• The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents.
• If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

  Information about the setting

• Sherrington Pre-School opened in 1974. It operates from two rooms in Sherrington Village hall. The pre-school serves the village and surrounding areas.
• There are currently 24 children from two to five years on the roll. This includes 15 funded three-year-olds and 4 funded four-year-olds. Children attend a variety of sessions. The group supports children with special needs and those who speak English as an additional language.
• The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are Monday to Thursday 9:15 until 11:45 and Friday 12:30 until 15:00.
• Four staff work with the children. Three staff are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher and mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

  How good is the Day Care?

• Sherrington Pre-School provides good care for children. The staff work well as a team and are supportive of each other. The ratios of adults to children are high. Training is considered a priority, all staff are working towards early years qualifications. There is a clear operational plan so that all know their duties and responsibilities. The premises are light and airy and laid out in an attractive way.
• The staff have a very good understanding of safety issues. Risk assessments are carried out regulariy. The fire equipment is in place and evacuation procedures are practised each half term. The staff follow good hygiene practices and encourage the children to learn personal hygiene habits. The staff understand their responsibilities to protect the children in their care.
• The pre-school has a clear daily routine. The children make choices about their play and are supported by interested and enthusiastic staff and volunteers. Staff plan the activities to ensure a varied range of experiences, both indoors and outside. They provide a balance between child-initiated play and adult-led activities. The staff know the children well and take account of their individual needs. They are skilful in managing children's behaviour and in developing the children's confidence and independence.
• The staff understand the need to work in partnership with the parents. The parents are kept well informed of activities and information is exchanged daily. All required records and policies are in place, but the child protection policy lacks the necessary detail.

  What has improved since the last inspection?

• Not applicable

  What is being done well?

• The setting is light and bright, it is made to look very welcoming. The children come in readily and settle to activities quickly. The display boards are used well to inform, and extend the children's learning, with displays of the theme and information about the nature table. They are also used to display the children's work, such as the picture of Elmer the Elephant, enabling the children to have pride and feel valued.
• The staff have formed a very good team and work well together. They are adaptable and able to work flexibly, they support the children. They enjoy enabling the children to develop and to gain knowledge from their time in the group. Each child is made to feel welcome and important.
• The staff provide a wide range of interesting activities which the children are eager to take part in. The children are able to move around freely and to make their own choices, gaining independence. Very good use is made of the dressing up clothes and the home corner, provoking interaction and co-operative play and the use of much imagination.
• The children's behaviour is managed in a consistent and appropriate way. The staff are calm, they use a lot of praise and encouragement. Children are encouraged to think about the consequences of their actions, to be considerate of others and to have good manners. The children's behaviour is very good.
• The children are helped to become independent. They come into the group confidently, they are able to take themselves to the toilet and to wash their hands. Tissues are made easily accessible, and they practise dressing themselves, doing up buttons and zips.

  What needs to be improved?

• the child protection policy, to include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer
• the delegation of responsibility to a named person for health and safety.

  Outcome of the inspection

• Good

  CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

• All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration.
As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

  WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NEXT?

• The Registered Person should have regard to the following recommendations by the time of the next inspection

  How effective is the nursery education?

• The provision for nursery education at Sherrington Pre-School is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The children are confident and eager to learn, they are becoming independent and their behaviour is good. They are learning to care for others.
• The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage which ensures provision of a good range of activities which promote the children's learning. The plans are very clear and precise, they allow for flexibility and the differing abilities of the children. Evaluation of activities does not identify whether learning objectives have been met. Individual children are given support as necessary, they are encouraged and praised, and they have close relationships with the staff. Ongoing assessments are made for each child ensuring that they are making progress in all six areas of development. All children are motivated and well challenged; their learning is extended effectively through very good questioning and discussions. Resources are used imaginatively and activities are interesting and challenging; children are able to self select and make independent choices.
Leadership and management is very good. The managment committee are supportive of the staff, and are becoming familiar with their roles and responsibilities, but there is no formal evaluation in place. The supervisor is in full control on a day to day basis; she has sound knowledge and experience and works very closely with rest of team. Appraisals of all staff are held annually and training is on-going.
• Partnership with parents is very good and contributes to the children's learning. Parents are given very clear and informative written information about the group and the activities the children take part in. Parents and staff have opportunities on a daily basis to exchange information about the children. Parents are encouraged to take part in the sessions.

  What is being done well?

• Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage. Topics are introduced to the children in a lively manner that shows that the staff are also enthusiastic and interested in them, such as the topic about 'ourselves and our families'. Many different ways are found for children to look at their own family and learn about others. These include imaginative play, creative activities, exploration, stories, sequencing and discussions. Children are motivated and keen to learn.
• Imaginative play is well planned and resourced. The home corner is presented attractively and with unusual ideas that invoke the imagination, such as hot water bottles and eye masks in the bedroom. The dressing up clothes are attractive and well maintained; the play is extended by providing a mirror and a camera to record all that has happened. Children are able to explain and develop ideas.
• The children enjoy debates especially about the family, their routines, siblings and behaviour. All become animated and want to join in, some with a iittle support. Children are learning to listen to have regard for others and to listen to them while they speak.
• Good use is made of the outside play area and the local community. They enjoy nature walks and learning about the local features. Children are gaining a sense of time and place.
• Relations between staff, children and the children's parents are good. Children enjoy their parents helping in the group and parents are able to understand what their child does in pre-school and to have additional discussions about their child's achievements with a member of staff.

  What needs to be improved?

• evaluation of activities to ensure learning objectives are met
• development of a formal system of evaluating and monitoring the provision for nursery education.

  What has improved since the last inspection?

• The progress made in the pre-school in addressing the issues raised at the last inspection is very good.
• The group were asked to ensure that medium term plans should adequately identify desirable learning outcomes, and that priority should be given in the plans to personal and social development, language and literacy and mathematics. They should also ensure that planned activities are carried out, especially those for physical development. It was also necessary to ensure that all group activities were appropriate for all the children.
• The plans are very comprehensive and include all areas of learning, they show that each area is included every day. All areas of learning are very good and planned activities are adjusted for the different abilities of the children. Planned activities are normally carried out although extra activities are planned in case something does not work or finishes earlier than expected. Some activities are carried out in large groups; these are suitable for all the children, though some receive extra support. Smaller groups are used for key activities so that more individual attention can be given.
Each of the points raised are met which ensures that children are adequately challenged and supported. They are making progress in each area of learning.

  PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good

Children are very keen and eager to learn; they come into the group and settle quickly at activities which are presented attractively. The children are able to sit and concentrate well. They make good relations with the adults and other children. They move around freely with friends and co-operate in games, such as in role play with the prams and dolls, they are learning to negotiate and to take turns. Children are gaining a sense of community.

  COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good

Children chat freely and are able to listen to others. They enjoy stories and are eager to interact and predict what will happen; they concentrate well and their vocabulary is being extended. Children enjoy debates about their experiences, most join in confidently, some need a little support. They are able to recognise their own names and some are beginning to write them with varying amounts of skill. The more able children are linking sounds with letters.

  MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good

Children are encouraged to practise counting skills through daily routines, such as counting the children, the chairs and the cups. Children are able to count to 10 confidently, the oldest children are able to recognise the numerals up to 9. They are beginning to use mathematical language, 'more than, less than' and to solve simple problems, like, are there enough cakes for everybody. Children are able to construct complex constructions such as the train track.

  KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good

Children are given the opportunities to leam about the world around them, they are becoming inquisitive and self motivated. The playground and surrounding areas are used well to stimulate children's interest in nature, such as collecting leaves and visiting the duck pond. They are also gaining a sense of time and place. They are beginning to learn about other cultures through good resources and celebrating festivals like Chinese New Year. They are gaining confidence in using technology.

  PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good

Children have daily use of the outside area with climbing equipment; they able to practise skills of climbing, sliding and balancing. Children are gaining good spatial awareness and are able to move wheeled items such as buggies skilfully around objects. They are given many opportunities to develop fine motor skills and hand/eye co-ordination and are able to use a wide variety of tools such as paintbrushes, chalks and bubble rings. They are becoming aware of the need to stay healthy.

  CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good

Music is offered creatively. The children are able to experiment and investigate many different ways of making sounds for themselves. They express themselves through various materials and media. Their work is displayed in the pre-school attractively so that they are able to feel proud, which helps develop their confidence. Imaginative role play is well planned and enhanced by the provision of exciting resources. They are able to express their feelings and communicate ideas.

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Yes

  OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

  WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

(Key issues or points for consideration for improvement in nursery education)

There are no significant weaknesses to report but consideration should be given to the following:

• ensure evaluations of the activities record to what extent the learning objectives have been met
• ensure that the monitoring and evaluation of the nursery education is effective.

The registered person must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents, and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next combined inspection.