Oxford Brookes University

Bubbles Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133864 Inspection date 28/06/2011 Inspector Jill Milton

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Setting address The Community Centre, Holm Square, Holm Way, Southwold, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 3UU Telephone number 07729321695 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.

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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.

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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

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

Bubbles Pre-School registered in 1990 and is a voluntary group managed by a committee. The pre-school is located in the Southwold area of the town of Bicester, and the intake of children is from the local residential area. The accommodation consists of rooms within a community hall, with access to a kitchen and outdoor play area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and a maximum of 30 children in the early years age range may attend at any one time. There are currently 53 children on roll in this age range and the pre- school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The pre-school currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school also currently supports children for whom English is an additional language. The pre-school opens in school term times, on weekday mornings from 8.30am until 11.30am. Flexible

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Description of the setting

sessions also run on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 8.30am to 1.30pm or from 12 noon to 3.00pm. The pre-school employs seven staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

This well organised pre-school provides a friendly and positive start to many aspects of children's early education. The staff are attentive to children's welfare and their day-to-day procedures are supported well by an active committee. The staff recognise the uniqueness of each child in their care, taking their needs into account through individual planning of activities. The staff develop good partnerships with families and with other professionals linked to the pre-school. There is a positive attitude to improvement through access to training and thoughtful action plans.

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further?

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

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further?

 support children's developing independence more effectively, for example by enabling them to care for their own belongings  review the organisation of outdoor play time, so that the use of bicycles does not dominate the play and all children can access the range of resources in comfort. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff adopt a responsible attitude to safeguarding and all the team attend training in the area of child protection. Staff know the in-house procedures for recording and acting on concerns they may have for a child's welfare. Thorough systems are in place to check the suitability of new adults to the team and the staff adopt a sensible approach to other areas of safeguarding, such as restrictions on the use of personal mobile telephones. Staff insist on checking with parents if arrangements change for who is to collect a child. A broad range of risk assessments is in place to maintain a safe environment for the children. Written records show that staff plan how to minimise potential hazards to children when taking part in outings into the local area. Staff are familiar with routes for emergency evacuation of the premises and they ensure practices take place on different days so all children have the chance to be involved.

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the early years provision

The committee and the staff are working effectively together to bring about improvements to the pre-school. Staff receive good support to pursuing professional training up to degree level and they use their expanding knowledge in their action plans. Better provision in the area of early number work for example, came about as a result of a training course. The team are well led by an experienced supervisor and the day is organised to run smoothly. Individual members of the team take on responsibility for different areas of learning and all contribute to a thoughtful and accurate picture of self-evaluation. Staff work hard to create a colourful and stimulating learning environment for the children. They select from a wide range of good quality resources and they are adding new items and creating fresh ideas over time. Photographs reveal for example, improvements to the garden area and new child-friendly cameras are proving very popular with

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the early years provision

Partnerships with both parents and other professionals are good. The staff display a delightful range of informative albums and reference materials to help parents understand how their children learn through play. Successful ideas are in place to promote shared learning, such as prompts on a white board for parents about the day's activities. Staff value parental views and quotes from questionnaires, and together with direct comments from parents, reveal a high degree of satisfaction with the care the children receive. Parents speak of the thorough feedback from staff and some families travel from outside the local area to attend. Staff use links with the local school, childminders and day nurseries to build good partnership working in order to meet the children's individual needs. They work effectively in maintaining a dialogue with professionals who are involved in caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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the early years provision

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

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and outcomes for children

Children make successful progress with many aspects of their learning and development. They are keen to choose activities from a wide range the staff set out each day and all areas of learning are thoughtfully covered. The staff have a good working knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and they monitor each child's achievements. They use the information to set individual targets, to help children progress and they involve parents in discussions too, so all are working together. Effective systems are in place to record children's development, though some records lack the frequency of observations of others. Staff are aware of the needs of individual children and they offer good levels of support, for example to manage challenging behaviour. They encourage all children to speak words from different countries so that those attending for whom English is an additional language feel included.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing positive attitudes to keeping healthy as they enjoy fresh fruit snacks and spend time in active outdoor play. Staff maintain effective standards of hygiene through the day and they are aware of children's individual health needs. Children play safely overall and they are familiar with sensible actions, such as lining up and not pushing when getting ready to go outdoors. They enjoy a wide range of active play opportunities outside and many use small equipment with control. They are developing a good sense of road safety as they play with scaled down versions of traffic lights and a zebra crossing. One boy confidently holds up a 'no entry' sign to his friend informing him 'You cannot come down here'. However, organisation of the outdoor area means that the use of bicycles sometimes interrupts quieter activities, hampering enjoyment for some children. Staff provide the children with a stimulating range of visual materials and

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and outcomes for children

resources that promote the diversity of the world. This not only covers areas such as cultural difference but extends to help children understand about disability, with dolls and books to promote discussion. Parents take an active role in sharing their family celebrations and customs too and this demonstrates the high level of respect the staff adopt.

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and outcomes for children

Staff use effective planning to introduce new topics which are then extended with the children's interests. Photographic displays reveal an encouraging range of stimulating activities, particularly in the area of knowledge and understanding of the world. The children take part in caring for a small garden and they receive visitors from the local community to widen their experiences. They gain confidence in using numbers and technology in their play. Group time with a large foam dice reveals children's confidence in counting and reflects well on their cooperation with others. At larger group times children listen quietly whilst others speak and their behaviour overall is very encouraging. Staff act as good role models and offer positive praise verbally and through the use of stickers and achievement awards. Children are developing confidence at making their own decisions, though can at times lack the chance to be independent, for example by helping themselves to

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and outcomes for children

drinking water or reaching their own bags. Children play in an environment where they see many examples of print and writing. They take part in early mark-making and role-play areas contain props for reading and writing. Children use recycled This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 materials to create ideas and are keen to explore using their senses with water and foam. 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 1 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 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 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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