Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold Inspection Report for Early Years Provision

Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold Inspection report for early years provision Unique reference number EY334350 Inspection date 09/02/2010 Inspector Joan, Patricia Flowers Setting address Withnell Fold Methodist Church, Withnell Fold, Withnell, CHORLEY, Lancashire, PR6 8AZ Telephone number 01254 832182 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises Inspection Report: Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold, 09/02/2010 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 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 rates 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 [email protected]. 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. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: [email protected] W: www.ofsted.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2009 2 Inspection Report: Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold, 09/02/2010 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). Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods. 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. 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. 3 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Inspection Report: Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold, 09/02/2010 Description of the setting Wheelton Nursery @ Withnell Fold out of school care is operated by a private partnership that offers other nursery and out of school facilities in the local area. It has been registered since 2006. This out of school club operates from Withnell Fold Methodist Church Hall. Registration is effective on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 20 children aged from four to eleven years may attend the group at any one time. There are 27 children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age range. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities attend. The group is open each weekday from 7.45am to 9am and later between 3.10pm and 6pm during school term time. A holiday play scheme operates from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. This setting employs two qualified staff. Support and training is accessed from the local authority Sure Start development consultancy. The overall effectiveness of the early years provision Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children clearly enjoy their time in this close community and purposeful setting where the range of resources is good overall. Staff are committed and knowledgeable and they attend regular staff meetings. All of the setting’s care systems and procedures, including assessments, are well documented and effective. However, the regulator has not been informed of the recent change of manager, which is a requirement of registration. Partnership with parents is good, and positive use is made of the informal relationships with the main village feeder school and others to support children’s progress. This is in the process of being developed more broadly overall and the management demonstrate a good capacity for continuous improvement. What steps need to be taken to improve provision further? To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must: ensure that Ofsted is notified about changes of 23/02/2010 manager in a timely way so that the required checks can be carried out (Suitable people). To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: continue to develop the methods of charting children's progress so that their learning at school and at home is complemented effectively. 4 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Inspection Report: Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold, 09/02/2010 The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision The arrangements for safeguarding children are good and robust. Staff are vigilant in their supervision of the children within the church hall. Effective child protection policies and procedures are in place, with designated staff having received appropriate and specific training to the required level. Staff are vetted and visitors are checked before being admitted onto the premises. Good implementation of the required policies ensures the children’s safety and well-being is well promoted. Staff assess safety risks robustly and use these risk assessments to monitor and take action as required to maintain children's well-being. The flow of the club's play based session runs very smoothly, with all the children getting on well together, supported by the two enthusiastic and caring staff members. Each child’s background is known and their individual needs are catered for because staff are informed from the initial enrolment of information parents and carers provide. All children are respected and valued as individuals and everyone is well integrated into the club. The staff help children to value diversity and to learn about different cultures through the resources that are used and the planned activity programme. The children make good progress in their learning and development and engage well with the range of activities that are available to them. Their progress towards achieving the early learning goals is monitored, but the informal input from parents and the school is yet to feed into the planning formally. The key worker system works to identify and track children's development and what the staff can do to help them make greater progress. Planning is the responsibility of the staff and overseen by the providers. The programme is varied and includes children's access to technology by way of the computer. Current restrictions for children's access to outdoor play are soon to be a thing of the past. The addition of a new and exciting outdoor play area has been designed and installed. This will provide children with a great opportunity to freely move from inside to outside as they wish, allowing them to benefit from the freedom of an outside learning environment and the fresh air. The staff facilitate children’s learning and play, knowing just when to play actively with them or stand back and let them explore and play freely in this relaxed out of school environment. The partnership that staff have with parents and carers is good. One parent said ‘I couldn’t do without it. I come after work and sometimes my children do not want to come home. All my children love coming here'. The partnership with the feeder school is very strong as they value the service the club provides highly. Information about the children is communicated daily with parents and with the reception class teacher. Children's learning and progress are also communicated and passed on informally to the school and to parents. All the recommendations from the previous inspection have been actioned satisfactorily to improve the outcomes for children. The registered providers know the club's strengths and where improvements can be made. The providers carry out their own form of self- assessment and are introducing questionnaires for parents and for children to supplement the comments book that parents and carers can already write in. These initiatives and the improvements to the outdoor play area show a strong 5 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Inspection Report: Wheelton Nursery@ Withnell Fold, 09/02/2010 commitment to continuous development, promoting good outcomes for every child. The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children Children can make choices about what to do, who to play with and when. They can take out a game, work with malleable materials like play dough or create pictures with paint.

Load more