It tends to look like a double decker bus has run through the room,' says Oakey Dokeys joint deputy manager Jemma Pells cheerfully as the last child and parent leave after a morning session. 'We had two happy birthdays this morning and everyone is very excited.'
Right on cue, the team attack the task of sweeping, tidying and wiping in preparation for the next session. Some reception pupils, who are former Oakey Dokeys, are already heading down the lane from nearby host school All Saints Church of England Primary School in Great Oakley, Essex. 'They look forward to returning on a Friday afternoon and it makes a relaxed end to their week,' says Ms Pells.
Oakey Dokeys is clearly a hub of activity, where things happen and everyone has fun. Its vibrancy and child-led approach greatly impressed the Ofsted inspector. His report explains how 'children delight in a programme of exciting and imaginative activities, developing high levels of skill, and personal qualities of independence and responsibility'.
As joint manager Hayley Cannell explains, a 'full-on' day was perfect for the Ofsted inspection because it demonstrated the spontaneity of its planning and how children accessed different areas of learning through pursuing their own interests.
'On that particular day I had brought in my daughter's Russian doll and one little boy was completely absorbed in counting and ordering the dolls and trying out ideas such as smallest and biggest,' she says. 'The child was gaining language and numeracy skills as part of his natural curiosity about the doll, and having a lot of fun at the same time.'
The inspector praised the well-maintained records and information for parents. An immaculately presented folder kept in the reception area details all policies, including settling in, nappy changing, no smoking, confidentiality, child protection, curriculum, equality of opportunity and sun protection.
'Having an administrator who can devote time to paperwork makes a huge difference,' says Ms Cannell. 'We had just recently attended a safeguarding course when the inspector called and had updated all our records. Pauline does an excellent job of keeping all paperwork up to date, and making sure the presentation is neat and tidy.'
The Self-Evaluation Form was given a lot of thought at Oakey Dokeys. The point at which this was filed is described as a 'ceremonial moment accompanied by a fanfare'.
Ms Cannell says, 'We worked on the form as a team, which included not only all the staff but parents and carers as well. We broke each section down and gave copies to everyone to get their feedback. Collating the information took four months and was a work in progress.
'Most importantly, we were able to say everything on the form that we wanted to say about our work here. With the new inspections being shorter, it was really important to include as much information as we possibly could. The inspector had not read our form before he arrived, but we kept referring to it throughout the day and he took a hard copy of it away with him. It was a useful hook for him to ask how certain things worked.'
Ms Cannell says the inspector was also impressed with the learning journals. 'These are all as individual as the children, and he remarked how they reflected their growing confidence and self-esteem.'
Although Oakey Dokeys does not currently have an ethnic mix of children, the inspector praised its approach to multiculturalism, stating, 'All the resources of the pre-school are available to the children, and books and toys give positive images of diversity. Ensuring equality and celebrating diversity is one of the pre-school's many strengths and the managers train others in this area on behalf of the local authority.'
Ms Cannell says, 'Our approach to this is to build cultural aspects into as many activities as possible, rather than having it as the starting point and becoming tokenistic.'
While the children are able to access all the resources in the room independently, and are free to spread objects around, the space is organised thoughtfully. A 'snack stop' eating area, ICT area and book corner with a sofa and cushions ensure that children move around the provision. There is open access to the outdoor area, which is surrounded by fields.
The inspector noted that the outdoor area had been 'greatly improved and provides for a much wider range of activities'. His only recommendation was that the setting could offer more activities that build imaginative links between the indoors and outdoors.
Oakey Dokeys' enthusiastic staff are all more than happy to take this on board.
ANDREE RACE, JOINT MANAGER
- 'We place huge importance on the interaction of children with each other, their environment and the staff. We run with the children's own ideas and we are responsive to them, which is something the inspector appreciated.
'Inevitably this generates quite an amount of mess, but we have factored in the time needed to tidy up. We recognise that staff need to get paid for time outside of their contact with the children. They need preparation time, assessment time and follow-up time.
'Creating the right level of staffing is absolutely key and all of our staff are passionately committed to what they do and are extending their qualifications. In addition to joint managers, we have joint deputies and joint assistants, which creates a balanced hierarchy that works well on managerial and practical levels.
'Every child who comes through our doors is special and we reflect this in our practice, particularly in our learning journals. We ensure children are given responsibilities and it is this which helps them to grow in independence.'
SNAPSHOT
- Great Oakley (Oakey Dokeys) Pre-School opened in 2006 and adjoins All Saints Church of England Primary School in the village of Great Oakley in Essex.
- There are 60 children on roll who attend morning or afternoon sessions. The setting is registered for 24 children at any one time.
- Six staff are currently employed. Joint manager Andree Race holds a Level 4 and her counterpart Hayley Cannell is studying for this through the OU. The joint deputy managers are both qualified to Level 3. Pauline Gormley, who is a nursery assistant qualified to Level 3, also has special responsibility for administration.
- Andree Race recently led an inclusion development programme on behalf of Essex County Council and is the setting's SENCO.