Fleetwood's Charity Pre-School Group
Inspection report for early years provision
Unique reference number	309677
Inspection date	13/05/2010
Inspector	Sarah Quinn
Setting address	Fleetwood's Charity School, Mill Street, Preesall, Lancashire, FY6 0NN
Telephone number	01253 810 324
Email	head@fleetwoods.lancs.ngfl.ac.uk
Type of setting	Childcare on non-domestic premises

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 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.

Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/

© 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).

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.

Description of the   setting    

Fleetwood's Charity Pre-School Group registered in 1997. It is run by a management committee and operates from a classroom in the primary school, which is situated in a rural village in the Wyre district of Lancashire. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There is a variety of outdoor play areas available for the children as well as the use of the school hall. The children attending come from the surrounding area and move into the reception class at the end of their pre-school year. The setting is registered for 24 children. There are currently 12 children aged from three years to five years on roll. This includes 11 children who receive funding for nursery education. Children may attend for all sessions or a selection. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The group operates from Monday to Friday from 8am to 3.30pm during term time only. The pre-school manager holds Early Years Professional status. One other staff member holds a level 3 qualification in childcare and is working towards a Foundation Degree. The setting receives support from the local authority and has achieved the Step into Quality Lancashire Quality Assurance Scheme.

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

 Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

 Children thrive in this inclusive, exciting and stimulating setting, because practitioners focus their attention upon their unique and individual needs. They are healthy and safe and develop superb skills for the future. The use of the forest school environment provides a thrilling and inspiring environment for children to explore and take risks. The setting improves rapidly as the management is committed to reflective practice and identifies areas for development for the benefit of the children.

What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider: monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the observation, assessment and planning system, to ensure the impact upon children’s learning and development remains consistently strong.

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision

Robust policies and procedures, including risk assessments and safe recruiting methods, ensure that children are very well cared for. Staff prioritise safeguarding and are proactive in putting the needs of children first in every situation. Thorough induction procedures ensure practitioners understand their responsibilities within the setting. Staff are fully committed to their own professional development. Recommendations from the previous inspection have been fully addressed and the self-reflective, enthusiastic attitudes from staff in the setting indicate their willingness to learn and develop in their practice. Self-evaluation is highly effective in identifying significant areas for improvement and, as a consequence of the managers’ swift action, the setting is improving rapidly.

Partnerships with the school and other agencies are fostered extremely well for the sake of the children, particularly the children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result of these excellent relationships with school, transition for the children into the reception class is smooth and well managed. Partnerships with parents and carers are also very strong and they appreciate the wealth of high quality information they receive about their children’s progress. Policies and procedures are well written and support the learning and welfare of the children attending.

Equality and diversity are promoted exceptionally well through a wide range of resources and topics that expand children’s understanding of the world around them, offering excellent learning opportunities. Children show rapid progress towards the early learning goals although the setting is yet to evaluate and monitor systems on a consistent basis to assess the impact of the full cycle of observation, assessment and planning on the children’s learning and development. Resources are deployed very well, particularly in the outdoor environment. This area has been organised imaginatively to offer the widest range of opportunities to children.

The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children

Children giggle and chatter in the forest school and they choose with excitement what they want to explore. They find insects and observe them carefully, make tents and dens to role play traditional stories like Cinderella, or sit in the sun and chat. They make mud pies, paint ‘magic potion’ on the trees and use stethoscopes to listen to the‘heart beat’ of the tree trunk. They watch via webcam the resident bird nesting, and they complete a chart counting down the days until the eggs hatch. Children have a rich and varied choice each day. They plant fruit and vegetables for their own consumption, paint, make music from pots and pans, or dig in the sand or ground.

Practitioners move in and out of play highly effectively to support and challenge children in all areas of learning both indoors and outdoors. This is because they know the children very well and are skilfully able to provide the guidance and support that is necessary to enable each child to meet the next steps in their development. Practitioners make sensitive observations of the children and use the information that they gather to add to each child’s individual ‘learning journey’ folder. Parents also contribute to their child’s folder when they complete ‘home/school link’ sheets, so they can see what the children have been enjoying and make suggestions based upon what they know about their child. Practitioner interaction is excellent and they act as very strong role models for the children. They communicate well with each other and the setting runs smoothly because of this. Behaviour is exemplary.

Children know about healthy food and exercise and make excellent choices to enhance their well-being. They enjoy serving themselves healthy snacks and milk, and count out the number of cereal scoops they would like to eat. They sit together and chat, and independently indicate that they have eaten their snacks by using pegs with their names on. Children are safe and they learn about taking risks. They climb trees and use tools and implements very sensibly in the forest school under excellent supervision. Children cooperate and share while they play, and their fascination and enjoyment is evident in everything that they do.

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

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

Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

Met

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

Met