Little Robins Pre-school

Little Robins Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY270955 Inspection date 10/02/2011 Inspector Fiona M Robinson

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Setting address Little Robins, Robin Hoods Walk, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 9LQ Telephone number 07906 747077 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises 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 assesses 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

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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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.

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Introduction

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).

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Introduction

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.

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Introduction

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. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Little Robins was registered in September 2003. It is a committee run group which has been operating since 1976. It operates from a mobile building located within the grounds of the Park Community School site. The building comprises two playrooms, toilet and kitchen facilities, an office, staff room and storage space. There is an adjoining outdoor play space. The facility serves the local rural community. The pre-school is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. It is registered with Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The group may care for no more than 34 children from two to under eight years of age at any one time. Of these, not more than 34 may be in the early years age group and of these, not more than 32 may be under three years. There are currently 48 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group. The setting receives funding in respect of early education places. It is open during term time from 9am to 12 noon and from 12 noon to 3pm, with an optional lunch club from 11.30am to 12.30pm. There is also an out of school facility which, during term time, is open for a breakfast club from 7.45am to 8.45am. Children attend for a variety of the sessions on offer.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff employed to work with the children, of whom, four hold a National Vocational Qualification at level 3, and three are working towards this. Staff attend courses relevant to their work and development. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children enjoy the activities on offer and achieve well in this bright and stimulating environment. They are well cared for and fully included and supported to engage in an extensive range of indoor and outdoor activities in most areas of learning. Staff have excellent links with parents and carers and keep them fully informed of children's achievements and progress. There are good links with the host school, feeder schools and the community. The manager and staff have a good knowledge of the strengths and areas for improvement and demonstrate a good capacity for future improvement.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop further the outdoor area to help support and extend children's learning and development  provide additional opportunities for children to use information and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 communication technology and programmable toys to support their learning.

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is good because staff implement comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure children are kept safe and secure. They have a very good knowledge of safeguarding and child protection procedures. Staff are vigilant to ensure children's safety and provide a high level of supervision both indoors and outdoors. There are robust systems in place for parents to follow when collecting their children. Risk assessments are carried out regularly and carefully recorded to minimise risks and ensure children's safety. These checks make sure that children use a range of resources and equipment that are safe and suitable for their age. There are rigorous systems in place for staff recruitment and vetting, to ensure the suitability of all staff and adults having contact with the children.

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the early years provision

There is an excellent level of engagement with parents and carers, who feel they are kept very well-informed of their children's progress and achievements. Key staff regularly monitor children's progress and record detailed evidence in their learning records of key achievements. Staff use a mixture of written observations and photographic evidence to bring these documents to life. These are shared more formally with parents at consultation meetings, although they can be viewed at any time. The home school diaries also keep parents informed of their children's achievements and progress and are greatly valued by parents and carers. Parents are kept very well informed of special visits to the farm and Natureworld, and about fundraising activities. Staff compile comprehensive newsletters and use these in conjunction with informal discussions and the parents' notice board to bring about excellent links with parents and carers. Partnerships with the host

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the early years provision

school, other feeder schools and outside agencies are good and information is shared effectively to ensure a smooth transition into full-time education.

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the early years provision

The group is well-led and managed. Staff meet weekly to discuss planning and assessment. The views of parents are taken into consideration when identifying improvements and priorities for planning and their contributions are valued. There are good self-evaluation procedures in place for identifying what works well and areas for further improvement. Plans are currently in place for the further development of the outside garden area. Currently, children do not have access to a wide range of activities outdoors to stimulate their reasoning, problem solving and curiosity about the natural world, which impacts on their choice of play. Staff have also identified that there are gaps and that further developments would be beneficial to children in the area of technology, including the digital camera, interactive whiteboard, and computer for children to record and share their experiences and better promote their information and communication technology

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the early years provision

skills. Staff promote equality and diversity very actively and this has brought about excellent levels of support for children with special educational needs. Parents and staff are very supportive and provide expertise and resources for festivals such as Diwali and Christmas. All children are fully integrated into well planned activities and achieve well. Good progress has been made in addressing the recommendations of the previous inspection. In particular, planning systems have This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 been reviewed to ensure that children receive appropriate levels of challenge, and activities are regularly monitored and evaluated. Staff regularly attend training to enhance and enrich their qualifications. They make effective use of a broadly good range of resources to meet the needs of the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from well planned play and achieve well. Staff involve children in the planning and choice of activities and value their ideas and contributions. All children are helped to appreciate diversity through festivals such as Harvest, Diwali, Christmas and the Chinese New Year. Activities, such as storytelling, sari wrapping and food tasting enrich their experiences and their appreciation of other people's differences. Parents and staff talk to the children about other cultures and lifestyles, such as Poland, Portugal, Lithuania and Russia and promote equality and diversity extremely well.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is outstanding as they show high levels of kindness and consideration to others. Staff have high expectations and are excellent role models. Children's independence is promoted well, for example they choose their names confidently when they arrive and place them on the apple tree board. They cooperate and work very well together, such as when they re-enact the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Staff have a consistent approach to managing behaviour and children are aware of this. They respect the golden rules and boundaries which are in place, showing an excellent contribution to the life of the setting. Children form superb relationships with one another and their special achievements are rewarded with praise.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing an excellent understanding of keeping healthy. They have daily access to outdoor play and develop their physical skills through climbing, balancing and riding on wheeled toys. They benefit from a healthy diet and have a selection of fruit and vegetables to accompany their toast at snack time. Children enjoy making their own vegetable soup, fruit salads and pizzas with healthy toppings. They realise the importance of exercise and move actively around the outdoor play area. Indoors they regularly practise their dancing, catching and throwing skills. Recently, children have enjoyed growing their own vegetables, such as runner beans, cabbages, potatoes, onions and lettuces. They develop a good understanding of keeping safe and learn how to use equipment safely as they make fruit smoothies to drink and bread to eat. Talks on road and fire safety from the police and fire services further add to their understanding of keeping

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and outcomes for children

safe. They also learn how to look after their teeth through visits from the dental hygienist.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident, well-motivated and keen to learn. Most can write their own names and have valuable opportunities to write letters and lists. They enjoy listening quietly to stories and making colourful animal masks to play with. They confidently sing number rhymes, such as Five little snowmen, and most can count to ten and beyond. As part of their Chinese New Year celebrations children enjoyed practising their dragon dance and eating noodles, rice, prawn crackers and spring This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 rolls in their Chinese restaurant. Creative skills are developed well as they mix colours and paint hedgehogs for their winter collages. They enjoy building dens and going on bug hunts and the layout and organisation of the wild outdoor area is being developed to provide more problem solving and sensory experiences for the children. Children are keen to make food for the birds to eat and watch them feed.

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and outcomes for children

They accurately identify numbers and shapes in their indoor environment. Overall, children are prepared well for life outside the pre-school and their next stage in learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

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

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

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