in place to prevent the spread of illness and cross infection between children. For instance, there are rigorous policies in place to exclude children when they are ill and extremely thorough good hygiene routines followed by staff and children. Children learn good self-care skills and confidently address their own physical needs. They know that hand washing is important to prevent germs getting into their bodies and why they wear hats when it is sunny. They learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies through everyday conversations with staff and observe changes in their breathing and heart beat when moving to exercise tapes. Children easily identify that they are hot because they have been running around and pour their own drinks. There are stringent procedures in place to gain parental consent and guidance for administering medication; all medication and accidents are carefully recorded and confirmed by parents. All members of staff hold current first aid certificates; therefore children are appropriately treated should any minor accidents occur.
Children's physical development is very well promoted through planned daily sessions. Staff set up equipment or play large group games that promote specific developmental skills. Older children practise throwing and catching a large frisbee to each other, whilst younger less able children climb through tents and tunnels and develop balance when jumping on a low-level trampoline. Children demonstrate their awareness of space as they move to music, manoeuvre around each other and then stop, listen and follow instructions to find a particular shape clearly displayed in the room.
Children benefit from healthy snacks and drinks and help themselves to water during the day. Children bring lunch boxes and enjoy sharing a sociable meal with staff. Staff share information with children and parents about healthy eating and staff are scrupulous in ensuring that any specific dietary needs are identified and met. For example, parents are requested not to bring specific foods for shared cookery activities where children have allergies. Children's understanding of well-balanced and nutritious food is promoted through cookery activities that promote healthy choices such as fruit kebabs, smoothies and food tasting.
Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe
The provision is outstanding. Staff work hard to provide a comfortable and welcoming environment for children and their parents. The room is spacious and attractively decorated with many examples of children's own work. Colourful posters and pictures, clearly labelled in a wide variety of languages, reflect the cultural diversity of the children that attend and are inviting. The play room is planned effectively to promote the areas of learning. Children have free access at all times to a paved area leading directly from the play room and a large enclosed grass area that is shared with another day care provider at designated times during the session. The paved area is set out with alternative resources, thus enhancing the range of activities that children safely enjoy and that further encourages and develops their independence in making choices about their learning.
High priority is given to promoting children's safety. Staff are vigilant as comprehensive daily checks and thorough risk assessments ensure children are not at risk. The pre-school is very well equipped with a broad range of interesting and innovative resources. These are checked regularly to ensure they are safe and appropriate for the age and stage of development of the children who attend. Children have a good understanding of their own personal safety. They willingly help to tidy toys away to keep the play space safe, frequently practise evacuation procedures and know how to use scissors safely. Planned activities that develop an awareness of road safety through role play, regular walks around the local community and discussion about stranger danger promote children's understanding further.
Children are well protected from harm and their welfare safeguarded. Well-considered procedures include, the safe collection of children by authorised persons and the careful recording of pre-existing injuries. Staff have a thorough knowledge of how to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and there are highly effective procedures in place should they have any concerns about a child. Designated staff attend regular child protection training; this is subsequently cascaded to all staff who fully understand their responsibilities and the reporting procedures within the setting. A written child protection policy included within the welcome pack ensures parents are well-informed.
Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do
The provision is outstanding. Children enjoy a rich and varied range of activities that stimulate their learning and development in all areas. Staff are knowledgeable and sensitive and offer children opportunities to develop good learning through both adult led and child initiated activities. Children's language skills are significantly enhanced by excellent interactions between staff and children. Staff carefully plan the environment to enable children to access resources and make independent decisions about their own learning. Younger children benefit from the challenge of sharing activities with older children because staff are skilled at adapting activities and supporting children.
Nursery Education.
The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding; children make significant progress in all areas of learning. Staff have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of child development, how children learn and the Foundation Stage curriculum. They effectively build upon information gained when children join the setting to provide activities and opportunities that supports each child to make rapid progress. Planning for learning and development is highly effective and well-informed. Frequent observations, assessment and evaluation of each child's achievements and progress linked to the stepping stones, ensure their next steps are clearly identified and planned for. Staff skilfully choose the right moment to ask open-ended questions that help children develop their own ideas and resolve problems. For instance, children when playing with dry sand decide to create a snow man. They attempt to form a solid shape, however are unsuccessful. They talk about what they want to do, then with gentle encouragement, think about how they will achieve this. Children eagerly test out their ideas; a child fetches a jug of water and pours small quantities to bind the sand together. The child positively beams at her achievement.
Children work in small groups as they turn a small handle on a jack-in-the-box and are encouraged to say 'hello Dora' when it pops up; thus encouraging less confident children to speak out in a small group. Children are encouraged to blow a hand held windmill to develop facial muscles. Older children show concern for younger children, showing them how to hold it correctly. They develop expressive language as staff offer them a range of descriptive words such as smooth, tickly and cold as they feel the textured balls and objects. Children are intrigued and manipulate and change the shape of the balls by squeezing, twisting and turning them inside out. They then participate in a sound game, they take turns to select cards and observe how they pick it up using a magnetic wand. They identify a range of pictures on the cards that focus on the letters 't' and 's'. More able children are encouraged to develop their ideas through the linking of letter sounds to other familiar objects.
Staff take account of children's interests and use these to plan activities that consolidate their understanding and offer challenges to more able children. Children self-select and use appropriate tools effectively to dismantle a loud speaker, carefully explaining how they are doing it. They talk about their experiences outside of the group and where and when you would find a speaker. They sort and match nuts and screws; correctly counting how many they have.
Children are captivated by the animated story telling of the staff. Children listen intently, speak out confidently in the group and repeat familiar story lines. They anticipate what happens next and move in a variety of ways as if walking through grass, under trees and crawling into a cave. Children are engrossed and all turn their heads in unison when told a bear is behind them. They continue to discuss the story when it is finished comparing their own facial features with those of the bear. Children use their imaginations extremely effectively in role-play and with small world toys. They work well together to construct stories and act them out, for example, when talking to each other on phones across the room about going shopping. Children spontaneously practice mark making in their role play, writing birthday cards to friends, lists in diaries and stories using paper on clip boards.
Helping children make a positive contribution
The provision is outstanding. Children are highly valued and respected by caring and passionate staff who are committed to ensuring that each child's needs are identified and met within the setting. Children and staff are individually welcomed into the group at the start of the day by using a wide variety of languages including Makaton. Children's achievements are celebrated by the whole group and the nurturing of their self-esteem ensures they grow in confidence. An integrated approach with other agencies and a proactive liaison between staff and parents ensure that children with learning difficulties are identified early and individual children receive the best possible support they need to make progress. This supportive atmosphere enables children to gain confidence to speak English if it is not their first language. Children learn to respect differences, as they learn about their own community and the lives of others through well planned and innovative activities. They regularly visit local shops and the library and celebrate a range of festivals. Volunteers and a variety of visitors to the group such as 'guide dogs for the blind' develop further children's understanding of diversity along with colourful posters, books and dolls and creative activities such as mehindi hand painting and cookery.
Children respond well to the high expectations of staff; their behaviour is extremely good. They show care and consideration for each other and benefit from sensitive explanation about how their behaviour may impact on others. They are happy and settled and quickly become engrossed in the wide range of activities and games, leaving little time for boredom or undesirable behaviour. Parents are warmly welcomed by staff who spend time getting to know them and their children. Parents are well-informed of their children's experiences and welfare through frequent newsletters, clearly displayed notices and social events. Should problems arise staff are happy to work closely with parents to support children. For example, children's anxieties about visiting a dentist are alleviated as the imaginative play area is set up as a dentist and staff join in role play and discussion with children about healthy teeth and read stories linked to the experience. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.
The partnership with parents is outstanding. Individual discussion with the leader when children first start and photographs that clearly illustrate the six areas of learning within the Foundation Stage curriculum help parents understand how their children learn. Staff share frequent verbal and regular written feedback about children's progress and their identified next steps. Parents are actively encouraged to be involved with their own child's on-going learning through suggested activities at home, a library system and individual parent meetings.
Organisation
The organisation is outstanding. Children's progress is significantly enhanced by the excellent organisation of the pre-school. The well qualified and experienced staff team create a secure and stimulating environment within the limitations of the premises. Their resourceful approach to maximise space and use of display boards and screens to promote learning is exemplary. High staff ratios and well-considered deployment throughout the play areas ensures children are fully supported in their play. Children are encouraged and enabled to start making decisions about their own learning through easy access to a wide range of activities.
Comprehensive systems followed by all staff and regular monitoring ensures that all documentation and policies and procedures within the National Standards promote and safeguard children's welfare and help children progress. All records are stored securely. Rigorous checking procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff training needs are clearly identified through regular appraisals and all are committed to on-going professional development. All staff meet frequently to review and evaluate their practice and have a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and areas they wish to improve. Staff members are committed to ensuring their provision is of consistently high quality and have gained a recognised quality assurance scheme.
The leadership and management is outstanding. A highly effective monitoring system of planning and individual assessment records ensures that all children move forward appropriately at their own pace. The manager and staff use their thorough knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum to effectively plan interesting activities that excite and challenge children in all areas of learning.
The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.
Improvements since the last inspection
At the last care inspection the provider was requested to make the following improvement; to make sure that poisonous plants in the outside play area are inaccessible to the children. This recommendation has been considered fully and steps taken to improve the provision. The land owner has cut back the identified tree and when berries appear the immediate area is cordoned off. Consequently, effective steps are taken to minimise the hazard and children's safety is promoted.
At the last nursery education inspection the provider was requested to consider the following recommendations; to improve children's access to a suitable range of mark making materials and develop their interest in reading books and to consider the organisation of the indoor area and ensure that children have visual access to educational displays. The re-organisation of the play areas enables children to easily access a variety of mark making materials and they spontaneously practise this skill throughout the session. A book area is prominently placed and children freely access a wide selection of regularly rotated books; sitting comfortably on cushions. Staff use display boards and screens to create a visually stimulating environment.
Complaints since the last inspection
Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.
The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.
THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION
On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:
The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.
The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.
WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?
The quality and standards of the care
No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.
The quality and standards of the nursery education
No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.
Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk